The Intangible Ingredient of Membership Marketing

 

This article is an excerpt from my latest book, Membership Marketing from A to Z, now available on Amazon.

Growth is not the accidental result of a favorable economy or a single successful campaign. It begins with leadership conviction that membership growth is mission-critical and warrants sustained investment. When that belief is reinforced by disciplined funding and accountability, growth becomes predictable rather than accidental. That alignment of passion and discipline is the X-Factor in membership marketing.

While many chapters in my book, Membership Marketing from A to Z, focus on proven strategies and marketing best practices, the X-Factor chapter provides the intangible yet essential element that elevates a membership program from ordinary to extraordinary.

Why Your X-Factor Matters

In our Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report, when asked about the biggest challenge to membership growth, one respondent said, “Leadership hasn’t prioritized everything necessary to create the structure that would allow for scalable growth.”

The X-Factor becomes visible when leadership shifts from aspiration to accountability. It means making membership growth non-negotiable. One of the clearest examples of the X-Factor's impact on membership comes from a client I have worked with for the past 14 years. In my first meeting with this group, the CEO arrived with his membership dashboard and explained that growing membership was his top priority. The organization had undergone a series of executive transitions over the past few years, and membership had stalled. But this CEO had set the goal of doubling membership. However, his goal went beyond aspiration. He also put his reputation on the line, secured board approval for the direction, funded the marketing budget, and made the staff changes needed to support the objective.

The outcome of this effort was not immediate. The association faced challenges along the way, including a weak economy and inflation, shifting board support, and a call to cut marketing to address a budget shortfall. However, since the goal was set, the association has achieved sustained annual growth of 3–4 percent. So far, membership has grown from 70,000 to 113,000, a roughly 62 percent increase, and growth continues.

Why does the X-Factor matter so much? For this organization, the X-Factor of passion and commitment to membership growth supported the association's financial health, members' careers and livelihoods, and the organization's mission to society. The X-Factor is not a one-time, instant solution but a sustained practice.

Building and Supporting Your Association’s X-Factor

An X-Factor starts with motivation. Why is the goal so critical? Simon Sinek, in his book Start with Why, writes, “Knowing your WHY is not the only way to be successful, but it is the only way to maintain a lasting success.”[1]

For an association, answering the why question may be easier than for many other types of organizations. Associations have a deeper purpose beyond a simple return on investment. They have a mission to make a difference in society. They also serve a profession or industry that relies on them for critical information, advocacy, and career development.

Beyond motivation, finding and supporting your X-Factor depends on action. It is not necessarily loud or flashy. The X-Factor is the alignment of multiple elements and reveals itself in four ways.

1. Strategic Clarity

Associations with an active X-Factor know exactly where they are headed. Growth goals are not vague aspirations; they are specific, measurable, and time-bound. Leadership aligns around those goals and directly ties them to the mission. When growth is clearly tied to purpose, it becomes easier to defend.

2. Financial Commitment

Goals without investment are merely dreams. Associations that activate the X-Factor treat marketing as an investment rather than a discretionary expense. They consistently fund recruitment, even amid fluctuating response rates, because they understand Lifetime Value and the compounding impact of ongoing dues. They accept short-term volatility to pursue long-term growth.

3. Operational Discipline

Growth requires measurement. Associations with the X-Factor track KPIs, monitor dashboards, and regularly review results. They test new approaches, refine offers, and optimize campaigns. What is measured improves; what is ignored stagnates.

4. Cultural Reinforcement

Finally, the X-Factor is cultural. Leaders tell the growth story, celebrate progress, empower their teams, and reinforce that membership growth supports careers, advances the mission, and strengthens the profession. Associations without the X-Factor often drift. Strategies shift with each board rotation. Marketing budgets are cut during shortfalls. Recruitment is paused when response dips. Risk is avoided. Over time, decline becomes normalized.

The X-Factor in membership marketing is not luck or a single breakthrough campaign. It is disciplined leadership. Associations that achieve membership success do so by making growth a priority, funding it adequately, measuring it rigorously, and reinforcing it culturally.

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[1] Sinek, Start with Why.

Announcing the Release of My New Book: Membership Marketing from A to Z

 

After many years of thinking, writing, researching, and refining ideas, I am pleased to announce the release of my new book:

Membership Marketing from A to Z: A Practical Handbook for Professional and Trade Associations

This project has been a long time in the making. The book's original concept dates back more than a decade. However, over the years, the ideas in the book have continually evolved and been enriched through my consulting experiences, insights from hundreds of association clients, and findings from the annual Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report.

This is my third book on association membership growth and marketing, and in many ways, it is a collection of lessons learned over nearly four decades of working with associations. My goal was simple: to provide a practical resource that association professionals can turn to when facing membership challenges and opportunities.

The book explores topics ranging from Benefits and Content Marketing to Digital Advertising, Research, Volunteers, Value Proposition, and the X-Factor of leadership commitment. Each chapter offers actionable ideas that association leaders can apply immediately.

I am grateful to the many clients, colleagues, researchers, and association professionals who have shaped my thinking over the years.

If you are responsible for membership growth, engagement, retention, or marketing strategy, I hope you will find the book useful.

The book is now available on Amazon using this link. I would appreciate it if you would take a look.

My Journey of Writing Books

 

Many, if not most, of us have a book in our heads that we would like to write, based on our professional or personal experiences. The challenge is not usually having something to say. It is knowing how to begin.

One of my friends, upon retiring from the government, wrote a book about his 30-year tenure. He filled the book, Good Enough for Government Work, with an inside look at the amusing and crazy anecdotes from his experience. Another friend is writing a book about his family history. In his book, he serves as the narrator and protagonist, sharing his journey of uncovering the trials in his family's history and how their perseverance has enabled him to overcome his own personal challenges.

The books I have written are different. Rather than personal stories, they focus on practical guidance for association professionals on effective membership marketing practices. My latest book, Membership Marketing from A to Z, is now available on Amazon.

The stages of the writing process I followed may be helpful to you as you pursue a writing goal.

Perhaps the most important aspect of writing for me is cultivating a learning mindset. Over the years, I have gained many insights from reading a shelf full of books by authors ranging from marketing experts like Philip Kotler to membership consultants like Sarah Sladek. The print versions of my books are filled with notes and underlines. When I read books electronically, I save my highlights for future use. As one author observed, “Reading a book is among the most high-leverage activities on earth—you can gain access to what smart people have already figured out.”

Many insights have come from attending professional events to learn from presenters. A wealth of insights has come from observing the marketing innovations and test results my clients and colleagues have implemented.

The next step in the process is to capture what I have learned. For me, the best way to track my insights is to write about them whenever I learn something new. Often, that takes the form of a blog post or a short article. For example, I have been writing and recording lessons on this blog since 2007, and much of that material has found its way into my books.

To support the findings in my books, I have relied on quantitative data. For me, this has been 17 years of association research documented in the annual Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report. This data elevates my recommendations from opinion and stories to statistically valid correlations and outcomes, drawn from thousands of associations over the years. Whatever your topic, evidence strengthens your writing. For you, that may mean identifying research studies and surveys. For others, it may mean interviews, historical documents, family letters, or personal journals.

With all this content, the next step is to craft a compelling thesis and outline for the book. For one of my books, The Seven Deadly Sins of Membership Marketing, the title and framework came together while I was developing a presentation for an ASAE conference. The presentation was well-received, and I later expanded it into a book. For my book, Membership Marketing from A to Z, I had the inspiration and outlined it in a blog post in August 2012 (not a typo), and I finally started writing it this past year.

Of course, inspiration and outlines only get you so far. Eventually, the real work begins: writing, editing, and production. It takes time and focus. For my first book, Membership Recruitment, I took a sabbatical from work and spent each morning writing and rewriting. For that book, I had the advantage of my wife, a linguist, serving as my capable editor. For all my books, my professional proofreaders, designers, and production colleagues at MGI helped get them to market. I have found technology increasingly helpful. Grammarly catches typos and grammar issues. More recently, I have used ChatGPT to challenge my assumptions with prompts like, ‘What would a critical reviewer see as weaknesses in this chapter?”

Publishing your book involves an additional step. I have been very satisfied with printing and distributing my books through Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing. Other authors I know have used subsidy publishers for a fee to help with their books. Of course, you can also submit your book to a traditional publisher to leverage their prestige, production, and distribution services.

Writing a book can feel overwhelming, but viewing it as a process helps. More often, it unfolds over years of learning, gathering ideas, and organizing what you have discovered into something worth sharing. If you have been thinking, “Someday, I should write that book,” my encouragement is simple: start. Capture your ideas, outline your thoughts, and begin developing blog posts, articles, and presentations. You may find that what feels ordinary to you could be exactly the wisdom someone else needs.

The Evolution from Transactional to Relationship Marketing

 

In a recent interview, I was asked what the biggest change I have seen in marketing over my 40-year career has been.

Most people expect the answer to be technology. There’s no question these changes have been dramatic. We’ve added email to direct mail and digital ads to print advertising, and now we are seeing the impact of AI. But those are really changes in tools, not necessarily in marketing philosophy.

The more meaningful shift has been in how we think about marketing. The biggest change has been moving from a transactional strategy to a relationship-driven one over time.

For my association friends who have worked in membership marketing for many years, this shift to a relationship model is not new. However, for the vast majority of companies and organizations, marketing for many years was largely about closing a sale. The objective was straightforward: get someone to buy a plane ticket, put items in a grocery cart, take out a loan, or hire you for a project. Once that transaction was complete, you were back on the treadmill, seeking the next customer.

Today, the goal is different. The focus is on turning that first transaction into an ongoing relationship that continues to create value over time. The relationship might take the form of a subscription, a membership, a service agreement, or a retainer. The terminology varies, but the underlying idea is the same. By moving away from constantly finding new customers and instead building a base of customers who choose to stay with you.

The reason this shift matters so much comes down to economics. In marketing, we often talk about lifetime value, which represents the total revenue a customer generates over time. When a customer stays with you for several years, it changes how you think about everything. You can invest more in acquiring that customer because the long-term return is significantly higher. You are encouraged to continue developing new products and services to enhance the relationship. It also creates a level of financial stability and predictability that simply is not possible when every interaction is treated as a one-time event.

For businesses trying to apply this idea, the starting point is not complicated, but it does require a shift in thinking. It begins with asking a simple question: What ongoing value can I provide that would encourage a customer to stay connected with me?

Different organizations now answer that question in different ways. An HVAC company offers a maintenance plan. A consultant works on a retainer. Airlines and hotels build loyalty programs. Warehouse clubs and online retailers create memberships. Credit unions build multifaceted financial engagements. In each case, the organization gives the customer a reason to continue the relationship.

When that value is structured properly, the customer benefits just as much. I have experienced this in several ways. I appreciate that with a loyalty program, I can walk past the counter and go straight to my rental car. As a consultant, I have seen how a retainer eliminates the need for repeated RFPs and allows work to begin more quickly and effectively. Like many people, I value the peace of mind that comes from knowing that, when I have a flat tire or a dead battery on a dark and stormy night, I can call AAA for help.

One of the clearest expressions of this shift is the membership model. Whether formal or informal, membership represents an ongoing connection between a customer and an organization. As Robbie Kellman Baxter writes in The Membership Economy, organizations that fail to think this way miss a significant opportunity for loyalty, referrals, and long-term growth. Look in your wallet for evidence of this relational shift. You will likely find cards for memberships, loyalty programs, and subscriptions you participate in.

Of course, building relationships intentionally requires more than a good idea. It requires a system. Over the years, I have found it helpful to think of the stages of building a relationship as a lifecycle. It begins with awareness, helping people gain a share of mind about who you are and the value you offer. But today, awareness goes both ways. It’s not just about them knowing you; it’s also about you knowing them by offering content, free samples, or a quote on your website to encourage an opt-in and continue the conversation. 

From there comes the initial purchase, which still relies on many of the same marketing practices, like testing offers, messages, channels, and timing. But the real shift occurs after that first transaction. That’s where engagement comes into play. This is where the relationship begins to take shape, as you deliver value like helpful information, discounts, and priority service that encourages the customer to stay involved.

Over time, this leads to renewal, in which those in a relationship with you decide to continue and make subsequent purchases. This is where the economics become especially compelling. Retaining an existing customer is far more efficient than acquiring a new one. Finally, as in any relationship, there may be a time when it ends or is paused. However, because you have the contact information and a wealth of purchasing history, you have the information needed for a meaningful outreach through a winback effort. Former members and subscribers often represent one of the most overlooked marketing opportunities for an organization.

If there’s one lesson I’ve learned from the past four decades, it’s this: marketing is no longer just about making a sale. It’s about building a relationship. The tools will continue to change. Technology will continue to evolve. But the organizations that succeed will be those that focus on creating ongoing value and maintaining meaningful connections with the people they serve.

A simple place to start is to look at your current customers and ask: How can I give them a reason to stay? That question, more than anything else, is where relationship marketing begins.

Additional membership guidance can be found in the books The Seven Deadly Sins of Membership Marketing and Membership Recruitment. Both are now available on Amazon.

 

Two Levers Driving Membership Marketing Success

Two of the most important levers in membership marketing are frequency—how often you communicate with your audience—and reach—how many people your marketing touches. The way these two levers are managed in membership marketing efforts will determine whether marketing results succeed or fall short.

The Rule of 7, for example, emphasizes the importance of frequency. It holds that prospects often need to see a message multiple times before taking action. Reach, by contrast, aims to increase the number of prospects exposed to your marketing. Even a powerful message can't drive growth if only a small share of your audience ever sees it.

Growth occurs when both levers move in the right direction at the same time. Associations that communicate frequently and expand their prospect base build greater familiarity and impact. The challenge is maintaining both consistently, especially given limited time and resources.

Why Frequency Matters

Recently, an organization contacted a highly qualified list of prospects with whom they had no prior relationship. To engage the audience, they offered a free webinar on a popular topic. The results showed that 99.5 percent of recipients did not respond to the offer. This is not unusual. Marketing success rarely happens after just one impression.

However, repeated contact builds recognition and credibility. From my experience, I have consistently observed this pattern in marketing campaigns. Combining multiple emails and direct mail touches to a potential member, for example, yields a better return on investment than fewer interactions. Each additional, well-timed message boosts response rates without overwhelming the audience.

Membership, after all, is built on relationships, and relationships rely on consistent communication. The more often prospects and members hear from you in meaningful ways, the more likely they are to join, stay engaged, or renew. Associations that maintain a steady rhythm of communication typically see increased engagement and better retention.

For example, some associations still rely on just a few renewal messages or a short campaign period. However, data consistently show that successful renewal programs involve multiple outreach efforts, usually six to eight contacts, across different channels like email, mail, phone calls, and digital ads.

This does not mean sending the same message repeatedly. Frequency should be balanced with relevance and timing. Marketing automation also helps organizations personalize their outreach, ensuring that frequent communication remains valuable rather than becoming repetitive.

Why Reach Matters

If frequency measures how often your message goes to your target audience, reach measures the depth or volume of your audience. It indicates the total number of people exposed to your message who have the chance to respond. Even with compelling content, strong offers, and great creative, marketing won't drive growth if too few people see it.

Many associations excel at creative execution and channel strategy, yet still miss their membership goals because their campaigns simply do not reach enough of the market. Growth requires scale.

Expanding reach starts with investment. Associations that steadily grow their membership allocate resources to increase visibility across multiple channels and attract new audiences beyond their existing database.

Consider these methods for expanding reach:

• Renting or Leasing Third-Party Lists: Target new audiences that mirror your best members using industry directories, publication subscriber files, or membership lists of allied associations.
• Partnerships and Co-Marketing: Work with allied organizations to reach their audience through joint webinars, content sharing, or promotional exchanges.
• Digital Advertising: Use online display, paid social, search engine marketing, and retargeting to find new prospects worldwide who may not be in your existing files.

Effectively managing reach means tracking how many new prospects you engage over time. Metrics such as impressions, clicks, and inquiries provide insight into visibility, while database growth and cost per acquisition indicate the efficiency of your efforts. Successful programs typically cast a wide net and then refine targeting through segmentation and analytics.

Balancing Frequency and Reach

Too little frequency causes prospects to forget that you exist. Too little reach means too few prospects hear your message. However, because going deeper into a target market by reaching out to more prospects requires larger budgets and may initially produce lower response rates, reach is typically where associations miss the mark.

Growth ultimately demands reaching more prospects. Consider the math:

• A 5% response rate to a list of 1,000 prospects yields 50 new members.
• A 1% response rate to a list of 100,000 prospects yields 1,000 new members.

A larger audience, even with lower response rates, can produce dramatically better results.

Increasing reach happens gradually by testing new segments, lists, and methods outside of your existing database to discover and develop relationships with those who have never been members or customers.

At its core, membership marketing focuses on staying visible and earning recognition from a wide audience. The organizations that succeed are those that reach broadly and communicate consistently.

This article is an excerpt from the upcoming book, Membership Marketing from A to Z. Additional membership guidance can be found in the books The Seven Deadly Sins of Membership Marketing and Membership Recruitment. Both are now available on Amazon. 

My Go-To Association Growth Strategies

 

Year after year, association leaders face consistent pressure to expand membership, increase meeting attendance, and grow product sales. Without growth, their association may face stagnation and decline.

Having consulted with organizations on growth strategies, I have relied on the insights of several outstanding writers and thinkers to guide me. Here are some of the strategies I find most helpful in establishing and maintaining association resiliency.

Remove Growth Barriers with Systems Thinking

I have encountered associations over the years where warning signs are evident. Perhaps new member input is decreasing, or attendance at meetings is dropping. Peter Senge's insights on systems thinking address these issues. In his book The Fifth Discipline, he states that growth naturally occurs; however, when it slows down or stops, identifying and taking targeted actions to remove a specific barrier to growth offers a high-impact opportunity for change.

When it comes to an association, Senge recommends that an organization step back from addressing symptoms and instead focus on the bigger picture. For example, rather than reacting to a drop in new member numbers by pushing harder, Senge advises examining the entire system to identify one or two specific obstacles causing the decline. The systemic barrier to more new members might be an unclear value proposition, a lack of testing new messages, or an overreliance on email rather than other channels. A systems-thinking approach emphasizes identifying and addressing a specific obstacle to create meaningful change.

In my book, The Seven Deadly Sins of Membership Marketing, I identify the common systemic obstacles that prevent associations from increasing their membership. 

Foster Continuous Innovation

Unlike groups facing declines, many associations continue to grow steadily. Their challenge is not primarily to address obstacles but rather to foster a culture that encourages and sustains innovation. 

Matt Ridley provides practical advice on innovation in his book How Innovation Works and Why It Flourishes in Freedom. He shares guidance that I follow for the process of ongoing improvement. Here are three Ridley-inspired innovation principles that directly relate to associations.

1.      Innovation arises from trial and error. A strong foundation in marketing involves maintaining a continuous testing strategy. Some tests will succeed, while others may flop. Innovation requires accepting a certain level of failure. For example, Thomas Edison conducted 6,000 tests before discovering the right filament for the lightbulb. For membership, this might mean regularly adjusting and improving your renewal system or experimenting with a new marketing channel.

2.      Innovation often occurs by combining existing components. Mixing and matching can be one of the most effective ways to create new solutions. For example, associations might establish a tiered membership structure by adding existing products or services to create a new gold-level membership category that enhances member value and increases revenue for the organization.

3.      Innovation depends on teamwork. Collaborating and gathering input from others with specialized knowledge and skills fosters new ideas. Ask your customer service team what they are hearing from members. Get the latest tech solutions from your IT team. And go beyond your organization to connect with other membership professionals, consultants, and suppliers to gain fresh ideas and insights.

Follow a Proven Growth Playbook

Checklists help ensure you cover all growth opportunities. That's why I use the list provided by Michael Treacy in his book Double-Digit Growth. He outlines five specific disciplines that an organization can follow to establish and accelerate growth. These include:

1.      Preserve the growth you've already achieved. For an association, this involves retaining the members you have worked hard to attract through engagement and an effective renewal system. Associations generally excel at this. The median renewal rate reported in our 2025 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report stands at 84 percent.

2.      Capture business from your competitors. Associations now face increased competition from other associations, for-profit companies, the internet, and even AI. Treacy’s point is that it may be time to actively pursue sales from these rivals. Associations can differentiate themselves through effective marketing and by serving member needs as information curators and conveners of professionals and businesses.

3.      Show up where growth happens. In nearly every industry, some individuals and companies are pioneering new ideas and innovations. Associations that can identify and connect with these key players can benefit from their ideas and successes. Find and engage the innovators and leaders in your industry or field.

4.      Expand into nearby markets. Market expansion has long been a proven growth strategy. In my book, Membership Recruitment, I share examples of associations that use this approach to grow. A notable example is AARP, which shifted from being a teacher-focused organization to serving all retired adults and eventually opening to everyone 18 years of age or older.

5.      Invest in new lines of business. Product line extensions—adding exciting new resources and services—boost the usefulness and appeal of an association. An example of a highly successful one is the American Association of Airport Executives, as highlighted in my book, Membership Recruitment. It has grown to a $100 million budget largely through introducing new products.

These three thinkers—Senge, Ridley, and Treacy—continue to influence my approach to association growth. Their ideas serve as a reminder that lasting success isn’t achieved through quick fixes but through systems thinking, fostering a culture of experimentation, and maintaining a disciplined growth mindset. Whether your association faces challenges or is experiencing a wave of success, applying these principles can help ensure you stay relevant, resilient, and prepared for what’s ahead.

The Membership Renewal Checklist for Uncertain Times

Reports from clients and our recent Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report check-in survey point to a growing concern—renewal rates are showing signs of softening for many professional and trade associations.

While you can’t control economic shifts or budget tightening among employers and individuals, you can control how prepared your renewal program is to retain as many members as possible.

Here’s a renewal readiness checklist to help you safeguard membership against the headwinds of change.

[ ]  Know Your Numbers – The most critical first step to improving your renewal efforts is to accurately track your renewal rates to identify and solve a decline. Here is the formula to calculate your renewal rate:

Calculation: Total Number of Members Today (minus 12 months of new members) / Total Number of Members in the Previous Year
Example: (105 – 15) / 100 = 90% Renewal Rate

[ ]  Understand the Problem – You cannot solve a problem that you do not understand. So, before making significant changes to your renewal program, talk to the members who have lapsed to find out why they left. Was it engagement, cost, or did they forget to renew? Insights from lapsed members will guide where to focus improvements.

[ ] Start Efforts Earlier – Budgets are being scrutinized more closely than ever by employers and individuals. This review period has extended the decision timeline. Initiating renewals sooner allows members to obtain approval and make adjustments to their personal budgets.  

[ ] Offer Payment Options – Most AMS systems now support a variety of payment methods, including installment payments and automatic credit card renewals. Members who use these options often have renewal rates up to ten points higher than those paying annually.

[ ] Increase Frequency and Channels – One of the main reasons members don't renew is because they say, “I forgot." Recent client research indicates that many lapsed members believed they were still active members. Increasing the number of touches will get attention for your renewal message. Using multiple touches, including email, print, phone, and digital ads, will make your message impossible to miss.

[ ] Conduct Renewal Tests – A changing environment requires a focus on continuous improvement and agility. Your renewal program serves as an ideal testing lab to determine which messages, timing, payment options, and offers will maximize response.

In the short term, prioritizing renewal efforts is more cost-effective than recruiting new members. Most studies show it costs five times more to acquire a new member than to keep an existing one. Future growth still depends on adding new members; however, focusing on your renewal strategy during uncertain times helps you maintain your current membership levels. 

Check out these additional resources: The Membership Renewal Guide provides more insights on renewal solutions, and the book, The Seven Deadly Sins of Membership Marketing, helps associations overcome membership growth barriers. 

From Growth to Caution: Mid-Year Membership Trends

 

Traditionally, association membership totals and renewals are a lagging indicator of economic and social shifts. Members join for a full year, so reporting changes typically are delayed from more real-time indicators.

However, this year could be different. In response to questions from association executives shared on social media and discussions with membership staff, we heard concerns about their membership numbers. To gain more clarity, we conducted a mid-year survey based on our regular questions from the annual Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report. We wanted to see if these anecdotal experiences were becoming a trend.

In our July survey, we asked how membership has changed over the past six months. Specifically, we inquired whether membership numbers increased or decreased and whether renewal rates went up or down.

The data that came back surprised us.  

Total Membership: A Noticeable Drop in Growth

When comparing responses from January to July, we see a notable change. As the chart below shows, the percentage of associations reporting increases in membership dropped from 45 percent to 36 percent, while those reporting a decline rose from 26 percent to 36 percent.

Renewal Rates: Fewer Gains, More Losses

We see similar patterns in renewal rates from our 6-month survey. As the chart shows, associations reporting an increase in renewal rates dropped from 25 percent to 14 percent, while those reporting a decline went up from 27 percent to 37 percent.

New Member Acquisition: Fading Momentum

Another concern is the decline in new member acquisition. Only 38 percent of survey respondents said their new member input had increased, down from 47 percent in January. And, as the chart indicates, 23 percent noted that new member acquisition has decreased.

How Should We Interpret the Data?

When comparing data from any research, it's important to include qualifications and context. First, our July survey involved fewer participants and had a shorter response period compared to our large annual benchmarking study. Second, the time of year can affect responses, as some associations experience a decrease in membership during the slower summer months. Still, the overall trend across three key indicators—total membership, renewals, and new member input—suggests that something significant may be happening.

Looking Ahead and Planning

The numbers don’t yet indicate a crisis, but they do raise valid concerns. We can all speculate about the potential causes behind these declining membership numbers, but more importantly, associations might want to consider how to address these possible challenges highlighted by the data by exploring some supplemental membership strategies. Some options could include:

•        Revisit recruitment messaging and offers based on new challenges to the industry or profession.
•        Re-engage lapsed members to highlight the support available from the association.
•        Create new content such as articles, reports, and webinars to help members navigate industry-specific challenges.

Most importantly, this is a time to research and listen closely to members and prospects to better understand their concerns and evolving needs.

 

“I Forgot”, Confusion about Membership Status

 Research results often contain a big surprise for association executives. Usually, in surveys, we ask respondents to share their membership status, even though we know from the client’s files who is and is not active.

We find that current members often don't realize they are members, and former members and prospects usually mistakenly believe they still are.

Here is not an atypical outcome for one association when asked in a survey about their membership status.

•    85 percent of current members identified themselves as members of the surveying association. 
•     23 percent of former members maintained that their membership was current.
•    15 percent of never members reported that they were current members of the association.

On a larger scale, we also observe some confusion with members regarding renewals. According to results in the Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report, one of the top reasons that members do not continue with the organization is that they “Forgot to renew.”

These challenges hinder growth opportunities by allowing current and potential members to slip out of a relationship with the association.

How to Overcome Member Status Confusion?

There is a tendency to believe that members lapse, and prospects do not join because they have evaluated your organization and found it lacking. However, there is some good news in this confusion about membership status. Because it also means that a significant portion of members and prospective members are willing to identify with your organization and want to be viewed as part of the community.

What may be missing for associations that encounter this type of challenge is a lack of clarity and frequency in communications.

Clarity of Communications

In any communication effort, the most critical question to answer is “What do you want me to do?” The call to action must stand out, whether you're asking a prospect to join or a member to renew their membership. For example, when it comes to clarity in communication, one of our most effective messages used to reconnect with former members in reinstatement marketing clearly defines their status. The opening line for many of our Winback communications is, “We compared your name against a roster of current members and found that your membership was no longer active.”

Frequency of Communications

An insufficient frequency of contact can also lead to misunderstandings about membership status. Relying solely on emails for renewals, which may end up in spam folders or be ignored, can result in members missing their expiration dates. Instead, increasing the frequency of contact by using additional channels, such as direct mail, online ads, and telemarketing, helps ensure that members are more likely to make a decision about renewing their membership.

Telemarketing, for example, as a final touchpoint, can break through the clutter and motivate members to decide whether to join or not. In one recent program, the association found that after all their renewal efforts, a call convinced over 35 percent of lapsing members to renew.

Life for most of us is hectic and complex. Many find it hard to keep track of their connections, responsibilities, and deadlines. Members of an association are no different. As the data shows, many members do not realize their membership status and often neglect to take the necessary steps to stay members. Understanding member behavior and adjusting communication strategies accordingly will reduce confusion and help grow membership.

Highlights from the 2025 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report

The 2025 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report—now in its 17th year—has just been released, offering a fresh look at the opportunities and challenges facing associations today.

Key highlights include membership growth trends, uncertainty surrounding association’s value proposition, generational shifts, dues increases, and successes in innovation.

Sustained Membership Growth Trends

The report’s headline highlights that we continue to see many more associations with an increase in membership counts than those with a decline. This year, 45 percent of association executives report an increase in membership over the past year. In our nearly two decades of reporting, we have witnessed only two years with more associations experiencing membership declines than increases.

Nevertheless, despite continued gains, these results show a moderation in the percentage of associations reporting growth, down from 47 percent in the 2024 report and 49 percent in the 2023 report.

Value Proposition Uncertainty

Defining and communicating their value proposition remains a challenge for some associations. This year’s data highlights that only 11 percent of respondents believe their association offers a very compelling value proposition. This percentage represents a decline from 13 percent in the previous two reports. Still, 46 percent of associations offer a compelling value proposition. 

Generational Shifts

The necessity and opportunity to reach younger generations remain a priority for associations. The good news is that we have tracked generational changes with IMOs over the past five reports. The data continue to show that younger generations are gradually becoming a larger portion of the membership, while Baby Boomers are in decline.

·       Millennials now represent 25 percent of members (up from 21 percent since 2020)

·       Baby Boomers have declined to 27 percent (down from 32 percent in 2023)

·       Gen Z holds steady at 11 percent

These shifts signal both a challenge and an opportunity for associations to retool their offerings and engagement models.

Dues Increases

A total of 49 percent of associations raised dues in the past year. This outcome represents a slight decrease from the 51 percent increase in dues reported in the 2024 report. Trade associations led the way, with 59 percent increasing their dues rates.

The decision process on when to raise dues varies. Many associations only raise dues as needed (38 percent), although this percentage has dropped considerably compared to previous years (51 percent in the 2024 report and 55 percent in the 2023 report).

A total of 47 percent of associations automatically raise dues on a regular schedule.

Innovative Successes

Association executives shared many innovations they have implemented over the past year to strengthen their organization. Approximately two in five associations say innovations come from developing new membership benefits to create more value for members and prospects.

Additionally, associations report increasingly relying on digital marketing tools. The most popular tools used by associations include:

·       LinkedIn Ads (41%)

·       Google/Bing Search Ads (36%)

·       Facebook Ads (35%)

Associations also noted an increased usage of AI in their marketing efforts.

·       18 percent are actively using AI (up from 11 percent in 2024)

·       13 percent are in the process of implementation (up from 7 percent)

These are just a few of the insights from the full 80-page report. You’ll find deeper analysis, trends by association type, and actionable ideas to strengthen your recruitment, retention, and engagement efforts. 

You can access the report with this link.

 

Total Quality Marketing: Launch Fast and Learn Fast for Membership Growth

Edwards Deming is recognized as the father of Total Quality Management (TQM) owing to his significant influence on quality manufacturing and management practices. Deming's principles focused on continuous improvement, which he defined as Plan, Do, Study, and Act (PDSA).

The concept of PDSA also has the powerful potential to influence marketing. Many organizations face two challenges when marketing their membership or products and services. The first challenge is getting started. As I have met with associations struggling with their marketing, I have found that, in some cases, they lack a plan or a clear strategy. The second significant impediment is that they spend so much time planning and attempting to build consensus or create a perfect plan that it delays or prevents marketing from happening. I refer to the last issue as the paralysis of analysis.

I remember chatting with a friend at an association event whose organization struggles with perfection. She served as marketing director at a trade association and shared her frustration with getting approval for a membership recruitment program. After several plans were turned down, she proposed buying pizza for her colleagues and having them call prospective members. However, the CEO shut down even this effort because he worried a staff member might not say the right thing to a prospect.

Adopting a PDSA framework for marketing can provide a solution to avoid some of these pitfalls. Much like its application in process improvement, this structured approach to planning, testing, and refining efforts encourages action while lowering risk through incremental phases and learning.

Here is how a PDSA approach can effectively be implemented in an association marketing context.

The Plan Phase

The "Plan" stage involves creating a concise yet well-defined marketing plan to expedite program deployment. Some organizations limit their plan to one or two pages. This format is especially appropriate because it allows the organization to be agile and rapidly adjust based on the results. The plan should answer the following questions.

•            WHO is the target market?

•            WHAT is the membership offer?

•            HOW will membership be promoted?

•            WHAT is the message?

•            WHY does the plan make economic sense?

The Do Phase

After completing the Plan phase, it's time to "Do" – to deploy the marketing effort. The Do stage represents a testing phase that gathers feedback from the marketplace using a limited budget. A/B testing of offers, messages, and channels will enhance the learning outcomes from this step. The promotions are targeted at a subset of potential prospects in the association's database who have an existing or previous relationship with the organization. Because of this relationship, the association can utilize most marketing channels—email, direct mail, digital ads, and telemarketing—for these initial tests.

The Study Phase

With the next step of "Study," each executed action is evaluated to see what worked and what did not perform well. The Study phase allows you to optimize the plan and strategies for the future. At this stage, some critical questions are:

•            WHAT was the Cost Per Acquisition (CPA)?

•            WHICH prospect segments performed best?

•            HOW did messages resonate with the audience?

•            HOW MUCH is the Lifetime Value of respondents?

The Act Phase

Finally, in the "Act" phase, the plan is updated and adapted based on the findings from the Study phase and then redeployed. Since the initial testing mitigated some marketing risks, this step will likely enable a larger budget and a broader audience reach. However, PDSA does not end at the Act stage. Instead, it supports a continuous loop of testing, evaluation, and execution. Marketing is an iterative process, and an embedded PDSA structure forces this orientation.

Why should an association adopt a PDSA model? Utilizing the PDSA methodology enables organizations to achieve maximum learning with minimal effort and expense, reducing time to market while gathering feedback quickly. It helps alleviate the fear of failure and turns the focus to learning. By embedding PDSA into your marketing, you can overcome hesitation, launch more innovative campaigns, and continually refine your approach.