Re-evaluate your Retention Strategy and Give Members Reasons to Stay During Uncertain Times
Updated: Mar. 28, 2024 | Categories: Decreasing Membership
Retaining your association chapter members during “normal” times can be tricky – how do you know you’re continuing to provide the value they expect? COVID-19 showed us how hard it can really be to engage and retain members. During times of uncertainty, keeping members can be even more difficult; some chapters saw their association chapter member retention drop as much as 20 percent during the pandemic.
Yes, you should be concerned if it seems increasing numbers of your association chapter members aren’t renewing. But if you can plan for a few changes during unsettled times like what we’ve just experienced, you can continue to engage your members, keep more of them and significantly reduce your level of panic.
Start by identifying your association chapter retention “blind spots”
You won’t know if you’re giving members what they need to stay, unless you understand who is leaving (or considering leaving) and their reasons. Ask those who’ve already left and your entire membership to learn what’s driving their decisions and understand challenges they may be facing or issues that could be making ending their membership in your association chapter a serious option.
Once you understand the who– new members, those new in their careers, retirees – and why– financial concerns, lack of perceived value, issues with the board –you can better adjust your offerings to keep others from leaving. Here are three ways to improve your association chapter’s retention rate during times of uncertainty.
Member finances. The pandemic made anything considered an “extra” expense difficult for many, and your association chapter dues could fall into that category. If a member tells you they want to renew but things are difficult for them financially – whether for personal reasons, loss of a job, decrease in hours, etc. – consider a little generosity. This may be one of those times where a year of free association chapter membership could be just what they need. You could also offer a membership extension to those who commit to volunteering for a certain number of hours.
Retirees. A number of industries have recently faced challenges that led to an increase in early retirements. You may have a group of members who were surprised with retirement in the past year and couldn’t plan for their sudden change in finances. Your retirees could also benefit from a less expensive membership, or even a lifetime retiree membership option. This could also be a good time to ask your retirees to take a more active role in your chapter, as they have more free time than many of your members and more of the knowledge and expertise your other members would love access to. Need volunteers to plan or staff an activity? Looking for a unique speaker? Have an open board position? Ask a retiree.
Member engagement. Your members have gotten used to accessing many of your member benefits virtually, and they may not want to give up that access. Continue to engage your members virtually by adding unique virtual events, speakers and educational sessions to your list of offerings. Be sure your members still feel appreciated, especially as they may be experiencing extra stress. Mention something they’ve done in your newsletter or at an event, interview them for an article as a subject matter expert, have them write a blog post or tell their story in a video.
Plan. Plan. Plan.
Retention is an issue for all membership organizations deal with. Do members who aren’t renewing not see the value in what you’re offering or is it tight finances that has them considering leaving? Whatever the reason, you can make to make it easier for them to stay. Once you understand why members are leaving or considering leaving, be sure your strategic plan includes changes to eliminate those issues and keep members for the long-term.
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