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Background:
After largely focusing our efforts on membership, AAF-Central Minnesota ended the 2014-2015
year strong with 64 members, a 14 percent increase from the previous year. In an effort to keep
the momentum going, our membership committee co-chairs honed-in on creating new tactics for
recruitment and retention prior to the start of the 2015-2016 year. Our regular membership
committee meetings yielded three specific needs for membership: A clear value proposition,
more exposure to in-house marketing departments (push beyond agencies), and an easier way to
retain members. From a value perspective, those who are regularly involved in the organization
know the professional development, excellent programming and events, and rich networking
opportunities AAFCM offers is the true value of membership, but our difficultly lies in telling
that story and justifying the cost to non-members. Central Minnesota is a small market and all
the agencies know who we are. This year, we wanted to broaden our audience to other local
professionals, specifically in-house marketing teams, who haven’t heard of us and/or haven’t
been involved for several years. Finally, we wanted to revamp our membership sign-up system to
an automated program (verses manual emails sent by committee chairs every summer) to make it
easier for member retention and simpler for our prospect members. Committee objectives
yielded the creation of the following concrete membership goals (Exhibit 1.1 – Strategic Goals):
1. Identify and publicize members-only perks to encourage membership and express an
atmosphere of exclusivity.
2. Implement rolling membership to simplify the yearly sign up process for our members.
3. Offer a season pass membership that included both membership costs and all event costs
at a discounted price to reward our dedicated members.
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4. Increase our roster to 75 members utilizing our successful methods from previous years,
as well as implementing new ideas.
Recruitment:
Our goal this year was to increase membership from 64 to 75 total members from July 2015-June
2016 (Exhibit 2.1 - Membership Roster 2014-2015). Considering how our membership has
trended much lower than that over the past 10 years, this was an ambitious goal. With the
strongly branded messaging we put together in 2014-2015 (Exhibit 2.2 - Brochure), we were
ready for the challenge.
The desire to simplify the process of becoming an AAFCM member has been talked about for
five years. This is primarily because those who sign up later in the year feel as though they do
not get the full value of their membership because it expires with the new AAF membership year
on July 1. To alleviate this concern, we set a rolling membership plan into motion. Our new
membership system will now automatically remind members to renew their membership 2 weeks
and 2 days before it expires. Rolling membership also means each membership expires exactly
one year from its purchase date, not on July 1 when the new AAF year begins. By automating the
process, membership chairs were given more time to focus on new membership recruitment
instead of on following up with past members to sign up again. We’re ensured each member will
receive renewal emails when their membership is close to expiration, and it allows us to drive
them back to the site for more information on the value we are offering year-to-year.
In addition to this rolling membership, we implemented a second membership type, a season
membership. It was geared for our members who are dedicated to attending a majority of the
events. This season membership would roll in the cost of the membership with the cost of all the
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events at a 15 percent discounted rate, in contrast to the 10 percent discounted rate standard
members receive. Not only would this help us cover the cost of programming in advance, but it
helped to motivate our members to attend more events. Because this year saw significant
changes to our membership structure, we created a simple postcard to overview the options
(Exhibit 3.1 – Membership Rates Postcard).
Learn. Grow. Network. With these three simple words, we summarized the benefits of becoming
a member. With change, comes questions. To help alleviate concerns, we thoughtfully
redesigned and reorganized the homepage and membership pages on our website
(adfedcentral.com). We simplified the cluttered homepage to offer visitors a way to move
forward via two call-to-action buttons. Those familiar with AAFCM have the choice to sign up
right away. Those seeking more information are offered the path to learn more. (Exhibit 3.2 –
Website Homepage Redesign) We also updated the membership interior pages to reflect what we
currently offer and to appeal to a wider audience (Exhibit 3.3 – Membership Page Redesign). We
ensured there was a way for our user to proceed down the conversation funnel on every page. We
also outlined the price and benefits breakdowns for both membership types.
Furthermore, we continued last year’s tactic of custom messaging to potential members. We
reached out to past members and interested prospects with messages crafted to outline the
benefits of membership as they pertained to that individual (Exhibit 3.4 - Custom Messaging).
We expanded on last year’s efforts by reaching out on many platforms. We relied on e-mail
marketing, LinkedIn messages, and in-person meetings to reach a wider audience.
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With five colleges located in our market, we continually try to engage the large student audience.
We’ve consistently found it difficult to communicate the value of joining AAFCM to students on
a tight budget and with limited time. Plus, students have a hard time understanding that the
school’s AAF chapter is different from our chapter. Being a member of the school chapter
doesn’t make you an automatic member of our chapter. To make sure the value and purpose of
our club was being communicated clearly, our board members, along with our student liaison,
volunteered to meet individually with professors and students, present in classrooms, and attend
a local student career fair (Exhibit 4.1 – Career Fair Email Receipt).
Lastly, we tapped into our biggest asset for membership recruitment: our board of directors. Our
BOD is made up of 18 local professionals from various agencies and in-house marketing
departments throughout the St. Cloud area. These are the people with a pulse on everything in
the local advertising world. We wanted to tap into all of the potential our BOD has to offer. We
challenged our team to each bring in as many members as they could, offering them the ultimate
prize: a coveted spot on the upcoming national conference trip to Disneyland in 2016. Each
member referral is counted as one chance to win the drawing. By setting up this challenge,
coupled with the sweet reward of Disneyland, we’re hoping that our whole BOD team will bring
their A-game to the recruitment efforts.
Retention:
Retaining members from year-to-year is a feat only possible through the value we bring to our
members, and our most valuable offering by far is our excellent programming. By locking in
extraordinary speakers early on in the year, we were able to communicate the value of our
programming right away. This year, we scheduled almost the entire year of programs before it
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began, giving us a lot of ammo when it came time to talking value with members. To add more
value to event programs, our club started blogging this year. Through the blog, we’re able to
communicate more about the speaker, increase event hype, manage expectations, and post
recaps. (Exhibit 5.1 – Event blogs).
We’ve learned that maintaining the perceived value of our membership can be very difficult.
Beyond our programming, we are always looking for new and improved ways of providing
value, and then communicating that value. This year we implemented a few new initiatives to
show that value: (1) Offer two free luncheons to members. (2) Begin a membership spotlight
program in the form of a slideshow shown at each event.
By offering two free luncheons to our members, we create a sense of both value and exclusivity.
Free luncheons are also a way to show appreciation for our members. Plus, the free events act as
a conversation starter when bringing up the benefits of becoming a member. The membership
spotlight program takes advantage of the slideshow screen prior to the speaker’s presentation at
monthly luncheons (Exhibit 5.2-Membership Spotlight Program). Members have the option to
sign-up for the free spotlight program in the follow-up email they receive after membership
registration. They follow a link to a form on our website, answer a few simple questions, submit
a photo, and they’re in. The slideshow profiles are a great way for members, especially those
looking for employment opportunities, to be recognized in the local advertising community.
Currently we have eleven participants, and that number grows as each member renews/signs up.
We look forward to seeing this program continue to benefit our members and offer them a new
way to connect with others.
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Involvement:
The true barometer of a strong club is engagement. When members are engaged, they’ll stick
around year after year. Our club focuses on getting our members involved in a variety of
programs in both traditional and non-traditional settings. While we had several event successes,
two of our favorites from this year were CMYK and the 12-Hour Student Design Challenge.
For the CMYK event, we invited local professional and student designers, in-house and agency
marketing professionals, and anyone interested in local artwork and local craft beer to design and
submit a poster relating to our 2015 theme of beer. AAFCM handled the printing and hosted the
show and silent auction at a recently opened craft brewery, Beaver Island Brewing Company, for
the artists, their supporters, and members of the general public. The posters were up for auction
and door prizes were given away throughout the evening. We involved student members in the
event to help run the check-in table, and half of the proceeds from the event were donated to our
local NSAC team from St. Cloud State University (Exhibit 6.1 – CMYK Poster and Event
Photos).
We also hosted a 12-Hour Student Design Challenge (SDC) on the campus of a local college.
SDC is an event tailored to our area’s college students as well as one local non-profit
organization that has a real need for strong branding and a comprehensive marketing campaign.
Students from all marketing backgrounds, everything from design to PR, spent the day
researching and creating the non-profit’s branding and marketing campaign from scratch. At the
end of the day each team presented their ideas to a panel of judges that consisted of local
industry leaders as well as the chosen non-profit marketing chair. We further enhance the event
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with the presence of on-site mentors throughout the day comprised of local industry
professionals (Exhibit 7.1 - 12-Hour Student Design Challenge Event Materials & Photos).
Results:
This year has been anchored around necessary change. Rolling membership, adding a season
ticket offering, and focusing on creating content that communicates membership value – those
are all changes that were done to impact the long-term health of the club. While they were
significant changes for the board of directors to tackle upfront, we’re estimating we won’t see the
fruits of this year’s labor for a couple years, especially for rolling membership.
In terms of concrete numbers, we had set our sights on hitting 75 members this year. It was a
high bar considering last year ended at 64 members. As of March 7, 2016, we have 21 local
professionals signed-up for our standard professional membership option, 14 students signed-up
for our student membership option, and we’ve had 14 professionals sign-up for our new offering,
the season ticket membership. Since June 2015, we’ve grown our membership number to 49 total
members (Exhibit 7.2– Updated Roster). With more valuable events remaining in 2016 and our
new selling point of rolling membership, we are optimistic we’ll achieve our goal of 75 members
by May 31, 2016.
We are also pleased with the member attendance and participation at programs this year. At our
first “free for members” event last fall, 33 of our 35 members [at the time] attended. We intend
to build in another “free for members” event this spring, as well. Additionally, we completely
sold of our cap of 30 artist slots at the new CMYK event, and we also filled up our eight team
slots for the annual Student Design Challenge two weeks in advance of the event. These positive
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showings tell us that the members we do have, although a smaller number than we’d like, are
very much engaged with our brand and are participating in our programs.
Finally, an even more exciting aspect to come from this year’s membership efforts are the
conversations regarding how we can continue to improve the membership process. Most recently
we’ve started exploring the option of offering American Advertising Awards entrants a
discounted price post-event to become a member. The idea is that we’d apply the cost difference
between member and nonmember entry fees and apply it toward a new membership. This tactic
will move participants who’s only touch point with us is the American Advertising Awards up
the engagement ladder to become more involved. In the 2016-2017 year, we’re going to explore
how we can apply this concept through other avenues such as luncheons or special events. This
strategy requires a greater investment from the club upfront, but we believe the return on the
investment is substantial.
To be able to represent AAF at our local level in the Central Minnesota area is something we
don’t take for granted. We see continuous growth in members each year and a lot of that we
attribute to our team of board members that volunteer their time passionately into making this
club superb. Our objectives were established as a committee and board to continue that upward
movement towards a bigger and better club for our ever-growing area.
13. STANDARD
MEMBERSHIP:
Saves 10% Annually
and Includes:
• Dues for one year of
AAFCM membership*
• Discounted admission to one
year of AAFCM programming
• Reduced entry rate
to the American
Advertising Awards
• Access to member-
only events
• Local and national discounts
to Office Depot, FedEx, Hertz
and more
Student: $40
Freelancer $75
Professional: $125
*Membership expires 1 year
from purchase date.
SEASON TICKET
MEMBERSHIP:
Save 15% Annually
and Includes:
• Dues for one year of
AAFCM membership*
• Admission to one year
of AAFCM programming**
• Reduced entry rate
to the American
Advertising Awards
• Access to member-
only events
• Local and national discounts
to Office Depot, FedEx, Hertz
and more
Student: $95
Freelancer $190
Professional: $250
*Membership expires 1 year from
purchase date.
**Admission excludes ticket to
American Advertising Awards.
MemberRates
2015-2016
new!
AAFCM Members save 10-15%
Members get 2 FREE luncheons • Access to member only events
Learn more membership benefits at AdfedCentral.com!
Membership Rates postcard
CLUB ACHIEVEMENT MEMBERSHIP EXHIBIT 3.1
16. custom messaging
Hi there,
I noticed you recently became a member of AAF-Central MN! I just wanted to say hello
and introduce myself. I’m Britt, one of the club’s membership co-chairs. I’m excited to
welcome you to this energetic group of local marketing and advertising professionals.
I’ve been involved with the club for a couple years now, and I can tell you, first hand, that
you definitely get out of it what you put in – as cliché as that sounds. ;-)
Nonetheless, I’m confident that if you take full advantage of all the events and gatherings
we offer, you’ll notice the impact this organization can have on your career. From net-
working, to new advertising and marketing ideas, to discounts on educational seminars,
being a member of AAFCM gives you endless opportunities that extend beyond Central
Minnesota.
As another way to extend the reach of our members, we’ve developed a new initiative
this year called the Membership Spotlight. If you opt-in, you’ll have the opportunity to be a
“Spotlighted Member” on our website, social media pages and even at events. If you want
to learn more about being a Spotlighted Member, or to opt-in, visit www.adfedcentral.com/
spotlight. It’s just 5 easy questions, and could really get your name out in the community!
Last but not least, our website is full of great information, including job postings and
upcoming events. See what’s on this year’s programming calendar at www.adfedcentral.
com/events. And as a member, you’ll get FREE admission to two luncheons.
Please let me know if you ever have any questions. I look forward to seeing you at the
many AAFCM events this year!
Britt Vander Eyk
AAF - Central MN Membership Co-Chair
CLUB ACHIEVEMENT MEMBERSHIP EXHIBIT 3.4
22. June 1, 2015-March 7, 2016
PROFESSIONAL & FREELANCE
PROFESSIONAL
& FREELANCE
Student
members
season ticket
Holders
STUDENTS
Updated Roster
21
14
14
CLUB ACHIEVEMENT MEMBERSHIP EXHIBIT 7.2
