For any membership organization, what remains to be a constant challenge is membership retention Each member made the decision to join at one point in time, but whether they decide to renew on an annual basis can be quite a different story.

Associations should constantly monitor the pulse of their membership for ways to improve overall membership renewal rates. Here are six helpful tips the membership teams should practice to improve their membership renewal strategy.

Look at your members’ data

First, start by looking at when and why members join in the first place:

• Did they join to get a discount on registration for an upcoming conference?
• Was it to obtain a career-related certification?
• Did they join to access industry data that was being released?
• Was this decision part of a natural progression (e.g., from a student membership to a professional membership)
• Was it to address an immediate need or issue they or their company were facing?

If you can review your data and determine these kinds of factors and their relative impact on your membership base, then this is your cue to take action to improve your retention rate.  

Dig deeper into the factors

According to Melissa Miller, Principal Consultant of IntelliData, associations should be mindful of the conversion of a member “from a person who needs something right now” to one who sees the long-term benefits of engagement with the association.

While there could be several factors and circumstances that contribute to renewals and cancellations, she advises looking at when a member is most likely not to renew. To put it in another way, when are they most vulnerable to cancellation?  Generally speaking, for some associations this could be at the end of the first year of membership for many members; for others, this issue could be more prevalent at their members’ second or third membership anniversary with the association. Across the board, most associations are not having renewal challenges with members who have been affiliated for five years or more.   

Evaluate

Let’s suppose, for example, that it’s been determined that the biggest drop-off in renewal rates is at the end of year two of membership. An association can look at trends with members who do renew in terms of engagement–how they’re utilizing resources from the association, what they’re attending, etc. What are the commonalities of this group?  Here are more questions that are worth exploring to help determine membership engagement vis-à-vis renewal: 

• How often are these members logging into the website, an online community, the LMS, etc.?
• How many times have they called Member Support over the past 9-12 months?
• When have these members talked with staff members and what were the questions or the reason(s) for their outreach?
• Have they connected with specific staff members such that they now ask for them, select their extension, or dial them directly?

Collaborate with team members regularly

Observations, anecdotes, and data along these lines should be shared regularly among team members. Even small bits of intelligence that may seem insignificant on their own may help fill in a larger picture for the association. Then steps can be taken to move similar types of members toward behaviors that will make them more likely to renew.

When your association has team members who truly listen to the needs and inquiries of members, they can better provide guidance and solutions. Give them the tools, venues, and opportunities to collaborate on the improvement or creation of products, programs, and services for your constituents.

Proactively communicate the membership value and benefits to members

Conversely, give your team members the ability to proactively report to members on the value of the services they’ve received over the past year, based on:

• Usage of resources
• Money saved
• Value of training, etc.

Demonstrating and reiterating this value to a member should not be minimized. Never assume that they see this value already. Show them a summary of their activities and engagement. These kinds of conversations not only give members good reasons to renew, but they can also equip your advocates in the organization with the facts that they need to continue the membership. 

If a given member is underutilizing their membership, it would be helpful to create a document or an infographic that will give them ideas on how to get more value from their membership. For example:

• Did you know that members like you are participating in 15-20 valuable discussions on average each year in our online community?
• 57% of our members who have taken this course with us report that they’ve gotten a raise and/or a promotion within 6 months of its completion.
• A recent survey showed that 39% of our members developed an idea based on a concept that they had learned in one of the regional seminars that resulted in at least an additional $20,000 in revenue for their firm.

Know the whys

Lastly, when members do decide to discontinue their membership, Melissa Miller advises asking them why they aren’t renewing. “Data will tell you what, but it will not always tell you why.” So, it’s best to have these open conversations in real-time and get their feedback through a short survey questionnaire or a brief exit interview.  The results of those conversations then become data that can be further analyzed and used to create a more cohesive value proposition.

In summary, here’s how to improve your membership renewals: look at your data, communicate and collaborate as a team, truly listen, and demonstrate value to your members. Take this approach, and may 2023 be your most successful year for membership renewals.