Recharging your Membership: Your Membership Webinar Review

I started to notice lately that one of the associations that I manage was losing their membership’s interest. Less people were showing up for events, emails were being opened up less and less, and nobody was volunteering for committees. Because of this, I decided to watch Your Membership’s webinar, “Recharging your Membership.”

The webinar focused around an idea that is often applied in personal relationships, but should be applied to professional ones as well, including associations. That idea is that, “People remember NOT WHAT YOU DO, but how you MAKE THEM FEEL.” Due to society’s shift to a more experience-driven value proposition, it is important to think of how your members feel rather than what you are providing them.

People are more emotional, expect things to exceed their expectations, and want things that are intangible. This can be challenging for associations to deliver. Each member is different and might have a different expectation that they are looking for you to exceed. Your members, however, should fall into a similar audience. They all chose to join the association for a reason. That reason is something you should focus on when delivering their experience.

The webinar also covered the fact that a member’s last great experience is now their new expectation. You want to leave a good impression in their mind at the end of each time you have with them. If you are hosting a conference, end with a motivational speaker, a concert or a bag full of goodies. Make them feel appreciated and excited!

The first step in giving your member’s a positive experience, however, starts much earlier and often with technology. Make sure your association’s website is easy to navigate and does not cause them any trouble. If they do not enjoy their experience on the website, they may be less likely to sign up for events or look for information in the future on the site. Ensure that it is clean, easy to read, and aesthetically pleasing. The same goes for any emails that are sent to that member. These are all contact points in which you can leave a good impression.

Shifting your association to be more experience-driven is a necessity in order to maintain a competitive advantage nowadays. Being non-member centric is the biggest threat to your organization. Pull members in and retain them by involving them in the conversation. Create an idea box for members to reach you at, thank them after every interaction and simply make them feel welcomed. This actions can go a long way in membership retention! I am excited to take what I learned and apply it to my own association to help them grow and maintain their members.

Who is Managing your Association?

Associations are typically managed in one of three ways, volunteers, an in-house administrator, or an Association Management Company. With volunteers and in-house administrators, you can run into several issues. Volunteers are treasured in associations and appreciated for the work they put in, however, they do not always have the capacity to put in the type of hours that most associations need to run properly and efficiently. They also might lack the knowledge and skills that can help the association grow rather than just staying afloat. In-house administrators can cost you a pretty penny to keep everything in order. They also have a limit to their skills. One person can only do so much and only has so many skills that can be applied to the association's management. 

Association Management Companies, on the other hand, can provide an assortment of benefits to the association while saving you money. Association Management Companies have a group of talented people whose primary focus is to grow and manage nonprofits. By working with a group or small team, you are provided the skill set of multiple people and professionals. In our office, if someone has a financial question, they turn to Heather. If they have an event planning question, they go to Tammy. This team dynamic is beneficial to clients because it allows them to have someone who is an expert on any association related topic at their fingertips. 

AMCs also allow the volunteers to focus on strategy rather than details. Whether it is newsletters, managing financials, or sorting through the admin inbox, your AMC can handle it! This gives volunteers more time to think about the mission of the organization and ensure the group is staying on track. 

Another benefit of working with an AMC is the buying power they have in the industry. Hotels, for example, know that if they provide excellent service and a good deal for a conference, the AMC will be more likely to consider them for future conferences with other clients. Because of this, your association can get room deals and discounts on other event related services. This benefit can expand past hotels; AMCs have connections with insurance providers, nonprofit attorneys, printing companies, and more! 

Step back and look at how your association is currently running. Do you have volunteers up to their ears in work? Are you paying an in-house administrator for a job a team could do more efficiently? Is your current AMC a good fit? Evaluating how your association is being managed is the first step in improving your association, making members and the board happier. 

The Importance of a Mission Statement

All associations have a mission they are working towards whether they put it in writing or not. The putting it in writing part, however, is more important than you might think. One, having your mission in writing will hold your board accountable to making decisions that directly follow that mission. They will have something to refer back to when guiding the group and determining plans. Two, having a mission, allows potential members to have a better understanding of your association’s purpose. They will be more likely to join if they have a full understanding of the group and stand behind the mission. 

When writing your mission statement, there are a few things you want to keep in mind. Your mission statement should: 

• Be clear and simple. The statement should be easily understood by both those in the organization and those who are not. 

• A full explanation of your association’s purpose. Make sure to cover your basis and explain the entire purpose of the organization in the short statement. 

• Avoid fluff. Do the previous two together without adding fluff words and unnecessary jargon. This will only complicate the statement cause some people to skip over reading it all together. 

• Separate from a vision statement. Understand the difference between a mission statement and a vision statement. A vision statement is a declaration of an organization’s objectives rather than an explanation of what the association already does. 

If your board does not already have a mission statement in the books, get together to create a cohesive idea of what your association’s mission truly is. After that, get to writing!  

The Essentials of a Board Orientation

Joining a Board of Directors can be a tricky decision. You are committing your free time to running an organization for the next year or two. You may also be hesitant as to what you are actually jumping into as a volunteer. As the current, Board of Directors, it is important to train your new members and provide background on the association. At Impact, we have a Board Orientation Outline that we provide for our clients. It ensures that the proper information is shared with new board members and nothing is left out. Here are a few essentials you should include on your Board Orientation Checklist! 

An introduction. Take the time at the beginning of your orientation to thank the volunteers for their time and commitment to the organization. This will make them feel appreciated and needed and encourage them to jump right in! 

History: Briefly go over how the organization came to be as well as any policies and procedures that are set in place. 

Expectations. Share the association’s mission, vision, and core values. Explain how their new role falls in line with those values. It is also important to lay out a relatively accurate expectation for the time commitment involved with their role. Hopefully this was already discussed prior to their joining, but should be reemphasized. Lay out when meetings are, how many they should be attending, and more! 

Membership. Include a breakdown of how many member types you have and how many members fall into each type. Discuss the ways in which you would like to grow each type and any discussions that have been made about potentially changing these memberships. 

Strategic Plan. Now that you have covered the basics, it is time to get into the nitty gritty or what the group will be working towards. Communicate your strategic plan and allow for questions from your new board member. 

Your new board member may be a little overwhelmed at first but the orientation is there to help them catch up to speed with the rest of the group. This could be presented as a document or a one on one between a current and new board member. It is important to be available for questions and encourage any suggestions of change from the new set of eyes. If the new board member has questions about something that was left out, add it to the outline for the next newbie!  

If you are interested in seeing Impact’s Board Orientation Outline, email [email protected]!