Blog
Membership Q&A: Don’t Leave Us!
What’s the #1 reason a long-standing member would not renew? As Dr. Theodore Woodward of the University of Maryland School of Medicine taught his med students in the 1940: “When you hear hoofbeats, think of horses…
Read More →Membership Q&A: How Much Is TOO Much?
How many follow up touch points is too many follow up touch points? When are we just getting annoying? A good general rule is: As long as you’re still getting enough response to justify the…
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Membership Q&A: Who Makes the Call?
Who should make contact around things like joining and renewing: other members or staff? Member-to-member (or member-to-prospect) communications can be very effective, IF you can persuade your members to actually make the calls. We’re often tempted…
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Membership Q&A: Tiered Benefits
Do members respond well to “tiered” membership plans? Generally, yes, with an important caveat. There must be meaningful differences in member behavior patterns. If all your members pretty much behave the same and use your benefits…
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Membership Q&A: Is There a Tipping Point?
Is there a “tipping point” when too many benefits start to get lost in the shuffle? People associate because they’re trying to accomplish something or solve a problem that they’ve been unable to do alone. So…
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Membership Q&A: Discounts
Are members who join with a price incentive more or less likely to renew membership the following year? Less likely. Don’t offer pricing discounts unless your audiences are EXTREMELY price sensitive or your membership is…
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Announcing: Membership Q&A
You’ve got questions – I (may) have answers! Now that the Membership 101 Series has concluded, it occurred to me that folks might have some more questions about membership I didn’t think to address. I…
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Membership 101: The Full Series
I’ve gotten through all the topics I had planned for the Membership 101 series, which leads to two additional questions: What did I miss? Are there membership topics you were hoping I’d cover that I…
Read More →Membership 101: What About Trade Associations?
If you’ve been following the Membership 101 series, you may be wondering: “What about trade associations? A lot of your advice seems directed to individual membership/professional associations. My members are companies/institutions. Does your advice still…
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Membership 101: Reinstatement
Hopefully, your exit survey recaptured a number of your members who lapsed due to inattention. What about the ones who lapsed for cause? Is it worth trying to get them back? Yes, with some conditions….
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