Membership is the lifeblood of any association. Chapter leaders are a key asset in the retention and engagement of members and this is very true with the BMW Car Club of America. This presentation includes a number of interactive activities as well as a case study on how one association changed their organization to better communicate with members on a consistent basis.

1. Membership Recruitment,
Retention
&
Engagement

2. Roadmap
• Membership is DEAD!?!?
• What is Member Retention?
• What is Member Engagement?
• Communication Roundtable
• 365 Day Communication Case Study

3. Membership is Dead!
Over 52% of the 690+ associations participating in
this study report a growth in membership, versus only
31% reporting a decline in their membership. And the
reported growth is vigorous, with nearly 24% of
associations reporting a gain in membership of 6% or
more.
--2013 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report,
Marketing General, Inc.

4. Membership is Dead!
The era when associations could count on members
joining and renewing has passed.
--Sarah Sladek, XYZuniversity.com

5. Membership is Dead!
The membership model will continue to be a viable
option for associations. At the same time, associations
need to be open to new audiences and ways of doing
things that will enhance their members’ experience.
--Lori Gusdorf, CAE, Point-Counterpoint: Is Membership Dead?
ASSOCIATIONS NOW, February 2009

6. Membership is Dead!
Five reasons why membership is killing association business
models:
1.Organize all value around the membership relationship.
2.Tend to focus on association outputs instead of stakeholder
outcomes.
3.Often depend on cross-subsidies that create unintended
consequences.
4.Ask members to make the most important decisions about new
value creation.
5.Require a significant investment of human effort for an
insufficient return.
--Jeff DeCagna, Principled Innovation Blog, July 2012

7. Roundtable 1:
Is Membership Dead?

8. Table Discussion

9. Roundtable 2:
What is Your Definition
of Retention?

10. Table Discussion

11. What is RETENTION?
Anything that you do
that leads to a unit
maintaining their status
as a unit.

12. “Retention is a cradle to
grave activity that
requires ENGAGEMENT”
(Washington State PTA)

13. Roundtable 3:
What is Your Definition
of Engagement?

14. Table Discussion

15. What is ENGAGEMENT?
A 365 day activity
involving regular
contact with members

16. Roundtable 4:
Communicating

17. Roundtable 4 Instructions:
1.Think of an entity (not BMW CCA) that does
a great job in communicating with you
through different channels
2.Share your experience and why you felt it
was effective at your table.
3.Report to the room your key ideas
4.Record what your chapter does to
communicate with members and your ideas
for things you could do differently.

18. Table Discussion

19. How, When, How Much,,,
A 365 Day Member Communications Plan

20. “Associations with overall increases in
membership over the past year, as well as
those with renewal rates higher than 80%,
are more likely to attempt more renewal
contacts. . . These increases in renewal
rates appear after seven contacts.”
(2010 MGI Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report)

21. ”Personal contact appears to be a key ingredient for
increasing renewals. Associations with renewal rates of
80% or higher are significantly more likely to use
personal approaches such as peer to peer member
contacts to help with renewal efforts.”
(2010 MGI Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report)

22. Case Study: Tech Council of MD
• About TCM
– Brief History of Organization
– Staff Size
– Membership Categories
– Membership Numbers and Trends

23. Case Study: Tech Council of MD
• Past Membership Retention Strategy
– Anniversary date renewal
– 2 renewal notices
• 1 phone call
• 1 invoice by direct mail
– 3 Months after expiration before ceasing
benefits
– All retention handled by Part-time Membership
Coordinator

24. Case Study: Tech Council of MD
• Results of past strategy
– Membership was disorganized
– Members didn’t receive any consistent communication targeted
to them
– Revenue was being given away because benefits were being
received without cash in hand
– Members were being trained that there really was no penalty for
renewing late
– Membership retention was a concern!
….and an opportunity!

25. Case Study: Tech Council of MD
• New Retention and Communication
Process Goals
– 365 Day Communication Strategy
– Multi-media Approach
– Targeted communication
– Outreach to members when not asking for
money
– More interpersonal communication
– No free membership benefits due to process

26. Case Study: Tech Council of MD
NewRenewed Membership Process Time Line (Example)
– Weekly newrenewal welcome call: due by June 10 (Executive Directors)
– 4 weeks of joiningrenewing welcome email: July 2 (Membership Manager)
– 90 days newrenewed of joining handwritten check in letter: September 2 (Executive
Directors)
– 6 month newrenewed check in call: December 2 (Membership Manager)
– 120 day check in call: February 2 (Membership Manager)
– 90 day invoice letter: March 2 (Finance)
– 90 day follow up invoice email: March 9 (Membership Manager)
– 30 day final notice call: May 30 (Executive Directors)
– Expire invoice letter
– 30 day final notice email: May 30 (Finance)
– 30 day post expire letteremail script: June 30 (Membership Manager)
– 60 day post expire call script: July 31 (Executive Directors)

27. 90 Day Renewal Letter

28. Case Study: Tech Council of MD
Hi (first name),
This is ******* calling from the Tech Council of Maryland. I am calling to remind you that
your membership in Tech Council of Maryland expires this month and we have yet to
receive your renewal payment. Are you planning on renewing your membership? If so you
need to do that immediately so you continue receiving all of the benefits that we provide
to you as a member. We have already put a final invoice in the mail to you that you can
use to renew. If you don’t want to wait for that you can always go to our website at
www.techcouncilmd.com and renew your membership online. Of course I am willing to
take a credit card over the phone if that is easier for you.
***If someone says they aren’t renewing ask them why***
30 Day Renewal Script

29. Expire Letter

30. Sample Invoice

31. Dear (first name),
My name is Todd Hayes and I am the Member Relations Manager for the Tech Council of Maryland. According to our records, your membership
dues are 30 days past due. To reinstate your membership and continue to enjoy the many benefits of the Tech Council of Maryland renew
today!
You may renew online, by going to this link https://techcouncilmd.com/members/renew.php, or send in the original invoice with payment. For
your convenience I have also attached a copy of the invoice with this email.
Through the support and services that we provide to our rapidly growing 500 member companies, TCM is the vital contributor to the growth and
success of the Mid-Atlantic region’s technology businesses. We have grown to become the largest Technology Association in the region with
thousands of member contacts and participation.
With your renewal and the support of members like you, it gives TCM the opportunity to provide value-added programs and quality services to
the membership. In turn, this helps them grow and be more compatible in the marketplace!
We are also very excited about the variety of opportunities for you to network, further your professional development, and expand your
business portfolio. We are getting our volunteer committees refocused, and are offering a number of industry specific committees to provide
you and/or members of your staff the opportunity for a peer-network group to gather information and share ideas. These industry specific
committees include telecommunications, capital formation, government contracting, human resources, general counsel and many more; and are
offered as a member-only benefit.
I am confident that the unique benefits that we provide have proven to be valuable to you multiple times over the last 12 months. If you do not
renew immediately, they will no longer be available to you. Renew now!
We look forward to your renewal and support of TCM and the tech community.
Sincerely,
Todd Hayes
Todd Hayes
Member Relations Manager
Post-expire Email

32. Case Study: Tech Council of MD
Weekly welcome call script
Hi (first name),
This is (Your Name) calling from Division, a Division of the Tech Council of Maryland. I wanted to be the first
person to welcome you as a member of our association.
I am the Title and it is my job to make sure that membership in Tech Council membership meets all of your
expectations. If at any time you do not feel we are focused on serving your needs do not hesitate to give me a
call.
I also wanted to personally invite you to attend our next event. It is being held (fill in here).
Do you have any immediate questions or concerns that I can help with? ***If yes, answer them. If no, “thank
you again for joining and I hope to meet you soon.****

33. 90 Day Check-up

34. Case Study: Tech Council of MD
• The Good News
• Membership retention increased from 74% to 79%
• 70% pay by their renewal date
• 30% pay ahead of time
• Members have given positive feedback regarding
the constant contact about their needs
– “Thank you for the handwritten letter, it’s nice to know you care about more
than just my money.”
– “My membership in TCM is very valuable and I appreciate your call to make
sure everything is going well. If I need anything in the future I know who to
contact.”
– “I am very happy with our membership. You guys are doing all the right things,
like this phone call to make sure we are happy with TCM. Thanks for checking
in.”

35. Case Study: Tech Council of MD
• Lessons Learned
– Membership is everyone’s job
– Strong processes and procedures help
everyone
– Targeting messages to audiences helps
retention
– Multi-channel marketing is critical
– Communication must be regular but not
always about money-driven transactions.

36. Very Little Difference Between
Non-Engaged Members and Lapsed Members
Members “who are not involved lie perilously close to former members
in the overarching assessment of the value they derive from
associations. If former members are thought to be dead, the uninvolved
are close to comatose”
(The Decision to Join, p 4).

37. Pledge For The Future
1.Write three activities that you are going to
implement in the next 6 months
2.Place them somewhere you won’t lose
them because you are pledging to do them
when you get back home

38. QUESTIONS?

39. For more information contact:
Scott Oser, President, Scott Oser Associates
(301) 279-0468
scott@scottoserassociates.com
www.scottoserassociates.com
@scottoser