Explore cutting-edge retention and engagement strategies from membership professionals and see how their association software is helping them harness AI.
Nearly every success indicator we used in this year’s survey demonstrated remarkable results, and the report is overflowing with keen new insights.
We saw an amazing response to our 9th Annual Membership Performance Benchmark Survey — 1,478 membership organization professionals participated, which is a 10x increase from last year. They are all excited about new technologies, the dramatic results they’re seeing, and how their organizations are embracing digital transformation. Let’s dive into the findings.
The survey results show a strong rise in overall membership growth, demonstrating that organizations are not merely surviving but thriving after COVID. They’re using innovative strategies to attract new members and are elevating onboarding to an art form. They’re tailoring their communications, improving the online member experience, and delivering can’t-miss events.
There’s a new #1 and #2 recruiting tactic this year — see what’s working best for your peers on page 11. You’ll also learn:
Active and engaged members translate to higher retention rates. You can achieve this by delivering tailored programs that address members’ specific interests, providing an interactive and intuitive online member environment, and investing in association software that helps you anticipate their needs.
A big part of this is starting with a formal engagement plan. Respondents with a plan reported increases in online and in-person event attendance, awards participation, and renewal rates.
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You work very hard to recruit new members and it’s vital that you pull out all the stops to ensure they renew. There are many ways to do this — from mapping the member journey, creating member personas, designing a nurturing onboarding process, and ensuring your association software and accounting system are integrated so you can handle complex billing issues. The survey reveals how overall retention rates have changed (those reporting an increase shot up by nearly 50% over 2023 rates) and how first-year renewal rates are trending.
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Watch our deep dive into the 2024 Membership Performance Benchmark Report.
While you would prefer to retain your members, there are always going to be some who drop off. The right member management system will help you implement and maintain an automated renewal process, implement recurring memberships, and offer autopay features. And once a member drops off, there are a number of strategies you can use to bring them back.
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While engagement remains the top priority, respondents appear to be less concerned about acquisitions or retention and more focused on digital transformation and what it can do for their organizations as a whole. Also see:
The survey reveals something of a technological revolution, with organizations enthusiastically embracing artificial intelligence (AI). From chatbots that provide instant answers for their members, to predictive analytics that anticipate member needs, respondents are excited about the potential of AI.
As many as 86% believe that artificial intelligence helps improve — or significantly improve — efficiency. They appear to be open to embracing the technology and many are already using it to transform their operations, streamline processes, and improve the online member experience.
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In 2023, Gen X was the largest response group, but they were replaced with a new “It” group in 2024 — see page 18. We looked at how each group feels about digital transformation, challenges, opportunities, their outlook for the future, and more. This may provide some insight into how your members in each age group view key issues and how you’ll want to focus your communications with them.
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For the first time, we’ve included a section on union-specific results. A total of 221 respondents from union and labor organizations (15% of total respondents) shared their attitudes on hot-button issues. The section covers retention, engagement, membership levels, planned technology investments, and member satisfaction rates. You’ll also see:
Each year, we measure confidence levels about future growth and sustainability and, over the past nine years, membership professionals have tended to be an upbeat group that can roll with the punches.
But they are even more enthusiastic this year. They're not just celebrating their immediate successes since the pandemic, but they’re very optimistic about what’s around the corner.
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