The easiest way to grow your membership is not to lose existing members. Utilizing the right member retention strategies can have a massive impact on your organization.
During this webinar, Janine Springer, IOM, Customer Success Manager at WebLink International and former CFO of the Rogers-Lowell Chamber of Commerce, will share strategies you can use to improve member retention by making sure that your members are engaged and committed to your organization's purpose.
Best Practices for Building a Member and Retention Strategy
1. LEARN STRATEGIES AND
TECHNIQUES THAT GET MEMBERS
TO STAY!
Best Practices to
Building A Member
and Retention Plan
JANINE SPRINGER, IOM, CUSTOMER SUCCESS MANAGER
2. About WebLink
• 750+ Chambers of
Commerce and Business
Associations
• Established in 1996
• SaaS Company (Software as
a Service)
• Based in Indianapolis,
Indiana
• 55 Employees
• 94% Customer Retention
RateBEST PRACTICES FOR BUILDING A MEMBER AND RETENTION
PLAN #WebLink
7. Plan & Strategy
WHY?
•Important to create a plan
to keep your members!
•Accreditation requirements
•It is cheaper to keep your
current members than to
look for new ones!
MEMBERSHIP RETENTION
BEST PRACTICES FOR BUILDING A MEMBER AND RETENTION
PLAN
#WebLink
8. Plan & Strategy
WHO?
Choose a staff person
who…
•has the time contact your
members
•has the demeanor to work
with your members
•can follow a process
MEMBERSHIP RETENTION
BEST PRACTICES FOR BUILDING A MEMBER AND RETENTION
PLAN
#WebLink
9. Plan & Strategy
HOW?
•Use the tools in
WebLink Connect® or
other Association
Management Software to
keep your retention tasks at
your fingertips!
MEMBERSHIP RETENTION
BEST PRACTICES FOR BUILDING A MEMBER AND RETENTION
PLAN
#WebLink
10. REMEMBER:
A plan is not a “guarantee” of
renewal, but sometimes
goodwill is more important!
BEST PRACTICES FOR BUILDING A MEMBER AND RETENTION
PLAN
#WebLink
11. BEST PRACTICES FOR BUILDING A MEMBER AND RETENTION
PLAN
Let’s get started
planning…
#WebLink
12. Within 24 hours of…
“Welcome Email”- sent encouraging
member to visit website members-
only area via email with login
credentials
Member added to new member
section of website for 60 days
Member added to weekly
email/communication lists (WebLink
Connect utilizes Affiliations)
Schedule subsequent tasks via
Project Template
Member listed in new member section
of monthly newsletter
MEMBER JOINING
BEST PRACTICES FOR BUILDING A MEMBER AND RETENTION
PLAN
#WebLink
13. Within 2-3 days of…
Check to see if member has accessed Members Only
Area yet
If not accessed –member contacted to encourage use
and extend invitation to next event
If accessed – contact member to answer any questions
about Members Only section or other benefits
Survey sent through communications tool asking for join
reason and track involvement to make sure they are
receiving and utilizing the benefits important to them
Graph these for reporting/marketing staff
Make the communication specific to what they said they
wanted
MEMBER JOINING
BEST PRACTICES FOR BUILDING A MEMBER AND RETENTION
PLAN
#WebLink
14. Within 2-3 weeks of…
Administrative staff – calls
member to schedule ribbon
cutting
Staff inputs ribbon cutting
date and time onto social
media sites (Facebook,
Twitter, Ambassador site,
SMS text message system)
Member mailed an
invitation to an upcoming
Ambassador Committee
lunch meeting
MEMBER JOINING
BEST PRACTICES FOR BUILDING A MEMBER AND RETENTION
PLAN
#WebLink
15. Within 30 days of…
Member receives
handwritten note from
salesperson with invitation
to next Member
Orientation
Ambassador or
salesperson delivers new
member
packet/membership
plaque
Member receives welcome
letter from President/CEO
MEMBER JOINING
BEST PRACTICES FOR BUILDING A MEMBER AND RETENTION
PLAN
#WebLink
16. Within 30-60 days of…
Member receives
personalized welcome
letter from Chairman of the
Board on company
letterhead
Ribbon cutting photo
delivered by Ambassador
Ribbon cutting photo
published in monthly
newsletter and on
organizations/associations
website and social media
MEMBER JOINING
BEST PRACTICES FOR BUILDING A MEMBER AND RETENTION
PLAN
#WebLink
17. Within 3 months of…
Administrative staff
mails another post card
to check in with member
and encourage event
attendance
Postcard includes listing
of calendar of events
MEMBER JOINING
BEST PRACTICES FOR BUILDING A MEMBER AND RETENTION
PLAN
#WebLink
18. Within 4 months of…
Account executive
(sales person) calls to
discuss upcoming
events, referral reports
and encourages
attendance at Member
Orientation (if has not
already attended)
Member Orientation –
used to showcase
benefits of membership,
website and staff
introductions
MEMBER JOINING
BEST PRACTICES FOR BUILDING A MEMBER AND RETENTION
PLAN
#WebLink
19. BEST PRACTICES FOR BUILDING A MEMBER AND RETENTION
PLAN
Question?
#WebLink
20. Within 6 months of…
Staff sends a reminder
email or places a call to
encourage member to
log into Members-Only
section on website to
verify profile information
and review referral
report
Important to keep
member information up
to date!
MEMBER JOINING
BEST PRACTICES FOR BUILDING A MEMBER AND RETENTION
PLAN
#WebLink
21. Within 8 months of…
Staff places a retention
call to new and
renewing (one year)
members to thank them
for membership
MEMBER JOINING
BEST PRACTICES FOR BUILDING A MEMBER AND RETENTION
PLAN
#WebLink
22. Within 10 months of…
Member receives renewal letter and membership dues
invoice (sent out during 10th month of membership)
Letter outlines all the organization has done
Includes information organization will continue to do for
them!
Bullet points of information
MEMBER JOINING
BEST PRACTICES FOR BUILDING A MEMBER AND RETENTION
PLAN
#WebLink
23. After 1 year…
After renewal for first year received, a thank you post
card is mailed
Encourages continued support
Offer a special for 2nd year of membership
Downloadable marketing booklet
Complementary expo ticket
Early-bird pricing on major event/item
MEMBER JOINING
BEST PRACTICES FOR BUILDING A MEMBER AND RETENTION
PLAN
#WebLink
24. After 2 years…
Continue to encourage support via
weekly emails
Personal phone call or member
visit for ALL year 2 members made
by staff
Encourage engaged members to
create testimonials for video and
print and locate on organization
website
Promote additional engagement
via social media and blogs
Encourage “sharing” of information
to others (members or not)
MEMBER JOINING
BEST PRACTICES FOR BUILDING A MEMBER AND RETENTION
PLAN
#WebLink
25. Tools of Success
A FEW ITEMS YOU’LL NEED FOR THE JOURNEY
BEST PRACTICES FOR BUILDING A MEMBER AND RETENTION
PLAN
#WebLink
26. HTML Templates
Tool to quickly set up
recurring communication
with membership
Easily created
Can be as “fancy” as
you can create
Contact records tracked
(WLC)
BEST PRACTICES FOR BUILDING A MEMBER AND RETENTION
PLAN
#WebLink
27. BEST PRACTICES FOR BUILDING A MEMBER AND RETENTION
PLAN
#WebLink
Downloads
TEMPLATE #1
Example of a New
Member Join Email
http://bit.ly/wlemails
28. BEST PRACTICES FOR BUILDING A MEMBER AND RETENTION
PLAN
#WebLink
Downloads
TEMPLATE #2
Example of an
Ambassador Invite
Email
http://bit.ly/wlemails
29. BEST PRACTICES FOR BUILDING A MEMBER AND RETENTION
PLAN
#WebLink
Downloads
TEMPLATE #3
Example of a Letter
from Board
Chairperson
http://bit.ly/wlemails
30. BEST PRACTICES FOR BUILDING A MEMBER AND RETENTION
PLAN
#WebLink
Downloads
TEMPLATE #4
Example of a Letter
from President/CEO
http://bit.ly/wlemails
31. AMS SETUP
HTML templates for letters set up
Project Templates can be created to automatically set
up tasks
Contacts can be automatically added to member profile
from project/task area
Contact Types set up for reporting
Referrals automatically added to member profile
Referral reports can be generated and emailed
Add affiliations to sort members for communication
IMPORTANT!
BEST PRACTICES FOR BUILDING A MEMBER AND RETENTION
PLAN
#WebLink
34. Referral Reports
Your AMS referral
report is a valuable
tool to show
membership ROI
and retain
members.
BEST PRACTICES FOR BUILDING A MEMBER AND RETENTION
PLAN
#WebLink
35. Affiliations
Allows you to parse/filter your profiles by
using affiliations
Can be added in mass
Easy to add in “To” field in communication
tool
Unlimited number can be setup
BEST PRACTICES FOR BUILDING A MEMBER AND RETENTION
PLAN
#WebLink
36. RECAP:
Create strategy to retain members
Utilize staff person who is “right for
the job”
Use database tools to help manage
those tasks – easily update as needed
Know what your retention % is – set
goals
BEST PRACTICES FOR BUILDING A MEMBER AND RETENTION
PLAN
#WebLink
37. WebLink Connect
ONE web-based
centralized
database
Prospects,
members, non-
members and all
reps in same
system
Financials, events,
email, committees,
website, reporting
BEST PRACTICES FOR BUILDING A MEMBER AND RETENTION
PLAN
#WebLink
ASSOCIATION SOFTWARE
38. Simple to drag and drop
content
Responsive website
design
Automatically adjusts for
any screen
Fully integrated
database and website
WebLink CMS
SELECT
WEBSITE MANAGEMENT TOOL
BEST PRACTICES FOR BUILDING A MEMBER AND RETENTION
PLAN
#WebLink
39. BEST PRACTICES FOR BUILDING A MEMBER AND RETENTION
PLAN
Question?
#WebLink
40. Janine Springer, IOM
Customer Success Manager
Phone: 317-872-3909 x173
janine.springer@weblinkinternational.com
WebLink International
Toll-free: 1-877-231-4970
sales@weblinkinternational.com
Editor's Notes
Community Involvement/Increasing Visibility
Education/Professional Skills Development
Marketing/Advertising/Publicity Opportunities
Networking/New Business Contacts
Political and Legislative Advocacy
Supporting the Organization's Mission/Improving Quality of Life
Economic Development/Creating Jobs & Business Opportunities
Leadership Opportunities/Building Relationships with Influencers
Members Only Benefits/Special Offers & Services
New Business Leads/Generating Leads and Referrals
Small Business Resources/Information & Ideas
Think of how much time you put into your members! Once you lose a member you start all over.
Think of how much time you put into your members! Once you lose a member you start all over.
Think of how much time you put into your members! Once you lose a member you start all over.
Think of how much time you put into your members! Once you lose a member you start all over.
Show example of R-L new member email/ how to add affiliation code/Show where to create a Project Template/
Community Involvement/Increasing Visibility
Education/Professional Skills Development
Marketing/Advertising/Publicity Opportunities
Networking/New Business Contacts
Political and Legislative Advocacy
Supporting the Organization's Mission/Improving Quality of Life
Economic Development/Creating Jobs & Business Opportunities
Leadership Opportunities/Building Relationships with Influencers
Members Only Benefits/Special Offers & Services
New Business Leads/Generating Leads and Referrals
Small Business Resources/Information & Ideas