Mgi 2013-membership-marketing-benchmarking-report

www.marketinggeneral.com
SURVEY CONDUCTED BY:
Marketing General Incorporated
UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF:
Erik Schonher, MBA, CeM, Vice President
Adina Wasserman, PhD, Director of Research
Tony Rossell, Senior Vice President
Jeff Tranguch, MA, Market Research Analyst

625 North Washington Street, Suite 450 • Alexandria, Virginia 22314
703.739.1000
www.MarketingGeneral.com

May 2013
Dear Colleague,
I am pleased to present you with the 2013 edition of Marketing General Incorporated’s
Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report.
This is the fifth consecutive year that we have published this report and we take pride in the
fact that it truly has become a benchmark document about and for the association community.
Every year we add to our understanding and knowledge, making the information gained
even more valuable with time. Not only are we able to track changes from year to year, we
are building a growing record that readily identifies directions and trends over an even longer
period. In truth, it has become what we had hoped for when we launched this project five
years ago.
As always, we strive to ensure that our survey questions are timely, relevant, and reflect the
information our readers seek. This year, based on their suggestions, we added several
questions on dues increases and probed more deeply into social media, effectiveness
measurements, membership models, and the use of association management software. We
think that including these findings only adds to the report’s value.
As evidence of the Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report’s success, MGI also authors
several spin-off documents including our Competitive Set Analysis Reports, where individual
associations can compare their own responses to those of like associations. If you would like
more information on these reports, please contact us. In addition, we are planning several
white papers based on this year’s findings.
The success of the study would not be possible, of course, without the participation of
hundreds of respondents who give both their time and information. This year is no different,
with nearly 700 associations participating—a record number. I am especially grateful for your
input. I also would like to extend my thanks to the many individuals who have requested
copies of the report or downloaded it from our website, and to those who use or reference it.
Special appreciation goes to our staff, particularly Erik Schonher, Tony Rossell, Dr. Adina
Wasserman, Jeff Tranguch, and Rachelle Smith for developing, writing, and analyzing the data,
and Aleda Ahmed, Kimberly Humphries, Bill Schaffner, and their teams, for overseeing the
report’s creative and production aspects.
I hope you find this year’s report of value and help as you pursue your many membership
marketing endeavors.
Best wishes,
Richard Whelan, CDM
President, Marketing General Incorporated

4
Executive Summary
For the fifth consecutive year, Marketing General
Incorporated (MGI) is proud to present our annual
Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report. This
year’s study explores the membership marketing
initiatives and outcomes of 695 participating
associations.
This research yields a broad base of strategic and
tactical information including primary challenges to
association growth, dues increases, effective tools for
acquisition and retention, common uses for social
media, and more.
The next phase of analysis will be a series of “Drill-
Down” reports to be published later in 2013 that will
provide greater understanding of the membership
marketing strategies and tactics of the reporting
associations based on:
1. Association Type — Individual, Trade, and Both
2. Membership Strategies and Tactics of Individual
Membership Associations with an 80%+ Renewal
Rate
3. Membership Strategies and Tactics of Individual
Membership Associations by Number of Members
4. Membership Strategies and Tactics by Select
Industry
Objective
The purpose of this study continues to be the
development of meaningful benchmarks by which the
leadership of individual membership and trade
associations can evaluate their own membership
marketing strategies and tactics.
Findings
Good news! 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. This is the second
year in a row that the majority of participants report
membership growth and continues the positive trend
from the low point of only 36% reported in 2010.
Further analysis of the data by market served
indicates that 64% of healthcare associations showed
considerable growth in membership over the past
year. Additionally, by number of members and size of
budget, associations with 20,000 or more members
and those reporting an operating budget in excess of
$1 million report the highest levels of growth over the
past year.
From this year's survey, the major indicators of
membership health — overall total membership, new
members acquired, and membership renewals —
have increased for the majority of associations.
Growth in new members has increased from the
previous study, while overall membership growth and
membership renewals remain on par with findings
from 2012.
Similar to trends in overall membership growth,
associations continue to see an increase in new
member acquisition since the low of 2010. Of the
responding association executives, 63% report an
increase in the acquisition of new members over the
past year. These results come on top of a strong 2012
when 60% of respondents said that they had an
increase in new members.
CHANGE IN MEMBERSHIP OVER PAST ONE YEAR—COMPRESSED
2013
(n = 691)
2012
(n = 689)
2011
(n = 642)
2010
(n = 405)
2009
(n = 331)
Percentage Increased Overall 52% 52% 49% 36% 45%
Percentage Unchanged Overall 16% 16% 16% 14% 16%
Percentage Declined Overall 31% 29% 34% 48% 35%
Percentage Unsure 1% 3% 2% 3% 5%

5
CHANGE IN NEW MEMBER ACQUISITION OVER PAST YEAR — COMPRESSED
2013
(n = 690)
2012
(n = 687)
2011
(n = 638)
2010
(n = 405)
2009
(n = 325)
CHANGE IN RENEWAL RATE OVER PAST YEAR — COMPRESSED
2013
(n = 691)
2012
(n = 683)
2011
(n = 638)
2010
(n = 403)
2009
(n = 326)
Compared to the previous studies, a higher
percentage of associations are reporting increases in
membership renewals.
The majority of associations (68%) have renewal rates
that are at 80% or higher. Only 32% of associations
report renewal rates below 80%. The mean renewal
rate for participating associations is about 81%.
In summary, the continued increases in each of these
three key membership statistics — overall growth,
member acquisition, member renewal — speaks to
the continued strengthening and improvement in the
health and performance of membership associations.
TOP CHALLENGES TO GROWING MEMBERSHIP BY MEMBERSHIP TYPE
Challenge
Individual
Member
(n = 332)
Trade
(n = 206)
Both
(n = 136)
Insufficient staff
Membership too diverse
Perception of the association
Insufficient budget
Difficulty attracting/maintaining young members
For the second year in a row, we asked association
executives to tell us what they perceived as the
biggest impediments to membership growth, and
their top goals for membership in their organization.
As was the case in 2012, the top three challenges to
growing membership remain “insufficient staff,”
“difficulty attracting and/or maintaining younger
members,” and “perception of the association and/or
its culture.” It is interesting to note that while in 2012
“membership too diverse” was considered the
biggest issue, this year it fell out of the top three to
fourth place.
Additional Findings

6
An equal percentage of responding associations (74%)
indicate that “increasing member engagement” and
“increasing both membership acquisition and
retention” are the top two membership goals.
Trade associations are significantly more likely than
individual membership associations to set a goal to
increase member engagement (83% vs. 71%).
74%
74%
38%
33%
28%
21%
16%
9%
2%
Increasing member engagement
Increasing both membership acquisition and retention
Increase understanding of member needs
Increasing non-dues revenue from members
Increasing dues revenue
Increasing membership retention
Increasing membership acquisition
Increasing member diversity
Other 2013 (n = 690)
Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn (public access) are the
three most common social media sites used by
associations for the past four years. Individual
membership associations are significantly more likely
than trade associations to use Facebook (89% vs. 79%)
and association listservs (30% vs. 18%). Twitter tends
to be used over Facebook to promote or discuss
specific sessions at events. Facebook is used more
often than Twitter for soliciting new members and
promoting membership.
With the growing use of social media, we included
new questions this year on how it is managed within
associations. As indicated above, the majority of
associations report that the communications
department is responsible for their social media sites.
Of interest is the fact that 4% indicate they have a
separate social media department that manages this
channel.
52%
44%
31%
8%
7%
6%
4%
12%
Communications
Marketing
Membership
IT
Education
Advocacy and policy
Social media
Other 2013 (n = 657)

7
To no surprise, the primary reasons association
executives give as to why members join associations
continues to be networking (24%), access to
specialized/current information (13%), and advocacy
(8%). This year “learning best practices in their
profession” (8%) ranks among the top three reasons.
While still among the top three, findings show a
continued downward trend in the number of
associations reporting advocacy as a membership
driver, dropping from 12% in 2012 to 8% currently.
Similar to findings in 2012, the top three reasons cited
for not renewing are:
1. Budget cuts/economic hardship of the company (18%).
2. Lack of engagement with the organization (15%).
3. Unable to justify membership costs with any
signiﬁcant ROI (11%).
Member engagement has long been recognized as a
key factor for influencing renewals. The top three
communication methods used to onboard new
members continues to include:
1. Email welcome kit (79%).
2. Mailed welcome (60%).
3. Membership card or certiﬁcate (51%).
Data indicate that associations are increasing the
number of renewal contacts included in their renewal
series. A majority of associations report 4 to 6 renewal
contacts within their renewal series (38%), with about
27% making 7 to 12 renewal contacts. Results indicate
that while there is a slight drop in the percentage of
associations using between 4 and 9 renewal contacts
compared to 2012, there is a slight increase in the
number of associations contacting members 10 to 15
times in their renewal series (14% vs. 10%).
RENEWAL RATES BY NUMBER OF RENEWAL CONTACTS
INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP ASSOCIATIONS (n = 289)
1 to 6 contacts 7 or more contacts
Less than 80% renewal 43% 33%
80% or higher renewal 57% 67%
Individual member associations using 7 or more
contacts in their renewal series are more likely to
report overall membership renewal rates at 80%
or higher.
Similar to previous years, we asked association
executives to report how much they spend annually
on membership marketing programs. In comparison
to last year's report, there are substantial increases in
spending on programs promoting awareness and
branding (66%), engagement/onboarding (56%), and
reinstatement (33%).
Associations with renewal rates at or above 80%
spend more on awareness and branding, and
renewals, while associations with renewals under 80%
spend more on recruitment and reinstatement.
Associations tend to spend similar amounts on
engagement/onboarding.
For the second year in a row, we asked respondents
to answer five open-ended questions:
1. What are some of the most effective tools you’ve
used or programs you’ve offered to increase
membership engagement with your association?
2. If you could freely say anything to your members,
what would you say?
3. With regard to your association, what keeps you up
at night?
4. If there was one hurdle you could remove to make
your association run smoother, what would it be?
5. In your own words, what are the most important or
successful lessons you have learned in the area of
membership marketing?
Of the total responses received, we’ve noted some of
the more interesting for your review at the end of this
report. The full list of responses can be downloaded
from our website at www.MarketingGeneral.com.

8
Report Background
This is the fifth year that Marketing General
Incorporated has surveyed associations to better
understand the strategies and tactics they use to
acquire and engage new members, renew and retain
existing members, and reinstate memberships that
have lapsed.
This report not only provides the basic information on
membership practices, but cross-tabulates them with
membership results associations are experiencing to
provide best practices information. The comparison of
practices and outcomes in membership provides
strong directional guidance on what tactics and
strategies might be added or dropped to help
improve a membership program.
There is an important disclaimer that readers should
be aware of as they evaluate this report. Because an
activity or practice has a statistical correlation with a
growing or declining membership or better renewal
rates, we are not claiming that any one behavior in
and of itself causes this outcome. There are literally
thousands of variables that impact membership
results.
Nevertheless, if as a marketer one sees that
organizations with certain behaviors or practices tend
to be doing better, one at least will want to explore
the issue and determine if there is something that can
be applied to one's own organization.
The report includes dozens of key findings that can
provide insight and direction for membership
marketing programs. We hope that you find it of help
as you seek to maximize membership results for your
organization.
If you have questions or need assistance with your
membership marketing, the team at Marketing
General Incorporated is pleased to be of help. Our
website is: www.MarketingGeneral.com. Please find
our individual contact information on the back panel
of this report.

9
Introduction
Survey Objective
Marketing General Incorporated (MGI) presents the
fifth annual Membership Marketing Benchmarking
Report, an independent study of the most common
practices associations use to recruit new members,
retain current ones, and reinstate those who have
lapsed. Data was gathered in early 2013 and run
against benchmarking statistics from the past four
years to detect trends and then analyze them. MGI
makes the annual benchmarking report freely
available in print and online for the benefit of the
greater association community.
We update and hope to improve the report every
year. We evaluate the utility of each survey question,
remove less important ones, and add new ones so the
analysis will be fully relevant. This year we removed,
but then by request added back, several questions on
dues increases. We also probed more deeply into
social media, effectiveness measurements,
membership models, and use of association
management software.
We also asked for new ideas from subscribers to
MGI's monthly Tipster electronic newsletter. We
received nearly one hundred responses and included
several suggestions in this year’s survey.
Methodology
The 2013 survey was conducted online from January 8
to February 20. A total of 7,857 invitations were sent
to association executives who are Tipster subscribers,
had downloaded last year’s report, or appeared on a
third party list of association executives. 751
association professionals responded, but we accepted
just one responder per association, selecting the one
whose responsibilities were closest to membership
marketing. Responses were not used when an
association name was not provided. Overall, 56
respondents had to be dropped from the analysis.
The final data set contains information from 695
different associations.
670 association professionals completed the survey
online and 81 used a link from the MGI blog or asked
to be included. The final count was 751 completed
surveys, a response rate of approximately 10%. The
margin of error is +/- 3.7%.
The margin of error is a statistical measurement to
assess the accuracy of data compared to the larger
universe of all possible respondents. Since it is
impossible to survey all respondents, statisticians rely
on a random sample to estimate the results of the
entire population. The margin of error accounts for
random fluctuations inherent in any sample. The
smaller the margin of error, the more accurate the
measurement of the entire universe will be.
This study’s .05 significance interval carries a 95%
confidence level, so that were this study conducted
100 times, the same results, plus or minus the margin
of error, would occur 95 times out of 100.
Report Layout
This year’s report consists of nine sections:
• Section 1: Association Statistics
• Section 2: Awareness and Recruitment (Acquisition)
• Section 3: Engagement, Renewal, Reinstatement
(Retention)
• Section 4: Social Media
• Section 5: Challenges and Goals
• Section 6: Dues and Membership Structure
• Section 7: Managing Your Association
• Section 8: The Demographics of Your Association
• Section 9: Words of Wisdom

10
Association Statistics
This section provides information on the overall membership statistics of participating associations.
What was the percentage change in your entire membership over the past
ONE YEAR period?
CHANGE IN MEMBERSHIP OVER PAST ONE YEAR
2013
(n = 691)
2012
(n = 689)
2011
(n = 642)
2010
(n = 405)
2009
(n = 331)
Increased more than 50% 1% 1% 1% 1% --
Increased 26% to 50% 1% 3% 2% 2% 1%
Increased 11% to 25% 7% 8% 9% 5% 7%
Increased 6% to 10% 15% 13% 11% 7% 10%
Increased 1% to 5% 28% 27% 26% 21% 27%
Remained the same 16% 16% 16% 14% 16%
Declined 1% to 5% 19% 19% 19% 26% 19%
Declined 6% to 10% 8% 7% 11% 13% 9%
Declined 11% to 25% 3% 2% 4% 8% 6%
Declined 26% to 50% 1% 1% -- 1% 1%
Declined more than 50% -- 1% -- -- --
Not sure 1% 3% 2% 3% 5%
A majority of respondents report that their
membership has increased by 1 to 5% over the past
year (28%), a continued upward trend for this
percentage growth bracket starting in 2011.
More than half of the participating associations
report increases in overall membership over the past
year (52%), with slightly more respondents reporting
increases of 6 to 10% in membership. This
represents a steady rise in membership by 6 to 10%
since 2011.
Holding steady since 2011, 16% indicate there is
no discernible change in their membership over the
past year, and 19% report losses of up to 5% in
membership.
As mentioned, 52% of associations report increases
in overall membership over the past year, similar to
findings from 2012; while 31% reported a decline.
Associations showing increases in the past year are
significantly more likely to report overall increases
over the past five years, as well as increases in new
members and renewals.
CHANGE IN MEMBERSHIP OVER PAST ONE YEAR—COMPRESSED
2013
(n = 691)
2012
(n = 689)
2011
(n = 642)
2010
(n = 405)
2009
(n = 331)
SECTION 1

11
CHANGE IN MEMBERSHIP OVER PAST FIVE YEARS — COMPRESSED
2013
(n = 690)
2012
(n = 689)
2011
(n = 639)
2010
(n = 405)
2009
(n = 332)
Over the past FIVE YEARS, what do you estimate has been the total percentage
change in your membership?
CHANGE IN MEMBERSHIP OVER PAST FIVE YEARS
2013
(n = 690)
2012
(n = 686)
2011
(n = 639)
2010
(n = 405)
2009
(n = 332)
Increased more than 50% 4% 6% 6% 7% 3%
Increased 26% to 50% 8% 8% 7% 7% 7%
Increased 11% to 25% 14% 14% 13% 17% 16%
Increased 6% to 10% 13% 12% 13% 14% 18%
Increased 1% to 5% 15% 12% 12% 13% 16%
Declined 1% to 5% 14% 12% 12% 11% 7%
Declined 6% to 10% 8% 9% 11% 8% 9%
Declined 11% to 25% 11% 9% 11% 8% 9%
Declined 26% to 50% 2% 3% 3% 2% 2%
Declined more than 50% 1% 1% 1% 1% --
Not sure 2% 5% 4% 5% 5%
There is a slight uptick in the percentage of
associations reporting increases of up to 10% in
overall membership over the past five years. There is
also an increase in the percentage of associations
reporting declines in membership of up to 5% and
between 11 and 25%.
Associations with operating budgets over $1 million
are significantly more likely to report membership
increases over the past year compared to
associations with smaller operating budgets.
Associations reporting less than 60% renewals
for first-year members are significantly more
likely to report declines in overall membership
during the past year, suggesting problems
retaining new members may be a substantial
source of overall membership decline.
Associations with 20,000 or more members reported
the highest levels of growth over the past year with
60% showing an increase in membership. Only 50%
of associations with less than 1,000 members
reported an increase in membership.
Associations in healthcare reported the highest
levels of growth over the past year with 63%
showing an increase in membership followed by
Finance/Accounting/Banking/Insurance with
60% reporting an increase in membership.
Associations in Education, Professional Services
(blue collar), and Construction reported some of
the lowest levels of growth over the past year at
43%, 42%, and 31%, respectively.
Associations with an 80% renewal rate or higher are
more likely to report increases in membership over
the past five years, as are those with increases in
membership over the past year, increases in new
members, and increases in renewals.
More than half of associations reporting less than
60% retention of first-year members also report
declines in membership over the past five years
(54%), suggesting that their membership decline
may be related to poor retention of first-year
members.

12
In the past year, what was the percentage change in your NEW member acquisition?
CHANGE IN NEW MEMBER ACQUISITION OVER PAST YEAR
2013
(n = 690)
2012
(n = 687)
2011
(n = 638)
2010
(n = 402)
2009
(n = 325)
Increased more than 50% 3% 5% 2% 2% 1%
Increased 26% to 50% 4% 4% 5% 2% 4%
Increased 11% to 25% 11% 11% 11% 10% 7%
Increased 6% to 10% 17% 16% 14% 9% 12%
Increased 1% to 5% 28% 25% 25% 20% 25%
Declined 1% to 5% 8% 8% 9% 10% 10%
Declined 6% to 10% 4% 3% 3% 6% 5%
Declined 11% to 25% 3% 2% 3% 7% 3%
Declined 26% to 50% 1% 1% 1% 3% 2%
Declined more than 50% -- 1% -- 1% 1%
Not sure 4% 10% 8% 12% 10%
Over the past year, new member acquisition has
increased, with most associations reporting an
average of 1 to 5% growth in new members.
There are only slight variations in the percentage of
associations reporting declines in membership of any
degree compared to 2012 and 2011 results.
CHANGE IN NEW MEMBER ACQUISITION OVER PAST YEAR — COMPRESSED
2013
(n = 690)
2012
(n = 687)
2011
(n = 638)
2010
(n = 405)
2009
(n = 325)
Overall, a greater percentage of associations are
reporting increases in new member acquisition, a
continued growth trend since 2011.
Overall, the percentage of associations indicating
new member acquisition has declined has remained
steady since 2011.
Associations reporting increases in new member
acquisition are significantly more likely to also
report increases in overall new members over the
past year, and over the past five years, as well as
increases in renewals.
Associations with more than 20,000 paid members
are significantly more likely to report increases in new
members, compared to associations with fewer
members.

13
CHANGE IN RENEWAL RATE OVER PAST YEAR — COMPRESSED
2013
(n = 691)
2012
(n = 683)
2011
(n = 638)
2010
(n = 403)
2009
(n = 326)
CHANGE IN RENEWAL RATE OVER PAST YEAR
2013
(n = 691)
2012
(n = 683)
2011
(n = 638)
2010
(n = 403)
2009
(n = 326)
Increased more than 50% 1% 1% -- 1% --
Increased 26% to 50% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1%
Increased 11% to 25% 2% 4% 3% 1% 2%
Increased 6% to 10% 8% 6% 7% 5% 4%
Increased 1% to 5% 23% 23% 21% 14% 15%
Declined 1% to 5% 22% 16% 17% 29% 18%
Declined 6% to 10% 6% 5% 5% 10% 9%
Declined 11% to 25% 2% 2% 2% 5% 3%
Declined 26% to 50% 1% 1% -- 1% 1%
Declined more than 50% -- -- -- -- --
Not sure 4% 10% 7% 8% 9%
Compared to the previous studies, a higher
percentage of associations are reporting increases in
renewals of between 6 and 10%.
Almost one-quarter of associations (22%) report that
their renewal rate has declined by 1 to 5%, a
substantial increase over findings from 2012 and 2011.
Associations reporting increases in overall membership over the past year and the past five years, as well as
increases in new members, are significantly more likely to show increases in renewal rates over the past year.
OVERALL MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL RATE
2013*
(n = 607)
2012
(n = 685)
2011
(n = 643)
2010
(n = 403)
2009
(n =337)
Under 50% 3% 3% 3% 3% 2%
50% to 59% 2% 4% 6% 4% 4%
60% to 69% 8% 7% 10% 11% 7%
70% to 79% 19% 22% 23% 21% 16%
80% to 89% 38% 38% 34% 40% 37%
90% or higher 30% 22% 23% 18% 29%
Not sure** N/A 3% 2% 3% 4%
What is your overall membership renewal rate?
*2013 version of the study allowed for an open-ended response and not a choice of
categories.
**Not sure was not included as an option in 2013.
The majority of associations (68%) have renewal rates that are at 80% or higher. Only 32% of associations report
renewal rates below 80%. The mean renewal rate for participating associations is about 81%.
In the past year, what was the percentage change in your member RENEWAL rate?

14
Associations reporting increases in overall
membership over the past year and the past five
years, plus increases in new members and in
renewals, are significantly more likely to report an
overall membership renewal rate at or above 90%.
Trade associations are also significantly more likely to
report renewal rates at or above 90%.
Interestingly, associations with new member renewals
above 60% are also significantly more likely to
indicate their overall renewal rate is above 90%.
MEAN MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL RATE
Less than 80%
renewal
80% renewal
or higher
Individual
Member
Trade Both
Mean 66% 88% 79% 87% 76%
Median 70% 88% 81% 88% 80%
On average, associations reporting renewal rates
below 80% have renewal rates at around 66%, while
those reporting renewal rates above 80% have
renewal rates that are at 88%.
Trade associations tend to have a higher mean
renewal rate (87%) compared to individual member
organizations (79%) or those with both types of
members (76%).
What is your renewal rate for first-year members?
OVERALL NEW MEMBER RENEWAL RATE
2013*
(n = 607)
2012
(n = 685)
Under 50% 18% 10%
50% to 59% 14% 13%
60% to 69% 11% 12%
70% to 79% 21% 19%
80% to 89% 15% 17%
90% or higher 22% 12%
Not sure** N/A 18%
*2013 version of the study allowed for an open-ended
response and not a choice of categories.
Compared to last year's findings, there is a
significantly greater percentage of associations on
either end of the spectrum. 18% report new member
renewals under 50%. Another 22% report new
member renewals at 90% or higher.
The mean renewal rate for new members is
about 68%.
MEAN NEW MEMBER RENEWAL RATE
Less than 80%
renewal
80% renewal
or higher
Individual
Member
Trade Both
Mean 51% 76% 64% 78% 61%
Median 50% 77% 70% 80% 65%
Associations with overall renewal rates at or above 80% have, on average, new member renewal rates that
are at about 76%, compared to only 51% for associations with overall renewal rates below 80%.

15
What do you estimate is the percentage of your current market penetration?
CURRENT MARKET PENETRATION
2013*
(n = 411)
2012
(n = 688)
2011
(n = 636)
2010
(n = 401)
2009
(n =326)
Up to 20% of available market 29% 27% 31% 28% 25%
21% to 40% of available market 23% 22% 20% 22% 14%
More than 80% of available market 14% 6% 7% 4% 8%
Not sure** N/A 17% 16% 16% 12%
*2013 version of the study allowed for an open-ended response and not a choice of
categories.
Compared to the previous benchmarking studies, a
signiﬁcantly higher percentage of associations report
that their market penetration is more than 80% of the
available market (14%). The mean market penetration
for participating associations is about 41%.
Similarly, there is a continuing upward trend from
2011 in the percentage of associations reporting
their market penetration at 61 to 80% of the
available market.
However, results also indicate that nearly 3 in 10
associations have 20% or less market penetration in
their respective industry and only about one-quarter
have a market penetration between 21 to 40%.
Associations with overall renewal rates above 80%
are signiﬁcantly more likely to report market
penetration at or above 60%.
Results also show that as new member renewals
increase, so does the percent of market penetration
for an association.
CURRENT MARKET PENETRATION BY ASSOCIATION TYPE
Individual
Member
(n = 195)
Trade
(n = 135)
Both
(n = 74)
Up to 20% of available market 29% 29% 31%
21% to 40% of available market 21% 26% 23%
More than 80% of available market 15% 16% 10%
The mean market penetration for both individual
member associations and trade organizations is
about 42%, while the mean market penetration for
hybrid associations is about 37%.
A greater percentage of trade associations have a
market penetration above 60% compared to
individual member associations or combination
associations.

16
Awareness and Recruitment
(Acquisition)
How do members initially discover your association? (Check all that apply.)
The first step in getting members to join any association is increasing awareness among prospective members.
Once prospects are aware that an association exists, the next step is recruiting that prospect to join. This section
contains information on the most and least effective methods for generating awareness and recruiting members.
HOW MEMBERS INITIALLY DISCOVER YOUR ASSOCIATION
2013
(n = 690)
Word-of-mouth recommendation 86%
Association website 80%
Email 66%
Promotion to/at your own conferences/conventions 55%
Association-sponsored social networking websites (e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn) 54%
Local events/meetings 52%
Association-sponsored events 48%
Cross-sell to non-members who buy your products or attend your conferences 47%
Direct mail 44%
Search engines (organic) 42%
Exhibiting at other conferences 41%
Advertising in your own publications 36%
Chapters 36%
Public relations 30%
Advertising in outside publications 25%
Personal sales calls 23%
Job board 21%
Accreditation promotion 15%
Search engines (paid or pay-per-click) 12%
Telemarketing 9%
Paid banners on other websites 9%
QR codes 8%
Mobile apps 7%
Radio or TV 4%
Texting 1%
Do not know 1%
Other 9%
SECTION 2
Association executives indicate that most members
discover their association through word-of-mouth
recommendations (86%), the association website
(80%), and email (66%).
Compared to associations reporting declines in
overall membership over the past year,
associations reporting increases are significantly
more likely to indicate members become aware of
their association through their website (85% vs.
77%), through cross-selling to non-members who
have been to association events (52% vs. 39%),
and their job board (17% vs. 11%).
Associations with renewal rates at or above 80% are
also significantly more likely to employ personal sales
calls (26% vs. 18%) compared to those with renewal
rates below 80%.
Individual and combination associations are more
likely than trade associations to use job boards,
accreditation promotion, or advertise in their own
publications. Conversely, trade associations are
significantly more likely to use sales calls.

17
HOW MEMBERS INITIALLY DISCOVER YOUR ASSOCIATION BY MEMBERSHIP TYPE
Individual
Member
(n = 331)
Trade
(n = 209)
Both
(n = 136)
Word-of-mouth recommendation 85% 57% 85%
Association website 81% 79% 80%
Email 67% 68% 59%
Promotion to/at your own conferences/conventions 54% 57% 54%
Association-sponsored social networking websites (e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn) 57% 49% 54%
Local events/meetings 53% 49% 54%
Association-sponsored events 47% 54% 43%
Cross-sell to non-members who buy your products or attend your conferences 46% 44% 53%
Direct mail 47% 43% 37%
Search engines (organic) 43% 40% 43%
Exhibiting at other conferences 42% 41% 43%
Advertising in your own publications 38% 30% 38%
Chapters 50% 18% 32%
Public relations 26% 34% 35%
Advertising in outside publications 27% 21% 22%
Personal sales calls 10% 44% 21%
Job board 26% 11% 27%
Accreditation promotion 16% 11% 20%
Search engines (paid or pay-per-click) 14% 9% 14%
Telemarketing 9% 12% 7%
Paid banners on other websites 12% 4% 10%
QR codes 8% 8% 11%
Mobile apps 7% 9% 6%
Radio or TV 4% 3% 5%
Texting 1% 1% 2%
Do not know 1% -- 1%
Other 9% 10% 9%
How do you create/maintain brand awareness of your organization? (Check all that apply.)
METHODS FOR CREATING AND MAINTAINING ASSOCIATION AWARENESS
2013
(n = 691)
2012
(n = 683)
2011
(n = 638)
2010
(n = 405)
2009
(n = 599)
Association website 86% 92% 87% 88% 85%
Email 81% 94% 71% 67% 61%
Word-of-mouth recommendations 79% 83% 90% 91% 77%
Association-sponsored social networking sites
(e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn)
74% 71% 51% 56% 35%
Promotion to/at your own conferences/
conventions
69% 79% 65% 66% 65%
Association-sponsored events 59% 68% 57% 56% 37%
Advertising in your own publications 56% 72% 48% 56% 51%
Direct mail 56% 69% 62% 66% 76%
Local events/meetings 53% 60% 53% N/A N/A
Exhibiting at other conferences 49% 61% 50% 51% 53%
Cross-sell to non-members who buy your
products or attend your conferences
48% 61% 56% 59% 52%
Public relations 48% 61% 40% 39% 29%
Search engines (organic) 40% 48% 45% 47% 34%
Chapters 40% 42% 38% 46% 39%
Advertising in outside publications 32% 47% 31% 31% 28%
Job board 30% 39% 24% 23% 23%
Personal sales calls 24% 32% 25% 22% 24%
Accreditation promotion 20% 24% 18% 20% 14%
Mobile apps 15% 20% N/A N/A N/A
Search engines (paid or pay-per-click) 14% 20% 14% 20% 8%
QR codes 13% 30% N/A N/A N/A
Telemarketing 12% 22% 16% 18% 18%
Paid banners on other websites 12% 21% 12% 13% 12%
Radio or TV 8% 15% 7% 5% 7%
Texting 2% 6% N/A N/A N/A
Other 3% 3% 4% 3% 3%
Do not know 1% 1% 0% 0% 1%
Blue: Increase from previous year.
Top three methods for creating brand awareness.

18
Similar to findings from the past four years, the
methods most associations use for creating
awareness of their organization include the
association’s website (86%), email (81%), and/or
word-of-mouth recommendations (79%).
Interestingly, the only method for creating awareness
that shows continued growth is the use of
association-sponsored social networking sites,
indicating a greater use of this medium for
generating and maintaining awareness of the
organization. All other methods of creating
awareness seem to have declined in use.
Compared to associations showing a decline in new
members, those reporting increases are significantly
more likely to indicate they use association-
sponsored events, advertising in outside
publications, and accreditation promotion to create
and maintain brand awareness of their organization.
membership over the past year report using
association-sponsored events, exhibiting at other
conferences/conventions, cross-selling to non-
members who have purchased products or attended
events, search engines (organic and pay-per-click),
and promotion of accreditation programs.
Associations with new member renewal rates at or
above 80% are significantly more likely to utilize email
and word-of-mouth recommendations to create
and/or maintain awareness of their association.
Individual member associations are significantly more
likely than trade associations to use association-
sponsored social media outlets, advertisements in
their own publications, chapter contact, job boards,
accreditation promotion, mobile apps, and paid
banners. Trade and combination associations,
however, are more likely to engage in personal sales
calls compared to individual member organizations.
What are the TOP THREE most effective and least effective membership recruitment
marketing channels you have used?
EFFECTIVENESS OF MEMBERSHIP RECRUITMENT MARKETING CHANNELS
Marketing Channel
Most Effective Least Effective
2013
(n = 685)
2012
(n = 685)
2013
(n = 609)
2012
(n = 630)
Word-of-mouth recommendations 58% 54% 1% 3%
Association website 33% 34% 7% 7%
Email 31% 37% 9% 11%
Direct mail 24% 30% 24% 24%
Cross-sell to non-members who buy your products or
attend your conferences
18% 20% 5% 7%
Promotion to/at your own conferences/conventions 18% 16% 11% 9%
Personal sales calls 16% 17% 7% 7%
Chapters 16% 14% 6% 8%
Local events/meetings 14% 10% 7% 5%
Association-sponsored events 13% 16% 4% 4%
Exhibiting at other conferences 9% 10% 22% 28%
Promotional incentives 9% 8% 14% 16%
Association-sponsored social networking sites (e.g.,
Facebook, LinkedIn)
7% 5% 18% 18%
Accreditation promotion 5% 4% 5% 4%
Search engines (organic) 5% 2% 8% 8%
Public relations 4% 5% 8% 11%
Telemarketing 4% 4% 17% 13%
Advertising in your own publications 3% 3% 16% 17%
Advertising in outside publications 3% 2% 22% 25%
Search engines (paid or pay-per-click) 1% 1% 9% 10%
Job board 1% 1% 10% 13%
Radio or TV 1% 1% 13% 11%
Paid banners on other websites 1% -- 14% 14%
Mobile apps 1% N/A 6% N/A
Texting -- -- 8% 5%
QR codes -- NA 16% N/A
Other 3% 3% 1% 3%
Blue: Increase from previous year.
Top three most/least effective membership recruitment channels.

19
TOP THREE MOST EFFECTIVE AND LEAST EFFECTIVE
MARKETING CHANNELS BY ASSOCIATION TYPE
Individual Member 2013 2012
Most Effective
Word-of-mouth recommendations 60% 51%
Email 35% 39%
Association website 34% **
Least Effective
Exhibiting at other conferences 27% 31%
Direct mail 23% 20%
Advertising in outside publications 22% 23%
Trade 2013 2012
Most Effective
Personal sales calls 32% 37%
Association website 30% **
Least Effective
Direct mail 26% 34%
Both 2013 2012
Most Effective
Association website 36% 31%
Email 33% 40%
Least Effective
Direct mail 21% 22%
**Not one of the top three in 2012. Blue: Increase from previous year.
Individual member, trade, and combination
associations all consider word-of-mouth
recommendations to be the most effective
recruitment marketing channels. A higher proportion
of association executives for individual member and
trade associations indicate that word-of-mouth
marketing is one of the most effective channels.
Additionally, the association website is also rated as
one of the most effective recruitment vehicles by
individual member, trade, and combination
associations. In the 2012 research, the association
website was not among the top three listed as most
effective for recruitment marketing, suggesting that
association executives now see their websites as
strong marketing tools.
Channels considered least effective by individual,
trade, and combination associations include
exhibiting at other conferences, advertising in
outside publications, and direct mail. In most cases,
the percentage of respondents indicating these as
their least effective channels has declined since 2012.
Similar to the previous year, the most effective
recruitment channels include word-of-mouth
recommendations, the association’s website, and
email. However, the percentage of respondents
reporting email as the most effective recruitment tool
has declined since last year.
The percentage of respondents that report word-of-
mouth recommendations as the most effective form
of recruitment has increased since 2012. Other
recruitment channels that have increased in
perceived effectiveness include promotion to/at your
own conferences, chapter involvement, local
events/meetings, association-sponsored social
networking sites, and search engines (organic).
Associations reporting declines in renewal rates
overall are more likely to engage chapters in their
recruitment efforts compared to associations
reporting increases in renewals.
Telemarketing and texting are seen by more
respondents as ineffective recruitment methods
compared to the previous research.
Associations with 20,000 or more members cite direct
mail as the most effective membership recruitment
channel.

20
What do you believe is the ONE TOP reason members JOIN your organization?
REASONS MEMBERS JOIN ASSOCIATIONS
2013
(n = 693)
2012
(n = 684)
2011
(n = 641)
2010
(n = 400)
2009
(n = 303)
Networking with others in the field 24% 22% 25% 24% 22%
Access to specialized and/or current
information
13% 12% 14% 13% 23%
Advocacy 8% 12% 10% 11% N/A
Learning best practices in their profession 8% 7% 7% 9% 8%
Continuing education 7% 8% 7% 11% 5%
Conferences/trade shows 6% 4% 5% N/A N/A
Accreditation or certification 4% 5% 4% 4% 2%
Discounts on products or meeting
purchases
4% 5% 5% 6% 9%
Association publications 4% 4% 3% 6% 3%
Prestige of belonging to the association 4% 4% 5% N/A N/A
Access to industry thought leaders 2% 2% 1% N/A N/A
Advancing in their position 2% 2% 2% 2% 4%
Members-only education 2% 2% N/A N/A N/A
Access to career resources 1% 1% 1% 3% 1%
Access to industry benchmark studies 1% 1% 1% 1% N/A
Insurance (Affinity programs) 1% 1% 1% N/A N/A
Not sure 1% 1% 1% 2% N/A
Other 7% 6% 8% 9% 10%
Blue: Top membership driver.
Top three reasons members join.
Similar to findings since 2009, association executives
believe that members are most likely to join their
organization to network with others and to have
access to specialized and/or current information.
Additionally, association professionals also believe
members join to support the advocacy conducted on
behalf of their organization, although the percentage
of respondents indicating advocacy as a membership
driver has declined. Now, learning best practices in
their profession is on par with advocacy as a
membership driver.
Trade association executives are significantly more
likely to indicate that networking is a top
membership driver compared to association
professionals from individual member organizations
(32% vs. 19%), and twice as likely to report that
advocacy is a membership driver (12% vs. 7%).
Networking and conferences are significantly more
likely to be membership drivers for smaller
associations (up to 5,000 members), while
publications and accreditation are significantly more
important membership drivers for associations with
more than 5,000 members.
Networking is also a significantly stronger
membership driver for associations with operating
budgets up to $5 million, compared to those with
larger operating budgets.
While networking is most often considered the
top membership driver across association
industries, continuing education is the strongest
membership driver for healthcare associations,
and learning best practices is most important for
members in the education profession.
Publications are the leading membership driver
for hobby/enthusiast associations, and
conferences and trade shows are the strongest
membership driver for retail/consumer product
associations.

21
Engagement, Renewal,
Reinstatement (Retention)
After successfully acquiring new members, associations must work hard to retain their membership. Member
engagement programs will help increase renewal rates, and in some cases can assist in reinstating lapsed members. This
section contains information on the most common strategies used to help onboard, engage, and reinstate members.
Which of the following communication methods do you use to help onboard or
engage new members in the association? (Check all that apply.)
COMMUNICATION METHODS USED TO ONBOARD NEW MEMBERS
2013
(n = 693)
2012
(n = 685)
2011
(n = 643)
2010
(n = 402)
2009
(n = 337)
Email welcome 79% 72% 71% 72% 62%
Mailed welcome kit 60% 64% 67% 68% 83%
Membership card or certificate 51% 51% 51% 59% 58%
Volunteer or staff welcome phone call 31% 29% 30% 32% 26%
New member introductory email series 28% 25% 25% 27% 14%
Special discounts on purchases 23% 24% 23% 23% 17%
Invite to chapter meeting 23% 22% 18% 25% 23%
In-person new member reception or orientation 21% 25% 23% 20% 19%
New member newsletter (print or electronic) 16% 16% 15% 20% 11%
New member survey 15% 16% 17% 18% 20%
New member gift (e.g., gift card, calendar,
notepad)
12% 12% 11% -- --
New member webinars 10% 9% N/A N/A N/A
Custom new member renewal series 9% 10% 10% 11% 7%
Telemarketing welcome phone call 9% 10% 12% 10% 4%
Early or “at-birth” renewal 4% 4% 5% 4% 2%
No special communication 3% 3% 2% 2% 2%
Other 5% 3% 5% 5% 8%
Blue: Top onboarding communication method.
Top three onboarding methods.
SECTION 3
Continuing the trend since 2010, a majority of
association professionals report that an email
welcome is most often used to onboard or engage
new members (79%). This represents a higher
percentage than in the 2012 research (72%).
A mailed welcome kit and a membership
card/certificate round out the top three
communication methods used for onboarding or
engaging new members. However, findings indicate
that fewer associations are using a mailed welcome
kit than in previous years, perhaps opting for the
email welcome instead. Although still used by 60% of
associations, this finding represents a continued
decline in the use of a mailed welcome kit.
A greater percentage of associations are using
new member introductory email services to
welcome and inform new members of the
benefits their association offers.
Compared to the 2012 findings, a higher percentage
of associations report that they engage new
members with a volunteer or staff welcome phone
call (31%), and/or a new member introductory email
series (28%). Fewer associations are using an in-
person new member reception or orientation (21%
vs. 25%).
Associations with renewal rates at 80% or higher are
significantly more inclined to use the volunteer or
staff welcome phone call, compared to associations
with lower renewal rates.

22
Associations reporting overall increases in
membership are significantly more likely to report
using new member webinars to engage new
members. Associations reporting increases in
membership over the past five years are significantly
more inclined to also use new member webinars, as
well as new member newsletters and in-person new
member receptions, compared to those associations
reporting a five-year decline in membership.
Trade associations are more likely to engage new
members on a more personal level than individual
member organizations using volunteer or staff
welcome calls and in-person receptions or
orientations, whereas individual member
organizations are more likely to engage new
members with a membership card/certificate and
new member surveys.
Associations with new member renewal rates at 80%
or above are significantly more likely to employ
volunteer or staff phone calls to engage new
members.
Trade associations are significantly more likely than
individual membership associations and associations
who identify as both individual and trade to employ
volunteer or staff welcome phone calls (47% vs. 21%
and 29%, respectively).
In the past fiscal year, how has member engagement and participation changed?
AREAS OF ENGAGEMENT
n Increased
Stayed
the same
Decreased
Attendance at your annual conference/trade show 599 48% 34% 18%
Volunteerism with your organization 587 34% 57% 9%
Participation in your public social network 567 76% 23% 2%
Number of visits to members-only section of website 528 58% 39% 3%
Attendance at your professional development meetings 511 48% 40% 12%
Attendance at webinars 420 61% 31% 7%
Participation in your private social network 406 66% 28% 6%
Non-dues product purchases (other than previously checked) 401 36% 51% 13%
Non-dues service purchases (other than previously checked) 342 34% 58% 8%
Donations to your association’s foundation or PAC 334 38% 48% 14%
Book or directory purchases 282 25% 55% 20%
Number of members who acquire or maintain a certification with
your organization
276 54% 37% 9%
Number of membership upgrades 276 41% 49% 9%
Participation in your Young Professional program 221 65% 29% 6%
Number of members who purchase or maintain insurance through
your organization
197 26% 62% 11%
Participation in your mentoring program 188 43% 48% 9%
Top three in each column.
A majority of association executives report that over
the past year they have seen increases in
engagement in participation in their public social
network (76%), participation in their private social
network (66%), and participation in their young
professionals program (65%).
Decreases in engagement are seen mostly in the
areas of book or directory purchases (20%),
attendance at annual conferences/trade shows
(18%), and donations to the association PAC or
foundation (14%).
Most associations indicate there has been no change
in engagement regarding volunteerism (57%),
insurance purchases through the organization (62%),
and non-dues service purchases (58%).

23
Within the past year, which of the following has your association introduced to
enhance member engagement? (Check all that apply.)
73%
51%
39%
32%
32%
24%
18%
10%
7%
8%
Changes to website
Public social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.)
Digital publications
Mobile apps
Member research
QR codes
Private social media
RSS feeds
None
Other
2013 (n = 690)
GROWTH STATISTICS FOR INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP ORGANIZATIONS
WHO INTRODUCED MEMBER RESEARCH IN 2012
Change in
Overall Membership
(n = 102)
Change in
Renewal Rate
(n = 100)
Change in
New Members
(n = 92)
Increased 59% 45% 65%
Stayed the Same 16% 32% 20%
Decreased 26% 23% 16%
Three-quarters of associations have introduced
changes to their website as a way to enhance
member engagement. This is an interesting finding
because the association website is now considered
one of the top three channels for creating or
maintaining brand awareness and one of the most
effective methods for recruiting new members.
Additionally, about half of associations have
enhanced member engagement with public social
media outlets. As noted earlier, three-quarters of
association professionals indicate that they use
association-sponsored social media to create or
maintain brand awareness. Trade associations are
significantly more likely to report the use of social
media platforms compared to individual member
associations.
Almost 4 in 10 associations have introduced digital
publications to improve member engagement.
membership over the past year and the past five
years are significantly more likely to use member
research compared to associations showing
member declines in the same time period.
Nearly 70% of associations indicate they did not
conduct member research in the past year. Among
those associations who introduced member research
in 2012, findings show that these associations were
more likely to see increases in overall membership,
renewal rates, and new members. The charts below
summarize the growth statistics among individual
membership and trade associations who conducted
member research in 2012.

24
GROWTH STATISTICS FOR TRADE ASSOCIATIONS
Change in
Overall Membership
(n = 66)
Change in
Renewal Rate
(n = 64)
Change in
New Members
(n = 64)
GROWTH STATISTICS FOR "BOTH" ASSOCIATIONS
Change in
Overall Membership
(n = 45)
Change in
Renewal Rate
(n = 46)
Change in
New Members
(n = 46)
Do you have a separate strategic initiative or tactical plan to increase engagement?
60%
34%
6%
2013 (n = 688)
Yes
No
Not sure
60% of association executives report that their
organization has a separate strategic initiative or
tactical plan to increase engagement. Only one-third
of associations do not have a separate plan at this
time.
membership over the past year and over the past five
years, as well as those indicating increases in
renewals, are significantly more likely to have a
separate strategic initiative or tactical plan to
increase member engagement.
Associations with operating budgets that are over $5
million are also significantly more likely to have a
separate member engagement plan compared to
associations with smaller operating budgets.

25
Is membership renewal based on a fixed calendar date for all members or an
anniversary date from the start of membership?
42%
54%
5%
2013 (n = 691)
Fixed calendar date
Membership anniversary date
Other
42% of associations have a fixed calendar date for
renewal of all members, whereas 54% report that
renewals are based on the anniversary date from the
start of membership.
significantly more likely to report that they have a
fixed calendar renewal date. Individual member and
hybrid organizations tend to have membership
anniversary date renewals, whereas trade
associations tend to have fixed calendar date
renewals.
Similarly, small associations (with up to 1,000
members) are more likely to report fixed date
renewals compared to associations with more
members.
AVERAGE RENEWAL RATES BASED ON RENEWAL DATE
INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP ASSOCIATIONS*
Overall
Renewal Rate
Renewal Rate
for First Year
Members
Fixed calendar date 84% 75%
Membership anniversary date 76% 57%
*All findings significant.
TRADE ASSOCIATIONS*
Overall
Renewal Rate
Renewal Rate
for First Year
Members
*All findings significant.
"BOTH" ASSOCIATIONS
Overall
Renewal Rate
Renewal Rate
for First Year
Members
Further analysis of the data reveals that associations
that have a fixed calendar date for membership
renewals are significantly more likely to have a higher
renewal rate than associations that base their renewals
on a membership anniversary date. This relationship
is true among both individual membership and trade
associations. The charts above summarize the
differences between the groups.

26
How many membership renewal CONTACTS (such as mailings, emails, phone calls)
do you have in your renewal series?
NUMBER OF MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL CONTACTS
2013
(n = 691)
2012
(n = 686)
2011
(n = 642)
2010
(n = 404)
2009
(n = 337)
None 1% 1% 2% 2% 1%
1 to 3 21% 20% 23% 22% 21%
4 to 6 38% 40% 44% 44% 46%
7 to 9 18% 23% 18% 20% 19%
10 to 12 9% 7% 7% 6% 7%
13 to 15 5% 3% 1% 2% 2%
16 to 18 2% 2% 1% 1% 1%
More than 18 2% 2% 2% 2% 1%
Not sure 3% 3% 1% 2% 3%
A majority of associations report 4 to 6 renewal
contacts within their renewal series (38%), with about
27% making 7 to 12 renewal contacts.
Results indicate a slight drop in the percentage of
associations using between 4 and 9 renewal contacts
compared to the 2012 research. However, there is a
slight increase in the number of associations
contacting members 10 to 15 times in their renewal
series (14% vs. 10%) compared to ﬁndings from 2012.
Directionally, associations with increases in overall
membership in the past year tend to have a greater
number of contacts in their renewal series.
Comparatively, trade associations tend to have fewer
contacts in their renewal series compared to
individual member organizations.
Smaller associations (up to 1,000 members) and
those associations with smaller operating budgets
(less than $1 million) also tend to have fewer contacts
in their renewal series
RENEWAL RATES BY NUMBER OF RENEWAL CONTACTS
1 to 6 contacts 7 or more contacts
Individual member associations using 7 or more contacts in their renewal series are more likely to report overall
membership renewal rates at 80% or higher.
MEMBERSHIP TYPE BY NUMBER OF CONTACTS
Individual
Member
(n = 324)
Trade
(n = 197)
Both
(n = 130)
1 to 6 contacts 55% 71% 65%
More than 6 contacts 45% 29% 35%
Regardless of association membership type, a majority send up to six contacts in their renewal series, with trade
associations being most likely to only send six or fewer renewal messages.

27
WHEN RENEWAL EFFORTS START
2013
(n = 690)
2012
(n = 685)
2011
(n = 641)
2010
(n = 405)
2009
(n = 336)
Immediately after welcoming 8% 9% 8% 6% 10%
Prior to 6 months before expiration 5% 5% 6% 8% 8%
6 months prior to expiration 6% 7% 7% 5% 7%
1 month prior to expiration 11% 8% 8% 7% 5%
The month of expiration 4% 4% 3% 3% 4%
Not sure 1% 2% 3% 3% 5%
RENEWAL RATES BY START OF RENEWAL EFFORT
Three months or less
prior to expiration
More than three months
prior to expiration
MEMBERSHIP TYPE BY START OF RENEWAL EFFORT
Individual
Member
(n = 325)
Trade
(n = 205)
Both
(n = 136)
3 months or less prior to expiration 67% 69% 78%
More than 3 months prior to expiration 33% 31% 22%
About one-third of associations begin the renewal
process 3 months prior to expiration (36%). This
represents a slight drop from the 2012 data.
Results indicate that a slightly higher percentage of
associations are beginning their renewal efforts
closer to the date of expiration (1 to 2 months before
expiration), representing a continued upward trend
for this tactic (29% vs. 24%).
Review of renewal timing indicates that trade
organizations tend to start their renewal efforts
sooner than individual member organizations,
whereas associations with smaller operating budgets
tend to start their renewal efforts closer to the
expiration date.
When do you start the renewal effort?
Individual membership associations that begin their renewal efforts more than three months before
expiration are more likely to have overall renewal rates that are at 80% or higher (68% vs. 59%).
The majority of associations, regardless of type, start their renewal efforts 3 months or less prior to
expiration; however, associations with both individual and organizational memberships are most likely to
begin their renewal efforts 3 months or less prior to expiration.

28
When do you end renewal efforts (stop renewal contacts to the member)?
WHEN RENEWAL EFFORTS STOP
2013
(n = 687)
2012
(n = 688)
2011
(n = 639)
2010
(n = 404)
2009
(n = 336)
At the month of expiration 2% 2% 2% 1% 2%
1 month after expiration 10% 7% 8% 9% 9%
2 months after expiration 15% 13% 13% 14% 13%
5 months after expiration 3% 2% 3% 2% N/A
6 months after expiration 10% 8% 8% 8% N/A
More than 6 months after expiration 10% 11% 11% 14% N/A
We don’t stop contact 20% 21% 22% 19% 21%
Not sure 2% 3% 3% 3% 4%
MEMBERSHIP TYPE BY WHEN RENEWAL EFFORTS STOP
Individual
Member
(n = 322)
Trade
(n = 204)
Both
(n = 133)
Up to 3 months after expiration 50% 44% 47%
More than 3 months after expiration 50% 56% 53%
While the data show no differences among individual member associations, trade associations and combination
associations are more likely to send renewal notices to members for more than three months after expiration.
About one-third of associations end their renewal
efforts within 2 to 3 months after expiration (36%). A
slightly higher percentage of associations stop at the
2 month point with a corresponding drop in
associations that wait until the 3 month mark to end
their renewal efforts.
20% of associations do not stop contact with their
lapsed members in an effort to renew the
membership.
Associations indicating an overall increase in
membership over the past ﬁve years are signiﬁcantly
more likely to report that they do not stop contacting
members (21% vs. 11%).
Trade associations tend to extend their renewal
efforts longer than individual membership
organizations.
Associations with 80% or higher renewals on new
members are more likely to indicate they do not
stop contacting members in their renewal efforts.

29
Which of the following marketing channels do you use for membership renewals?
(Check all that apply.)
MARKETING CHANNELS USED FOR MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS
2013
(n = 690)
2012
(n = 685)
2011
(n = 644)
2010
(n = 405)
2009
(n = 333)
Email marketing 90% 88% 88% 88% 83%
Direct mail 79% 81% 82% 85% 91%
Staff phone calls 53% 53% 52% 49% 56%
Peer member contacts 26% 23% 20% 24% 31%
Telemarketing 20% 21% 24% 23% 27%
Board phone calls 17% 17% 18% 15% 28%
Magazine cover wraps 15% 17% 15% N/A N/A
Chapter phone calls 15% 13% 14% 14% 15%
Social media contacts 12% 15% 13% N/A N/A
Employer contacts 8% 6% 8% 7% 4%
Fax 7% 9% 10% 11% 17%
QR codes 3% N/A N/A N/A N/A
PURL 2% 3% N/A N/A N/A
Texting 1% 2% N/A N/A N/A
Renewal app for mobile devices 1% 1% N/A N/A N/A
Other 6% 3% 3% 3% 4%
The top marketing channels for the past five years
are email marketing, direct mail, and staff phone
calls. Data indicate a slight increase in the
percentage of associations using email when
compared to data since 2009. Conversely, the
percentage of associations that use direct mail as a
channel for membership renewal has decreased each
year since 2009.
When looking at the relationship between the top
three marketing channels and renewal rate, data
reveal the following:
— 67% of associations that use email marketing have
an 80% or better renewal rate
— 70% of associations that use direct mail have an
80% or better renewal rate
— 76% of associations that use staff phone calls have
an 80% or better renewal rate
Individual membership associations are significantly
more likely than trade associations to use
telemarketing as a channel for membership renewals
(24% vs. 13%). Similarly, individual membership
associations are significantly more likely than trade
associations to use chapter phone calls (19% vs. 10%)
and social media contacts (14% vs. 8%).
Among those associations that use email marketing
as a channel for membership renewals, 67% have a
renewal rate of 80% or better.
Blue: Top marketing channel used for membership renewals.
Red: Continued decrease in use as a marketing channel for renewals.
Top three marketing channels used for membership renewals.

30
Do you offer any of the following renewal options? (Check all that apply.)
47%
28%
26%
25%
20%
19%
18%
14%
46%
32%
26%
24%
22%
22%
15%
46%
32%
28%
24%
25%
21%
15%
46%
33%
28%
22%
19%
10%
Installment renewal payments (monthly, quarterly)
Multi-year renewals
Renewal bill-me
Automatic annual credit card renewal
Lifetime membership
Early renewal discounts
Automatic annual Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT)
renewals
Gift or premiums for renewal
2013 (n = 469)
2012 (n = 445)
2011 (n = 440)
2010 (n = 246)
Not asked in 2010
Not asked previously
The most popular renewal option associations offer
are installment renewal payments that can be paid
monthly, quarterly, etc. Trade associations are
significantly more likely to offer this type of renewal
option when compared to individual membership
associations (69% vs. 40%).
Trend data show a steady decrease in the
percentage of associations that offer a lifetime
membership renewal option.
Individual membership associations are significantly
more likely than trade associations to offer multi-year
renewals (39% vs. 12%), automatic annual credit card
renewal (29% vs. 20%), lifetime membership (31% vs.
4%), and a gift or premium (18% vs. 10%).
Associations with an 80% or higher renewal rate are
significantly more likely to use installment renewal
payments when compared to associations with a less
than 80% renewal rate (58% vs. 32%). On the other
hand, associations with a less than 80% renewal rate
are significantly more likely to use early renewal
discounts (28% vs.14%).

31
What do you believe is the ONE TOP reason members DO NOT renew their
membership in your organization?
For the second year in a row, association executives
report that the number one reason members do not
renew membership is due to budget cuts or
economic hardship of the company. This is the
number one cited reason among trade associations
(30%). Most individual membership associations say
that members do not renew because of the lack of
engagement with the organization.
Segmenting data by membership size reveals that
associations with 20,000 or more members are most
likely to report that members do not renew
membership in their organization because of a lack
of value (14%).
The number one reason for not renewing
membership among associations with a less than
60% renewal rate for ﬁrst-year members is that
members could not justify membership costs with
any signiﬁcant ROI.
Blue: Top reasons for not renewing membership per year.
Red: Continued decline as a reason for non-renewal.
Top three reasons for not renewing membership.
REASONS FOR NOT RENEWING MEMBERSHIP
2013
(n = 691)
2012
(n = 687)
2011
(n = 639)
2010
(n = 400)
2009
(n = 333)
Budget cuts/economic hardship of company 18% 17% N/A N/A N/A
Lack of engagement with the organization 15% 14% N/A N/A N/A
Could not justify membership costs with any
significant ROI
11% 11% N/A N/A N/A
Employer won’t pay or stopped paying dues 10% 12% 15% 25% 22%
Lack of value 10% 11% 24% 36% 20%
Left the field, industry, or profession 7% 8% 12% N/A N/A
Too expensive 5% 5% 14% 11% 22%
Forgot to renew 4% 4% 7% 6% 11%
Company closed or merged 3% 2% 7% N/A N/A
Retirement 2% 2% 2% 4% 4%
Lack of relevance 1% 3% N/A N/A N/A
Can get materials from other members/other
sources
1% 1% N/A N/A N/A
Disagree with the advocacy position of the
association
1% 1% N/A N/A N/A
Lost job 1% 1% 3% 4% 3%
Poor customer service 1% 1% -- 1% --
Student memberships do not convert to full
memberships
1% 1% N/A N/A N/A
Disappointment with the benefits/services 1% 2% N/A N/A N/A
Moved 1% 2% N/A N/A N/A
Switch to competitor -- 1% 1% 1% --
Not sure 2% 2% 6% 2% 4%
Other 7% 4% 9% 12% 14%

32
After a membership lapses or expires, how long do you continue to contact
members to invite them to reinstate their membership?
LENGTH OF TIME FOR CONTACTING LAPSED MEMBERS TO REINSTATE THEIR MEMBERSHIP
2013
(n = 689)
2012
(n = 686)
2011
(n = 641)
2010
(n = 403)
2009
(n = 333)
We don’t contact lapsed members 10% 10% 11% 10% 8%
1 year after expiration 19% 22% 22% 24% 25%
2 years after expiration 12% 13% 14% 15% 13%
3 years after expiration 8% 10% 9% 6% 6%
4 to 5 years after expiration 5% 5% 4% 6% 5%
6 to 10 years after expiration 1% 1% 1% 1% 1%
We continue indefinitely to contact lapsed members 32% 31% 30% 24% 30%
Other 7% 4% 3% 7% 6%
Not sure 5% 5% 5% 7% 7%
After a membership lapses or expires, most
associations (32%) continue to contact lapsed
members indeﬁnitely to invite them to reinstate their
membership. Data reveal a steady increase in the
percentage of associations that report doing this
from 2010.
Most individual membership associations continue to
contact lapsed members up to 1 year after expiration
(21%), while most trade associations continue to
contact lapsed members indeﬁnitely (43%).
MEMBERSHIP TYPE BY HOW LONG LAPSED MEMBERS ARE CONTACTED
Individual
Member
(n = 302)
Trade
(n = 178)
Both
(n = 120)
We don't contact lapsed members 13% 10% 11%
1 to 3 years after expiration 46% 38% 53%
More than 3 years after expiration 41% 52% 37%
Trade associations tend to contact lapsed members longer than individual member organizations or
combination organizations.

33
What methods do you use to continually contact lapsed members?
90%
66%
51%
9%
3% 1%
5%
91%
65%
40%
14%
6%
0%
Email Direct mail Phone Social media Fax Text Other
2013 (n = 584) 2012 (n = 209)
N/A
Email is the preferred method of communication
association executives use in order to continually
contact lapsed members to renew their membership
in the association.
Findings indicate there is a substantial increase in the
use of phone calls to contact lapsed members.
Trend data suggest that a slightly lower percentage
of associations are using social media to continually
contact lapsed members for membership renewal.

34
Social Media
Social media has become an increasingly used marketing tool across many industries—associations included.
The next section will provide information about social media uses for membership marketing among
associations.
Which social media does your organization officially use? (Check all that apply.)
SOCIAL MEDIA OUTLETS OFFICIALLY USED BY ASSOCIATIONS
2013
(n = 690)
2012
(n = 685)
2011
(n = 641)
2010
(n = 405)
Facebook 85% 86% 91% 75%
Twitter 76% 79% 71% 66%
LinkedIn (Public Access) 54% 56% 53% 59%
YouTube 52% 53% 45% 35%
Association Blog 35% 30% 27% 30%
LinkedIn (Members Only) 34% 30% 28% N/A
Association Listserv 24% 22% 24% 31%
Flickr 17% 15% 15% N/A
Private Association Social Network 16% 19% 18% 17%
Google+ 11% 11% N/A N/A
Pinterest 10% N/A N/A N/A
Wikis 5% 8% 9% 13%
Ning/Groupsite 2% 4% 4% 6%
MySpace 1% 1% 1% 4%
None 4% 3% 6% 8%
Other 5% 4% 4% 6%
Blue: Most commonly used social media tool.
Red: Steady increase in social media usage.
Top three social media tools.
Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn (public access) are
the three most common social media sites used by
associations for the past four years. Individual
membership associations are significantly more likely
than trade associations to use Facebook (89% vs.
79%) and an association listserv (30% vs. 18%).
Trend data show a steady increase in the percentage
of associations that use an association blog and a
members-only LinkedIn site.
Associations with an annual operating budget over
$5 million are significantly more likely to use a private
association social network when compared to
associations with smaller budgets.
SECTION 4

35
SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE
n
Assoc.
Blog
Assoc.
Listserv
Facebook
Flickr
Google+
LinkedIn
(Private)
LinkedIn
(Public)
Pinterest
Private
Assoc.
Social
Network
Twitter
YouTube
Generating awareness for your association 574 30% 12% 84% 11% 6% 21% 50% 8% 8% 69% 43%
Promoting specific association benefits,
services, programs
477 25% 16% 74% 3% 5% 22% 35% 3% 15% 59% 21%
Providing association news 546 30% 17% 80% 2% 5% 21% 38% 2% 13% 67% 14%
Promoting association events 463 26% 17% 81% 6% 5% 24% 41% 4% 14% 71% 25%
Promoting industry events 410 26% 17% 81% 3% 3% 21% 36% 2% 12% 67% 16%
Providing advocacy/legislative information 370 34% 19% 66% 1% 3% 17% 29% 1% 13% 60% 15%
Providing industry-related information 494 33% 17% 68% 2% 6% 22% 36% 4% 13% 61% 18%
Promoting education/certification 463 21% 19% 78% 3% 5% 23% 39% 1% 16% 59% 19%
Providing how-to information 297 27% 19% 39% 1% 3% 14% 23% 2% 17% 28% 29%
Promoting socialization/discourse among
members
442 21% 19% 67% 4% 3% 25% 30% 3% 18% 45% 8%
Promoting socialization/discourse among
attendees while at events
375 14% 9% 56% 7% 3% 10% 17% 3% 13% 77% 10%
Promoting specific sessions and programs at
your meetings/events
460 22% 14% 70% 3% 3% 19% 33% 1% 12% 71% 12%
Soliciting new members 335 14% 6% 70% 1% 5% 14% 45% 2% 4% 47% 16%
Promoting membership in your organization 455 21% 10% 77% 4% 4% 19% 44% 3% 8% 57% 25%
Harvesting contact information for
recruitment efforts
274 9% 7% 48% 1% 1% 20% 51% -- 6% 24% 4%
Highest percentage in each row.
Second-highest percentage in each row.
Third-highest percentage in each row.
Seeing as Facebook, Twitter, and a public LinkedIn
site are the most commonly used social media
platforms for associations, it is no surprise that they
are most often used for almost all forms of member
engagement.
Twitter tends to be used over Facebook when
promoting discussion or speciﬁc sessions at events,
and YouTube is used slightly more than Twitter when
providing how-to information, presumably because it
incorporates a video demonstration, although Twitter
can include a link to the YouTube feed.
Facebook is used more often than Twitter for
soliciting new members and promoting membership
in the organization, but the public LinkedIn site is
used for harvesting the contact information for
recruitment efforts.
For about one-third of associations, the internal
association blog is used to provide advocacy and
legislative information.
Of the social media outlets that you use, please indicate how you use them.

36
Which department in your association is responsible for your social media programs?
52%
44%
31%
8%
7%
6%
4%
12%
Communications
Marketing
Membership
IT
Education
Advocacy and policy
Social media
Other 2013 (n = 657)
While half of the sample indicates that their communications department is responsible for social media sites, 4%
of associations in the sample indicate they have a separate social media department that manages the
organization’s social media platforms.
The communications department is most likely to handle social media programs in individual member and trade
associations, whereas the marketing department is most often responsible for social media in associations that
have both individual and organizational memberships.
54%
42%
28%
8%
5%
6%
4%
10%
53%
41%
33%
7%
10%
7%
4%
12%
46%
51%
31%
9%
9%
8%
5%
13%
Communications
Marketing
Membership
IT
Education
Advocacy and policy
Social media
Other
Individual (n = 324)
Trade (n = 189)
Both (n = 130)

37
Challenges and Goals
It is necessary for an association to define its challenges and then strategically plan its goals for the coming year.
The next section will focus on what associations see as their biggest challenges and the membership goals that
will define success.
What are your organization's TOP THREE biggest challenges to growing
membership?*
TOP CHALLENGES TO GROWING MEMBERSHIP
2013
(n = 688)
2012
(n = 683)
2011
(n = 631)
Insufficient staff 27% 24% 16%
Difficulty attracting and/or maintaining younger members 24% 24% N/A
Perception of the association and/or its culture (i.e., old boy’s
network, not specialized enough)
23% 24% N/A
Membership too diverse; difficulty meeting needs of different
segments
22% 26% N/A
Insufficient budget 22% 21% 13%
Changing demographics of industry 20% 18% N/A
Competitive associations 19% 16% N/A
Lack of strategy or plan 18% 17% 11%
Weak product or service offerings 17% 18% 13%
Inadequate association management database 16% 13% 8%
Lack of marketing expertise 12% 10% 7%
Industry consolidation 11% 14% N/A
Inadequate research to understand market 10% 10% 7%
Difficulty in converting student memberships to regular memberships 10% 9% N/A
Market saturation 9% 10% 9%
Lack of integration between national and chapters 7% 8% N/A
Misalignment of goals between board and executive staff 4% 4% N/A
Poor customer service 1% 1% N/A
Economy -- 1% N/A
Other 11% 12% 16%
*In the 2011 Membership Benchmarking Survey, respondents were asked to choose the single biggest challenge to
growing membership.
Blue: Top challenge to growing membership.
Top three challenges to growing membership.
2013 data suggest that the top three challenges
associations have when it comes to growing
membership are insufficient staff, difficulty attracting
and/or maintaining younger members, and the
perception of the association and/or its culture.
The top challenge for associations with an 80% or
above renewal rate is insufficient staff. Conversely,
the number one challenge to growing membership
among associations with a less than 80% renewal rate
is difficulty attracting and/or maintaining younger
members.
When examining data according to an association's
operating budget, findings suggest that the number
one challenge among associations with an operating
budget under $5 million is insufficient staff. Among
those associations that report having an operating
budget over $5 million, their number one challenge
to growing membership is meeting the specific
needs of a diverse membership.
SECTION 5

38
TOP CHALLENGES TO GROWING MEMBERSHIP BY FIVE YEAR MEMBERSHIP GROWTH
Challenge
Five Year Membership
Increased (n = 367)
Unchanged (n = 50)
Decreased (n = 254)
Insufficient staff
Insufficient budget
Difficulty attracting/maintaining
young members
Changing demographics
of industry
This year’s findings indicate that there is some
overlap in challenges between associations with
different long-term growth patterns. The challenges
faced by associations showing increases in
membership over the past five years (insufficient staff,
too much diversity in membership, and perceptions
of the association) are shared by those showing no
change or declines in membership.
Associations showing no change struggle also with
insufficient budgets and a change in industry
demographics.
Associations showing declines in five-year
membership and those showing no change find
attracting and/or maintaining young members to be
a substantial challenge.
TOP CHALLENGES TO GROWING MEMBERSHIP BY MEMBERSHIP TYPE
Challenge
Individual
Member
(n = 332)
Trade
(n = 206)
Both
(n = 136)
Insufficient staff
Insufficient budget
Difficulty attracting/maintaining young members
Data also highlight several differences between the
type of membership an association offers. While all
three types of membership cite insufficient staff as a
top challenge, we find that trade organizations and
associations that offer both individual member and
trade membership are more likely to report that an
insufficient budget is a top challenge. Similarly, these
associations are more likely to report that a diverse
membership is a significant barrier to growing
membership.

39
TOP CHALLENGES TO GROWING MEMBERSHIP BY SIZE OF MEMBERSHIP
Challenge
Up to
1,000
(n = 298)
1,001-
5,000
(n = 181)
5,001-
20,000
(n = 111)
More than
20,000
(n = 65)
Insufficient staff
Insufficient budget
Difficulty attracting/maintaining young
members
Segmenting data by the size of an association's
membership also reveals key differences.
Associations with fewer than 5,000 members are
more likely to say insufficient staff is a significant
challenge. Conversely, associations with more than
5,000 members are more likely to state that attracting
or maintaining younger members is difficult.
Those associations with fewer than 20,000 members
are more likely to report that an insufficient budget is
a challenge.
74%
74%
38%
33%
28%
21%
16%
9%
2%
Increasing member engagement
Increasing both membership acquisition and
retention
Increase understanding of member needs
Increasing non-dues revenue from members
Increasing dues revenue
Increasing membership retention
Increasing membership acquisition
Increasing member diversity
Other
2013 (n = 690)
What are your association's TOP THREE membership goals?
Findings suggest that the top three goals associations
set are increasing member engagement, increasing
both membership acquisition and retention, and
increasing understanding of member needs.
Trade associations are significantly more likely than
individual membership associations to set a goal to
increase member engagement (83% vs. 71%).
Associations with a budget larger than $1 million are
significantly more likely than associations with
budgets less than $1 million to set a goal to increase
dues revenue.

40
Dues and Membership
Structure
Associations are often plagued with questions about how and when to raise dues. Recently, we’ve seen an
increase in the shifting of membership models to create a different type of dues structure. The following data
answers questions about how associations are handling dues increases and membership models.
How much are your basic annual membership dues?
BASIC ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP DUES
2013
(n = 690)
2012
(n = 686)
2011
(n = 641)
2010
(n = 401)
2009
(n = 324)
Under $50 6% 6% 7% 6% 4%
$50 - $99 11% 12% 11% 12% 7%
$100 - $149 10% 9% 11% 14% 11%
$150 - $199 11% 12% 13% 12% 12%
$200 - $299 11% 12% 12% 11% 16%
$300 - $399 8% 9% 7% 10% 13%
$400 - $499 5% 4% 6% 5% 9%
$500 - $749 6% 6% 5% 4% 11%
$750 - $999 2% 2% 2% 3% 3%
$1,000 and over 6% 6% 6% 6% 7%
Varies by company size 23% 22% 20% 19% 9%
Results indicate there is very little shift in the
association dues from the previous research.
About one-third of associations indicate their
membership dues are between $100 and $299 (32%).
This is similar to the 2012 results.
Just under one-quarter of the associations in the
sample say their annual membership dues vary by
company size.
BASIC ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP DUES BY MEMBERSHIP TYPE
Individual
Member
(n = 331)
Trade
(n = 209)
Both
(n = 136)
Under $50 9% 1% 7%
$50 - $99 15% 1% 17%
$100 - $149 15% 2% 10%
$150 - $199 16% 2% 12%
$200 - $299 15% 5% 13%
$300 - $399 11% 4% 10%
$400 - $499 6% 4% 3%
$500 - $749 5% 8% 6%
$750 - $999 2% 3% 2%
$1,000 and over 2% 15% 2%
Varies by company size 5% 56% 19%
While most individual membership associations
(16%) charge $150–$199 for annual membership
dues, trade associations and associations who
identify as both an individual membership and trade
association are most likely to offer prices for
membership that vary by company size.
Blue: Highest percentage per membership type.
SECTION 6

41
How often does your association raise membership dues?
When was the last time your association raised membership dues?
24%
21%
11%
9%
8%
5%
3%
6%
15%
2013 or
plan to
this year
2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 Other year
2013 (n = 680)
Almost half (45%) of the association executives
indicate that their organization either plans to raise
dues this year or raised their membership dues in
2012.
more likely to indicate they plan to raise dues this
year compared to those with lower renewal rates
(27% vs. 19%).
Among those associations that report raising dues in
2012, 34% saw an increase in renewal rates over the
past year, while 28% saw no change and 38% saw a
decrease in renewal rates.
31% of trade associations plan to increase their
membership dues this year compared to 21% of
individual member organizations. However, 25% of
individual membership associations report that they
raised their membership dues in 2012 compared to
only 16% of trade associations.
22%
6%
63%
10%
0%
17%
4%
58%
9%
12%
Annually Every other year As needed Never Other
2013 (n = 610) 2011 (n = 644)
Similar to findings from 2011, most associations raise
dues only as needed. After that, about 22% of
associations raise dues annually.
Associations with renewal rates that are 80% or
higher are more likely to raise dues annually
compared to associations with lower renewal rates
(28% vs. 13%). An annual dues hike is often lower
than one that may occur sporadically.
Trade associations are significantly more likely to
raise their dues annually compared to individual
member organizations (29% vs. 17%).
Associations with the highest percentages of new
member renewals (80% or higher) are significantly
more likely to raise dues annually, while those
with lower renewal rates are more likely to raise
dues as needed.

42
What was the average percentage of your last membership dues increase across all
membership categories?
51%
25%
9%
7%
4%
1%
1%
1%
2%
1% to 5%
6% to 10%
11% to 15%
16% to 20%
21% to 25%
26% to 30%
31% to 35%
36% to 40%
More than 40%
2013 (n = 636)
How would you describe your membership dues structure?
51%
22%
12%
1%
14%
47%
25%
14%
2%
13%
The membership dues are based on certain
attributes (e.g., qualifications, experience,
company size, revenue)
Everyone pays the same membership dues
The membership dues are based on a tiered
structure of increasing benefits
The membership dues are based on member-
selected benefits (à la carte)
Other
2013 (n = 693)
2012 (n = 686)
A membership dues structure based on specific
attributes is the most common type of membership
structure for participants in this study (51%), a slight
increase from the previous year.
There are slight declines in other types of
membership structures, including the “one size fits
all” model where everyone pays the same dues and
the tiered membership structure which offers an
increased level of benefits for higher dues payments.
About one-half of associations raise dues only 1 to 5%,
while one-quarter raise dues between 6 and 10%.
Associations with 80% or more renewal rates
are significantly more likely to raise dues up to
5% only.
Trade associations are significantly more likely to
raise dues up to 5% compared to individual member
organizations (60% vs. 45%), while individual member
groups have a significantly higher propensity to
increase dues by 6 to 10% (29% vs. 20%).

43
Findings demonstrate that associations with renewal
rates at or above 80% are significantly more likely to
have a membership structure that is based on
specific attributes and criteria, while those with
renewal rates under 80% are significantly more likely
to report that everyone pays the same dues rate.
69% of trade associations report a dues structure
based on specific criteria compared to only 42% of
individual member organizations, while 29% of the
individual member groups employ a single fee
membership structure compared to only 15% of
trade associations.
The largest associations (20,000 or more members)
are more likely to report that everyone pays the same
dues, while smaller associations (under 20,000
members) are more likely to have a dues structure
based on specific attributes.
Industries most likely to indicate a structure where
everyone pays the same dues include
philanthropic/service organizations and real estate.
Industries most likely to report a tiered membership
structure include arts/cultural/historical/museums.
Have you made any changes to your membership model (i.e., the membership
categories your association offers) within the past two years?
33%
67%
(n = 671)
Yes
No
Only one-third of associations have made changes to
their membership model within the past two years.
While associations boasting 80% renewal rates or
higher are significantly more likely to indicate they
have not made changes to their membership model
(70%), findings show that associations reporting
increases in new members and increases in overall
renewals are significantly more likely to have made
such changes compared to associations with no
change or declines in new members and renewals.
42%
29%
13%
2%
14%
69%
15%
5%
2%
9%
46%
15%
17%
2%
21%
The membership dues are based on certain
attributes (e.g., qualifications, experience,
company size, revenue)
Everyone pays the same membership dues
The membership dues are based on a tiered
structure of increasing benefits
The membership dues are based on member-
selected benefits (a la carte)
Other
Trade (n = 209)
Both (n = 136)

44
Managing Your Association
This section contains information on the business of running an association. Results pertaining to operating
budgets, spending on membership marketing programs, and how much of the budget is attributed to each
spending area are discussed. Additionally, this section reports on the most used AMS software and different
types of research used to measure the effectiveness of marketing campaigns.
What is your organization's annual operating budget?
65%
14%
12%
7%
3%
65%
14%
10%
8%
3%
56%
20%
13%
9%
3%
Up to $4.9 million
$5 million to $9.9
million
$10 million to $19.9
million
$20 million to $50
million
More than $50 million
2013 (n = 673)
2012 (n = 670)
2011 (n = 613)
Compared to the 2012 research, there are very few differences in operating budgets. Similar to 2012, about
two-thirds of associations report operating budgets less than $5 million.
OPERATING BUDGET BY NUMBER OF PAID MEMBERS AND STUDY YEAR
Less than $1 million $1 million to $4.9 million $5 million and higher
2013
(n = 193)
2012
(n = 165)
2013
(n = 227)
2012
(n = 262)
2013
(n = 225)
2012
(n = 237)
Up to 1,000 68% 67% 36% 27% 35% 8%
1,001 to 5,000 26% 29% 39% 42% 18% 19%
5,001 to 20,000 4% 4% 22% 24% 24% 32%
More than 20,000 2% -- 3% 7% 23% 41%
Blue: Highest percentage per column.
Substantial decrease from previous year.
Substantial increase from previous year.
Findings from 2013 show that most associations with
a less than $1 million budget and a $5 million and
higher budget have up to 1,000 members. Among
those associations that have an operating budget of
$1 million to $4.9 million, most have a membership of
1,001 to 5,000 members.
SECTION 7

45
Over the course of a year, excluding staff costs, how much did you spend on the
following membership marketing programs?
MEAN AMOUNT SPENT ON MEMBERSHIP MARKETING PROGRAMS BY YEAR
2013 2012 2011 2010
Awareness and branding $76,512 $46,009 $92,453 $109,633
Recruitment $62,566 $80,275 $56,705 $118,789
Engagement/onboarding $32,929 $21,132 $43,401 $53,485
Renewals $42,332 $40,358 $24,943 $27,520
Reinstatement or win-back $18,628 $14,018 $14,048 $19,644
While spending seemed to decline since 2010, the
ﬁndings this year indicate that associations have
started to increase their budgets again, as mean
spending in all areas has increased except for
recruitment.
The average increases for each of the areas:
– 66% increase in spending for awareness and
branding
– 56% increase in spending for
engagement/onboarding
– 5% increase in spending for renewals
– 33% increase in spending for reinstatement
The average decline in spending for recruitment is
about 22%.
“Engagement with both potential and current members is the key to success.
You must create a valuable experience for members.”
MEAN AMOUNT SPENT ON MEMBERSHIP MARKETING PROGRAMS
BY ORGANIZATION TYPE
Individual
Member
Trade Both
Awareness and branding $88,307 $56,926 $88,306
Recruitment $80,816 $42,482 $53,570
Engagement/onboarding $41,182 $25,871 $27,829
Renewals $58,799 $24,392 $28,911
Reinstatement or win-back $26,986 $8,964 $9,121
MEAN AMOUNT SPENT ON ACQUISITION AND RETENTION
BY ORGANIZATION TYPE
Individual
Member
Trade Both
Acquisition $169,123 $99,408 $141,876
Retention $126,967 $59,227 $65,861
Regardless of the type of organization, the largest amount is spent on awareness and branding of the association.
The chart below shows that associations tend to spend more in general on acquisition programs than on
retention programs.
“When you make retention your primary goal and focus on delivering
value to your members, that will make the decision to renew obvious;
the recruitment challenge then becomes that much easier.”

46
MEAN AMOUNT SPENT ON MEMBERSHIP MARKETING PROGRAMS
BY RENEWAL RATE
Less than 80% 80% and higher
Awareness and branding $66,051 $73,079
Recruitment $68,348 $64,216
Engagement/onboarding $32,549 $33,711
Renewals $38,514 $48,969
Reinstatement or win-back $21,775 $17,852
Associations with renewal rates at or above 80%
spend more on awareness and branding and
renewals, while associations with renewals under 80%
spend more on recruitment and reinstatement.
Associations tend to spend similar amounts on
engagement/onboarding.
What percentage of revenue is attributable to each of the following areas?
(Means reported)
43%
25%
6%
5%
4%
2%
15%
Dues
Conferences/meetings/trade shows
Books/products/services
Webinars/seminars/training (not offered during
annual meeting)
Certification and accompanying materials
Affinity programs (e.g., insurance, credit cards)
All other revenue areas
2013 (n = 695)
Two-thirds of associations’ revenue comes from dues
and conferences, meetings and/or trade shows.
Results indicate that associations reporting increases
in membership over the past year and the past five
years attribute a significantly higher percentage of
revenue to conferences, meetings, and trade shows
than those associations showing membership
declines in the same areas.
While not a large part of the revenue stream,
individual member associations report significantly
higher revenues attributable to certification,
webinars/seminars, and books/products/services,
compared to trade associations.
Associations with new member renewals of 80% or
higher attribute a significantly higher percentage of
revenue to dues and webinars/seminars compared to
associations with lower new member renewal rates.
“We need to diversify our revenue streams, including a greater
percentage from dues income. We can't raise dues significantly for
many members because they see us as only providing value
through our trade shows and are missing the year-round advocacy
and information value we provide all year long.”

47
40%
24%
7%
5%
5%
2%
17%
48%
26%
5%
4%
2%
3%
13%
40%
27%
6%
6%
4%
1%
16%
Dues
Conferences/meetings/trade shows
Books/products/services
Webinars/seminars/training (not offered
during annual meeting)
Certification and accompanying materials
Affinity programs (e.g., insurance, credit cards)
All other revenue areas
Trade (n = 210)
Both (n = 136)
While all association types gain their largest share of revenue from dues, almost half of trade associations are
supported by membership dues. The second largest revenue generator is the annual conference or trade show.
What types of research tools do you use to effectively measure member needs?
70%
39%
30%
30%
22%
17%
8%
8%
77%
41%
31%
24%
23%
13%
8%
7%
Quantitative survey research
Focus groups
Phone interviews
On-site interviews/intercepts
Secondary research
Online panels/bulletin boards
None
Other
2013 (n = 691)
2012 (n = 687)
Of the associations that conduct member research,
the most common is quantitative survey research,
although this has declined since the previous year.
On par with ﬁndings from 2012, close to 40% of
associations use focus groups and 30% employ
phone interviews.
The methodologies that have increased in use since
the 2012 study are on-site interview/intercepts,
probably conducted at annual meetings and trade
shows, and online panels/bulletin boards, which can
bring people together to discuss issues regardless of
their location.

48
Associations reporting increases in membership over
the past year are significantly more likely to use
quantitative survey research than associations
showing declines. Additionally, associations
indicating increases or no change in renewals are
also significantly more likely to employ quantitative
survey research.
Compared to individual member organizations, trade
associations are significantly more likely to use phone
interviews (40% vs. 24%). Individual member
organizations, however, are significantly more
inclined to utilize quantitative survey research (74%
vs. 67%) and focus groups (45% vs. 33%).
Associations with more than 20,000 members and
those with operating budgets over $5 million are
more inclined to use research to measure member
needs, and are significantly more likely to employ
several research methodologies than smaller
associations or those with smaller budgets.
What types of analysis do you use to measure the effectiveness of your membership
marketing campaigns? (Check all that apply.)
49%
37%
25%
24%
17%
16%
15%
5%
4%
31%
2%
49%
29%
16%
20%
15%
7%
6%
40%
Response rate analysis
Return on investment (ROI)
Source code or keycode capture and
analysis
Cost of acquisition
Liftetime value analysis
A/B split marketing tests
Computer matchback to prospect database
Recency/Frequency/Monetary amount
analysis
Regression analysis
None
Other
2013 (n = 691)
2012 (n = 667)
Not asked in 2012
Not asked in 2012
Not asked in 2012
49% of associations use response rate analysis to
measure the effectiveness of their membership
marketing. This represents no change from the
previous research.
More than one-third of associations employ return on
investment (ROI) measurements (37%), and about
one-quarter use source code or keycode capture and
analysis (25%) and cost of acquisition analysis (24%).
31% of associations are not using any analysis to
measure their marketing effectiveness, but this
represents a decline from the findings reported in 2012.
membership over the past year and those with
increases or no change in their renewals are
significantly more inclined to employ response rate
analysis and return on investment measurements
than associations with declines in the same areas.
Individual member organizations, those with more
than 20,000 members, and those with operating
budgets of at least $1 million, are significantly more
likely to utilize multiple types of effectiveness
measurements.
“Develop a deep understanding of your membership through data
in your database and through outside market research. This
information is very useful in setting direction and priorities, and
understanding shortcomings and approaches to address them. It has
proven invaluable in gaining buy-in from the leadership and CEO.”

49
What association management software (AMS) do you use?
ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE USED BY STUDY YEAR
2013
(n = 684)
2012
(n = 640)
iMIS (ASI-iMIS) 20% 19%
Avectra Inc. 13% 11%
Personify/TMA Resources 7% 6%
Home grown or tailor-made system 6% 11%
Microsoft Excel 4% N/A
Microsoft Access 3% N/A
Microsoft CRM 3% N/A
Salesforce 2% N/A
Aptify 2% 2%
Affiniscape 2% N/A
Protech 2% 2%
YourMembership 2% 2%
CDC gomembers 2% 1%
ISSI (Impak) 2% 1%
MemberClicks 1% 1%
Wild Apricot 1% N/A
ACGI Software 1% 2%
CiviCRM 1% N/A
Euclid Clear Vantage 1% N/A
Timberlake Software 1% --
123Signup Association Management Solutions, Inc. 1% 1%
JL Systems (NOAH) 1% 1%
None 4% 9%
Other 22% 32%
While there is a wide variety of AMS technology
available, the most widely used association
management software systems are iMIS (20%) and
Avectra (13%).
Fewer associations are using home grown systems
compared to the previous research.
Additionally, only 4% of association professionals
now indicate they do not use any association
management software.

50
The Demographics of
Your Association
The questions in this section are to help associations better understand the results of this report in the context of
who participated. Providing this information allows association executives to better understand how they
compare to other associations that are similar in size, industry, membership type, etc.
What type of membership offering best describes your organization?
TYPE OF ASSOCIATION BY STUDY YEAR
2013
(n = 693)
2012
(n = 643)
2011
(n = 643)
2010
(n = 404)
2009
(n = 326)
Individual Member 48% 54% 49% 54% 64%
Trade 30% 28% 36% 28% 22%
Both 20% 15% 13% 17% 14%
Other 2% 3% 2% 1% 1%
Down from last year, fewer individual member organizations have participated in this year’s study, but there is a
corresponding increase in the percentage of organizational/trade associations and combination associations.
How do you deﬁne the scope of your association?
SCOPE OF ASSOCIATION BY STUDY YEAR
2013
(n = 693)
2012
(n = 687)
2011
(n = 643)
2010
(n = 403)
2009
(n = 326)
International 39% 37% 39% 41% 34%
National 34% 37% 38% 40% 34%
Regional (multi-state) 4% 3% 3% 5% 14%
State 12% 14% 12% 2% 2%
Local 8% 8% 7% 9% 14%
Other 3% 2% 2% 3% 2%
Most associations identify themselves as either international or national, with a slight increase in the percentage of
international associations and a slight decline in the percentage of national associations.
SECTION 8

51
Does your association have chapters?
Similar to previous research, about half of participating
associations do not have chapters (50%).
About one-quarter of associations do have chapters
in which membership is optional, while 20% have
mandatory chapter membership.
What membership categories does your association offer? (Check all that apply.)
MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES OFFERED BY STUDY YEAR
2013
(n = 690)
2012
(n = 682)
2011
(n = 636)
2010
( n= 403)
Individual Basic 57% 60% 64% 69%
Student 52% 53% 54% 59%
Company/Institutional/Organization 49% 45% 55% 55%
Associate 41% 41% N/A N/A
Retired 38% 39% 43% 50%
Honorary 28% 27% N/A N/A
Affiliate 24% 27% N/A N/A
Lifetime 24% 26% 29% 33%
International 19% 19% N/A N/A
Young Professional (those new to the profession/industry
or under a certain age)
15% 17% 18% N/A
Vendor/Supplier 14% 15% 22% 21%
Academic 14% 16% N/A N/A
Multi-year 13% 11% 17% 20%
Unemployed 11% 10% 15% 16%
Transitioning student/Recent graduate 11% 11% N/A N/A
Individual Plus (added benefits to basic membership) 10% 12% 15% 16%
Government/Public sector 9% 10% N/A N/A
Non-profit 9% 10% N/A N/A
Group (multiple individuals) 8% 12% 17% 16%
Online only (paperless) 7% 7% 12% 14%
Family 6% 7% N/A N/A
Military 5% 4% N/A N/A
Consultant 5% 6% N/A N/A
Publications only 4% 5% N/A N/A
Freemium (no-cost membership) 4% 3% 8% 8%
Other 11% 10% 12% 10%
26%
20%
4%
50%
26%
21%
3%
51%
30%
17%
3%
51%
Yes, chapter membership is optional
Yes, chapter membership is
mandatory
Our organization is a chapter
No
2013 (n = 684) 2012 (n = 688) 2011 (n = 640)
“Engage with our chapters and give them the tools and
encouragement they need to help us grow.”

52
The top membership categories offered for
participating associations include individual basic,
student, and company/institutional/organization.
However, there is a decline in the percentage of
associations reporting individual basic memberships
and an increase in those offering a
company/institutional/organization membership.
Results show a continued decline in the percentage
of associations offering group memberships,
individual plus memberships, vendor/supplier
memberships, lifetime memberships, young
professional memberships, and retired memberships.
How many paid members are in your association?
NUMBER OF PAID MEMBERS BY STUDY YEAR
2013
(n = 690)
2012
(n = 689)
2011
(n = 642)
2010
(n = 403)
2009
(n = 325)
Up to 1,000 46% 30% 30% 24% 26%
1,001 to 5,000 28% 30% 28% 26% 30%
5,001 to 20,000 17% 22% 25% 26% 22%
More than 20,000 10% 18% 17% 22% 21%
Most associations participating in this year’s study
have 1,000 members or fewer. This represents a
signiﬁcant increase over the previous years.
Additionally, there is a large decline in the number of
associations with more than 5,000 members that
participated in this year’s research.
33%
26%
23%
18%
68%
25%
6%
1%
39%
35%
19%
7%
Up to 1,000
1,001 to 5,000
5,001 to 20,000
More than 20,000
Individual Member (n = 308)
Trade (n = 207)
Both (n = 131)
MEAN NUMBER OF PAID MEMBERS
Total
Individual
Member
Trade Both
Mean 10,544 17,886 1,655 8,223
Median 1,200 3,200 555 1,900
Not surprisingly, individual member associations have a higher number of members and trade associations have
fewer. Hybrid organizations are in between the two.

53
What is the best estimate of the average age of individuals within your membership?
5%
24%
50%
18%
4%
Less than 35
35 to 44
45 to 54
55 to 64
65 and older
2013 (n = 314)
Data show a normal age distribution across all associations, with half reporting an average member age between
45 and 54 years old. The actual mean age is 48 years old and the median age is 49 years old.
PERSONAL JOB FUNCTION BY STUDY YEAR
2013
(n = 693)
2012
(n = 684)
2011
(n = 639)
2010
(n = 339)
Membership 58% 52% 42% 40%
Marketing 30% 35% 19% 21%
Communications 16% 15% 3% 4%
Executive Director 12% 10% 18% 17%
CEO/President 10% 10% N/A N/A
Administration 10% 10% 3% 3%
Publications 8% 6% -- --
Branding 8% 7% -- --
Operations 8% 8% 2% N/A
Conventions/Meetings 7% 7% -- 1%
Chapter Relations 7% 7% -- 1%
Computer/Information Technology 6% 4% 1% 1%
Executive Vice President/Senior Vice President 6% 5% N/A N/A
Fundraising 6% 4% N/A N/A
Board Member 4% 4% N/A N/A
Education/Training 4% 4% 1% 2%
Volunteer Coordinator 4% 4% N/A N/A
Accounting 3% 2% N/A N/A
Deputy Director/Associate Director 3% 6% N/A N/A
Finance 3% 2% 1% 3%
Advocacy 3% 2% N/A N/A
COO 3% 2% N/A N/A
Government Relations 2% 1% -- --
Human Resources 2% 2% -- --
Legal 1% 1% -- --
Other 5% 3% 9% 10%
Similar to our other studies, the majority of
association professionals in this study work in
membership. Results show a continued upward trend
in participants in this job function.
Marketing and communications executives also
constitute the majority of respondents, with a slight
decline from the high point in 2012 in the number of
marketing professionals participating.

54
What best describes your association’s industry?
ASSOCIATION INDUSTRY BY STUDY YEAR
2013
(n = 692)
2012
(n = 685)
2011
(n = 639)
2010
(n = 382)
Healthcare 19% 20% 19% 21%
Professional Services (White Collar)* 14% 17%* 24%* 13%*
Education 13% 11% 13% 16%
Scientific/Engineering** 6% 8%** 9%** 10%**
Finance/Accounting/Banking/Insurance 6% 7% 5% 4%
Arts/Cultural/Historical/Museum 5% 5% N/A N/A
Building/Construction 4% 4% 3% 3%
Professional Services (Blue Collar)* 4% * * *
Government 4% 3% 2% 2%
Real Estate 3% 3% 2% N/A
Retail/Consumer Products 3% 2% 2% N/A
Manufacturing 3% 3% 7% 3%
Travel/Hospitality 3% 2% 4% N/A
Hobby/Enthusiast/Sports 3% 3% N/A N/A
Chamber of Commerce 2% 2% N/A N/A
Agriculture 2% 2% 1% N/A
Philanthropic/Service 2% 2% 5% 3%
IT/Technology** 1% ** ** **
Publishing 1% 1% N/A N/A
Automotive -- 1% N/A N/A
Environmental -- 1% N/A N/A
Religion -- 1% N/A N/A
Energy/Water/Power/Utility -- 2% N/A N/A
Other 4% 4% 3% 26%
Most association executives in this study represent
professions in healthcare, white collar professional
services, and education.
This year, while we did not add additional industry
categories, we did divide some categories to provide
more meaningful data.
*In previous studies, Professional Services was not divided into two categories.
**In previous studies, IT/Technology was combined with Scientific/Engineering.

55
SECTION 9
?
Words of Wisdom
This final section contains a selection of verbatim responses to the open-ended questions in this research. We
asked participants to share their thoughts and ideas on issues, challenges, and lessons they have learned as
association professionals. The selection of responses reflects recurring themes that were echoed by many
respondents. A full set of the open-ended responses will be available through MGI.
What are some of the most effective tools you’ve used or programs you’ve
offered to increase member engagement with your association?
The most effective tool has been the revamping of our
magazine into a multi-media platform. It now includes
popular interactive options.
We initiated a member satisfaction survey this year
which is to be sent out annually to benchmark and
track member satisfaction.
1st year engagement strategy during 1st 6 mos.
incorporating Thank You renewal at birth, emails
featuring key benefits and services, magazine
wraps, etc.
We now offer special new member/first timer
programs at our annual conference, and we've
increased member touches throughout the year
specifically to make sure our members are taking
advantage of the top-rated member benefits.
Free attendance at an event if you also bring a
non-member to the event. Then we give a free
membership for that year to new members joining
that night.
We instituted a program a couple years ago where we
look at all of our member groups 3 months before their
dues expiration dates — and in turn — form specific
plans of actions for the department.
Engage members early through communication,
discounts on programs/products, engagement in
social media. Started new closed e-communities for
members only — easy way to get engaged, volunteer.
Content-based, extremely targeted email
campaigns/nurture streams. These emails provide
members links to our latest content and research
findings; they don't try to directly sell the member
anything. They are meant for engagement and help us
build our product and service pipeline.
Hired a professional marketing company to assist
with rebranding as well as a company to create an
18-month marketing plan with increased emphasis on
using social media channels.
Monthly email to new/former members educating
them about their member benefits in short, digestible
bites. At the tradeshow having the ability to
demonstrate technical benefits real-time (with links to
the web & forum). Our biggest is the introduction of
our online member forum. It has been our most
successful engagement benefit and our most effective
retention tool.
Introduced an Ambassador program to partner
existing members with new members.
We launched a private LinkedIn group for our
association and we have seen a significant increase in
people join. We have also launched a new e-newsletter
with industry news. This goes out to all members and
non-members weekly. We also offer a free webinar
recording when a member renews. This has been one
of their favorite reasons to renew.
Webinars introducing members to benefits; increased
training for chapter leaders on how to engage
members locally; new newsletter to those members
without email addresses to keep them informed;
special email to new members inviting them to log into
private organization networking site; reaching out to
employers to increase visibility in the workplace.
Email messages to remind member of benefits. Phone
calls to members who are deemed “unengaged” —
have not participated in any programs or events.
Send the top 200 most engaged members (we use an
engagement point tracking system) a gift box filled
with the newest products within the industry and this
has been a great success.
We offer a 30-day free trial membership. We also
started a first-year member email series to remind
them of their benefits and the value of the association.
Free Lunch and Learns to demonstrate new product
offerings. You Choose Campaign — Join for 2 years for
price of 1 or Join (and pay) for 2 years and get a free
registration to national annual meeting.

56
Our association is only as strong as the support given
by each member. If you want to see results, get
involved and volunteer in an area that interests you.
I would remind our members that in an era of “good
enough” information, your association doesn't stop at
“good enough” and strives to provide the best, most
accurate, and up-to-date information in the industry.
We understand that you're busy, and focused on the
work at hand, that's why we're here, to fill in the gaps,
and provide the education and leadership that
everyone needs to excel in your profession.
Get involved! There are so many great ways to be an
active participant in the association, from being a
board member, joining a committee, or answering the
quick member question featured in our monthly
magazine. Your thoughts and ideas are not only
important to the advancement of the association, but
also to their profession.
Please tell all of your friends and peers about the value
of membership. There’s strength in numbers!
We want to hear from you and get feedback on how
we are doing. If we get swamped, please reach out.
100% of the time we will learn something new and fix a
problem or improve service.
Maximize your membership! The association offers so
much for you in terms of tangible and intangible
benefits, but most members don't pay close enough
attention to know what is available to them, so they
miss out. The association is protecting the future of
your profession and provides you with tools and
resources for professional success. Learn more.
Please renew by your expiration date. Don't make us
contact you 15 times!
Wake up. You say we will advocate for the industry
anyway and fix the legislative issues, but at some point
the number of members will fall below the number that
will support advocacy.
Be more willing to embrace change and support new
opportunities. Instead of constraining the growth of
your association, allow membership to expand and
non-dues revenue opportunities to grow. Move
beyond the "old days" and into the future.
Membership is a two-way experience; we can help you,
but can't do everything for you!
Tell us how we can serve you better!
Use us. We want to help your business succeed — that’s
why we’re here and why you’ve joined. Use us as your
trusted advisor and where you turn for assistance. We
want to be the region's clearinghouse of information. If
we don't know the answer, we will get it for you.
This is the only place in your profession where big
brother is not watching you and you can ask the real
questions.
? If you could freely say anything to your members, what would you say?
Offer monthly leadership and advocacy calls in which
members dial in at a prescribed time and seasoned
members offer advice to newcomers on leadership
topics. We get special guests to speak on the
advocacy calls and help members understand what
actions they can take to make a difference; for
example, collecting school supplies, voter registration,
letter writing to Congress, etc.
We added a higher level tier with value-added
benefits.
Eliminated member categories / created new member
categories / adjusted member dues — both up and
down / green discount — save $20 if opt out of print
journal / added benefits / changed definitions of
member categories.
We consolidated many member categories into fewer,
and repriced many of them.
Started bundling events into the membership dues for
a small discounted price.
We’ve changed the benefit structure to match our
donor levels (upper level members get more
recognition-based benefits while lower level members
get more program discounts and merchandise). We’ve
also included an invitation to special members-only
events as part of the benefits.
We are testing a “digital membership” with limited
benefits.
We started doing a “pay as you go” membership plan.
We have been able to offer free membership to first-
year students, funded by a challenge grant from a
member.
We cut down on the number of member categories,
adjusted rates, got rid of most verification
requirements, changed the name of categories to
reflect new branding.

57
Give us an opportunity to show you the bottom line
and intrinsic value of the membership vs. only looking
at the dues as a discretionary budget item.
Don’t complain, offer to help. Participate and help get
the job done.
I know you hate the amount of emails that we send.
But we need to let you know what we have that will
help you in your work — especially in keeping
connected with your peers and keeping up with the
latest standards and education.
?
Where will the next generation of members come from
and how can we be most relevant to them.
The fragmentation of the profession and socio-
economic factors are impacting the association. It’s
hard to strategize to combat the impact of these
factors, over which you have no control.
Not enough hours in the day to accomplish what
needs to be done. Not enough staff resources.
Keeping the member benefits relative to the members
and devising ways to increase the member value for all
categories of membership.
The Board makes decisions and they don’t reflect the
membership.
Growing my membership base and keeping the
existing membership base content and satisfied.
The classic catch-22 of association management — we
need more revenue to acquire more members and
serve them properly, and we need more members to
obtain that revenue.
How will we remain relevant? Bring new ideas/services to
the forefront that keep our members wanting to belong.
Lack of new members joining in the past few years.
Worry about younger people not going into the area
of practice we service.
Why doesn't our message of value come across?
It is getting harder each year to get them to renew
early and on time. It is becoming more of a budgetary
decision than a professional/career decision. They
seem to forget the value of being a member of the
association and the role they play.
Enhancing the value proposition and communicating
that message, so that people don't have a 2nd thought
about joining or renewing. Trying to increase the
number of paid members, and finding younger
members to be the future for an aging membership.
How to communicate more effectively to the different
age groups — electronic compared to hard copy.
We're facing the generational challenge — most of the
owners of our member businesses are facing
retirement. We're looking at connecting with younger
professionals and also providing benefits, like
succession planning, to our existing baby-boomer
members.
The traditional (old) model of a trade association is
dying (quickly). What will replace it and will I be able to
lead our Board to recognize it and adapt to it ahead of
the curve?
Staying up with the growth in the digital arena and
trying to get and stay on top of it. Our website needs a
lot of work which we don't currently have good process
and the right resources in place to be able to
accomplish this.
With regard to your association, what keeps you up at night?
?
The database constraints and cross-departmental
misalignment of goals.
Our database is extremely rigid when it comes to
certain things, and that has really impacted us at the
staff-level. I’d love to find a wonderful AMS that is
flexible and conforms to our needs without emptying
our bank account.
The unnecessary “red tape” of having the Board of
Trustees approve every major decision when it comes
to introducing new membership ideas, benefits or
programs. It sometimes stalls the momentum and
stymies creativity.
Change the mentality of some current members from
“keeping things the same as in the old days” to
“embracing change.”
Our dues are too high ($350). People are finding that
they can get so much for free and dues are a hurdle to
engagement. I’m not advocating a freemium, but I
think we need to seriously assess the ROI.
If there was one hurdle you could remove to make your association run
smoother, what would it be?

58
Listening to what matters most to members is key. If
they are happy and we are helping them, then our
membership will grow and our global network will
expand.
Never stop listening to and learning about your
members. Never.
Be adaptable — your members' needs and wants
could change at any moment and it is important to
change your plan to go along with that.
· 1. Focus on the big picture, but sweat the details.
2. Frequency is your friend.
3. Leverage your messages across multiple channels.
4. Make it personal.
One personal contact from other members or staff is
more important than a thousand emails.
Segmenting is incredibly valuable — people need to
feel like you understand their specific needs and can
offer products or services that respond to those needs.
We have a diverse membership that expects to be
marketed to appropriately, which can take a lot of time
and energy, but definitely pays off in the end.
You must have good data on your target group and
tailor the message to specific demographics of the
target group...One size does not fit all.
Test, test, test! And try things over — things change
every year so something that didn't work 3-5 years ago
might work now.
Change is acceptable, and the majority of members
take it as part of the natural business process. Do not
be frightened of change!
Try to understand how members actually use your
association and their experiences rather than relying
on your own limited perception.
Word of mouth is immeasurably valuable: if your
organization isn't a part of your target group's culture
in this most basic way, you have a lot of work to do.
Membership marketing is most successful when you
ask members/potential members what they want and
then you give it to them how they want it. Additionally,
employing multiple marketing tactics — direct mail,
email, social media, and word of mouth is the best way
to get the word about your association's value out
there. No one tactic will work.
Listen, listen, listen. Be aware of the changing world
around you and spoon feed members the information
and benefits they want and need. Don't try and offer
too many choices — determine your 3 core offerings
and message them to death.
When you make retention your primary goal and focus
on delivering value to your members, that will make
the decision to renew obvious; the recruitment
challenge then becomes that much easier.
Focus on engagement as soon as someone joins.
No one type of recruitment effort is sufficient. Rather,
we use a variety of methods and must keep
experimenting with methods. In addition, we need to
know our customer and the value proposition that we
offer them. This becomes more important as our
market diversifies.
Discover what members need (and are willing to pay
for) and tie membership to it — include the most
coveted products and services in the basic
membership fees. Become essential to your members'
success.
Members will join when the message and/or benefits
meet what they are looking for and not a moment
before.
Don't oversell. You may get someone with catch
phrases for a year, but if you don’t deliver on your
promises, they won’t be back. Always answer WIIFM —
What's in it for me? Don’t talk about what membership
means to the organization — talk about what it can
mean to the member.
?
In your own words, what are the most important or successful lessons you
have learned in the area of membership marketing?
Ha ha ha — the Board? Joking. Lack of communication
across the different departments. Membership,
Meetings, and Publications are all key components to
the organization yet our communication is so fractured
that great opportunities to cross-sell or utilize the multi-
platforms available are lost. At best it makes us a little
ineffective. At worst we look incompetent.
Remove the silos internally and externally.
Improve the corporate governance structure so that
there was an increased focus on strategic initiatives and
continuity of planning and execution.
Embrace technology that would facilitate
communication internally as well as to our members.
Unified membership, right now someone can be a
member of a chapter or section but not a member of
the parent organization.
Lack of financial resources. This would enable us to
enhance programs and add more staff resources.

THE MGI
MEMBERSHIP
LIFEC YCLE
625 N. Washington Street, Suite 450
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
www.MarketingGeneral.com info@MarketingGeneral.com
Since Marketing General opened its doors more than
30 years ago, we have helped hundreds of associations
add and keep tens of thousands of members and earn
tens of millions of dollars in dues and non-dues revenue.
We have applied our experience to construct the
Membership Lifecycle, a five-step marketing model that
identifies the fundamental building blocks of sustainable
membership growth.
The Membership Lifecycle begins with AWARENESS.
Increased awareness facilitates new member
RECRUITMENT. ENGAGEMENT strengthens member
ties and improves RENEWAL rates. REINSTATEMENT of
former members completes the cycle.
Used singly, severally, or altogether, Marketing General’s
five-step Membership Lifecycle has proven to be an effective
model for designing membership growth strategies.
What it is…how it works.
The MGI Membership Lifecycle
segments the membership
experience into 5 successive steps:
To FIND OUT MORE about how the MGI Membership
Lifecycle can work for your organization, telephone us
and ask to speak with Rick Whelan at 703-706-0350.
awareness
When prospects first discover you.
recruitment
When prospects choose to try you.
engagement
When new members feel they
belong with you.
renewal
When lapsing members decide
whether to keep you.
reinstatement
When former members agree
to return to you.
TM

ABOUT MARKETING GENERAL INCORPORATED
Marketing General Incorporated is the nation’s largest marketing agency working exclusively with
membership associations. During the past 30 years, MGI has helped hundreds of associations and
relationship-based organizations increase their membership, improve retention, enhance member
engagement, grow revenue, and gain new insights through market research and analysis. Additional
information can be found at www.MarketingGeneral.com or by contacting us at 703.739.1000.
625 North Washington Street, Suite 450 • Alexandria, Virginia 22314
Tony Rossell
Senior Vice President
Tony Rossell is Senior Vice President
of Marketing General Incorporated
in Alexandria, VA. A frequent writer
and speaker on membership marketing
topics, he is a contributing author to two books,
Membership Marketing (ASAE 2000) and Membership
Essentials (ASAE 2008). He also writes the “Membership
Marketing Blog” and has over 25 years of experience in
helping organizations grow their membership.
Tony can be reached at 703.706.0360 or at
Tony@MarketingGeneral.com.
Adina W. Wasserman, PHD
Director of Market Research
Adina W. Wasserman, PhD is Director
of Market Research at Marketing General
Incorporated. Dr. Wasserman is
renowned for pioneering the concept
of Indispensability Measurement for associations. In addition,
she has created engagement measurements including the
Customer Relationship Index and the Communications
Effectiveness Index. She earned her undergraduate degree
at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and completed
her master's and PhD in social psychology at Florida
State University.
Adina can be reached at 703.706.0373 or at
AWasserman@MarketingGeneral.com.
Erik Schonher, MBA, CeM
Vice President
Erik Schonher is Vice President of Marketing
General Incorporated. He is an experienced
strategic planner and a seasoned tactician
who mixes direct marketing, media
placement, branding, creative design, and web marketing
into multi-channel campaigns. Mr. Schonher regularly presents
at meetings and conferences, including the ASAE Annual
Conference and the ASAE Marketing and Membership
Conference. He is the author of many professional articles
and MGI white papers, and hosts “Erik’s Experts in Membership
Marketing,” a blog that examines membership marketing best
practices, research and analysis, communication theories, and
sales techniques.
Erik can be reached at 703.706.0358 or at
Erik@MarketingGeneral.com. Jeff Tranguch, MA
Market Research Analyst
Jeff Tranguch is a Market Research Analyst
at Marketing General Incorporated. He
earned his master's degree in Applied Social
Research from West Virginia University where
his training included qualitative and quantitative data analysis,
research design, survey design, and research methodology.
While at WVU, Mr. Tranguch also worked as a graduate teaching
assistant for the Department of Sociology where he instructed
an undergraduate course on research methods and data analysis.
Jeff can be reached at 703.706.0364 or at
JTranguch@MarketingGeneral.com.
703.739.1000
www.MarketingGeneral.com
A special thanks to Rachelle Smith, Aleda Ahmed, Kimberly
Humphries, Bill Schaffner, and their teams for their help in the
production of this report

Mgi 2013-membership-marketing-benchmarking-report

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