For any Association that runs a pro rata membership, annual renewals are just around the corner, making for a particularly busy time for the admin team. Members are the backbone of all Associations, so it’s important to do all you can to encourage your members to renew. The income from these renewals creates more opportunities to develop your Association moving forward.
We’ll take you through our top tips to help to improve your renewal rate, and how to write the perfect renewal letter or email.
Start early
Check your payment terms and make certain that you leave enough time before the member’s payment is due and when your renewal period starts. As well as getting in early, make sure it is easy for your members to renew (if your process isn’t already, ensure that it is self-sufficient)! Is there opportunity for your members to renew online, or by card? Giving your members these options will take some of the hassle away from them and allows them to renew at a time that’s convenient to them.
Communication
How you communicate with your members during this time is paramount. It’s important to remind them of all the benefits on offer and inform them of any exclusive member opportunities over the next 12 months. Thank your members for their continued support and tell them what they can expect from you if they choose to renew.
Personalisation
When drafting your letter to them, personalisation goes a long way. Avoid using the phrase “Dear Member”, instead address them personally to help reiterate how valued they are to you. The more you can personalise your letter, the better. Explore what your CRM is capable of, and whether there is an option to automate this process – it will take up a lot less of your admin team’s time.
Use multiple templates so that you can send out variations of your renewal notification depending on what kind of member types you have. Extend thanks to longstanding members and make sure that new members have been properly introduced to all that you offer. There may be different types of members within your association – make sure that you are using a different template for each type so that everybody feels personally addressed.
It’s inevitable that not everyone will renew their membership – what is important is that you find out why those people didn’t renew. Draft up an online questionnaire that you can send out once your renewal period is over to find out what you could be doing differently for these members. This can be fed back to the Board and ultimately help your Association develop and increase your member retention numbers.
For more information and to find out how to calculate member retention visit our post HERE.