In the past few weeks I have had a number of conversations
with some good friends and colleagues where they used the phrase “membership
growth” but in each case their definition differed. Essential for any association, and almost
always a key factor in their strategic plan, a clear understanding of what you
mean by “membership growth” is needed to truly measure if the efforts you are
making match the results you seek – so here are a few definitions that may
apply to what you are trying to do:
Traditional
Definitions
New
Member Count Increase – You have succeeded in attracting new members to
your organization – congratulations! Key
to this growth is an understanding of WHY they joined – a particular
product? A connection with a
component? A fellow professional
encouraging them to do so? Their employer
requiring membership? Tracking the
reason for joining will let you hone your recruitment techniques to connect
with the right professionals in the right way.
Specific
Segment Count Increase – In my world this has recently been that our
count of global members has grown as opposed to domestic. Depending on the focus of your organization,
these could be segmented by geography, experience in industry (student, young
professional, retired, etc), investment in organization (prospect, customer,
custom member, full member), etc.
Increase in Renewal Numbers – Your organization
is retaining a higher percentage of members, resulting in month over month/year
over year longer affiliation with your organization. Particularly when calculating the lifetime
value of a member, the longer their affiliation the bigger bottom line return
your association will see.
Total
Member Count Increase – Most often the addition of numbers 1+3 above – and also
most often the bottom line the Board wants to see. This is an increase in the total count of
members affiliated with your organization.
Less Traditional
Definitions
Member Engagement – Are more members
taking advantage of the value engagement opportunities that you present? Are they getting more involved? Is there an increase in conference
attendance, resource utilization and feedback on your current offerings? Perhaps an increase in member engagement means
greater dialogue – members commenting of private and public social media
platforms, participating in surveys and research or achieving your
certifications. Any of these factors
could be considered membership growth.
Volunteer Participation – Though I have
only heard it used this way once or twice, an increase in the number of
volunteers and/or growth in the tasks they accomplish may indicate a growth in
membership as well. Particularly for
organizations where there is a strong reliance on volunteer efforts for
membership drives and localized value and programming, this may be a key factor
in the expansion of the association.
If your organization has a definition of membership growth I
have missed, please add it to the comments below.
At different moments, with varying stakeholders, the
definition you intend for my ‘membership growth’ may not be the same one that
others are picturing. While in general ‘membership
growth’ is a yay factor, it is key to know what you are celebrating!
