Members leave your association every year because of job/profession changes, retirement, business closures, budget constraints, and other reasons.

As existing members exit, it's essential to continuously attract new ones. Let's dive into 6 strategies and initiatives that attract new members so you can maintain a thriving association membership.

6 ways to increase membership for your association

 1. Take a fresh look at the key benefits of membership

The value of membership may seem obvious to you. However, it is crucial to consider two key aspects:

• What do your current members truly value?
• What are the key benefits of membership highlighted on your website, advertisements, and other marketing materials?

If these don't match up, you're making it more difficult to bring new members in the door. Member needs/wants should inform your marketing materials.

Find Out What Your Members Value

You can't promote the top benefits of membership if you aren't sure what your members value most.

• Use your association software's engagement scoring and tracking to discover the most popular member benefits. Is your association membership highly engaged with your email campaigns? Do you have a high attendance rate at your annual conference?
• Drill down further. If online courses are your most popular resource, see which particular course has the highest completion rate. Being able to give specific examples will be valuable when marketing your association membership.
• Survey your association members. You can ask them what their top five favorite member benefits are (and if there are any missing benefits they wish you had). Bonus: Discovering what your members value presents an opportunity to engage with them and potentially increase member retention. Asking these questions shows members that your association is invested in their satisfaction.

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Show Off Those Benefits to Prospective Members

Now that you know what members find valuable, take a fresh look at your website. Are you showcasing those benefits?

Have someone outside your association review your marketing materials and list the main benefits of membership. Does that match up with what your members value most?

Learn more with another iMIS Blog article, How to Craft Your Association's Value Proposition.

2. Incentivise members to refer new members

Your association's members are the most effective advocates for promoting membership. However, even happy association members may not actively promote your association to their peers.

To encourage your members to do this, consider offering incentives. These incentives can take various forms such as cash rewards or gift cards for each successful referral. Alternatively, you could offer discounts on event registrations, online store discounts, or free access to online learning materials.

Another option is providing a special marker on their badge and an invitation to an exclusive social event at your conference. The key is to provide something tangible that motivates them to actively promote membership.

3. Lower the barriers to membership

To lower the barriers to membership, the initial step is to determine what those barriers are. Here are a few examples of barriers I see when looking at joining associations.

Complexity

You need certain information to check if someone is eligible for membership and to set the right membership fee. However, you should review the joining process to see if you need every piece of information upfront. Could you collect some of the information later to make the process smoother?

Also, think about how you collect the information. Do you use one long form that might seem endless and turn away potential members? Or is the process broken into short, clear steps, with each step showing how many are left until completion?

Cost

Membership of your association holds value, and individuals acknowledge that there will be a cost associated with joining. However, it is important not to let the initial cost in the first year become a barrier to membership. Consider offering a discount for the first year, perhaps by using a discount code to highlight the savings.

Another option is to provide a lower level of introductory membership (without all the perks) and then later upsell. If possible, you could even offer the first month, quarter, or even year for free. The cost of this can be offset by a slight increase in your charged memberships, events, or courses, without incurring you any additional expenses.

 Accreditation

In a professional association, eligibility to join is often based on professional qualifications. However, it's crucial to provide an entry-level option for students or aspiring members who may not meet the usual membership requirements. More on this in the next section.

The key is to ensure that membership is accessible to as many people as possible. Use your membership management system to gradually enhance their benefits and access to professional services as they advance through membership tiers.

4. Get them early, keep them late

 Beginning of the Professional Journey

Even if your association is considered the association for your industry, don't let that stop you from accepting students, trainees, or those considering a career in your field. Encourage them to join early and offer benefits like student or associate membership. This makes it more likely they will stay members when they qualify, earn a good salary, and can afford the full membership fee. Then you don't have to invest in recruiting them later.

 End of the Professional Journey

Also consider the other end of their professional journey. Do you offer a membership level for retired individuals? The recently retired membership tier can serve as an excellent source of mentors for your younger members and provide them with valuable income. Instead of letting them terminate their membership upon retirement, find a way to keep them engaged and involved.

5. Don’t let them go!

Most organisations are well aware of the expenses involved in recruiting new members. Calculating these costs is relatively straightforward. However, have you ever considered the cost of losing a member?

It goes beyond just the decrease in income. When a member leaves, they often share their negative experience and reasons for leaving with their colleagues at work. This can lead to higher dissatisfaction and an increased effort to win back former members.

Therefore, it's crucial to closely monitor your membership base.

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Use engagement scoring to keep an eye on at-risk members

While it's important to focus on top performers, you also need to pay attention to members with low engagement scores.

It is essential to understand the reasons behind this disengagement. Some instances, such as retirement, maternity leave, illness, or a change in career path, are inevitable. But low engagement overall may indicate an underlying issue that can be addressed with minimal effort.

Keep a watchful eye on the overall membership and consistently evaluate both high and low engagement scores. By doing so, you can identify potential problems early on and take appropriate measures. Remember, retaining existing members is just as important as recruiting new ones.

6. Be proactive

Don't just wait for members to come to you. Claiming to be the top association in your industry or boasting an impressive website doesn't guarantee a flood of new members. Instead, you must take proactive steps to actively pursue potential new members.

You could:

• Host events 
• Attend conferences 
• Contact people directly by email 
• Call people