4 Ways to Prevent Lapsed Members

Every member of an association adds value in both the experience to other members and financially. It has also been said time and time again that it is easier to retain a member rather than recruit new ones. With that being said, your board should be doing everything possible to retain members! Here are four strategies to keep those members from jumping ship. 

1.     Let them know when their expiration date is official.

They may have ignored previous emails that warned them of their membership ending. An email letting them know that their membership has officially come to an end can give them that extra push to renew. Bold the fact that their membership has expired and list all of the things that they will no longer be able to do without membership.

2.     Follow through with inactivation.

Make sure that your database is maintained accurately. Do not leave someone as a member in your website, assuming that they will pay their dues soon. Marking them as inactive will take away their access, preventing them from being able to follow through with member actions and resources.

3.     Send a past due notice.

If the member has still not renewed after three months, send them a follow-up email to let them know their membership fees are past due. Give them a new due date to pay by and provide them with contact information for any questions.

4.     Send a final message.

The final message should be a thank you for their membership. It can also include a note to the member that their involvement will always be welcomed, should they choose to rejoin in the future.

Staying in consistent communication with lapsed members is the best way to stay at the top of their minds. The goal is for at least one of these reminders to be convincing and catch them at the right time to follow through with renewal.

Impact welcomes the National Association of Travel Healthcare Organizations!

December 9, 2019, Madison, Wisconsin –Impact Association Management (Impact) is ecstatic to announce the signing of the National Association of Travel Healthcare Organizations (NATHO) as their newest client.   

“After meeting with Abigail and learning more about the National Association of Travel Healthcare Organizations, I was eager to bring them on board! They are open to ideas and innovation which is something that we love to see in new clients. I think it is going to be a great fit and I can’t wait to see how much their Executive Administrators, Kristen and Jenna are able to do for them,” adds Jodi Fisher, CEO, Impact Association Management

About the National Association of Travel Healthcare Organizations

The National Association of Travel Healthcare Organizations is a non-profit made up of travel healthcare organizations and associate members in the industry. The organization was founded in 2008 in order to promote ethical business practices in the industry and to set a gold standard for conduct. Members have the benefit of attending educational webinars as well as the annual conference. They also have access to members-only resources and the option to talk with the NATHO arbitration committee to solve work-related issues. The association is always evolving and growing to better serve its members.

Contact:

Abigail Tremble

abigail.tremble@randstadusa.com

www.natho.org

About Impact Association Management 

Impact Association Management was founded in 2006 by Jodi Fisher, and since then they have successfully supported many Associations in growing and increasing profits and memberships. Now expanded into a robust team, Impact consists of Social Media experts, Non-Profit Administrators and Executive Administrative Assistants with impressive backgrounds in Association support, small business operations and international corporations.  Their mission is to provide customized, efficient, and forward-thinking association management services to small and medium sized Associations with a highly skilled, dedicated team of Executive Administrators. 

Contact: 

Impact Association Management

608.210.3120 

info@ImpactAMC.com 

www.ImpactAMC.com 

4 Ways to Increase Conference Registration

Annual conferences are important to members, others in the industry, and the success of the organization. Members often see annual conferences as one of their primary benefits and the organization typically depends on it as the main source of income for the year. Because it is crucial to such a large amount of people, it is important to push registration as much as possible. We have listed 4 ways to increase registration below!

1.     Contact past attendees. If people were interested and able to attend your last conference, they are likely willing to do so again. Reach out to them via email, direct mail, or on the phone and inform them about this year’s conference. You could also provide some sort of discount to returning attendees.

2.     Discounts. People are way more likely to pull the trigger on a decision if a discount is lingering over their heads. In order for discounts to work, however, it is important to make them time-sensitive. When announcing the discount to potential attendees, always include when the discount ends. This will give them that extra push they need to follow through with registration.

3.     Use social media as a tool. When posting about your conference on social media, make sure to tag your speakers and introduce them to potential attendees, take different posts to explain different sessions, and to promote different aspects of the agenda.

4.     Utilize past resources. You likely have photos, videos, and survey results from your past conference. Use these resources to encourage new attendees to register. Place them throughout your event page on the website, in newsletters, social media, and any other communication that goes out!

Do not let registration fall to the back burner of your organization’s goals. Conferences should be an all-year process and require some dedicated time and attention in order to grow and be successful.

What to Look for in Your Next Board Member

A board can make or break the direction and success of the organization. This makes it crucial to find the right people for the job. Your current board members should spend some time creating a list of traits that the person should possess before making any rash decisions. We have listed a few traits that we think make for great board members below!

1.     Passion. If someone is volunteering to do something in their free time, they need to have a passion for it. If they don’t, it will show and they will be less likely to remain involved. They need to see their volunteer position as something they cannot let people down on.

2.     Communication.  As a board member, you will be communicating with members and other board members. The new member needs to be someone who can express themselves clearly and knows when to speak up during board meetings to voice their opinions. This person might also find themselves in the position of recruiting new members and needs to have their communication skills down pat.

3.     Responsible. The new board member needs to be someone that the whole group can depend on. You do not want to assign something to someone at a board meeting and find out a month later that no work has been done on this project.

4.     Fundraising Skills. Whether or not your nonprofit takes donations, it is not bad to have someone in the group with a fundraising background. This type of person can really sell your organization to potential members or increase your event attendance helping to grow the association.

5.     Respectful. Although your group wants someone who speaks their mind, it is important to look for someone who does so respectfully. If a board member is always interrupting others, shooting down every idea, or has a negative mindset about the organization as a whole, they are not the right person for the job. This kind of negativity can distract the whole board and lead to less productive meetings.

6.     Financial Background. Having a financial background is not a necessary skill for a board member but it sure does help to have! There should always be 1-2 people on the board that could manage financials if necessary. This keeps things running smoothly and ensures everything concerning money is done accurately.

7.     Ready to Learn. Look for someone who asks a lot of questions about the potential position. This is a good sign that they are willing to learn and catch up on the past work of the organization.

Sitting down to really plan out what your board needs before bringing someone new in to the mix can help to ensure a long lasting board member. Making sure you find the right fit is more important than just filling the spot as quickly as possible.