Map Your Membership Engagement
The Issue
Typical, calendar-based membership plans can be inefficient, do not show the full picture of member engagement and are prone to change over time according to volunteer preferences.
The Solution
Switch to lifecycle or evergreen planning
The Rationale
The evergreen recruitment campaign:
- Maps all member engagement
- Includes all communication channels
- Is based on ‘evergreen markers’ (things that happen every year)
- Creates multiple lifecycles based on target markets
- Becomes your framework for planning every year
The Application
Develop a set of mini-strategies for recruitment and renewals based on various touchpoints throughout the year such as the annual conference, legislative efforts, typical renewal months, nationally designated days (such as a day that recognizes your profession)
The Benefits
- Creating a framework to pass down to next year’s volunteers
- Allowing for more coordinated messaging and calendar management for marketing overall
- The opportunity to ‘Un-silo’ individuals who may be doing their own thing
- Forming the foundation for tracking and reporting results
The Tips
Incorporate marketing, educating and engaging tactics:
- If there is an ‘ask”, use marketing (ask clearly and often using multiple channels).
- If there’s not an ‘ask’, use education and engagement (telling stories, personalizing, educating).
- You need BOTH to gain and sustain your audience’s trust.
- Make your content meaningful (timely and relevant). Don’t train your audience to ignore you by filling their inboxes with unimportant or irrelevant information.
The Plan
Development, maintenance and improvement tips:
- Review the plan annually to identify and address gaps, new tactics
- Assign owners and deadlines and provide regular check-ins – with one person as the overall manager
- Avoid add-ons or ‘one-offs’, unless they are mission-critical
- Inconsistency and ‘flash sale’ approaches diminish the value of your organization’s brand.
- Remain consistent and plan to compliment natural buying cycles and messages.
The People
How to leverage your most valuable resource: time and volunteers:
- Ensure leadership cultivation efforts are always ongoing
- Have committee members lead; lean on others for one-time volunteer opportunities
- Student/trainee member solicitation phone calls
- Virtual call banks for renewals
- Remote email blitzes
The Progress
Track and document:
Regularly track engagement methods (more than just unsubscribes)
- Other key indicators include open and click-through rates; conversions; engagements
- Track data year over year to compare, analyze and improve
The Evaluation
Identify trends and adjust:
- Analyze the demographics of who is joining and renewing
- Ask your members: why did / didn’t you renew; what do you like about being a member?
- Make adjustments for continuous improvement