4 Way to Increase Board Productivity

Boards are typically governed by the bylaws of the association. This allows for clear guidelines when it comes to decision making and levels of authority. Many bylaws, however, are often outdated or not followed closely. If this is the case, it is time to make some updates. Consider the following suggestions to improve your bylaws making the roles and governance of your board clear.

1.     Accurate job descriptions.

If you don’t have job descriptions for the officer roles, start there. Include anything that is a regular part of the job. If you do have descriptions, have each officer read over them and think of anything that is not currently listed. Duties might have shifted over the years and that is fine as long as it is reflected in the bylaws.

2.     On-boarding process.

New officers should review their position before committing to it. They should be completely aware of what they are getting themselves into.

3.     Continuous review.

If the task of reviewing the bylaws is daunting because there are so many changes that need to be made, it might be smart to include that review annually as one of the officer roles. This will ensure that any changes to the role are remembered and included from the previous year.

4.     Include clear guidelines for decision making.

The bylaws should clearly state who reports to whom, who has the authority to make financial decisions, and who can hire or fire contracted employees. This keeps things from getting sticky down the line and allows everyone to know their place.

Once all of your changes have been made and descriptions clarified, you simply need to follow the guidelines that you laid out for yourselves. Sticking to the bylaws ensures that everything is run as it should be eliminating confusion and mistakes

Upping your Email Game: 4 Ways to Better Reach your Members

Associations often use emails as their primary method of communication with members. Emails can be a great way to keep members engaged and informed, but they do need to be done right in order to see the best results. This might require a few test runs in order to fully understand what grabs the attention of your target audience. Here are a few ways you can up your email game and hold your members’ attention.

1. Segment your email lists.

The more specific you are to your audience, the more likely they will be to take action or at the very least read your email. Depending on the topic you want to reach your members about, create lists based on age, careers, special interest, geographic location. This will prevent people from receiving too many emails about things they are not interested in, which could result in the dreaded unsubscribe button being hit.

2. Emphasize your call to action.

Put it in the subject line, start the email with it, and end the email with it. You can never mention the reason you are emailing too much. Word it differently so that you don’t sound like a broken record but make sure to get your point across!

3. Send a test email.

Send yourself the email before sending out that final draft. Read it a few hours after you have finished it to see it with a clear mind. Does it get your point across? Does it feel personal? Will they understand all of the information? What questions would they have? If the answer to any of those questions is not what you intended, go make some edits!

4. Review the data!

Once your email has gone out into the universe and is no longer under your control, pay close attention to the results. Note who clicked on what, who didn’t even open the email, and anything else that could help you to have more effective emails in the future.

 After each email, make sure to note what worked and what didn’t. Always be open to making changes and taking the time to fully communicate your message to your recipients.

As seasoned association professionals, the Impact team has sent their fair share of membership emails. Too many to count! Learn how Impact can help your association see the most benefit from your member communication.

2 Reasons to Switch Your Focus from Members to Customers

Looking to increase your association's revenue this year? It may be in your best interest to focus on increasing your non-member—or customer—sales rather than putting all of your effort into recruiting new members. Non-members often pay more for the events and benefits that are included in your membership packages. This could ultimately make non-members more profitable for your association.

This is not to indicate that you should not work to retain your members’ happiness. They are vital to the core of the organization. A shift of focus, however, to the non-members might help to bring in more income for the upcoming year. The shift should change the board’s mindset from how to recruit this member to how to have this person choose our products and experiences.

1 . Increased Revenue from Webinars

 Many businesses will not pay for an employee’s full membership but will reimburse an employee for professional development opportunities. If your association is hosting a webinar that applies to something within that person’s industry, they can show the value of this to their employer and attend. The guest-cost will bring in a little extra revenue for each event.

2. Wide Variety of Guests at Events

If the goal of your organization is to network and connect with others in the industry, having a set of recurring guests that are not at every event, will also keep your members happy. They will then have the opportunity to network with new faces rather than the same members that come to everything. This will increase their value and will help to retain current members’ memberships.

This change in mindset, is beneficial to the organization in small doses. At the end of the day, the mission of your association should be at the forefront of all decisions. Sometimes, however, achieving that mission requires money and this is one option for reaching that financial goal. Learn how Impact can help your association achieve its goals—financial and otherwise.

3 Ways to Make the Most of your Membership Website

Membership software can change the experience your members and potential members have on your website. If you have membership software, it is important to take advantage of its full potential. Below are a few ways to make your life easier and your members happier.

Automate everything you can possibly automate!

Whether it is invoices, emails, or renewals, automating it is the way to go. It will save you time and allow you to better serve your members in other ways. Platforms like Wild Apricot have template emails for new members, event reminders, renewals, and more. You can turn this function on and even take the time to personalize them to your association. 

Keep an eye on member involvement.

Look into who is unengaged, who is attending events, who is always late renewing. Paying attention to these details can tell a lot about what you are doing as an association. It might show you some things that should change and provide a better understanding of the types of new members you should target.

Collect as much information as possible through event registration without frustrating the registrant.

Ask questions about dietary restrictions, what they are expecting from the event, and more. If you are asking extra questions to learn more, do not make these questions required.

The membership software can be your best friend when it comes to learning about your members and the direction your association should be headed towards. Take advantage of it and learn as much as possible about the platform you are using.

3 Methods for a Personal Approach to Member Onboarding

When a new member joins an association, they might feel a little lost. It is your job as a board to make them feel welcomed and ensure they have all of the resources they need to make the most out of their membership. Sure, you can send a welcome email to your new member and you should. It is important, however, to connect even further. This can be done through a mentorship program, webinar, or group meeting.

1.     Mentorship program.

Either utilize your membership committee or create a new committee that serves the purpose of welcoming new members. Each member of the committee would then be assigned to a new member. They can either reach out to the new member via a phone call, a coffee meet up, or at one of your association’s events. This designated contact will give the new member a friendly face to look for and a resource in their transition into the organization.

2.     Webinar.

If there are many details involved with the benefits of your organization, it might be a good idea to do a quarterly webinar for new members. This webinar could go over the ins and outs of their membership and would allow a time for the new members to ask any questions they might have.

3.     Group meeting.

Similar to a webinar, if you are all local to one another, try getting the group of new members together for a happy hour or dinner. This allows for conversation and questions and familiarizes the new members with one another.

Whatever approach you choose to take to further connect with new members, will help to make those members feel a sense of community in the association. This feeling when onboarding can not only make for a happier member but also a better chance of member retention.