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By Nick Koerbin
Do you need to grow your membership –it may have declined for some time.
You need to have a membership drive.
So, where do we start?
First, these membership drives should always be part of a strategic direction from the Board delegated to the CEO and staff. I have
witnessed many a membership drive that ends up as a failure because the project is not aligned with the strategic goals and objectives of
the organisation.
Here are my six tips to consider before you commit any resources to your next membership growth project:
😎 Ensure your Association's strategic plan has a defined goal or objective for membership growth. Make the strategies supporting member
growth clear and well communicated to the rest of the organisation and what resources are available and allocated in the budget.
😎 Included membership as part of your Board meeting agenda; ensure enough time to receive regular reports on recruiting new members and
what initiatives are working. Reports should detail the performance of the membership growth program based on key performance indicators,
trends and challenges.
😎 Create a dedicated Board Committee member with overall responsibility for membership growth. Make sure there is a Board Job description
for the membership portfolio with the tasks and responsibilities for this role.
😎 Bring together a membership committee, a great idea is to get volunteers recruited from the membership base keen to be involved in the
Association's activities. This could be part of your succession planning
😎 Ensure the Board member responsible for members clearly understands their membership portfolio and how they can mentor and guide the
membership committee to achieve their goals.
😎 Make sure to celebrate when the membership targets have been achieved. Ensure the organisation celebrates the success and recognises
everyone involved, including the Board Director and all staff involved in this project.
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Risk management is one of those areas that every association and not-for-profit Board knows is important - but it can sometimes become
little more than a risk register reviewed once or twice a year.
Insurance can be treated in much the same way.
The organisation receives its annual insurance renewal, the premium is approved, the policy is renewed and everyone assumes the organisation
is covered.
A practical look at volunteer governance, operational decision-making and what the events industry needs to understand about associations.
Nick Koerbin has spent many years working with professional and industry associations, and he has developed a simple habit: whenever he
meets a professional, he often asks whether they belong to their association — and whether they believe the membership is worth it.
A recent conversation with a young allied health professional raised some important questions about membership value, relevance and the
expectations of the next generation.
In this article, Nick shares that conversation and challenges association leaders to consider a simple but confronting question:
Would the next generation of professionals in your sector believe your association is worth joining?
How we help membership based, not-for-profit associations now and into the future.
