The excitement of signing up a new member is what fuels membership directors. To share the valuable benefits of membership and how your association is helping the industry is what working for an association is all about.
Once you’ve passed the exciting phase of welcoming a new member, it’s crucial you devise a strategy that keeps them engaged. Because an inactive member is much more likely to drop their membership than someone who is engaged with their association.
Create a Member Engagement Cycle
Kickstart the engagement cycle with a specific workflow. First, send them a welcome email with helpful resources about how to get involved. Then direct them to groups or committees within your organization that they can communicate with. Connect them with a member that’s similar to them in profession, age or interest so they can ask questions and get an insider look at your group’s community. We’ll flesh out some other tips below.
1. Connect New Members with Old
If you’ve got the volunteer bandwidth, ask long time members to connect with the newbies. Cultivate a mentorship program that helps transition those new members. Not only will your new members appreciate the warm welcome but they’re more likely to engage if they have the support of a seasoned member.
2. Personalized Email Workflow
Stay in contact by crafting a special email workflow for new members. Reach out every week with different ways to get involved, cool blog posts to check out and any important information they need to know as a new member.
3. A Tour of the Member Portal
Be sure that your new members know how to log in and use the member portal. Give them a virtual tour and point out the specific benefits they receive.
4. Invite Them to an Event
One of the best ways to welcome a new member is by inviting them to your next event. This way they can network with fellow members, engage with leadership and get a feel for the community of your group. Hopefully, after attending an event, they’ll feel more inspired to get involved.
5. Share Their Signup with the Group
Many associations highlight new members at the end of each month. Take it a step further by not only listing their name in your newsletter or on your website but show their profile image and share unique facts about them.
6. Monthly Check-In
Don’t stop after their first month of sign up. Check in with new members monthly. Ask them about their experience and make sure they’ve got the resources they need.
7. Send a Survey
When it comes time to renew those 1-year members, make sure to include a survey where they can provide feedback on their experience. Note the good and the bad and what you can improve on next time. Thank them for their continued support of your group. If it seems like a good fit, connect them with a new member to provide the same mentorship that they received.
Managing your new members is a whole lot easier with an AMS like AMO. Not sure what an AMS is all about? Download our ebook below or sign up for a free trial of AMO (no CC required, we promise).
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