Associations who focus on community and innovation increase membership acquisitions and renewals. We dive into a real-world example of community building.
Let’s talk about something that’s essential to the member retention journey: community.
Community unites, connects, and bonds a group of individuals together and it’s fundamental to the success of a membership organization. Where you find community, you have the opportunity to harness the power of that community through engagement. Let’s cover the Why, What, Where, a real-world example, and the How of community engagement.
Let’s start with why community matters. Why is it so important? Some statistics to help paint the picture. On a positive note, last year associations reported an influx of new members!
Source: Marketing General Incorporated
Source: 2025 Membership Performance Benchmark Report by iMIS
However, on the other hand, they are likely to lose a bunch of them in very short order.
Results matter. For association executives, results are measured by membership renewals.
Source: Marketing General Incorporated
The top 3 drivers for members not renewing:
Yes, that’s right, they forgot they were part of the community. If they're not engaged, they aren’t finding value, so they’ll forget, and you’ll lose them.
So circling back to why does community matter? Well, because it works. Associations who focus on community and innovation saw an increase in 1- and 5-year membership levels, new member acquisitions, and member renewals.
Now let’s talk about what community engagement actually is. I am sure there are lots of definitions but this one resonates with me:
Meaningful, effective, and consistent participation in and among an audience with shared interests. Sounds like the definition of an association!
As soon as we start to talk about where the community comes together, I typically hear “well isn’t my website enough?” or “we have an event app.” While both are great, your event app provides engagement for a certain period of time, it expires. It has a shelf life. And your website is a one directional way for members to get information, but how do they engage?
The Ultimate Guide to Mobile Engagement from the experts at Clowder
I’m going to highlight some key findings from a recent case study we completed with the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA). For context, ABCA is the primary professional organization for baseball coaches in the United States. ABCA provides extensive educational resources, including a video library with over 850 instructional videos, Inside Pitch magazine, and other year-round benefits. The organization’s flagship event is the annual convention, attracting more than 10,000 attendees.
In the past, ABCA struggled to keep members actively engaged throughout the year. Most members joined primarily to attend the annual convention, and many saw limited value in maintaining their membership during the offseason.
As a result, they saw low membership retention rates. The association also had difficulty ensuring that members were engaging with the association’s resources, like educational content and their extensive video library.
ABCA knew they needed to focus on building community. They needed a solution that would lead to increased engagement and overall increased retention because at the end of the day, for associations, retention is the main driver.
ABCA implemented Clowder to launch a new member mobile app, My ABCA. Their branded app serves as a central hub for content, notifications, educational resources, and member services. Members can engage year-round, not just at the annual convention, and easily access resources like ABCA’s extensive video library.
“By putting everything in their hands via the app, we’ve seen higher retention, more frequent use of our resources, and an easier way for members to stay connected.”
Why a mobile app? The stats don’t lie. On average we’re spending 5 hours per day on our phones and admittedly I think it’s a lot more than that. Of that 5 hours, 90% is spent in dedicated apps. It’s the difference between navigating a website and creating an experience. It’s the difference between reading a piece of information and making a connection.
Since launching their year-round member mobile app, ABCA has seen:
for three consecutive years
to the My ABCA app
in video library views
in overall member retention
“Our members are more connected than ever. The ability to engage with ABCA’s resources from anywhere has increased member value and streamlined how we deliver content and interact with our community, resulting in higher retention and a deeper connection with our members."
And from a management perspective, all of this happening on one platform means just one set of data to track and analyze. Plus, the app seamlessly integrates with their membership management platform, iMIS. This makes it easier to figure out what’s working and what’s not because all membership data is flowing in real time.
Read more about ABCA’s success story.
Learn the 8 essential app features, top tips to market your app, and proven strategies to keep members engaged year-round.
So, how can you do it too? Define what engagement means to you. Association execs need renewals, HR professionals need happy employees. You have to know what success looks like before you start.
And then, establish KPIs that will measure your success or your areas for improvement. You can’t know how you are doing if you don’t have a way to measure it. See a template for measuring mobile app success on page 14 of Clowder’s playbook, Launching Your Association's Mobile App.
✔Events ✔Advertising ✔ Messaging ✔ Push Notifications ✔ CRM Integration ✔ News Feed ✔ Member Directory ✔ Resources
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