Strengthening Your Benefit Program
By Jay Younger, Vice President
Originally Published in Association Trends
Here's a 10-step plan to help you strengthen your member benefit programs. By implementing some or all of these ideas at your association, you should realize a more substantial return on your investment of time and capital.
REALLY survey your members. Conduct in-depth, qualitative research to identify member needs and their perceptions about your current programs. Don't limit your knowledge base to five lines on your next questionnaire.
Pick the right programs. It sounds simple, but many associations overlook this critical first step. Identify and implement broad-based opportunities with committed, professional, experienced companies as your partners.
Make them a priority. Who at your association makes it their mission to increase program participation? Or to adjust for changes and take advantage of time-sensitive opportunities that providers can present? In short, if no one takes full responsibility for the performance of your member programs, you'll wind up in a downward spiral.
Work with your providers. You know your members. Your partners know their products. Establish an open and constructive dialogue to capitalize on the intersection of these two domains. Communicate frequently with your providers to share information and brainstorm on new ways to drive participation.
Analyze your data. You should be getting reports on a regular basis from your providers. Use them. What trends can you see in the data? How are marketing initiatives impacting response and participation? What can you learn that can be applied to your membership at large?
Benchmark your programs. Do you know what your competitors are offering? If you are able to identify successful programs elsewhere, consider similar ideas for your membership.
Revisit your UBIT position. There have been many recent changes to UBIT guidelines, most of which seem to be association friendly. Work with your legal advisers to ensure that you're not operating under outdated assumptions about what you can and cannot do. Or, if your programs drive substantial revenue, consider establishing a for-profit services corporation to simplify the UBIT issue.
Develop a strategy. First, write a positioning statement for your programs that defines how you want members to perceive them. Then, apply what you learned in the research phase to identify the "gap" between your desired position and their perception. Finally, develop a plan to bridge the gap.
Market, market, market. Successful marketing is a partnership. While most of the responsibility for marketing should fall to your provider, utilize all of your available communication channels to help promote your sponsored programs. You'll increase brand awareness and provider confidence.
Adjust your approach. Don't write your marketing plans in stone. Revisit them frequently to devote more resources to the tactics that are working.
Consider outsourcing. If you're serious about building lasting sources of non-dues revenue and can't commit the necessary staff time to insure your success, explore alternative options on program marketing, management, and administration.