The Membership Department Working with Others to Accomplish Goals
By Sheri Jacobs, CAE, and Sara Miller, CAE
Modified from ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership's publication, Membership Essentials
Members are the lifeblood for all associations. Their contributions are vitally important to the creation and distribution of all products, programs, and services. Likewise, good employees in the membership department will tremendously affect your recruitment and retention efforts. According to the authors Bill Fromm and Jim Heskitt of the Harvard Business School, companies that distinguish themselves by the way they hire, train, and treat their employees experience growth rates from 60 to 300 percent higher than their competitors.
If a member has a great experience with your association, chances are that it is because of an interaction with a staff person or it is the result of the hard work and dedication of the association staff. As Mark Hughes, CEO of Buzzmarketing,(1) says in his book by the same title, “When it comes right down to it, advertising impressions don’t count. Connections count. We connect with people, not corporations.”
Membership departments are successful only if they truly integrate their efforts with all other departments within the organization. Making this happen requires a clear understanding of the scope of the membership department (including staff roles and responsibilities), its relationship with other departments, professional development and training and customer/member service.
Strategic Relationships Among Departments
Many organizations use strategic alliances to maximize opportunities and make the most of limited resources. In fact, it is not uncommon for associations to rely on many partnerships to deliver their products, programs, and services to members. Strategic alliances work both internally and externally, for both large and small associations. In any association, it is essential for the membership department to build relationships to meet recruitment and retention goals.
Education and Meetings. Conferences and trade shows are a mainstay of association offerings, and professional growth is a common reason members join associations. Research can help assess what members need, their satisfaction with current offerings and the gaps between the two. With this knowledge, individuals in the membership department can make better decisions when developing a marketing plan to promote these offerings.
Segmentation of membership. Marketing professionals know that one of the most effective ways to promote a meeting or event is through segmenting their audience. In most associations, the membership includes individuals or companies from various backgrounds and size. Tailoring a message to each audience will increase the likelihood of a positive response. Various elements of the meeting may appeal to one audience and not to another. The membership department can assist the education/meetings department by delivering mailing lists that are segmented.
For individual member organizations, segmentation could include
- Career stage (number of years in the profession)
- Age
- Gender
- Ethnicity
- Income
- Number of years as a member
- Level of affiliation (ad hoc, committee member, board member, no involvement)
- Customer behavior (first time or repeat buyer)
- Location
- Specialty
- Generation (e.g., Baby Boomers or Generation X)
- Position, type of practice
In addition to the segments above, a trade association may also segment its audience by:
- Size
- Employees
- Revenue
- Branches
- Business Activities
New member engagement. The first meeting attended by a new member is often the most important. The impression may last a lifetime and will affect that member’s perception of the organization. It may also be a deciding factor in whether a new member attends another event. For many members, networking is one of top reasons for attending an event. To create a successful and memorable experience, the membership department should collaborate with the meetings department to create a new member orientation or networking event during the conference. Pairing new members with longtime members will strengthen the organization’s relationship with its most vulnerable group—new members.
Finance Department. A critical aspect of managing an organization is determining the monthly cash flow. During the budgeting process, the membership department should forecast when the organization will receive dues revenue from renewals and new member enrollment. By accurately projecting and updating revenue, the association is better equipped to approve expenditures and move forward with its projects. (For a more in-depth examination of the membership department’s relationship to finance, see Chapter 10: Financial Management.)
Communications/Publications. Accuracy in the membership department’s database is critical to the communications efforts of an association. It is a continual process involving changes and updates ranging from addresses and titles in all associations to other critical segmentation areas such as revenues and number of employees in trade associations.
Email. Email communication is one of the most common ways to communicate with members. The combination of its relatively low cost and speed of delivery makes it a highly desirable way to send messages or deliver information. However, members will not pay attention to your email if they receive too many messages or if the messages are not relevant to them. By maintaining a database with the most up-to-date member profiles, you can create more specific and targeted email communications, resulting in a higher open and click-through rate.
TIP: Track your association’s email communications by creating a spreadsheet that includes each category of membership and lists every email that is sent from the organization. This will give you clear understanding of the content and frequency of messages members receive from your organization. |
Publications. Magazine circulation numbers and advertising rates rely on accurate membership and subscription data. In many associations, this data needs to be segmented and well maintained for more effective ad sales as well as for independent audits of circulation. The membership department can assist he communications department by producing quarterly and/or annual reports for the creation of accurate circulation figures.
Administrative Staff. Administrative employees generally have the most frequent member contact. Ironically, they are sometimes the most underappreciated individuals on an association staff. They can be a source of feedback and information. Meet with the administrative staff on a monthly basis to make sure they feel like a valuable part of the team. Find out what questions members are asking.
Avoiding Silo Mentalities
Member-centric organizations understand the importance of good customer service. Good customer service begins with knowledgeable and helpful staff. While these two statements may seem obvious, not all organizations educate their staff so that they are equipped to answer or find the answer to a member’s inquiry.
The larger an association staff, the more difficult it may become to ensure that those responsible for different areas of member contact and services are aware of the activities of other staff. Silo mentality is a term that refers to staff concentrating solely on their own areas and not working together in the bigger picture of the whole organization. New staff organizational formats can help build teamwork and better communications that break down silo mentalities. The membership professional can play a key role in combating the silo effect by creating and implementing a “cluster” system. While creating clusters will have no impact on the organizational structure, assembling leaders from departments with related responsibilities would enhance the potential for cross-marketing, set standards for communications, and establish a culture of accountability that crosses specific departmental lines.
Sharing Information. The key to all successful relationships is the exchange of information. To evaluate your association staff’s knowledge of the association as a whole, consider these questions:
- If you asked staff members from any department a question about an upcoming event, service, or benefit would they know the answer or know where to find it?
- Are copies of all marketing collateral and publications distributed to every person on staff?
Sharing information among the entire staff about all events, programs, benefits, and services is essential to good customer service. While not everyone will know all details by memory, everyone should have easy access to the information and know how to find answers to commonly asked questions.
Imagine a member calls your office because he has recently moved and wants to ensure that you have his current mailing address. During the conversation he asks about the early registration deadline and fees for an upcoming meeting. What happens next?
- Is the member transferred to another individual or department?
- What if he has another question on a different issue? Is he transferred a second time?
- What happens if he reaches voice mail? Will he miss the early registration deadline because his call is not returned until a few days later?
- How many times will he be transferred before he receives the answer to a question all staff should have the answer to?
Create a distribution list of all staff members for every marketing piece created for your members. Distribute copies of all member communications to the entire association staff as soon as a mailing has been sent to members.
While this can be done electronically, it is more likely to be read and referenced if a printed copy is distributed. The membership department could also create binders for all staff persons to keep on their desks so that that they have a place to put communication materials and will have easy access to all information. Better yet, include an FAQ for events, programs, and products and distribute it to each staff member. If your association uses an intranet or Sharepoint-type site, that is also a great way to collect important information in a location accessible to every staff member.
Below is an example of what items should be distributed to every staff person, regardless of position or department:
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Feedback. When associations are interested in gathering information about their members’ needs, the most often neglected or overlooked source of this information is feedback. Feedback given during everyday conversations with your members provides honest and unsolicited information about your programs, products, and services. It usually happens in a simple and unplanned manner and, as a result, your staff may not have the tools to communicate this information to the appropriate department. Make sure you have a clear communication policy so that feedback is shared quickly and easily.
Tip 1: Create a staff directory with more than just name, phone, and email addresses. Identify a point person in each department to collect feedback. Tip 2: Create a system that enables staff members to track feedback either on a call sheet that is shared with the appropriate department or in the member database. If possible, enter the feedback both in the member’s record and in a feedback area that all staff can read. Collect the following information:
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Cross-selling. One advantage to sharing all information about the benefits, services, education, and events of your association is the opportunity to cross-sell. Cross-selling is a marketing term for the practice of suggesting related products or services to a customer who is considering buying something. If a member is registering for an education event, for example, you may want to suggest a publication or book on the same topic that is for sale from your organization. Cross-selling can be accomplished live or online if the association staff communicates and shares information. To create an environment where staff members routinely cross-sell other products and services, it is essential that all staff are on a distribution list of all marketing materials.
Tip: If you want to create an environment where cross-selling actively takes place, develop an incentive program and communicate the results when it is a success. This could be as simple as gift cards to a coffee house or bookstore or a more elaborate compensation program. Public recognition encourages other employees to act in a similar way. Don’t forget to recognize individuals on an ongoing basis for their contributions above and beyond their responsibilities. Finally, make sure your rewards are meaningful to your staff. Incentives work when an individual is motivated by a meaningful reward. |
When Outsourcing Works
Have you ever looked at your budget, your strategic goals, and your staff and thought, “It can’t be done?” You’re not alone. Even if your association employs in-house staff to handle marketing and communications, at times you may need extra assistance. Membership departments typically outsource
- Graphic design
- Branding
- Legal
- Copywriting and editing
- Web design and maintenance
- Printing
- Fulfillment
- Public relations
- Email marketing
- Market research
- Telemarketing services
Associations outsource for a variety of reasons:
- Cost. It is too expensive to employ a full-time staff person for work that is needed only periodically.
- Expertise. You can get the job done more efficiently and effectively by hiring someone with experience.
- Time. Major events and membership campaigns keep association staff extremely busy. Additional support may be needed because there simply isn’t enough manpower to get everything done.
How an organization is perceived is in large measure the result of public perception, organizational image, and the totality of communications that shape the mind-set of its members, colleagues, suppliers, and the community at large. To avoid multiple messages and maintain a consistent look, associations should:
- Develop a graphics standard manual to be shared with both staff and outside vendors.
- Select only one or two vendors for the creation of marketing materials
Good member relations is all about bringing members back. It is also about creating an experience worth talking about and sharing with others. While most organizations understand how important this is to achieve, not all embrace the actions needed to ensure this goal is attainted. If your organization has created and implemented a good marketing plan, members will join or make a purchase. But it will be good customer service that will determine if members will stay and make other purchases. This begins with knowledge sharing and collaboration between departments.
Sheri Jacobs, CAE, is managing director of McKinley Marketing, Inc., Chicago. Her association experience includes nearly five years as the chief marketing officer and director of membership for the Association Forum of Chicagoland as well as director-level positions in membership and marketing at the American Bar Association and the American Academy of Implant Dentistry. She was 2006-2007 chair of ASAE & The Center’s Membership Section Council. Email: sjacobs@mckinleymarketing.com Sara Miller,CAE, is the senior director of member loyalty and conferences/events with The Humane Society of the United States, Gaithersburg, Maryland. She has spent the last six years at The HSUS engaging people in the mission of Celebrating Animals, Confronting Cruelty. Email: smiller@humanesociety.org |
References
1. Bill Fromm. The Ten Commandments of Business and How to Break Them: Secrets for Improving Employee Morale, Enhancing Customer Service, Increasing Company Profit. (Putnam, 1991)
2. Mark Hughes. Buzzmarketing: Get People to Talk About Your Stuff. (Portfolio Hardcover, 2005)