Advice To Improve Member Retention In Your Association

With most online membership websites, it’s usually easier to retain current members than to gain new ones.  However, many associations are losing an alarming number of members each year.  If your association has a membership retention problem, here is some advice on how to improve your retention rate.

 

In order to stop members from leaving, you need to understand first why they are choosing to leave.  Membership management software can be used to design exit surveys.  Add a simple survey to the opting out process, this way it uncovers why your members are leaving and leverage that to incentivize them to stay.
Some members leave associations because their employees have stopped paying for their memberships.  Others leave because they have made changes in their careers or personal lives and no longer need your services.  Very little can be done to stop such members from leaving but actions may be taken to stop the members who leave because they don’t feel valued.

 

Members who are regularly engaged by administrators tend to feel more valued and are less likely to opt out of an association.  Despite how useful a membership is to an individual, they may choose to leave if they feel like they are taken for granted.  Through membership management software, you can make members feel valued by frequently contacting them.
Reach out to members as soon as they sign up and inform them about the benefits of their membership.  Take the time to write a customized email or make a phone call so communications feel personal, not general.  Encourage members to engage on the online community and promptly deal with any complaints.  You are much more likely to retain members when they feel valued and attended to so always strive to meet their needs.  The extra effort is often noticed by members which significantly boosts your membership retention rate.