Member Retention

Member retention includes three steps in the Membership Lifecycle—Engagement, Renewal and Reinstatement.  Strong acquisition programs should be followed up by successful retention programs and lapsing members should be rescued by reinstatements if membership organizations are to grow.

If retention is low, particularly first year conversion rates, membership organizations can exhaust qualified new member prospect lists quickly. Once prospects have tried membership but have elected to discontinue it, winning them back a second time can be difficult.

Engagement … when members feel they belong with you.

Engagement programs are a crucial lead-in to successful renewal efforts and are key to high retention rates and sustained membership growth. Successful engagement programs set the stage for successful renewals by helping members become benefit users.

MGI testing has shown that members who have a non-dues transaction with their organization are far more likely to continue their membership. A concerted engagement series of month-by-month contacts can increase retention rates substantially.

Renewal … when lapsing members decide whether to keep you.

Renewal is a confirmation of the value members feel they have received from their organization. It is a vote of confidence … or no confidence. Renewals are an important foundation for organizational growth and demand close attention to process and member communications.

How many renewals are appropriate? Renewals should be continued until the cost of sending them exceeds the dues value. Some organizations even continue to send renewal notices until their cost exceeds the lifetime value of their dues payments.

Reinstatement … when former members agree to return to you.

Reinstatement programs offer opportunities for lapsed members to reconsider the decision to join when presented with fresh messaging and perhaps new offers and to join once again if they forgot or somehow unintentionally did not renew.  The most likely member to return to an association is the one who most recently left.

Reinstatements are a regular component of membership growth programs every organization should have in place to bring the Membership Lifecycle full circle.