Blog

By Tony Rossell, Senior Vice President

The good news from the 2023 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report is that many associations experienced a remarkable rebound in membership counts. A multi-year high of 49% of associations say they saw an increase in their membership numbers. However, for some growing their membership remains a challenge. A total of 22% of respondents shared that their membership has declined.

So, in addition to reporting the characteristics and practices of growing associations this year, we also asked in our research what impediments hold back growth. In their own words, with some minor edits, here are what association executives told us holds membership back.

“Not…

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By Tony Rossell, Senior Vice President

In our just released 2023 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report, many respondents shared that one of the reasons for success this year in growing their membership is an increased budget. About one-third of associations report increases in the marketing budget earmarked for recruitment (36%) and awareness and engagement (32% each). And these higher budgets correlated with overall membership increases.

But how did membership staffs make the case for more money? We asked respondents how they successfully advocated for additional membership marketing funding. Here are some open-ended responses from our benchmarking research to this question:

“With data…

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By Tony Rossell, Senior Vice President

The MGI Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report highlights year after year the importance of a defined engagement program supporting a more favorable outcome in member retention. The data statistically shows this positive outcome but does not explain why putting an engagement program in place is so effective. Understanding why it works offers the opportunity to develop an even more effective effort.

First, let’s look at the problem. It might be surprising, but once the heavy lifting of getting a prospect to join your association is accomplished, they immediately become the most likely candidate to discontinue membership. The statistics from one…

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By Tony Rossell, Senior Vice President

We often hear the question, “Why does it take so many contacts to convince an individual or company to join our association?” The pat answer from marketers is that it takes seven contacts to turn a prospect into a buyer.  

However, as opposed to just doing more, establishing an understanding of the decision process involved in joining an association allows for a more nuanced strategy to be put in place.

One explanation offered by psychologists on the stages that a person goes through in making a decision is a theory called the Transtheoretical Model (TTM). The model says there are five stages to behavior change: Precontemplation, Contemplation, Planning,…

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By Tony Rossell, Senior Vice President

For many years, social scientists have used Reasoned Action Theory (RAT) to evaluate a person's intention to take an action. Daniel O’Keefe, a preeminent scholar in the field, says of RAT, “It is unquestionably the most influential general framework for understanding the determinants of voluntary action.”

A simplistic overview of the theory lays out four drivers that determine an intention leading to a behavior. The first is Attitude with the components of belief (it is a good thing) and evaluation (there is motivation to act). The second is Injunction which is the influence of others (colleagues, friends, or professors). Next is Determinantswhich is…

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