Your member database is the core of your association. It houses import data like member demographics, event attendance, financial history, volunteer records, committee membership and more. Every tool you use outside of member management links back to your database. The importance of robust, clean data collection is paramount to a useable database. Are you still tracking data in excel? Espace the perils of spreadsheet after spreadsheet by housing your data in an AMS.
Free worksheet to move data from excel to AMS
Your membership database can be used for more than just housing data. In today’s post, we’ll be talking about ways to strategically use your database to predict member drop-offs, convert prospects, and identify your most engaged members.
How to know when a member is ready to move on
You’ve gone through the hectic season of dues renewal. You generated a renewal report and see that 75% of members renewed. Although this is a good metric, there’s an easy way to increase that number. Before you send out dues invoices, do some preliminary research. Pull an activity report on members – their event attendance, group participation, online interactions, etc. Pinpoint members with low activity and research why they aren’t engaged. Are they older members who don’t know how to use an online portal? Are they Millennial members who don’t resonate with your branding?
Instead of waiting to figure this out until after those members have fallen off the map, set your self up for success with member engagement analytics. Determine a strategy to get them back on board before times up.
How to convert prospects into active members
If you have prospects in your database, it’s likely you’re tracking their event data, transactions, and email open rates. Use that data to your advantage – if they seem fairly engaged, reached out to them personally and connect about membership options. Offer up special perks for signing up, like a free event ticket or a discount for their friends. Personal outreach can go a long ways in the conversion process.
Showcase engaged members
By highlighting members who are actively engaged, you’ll not only make that member happy but could also cause a ripple effect, i.e., that member will likely share the story with friends and family, spiking interest in your group overall. Capitalize on this engagement with an ambassador program. Ask your active members to join forces and share their membership experience. Their stories will resonate with friends more than you as an admin telling their stories.
How do you use your member database to grow and strengthen your membership?
