Asking former members to come back serves as one of the biggest missed opportunities in membership marketing.
Many associations devote significant
resources to recruiting brand-new members while making only one or two attempts
to reconnect with members who have already experienced the value of the
organization. Yet former members are often among the most responsive audiences.
As one membership consultant observed: "When a member leaves, it doesn't
mean goodbye forever. Members who have walked away may be the easiest ones to
get back."[1]
The following winback strategy is adapted
from my new book, Membership Marketing
from A to Z.
Why Winback
Strategies Matter
A disciplined winback program restores lost
members and revenue while providing insight into why members may not have
renewed. A winback strategy targets former members who, for a variety of
reasons, have ended their relationship with the association. In many ways, it
is a form of re-recruitment. Unlike prospects who have never been members,
former members already understand your organization and have experienced its
value. This familiarity reduces the cost and effort required to bring them back
into the fold. As a result, winback campaigns consistently deliver higher
response rates and stronger ROI than traditional recruitment efforts. One
study, the Customer Winback Benchmarking Study, found that, on average, 26
percent of past customers returned as a result of winback campaigns.[2]
Of course, some members who lapse will never
return, regardless of the winback strategies applied. However, a large portion
of members who leave do so for issues that can be addressed. When we examine
open-ended survey responses from expired members, a more nuanced and complex
picture emerges. Associations that hear directly from lapsed members often find
that they left for reasons unrelated to the association's products and
services. Here are some edited open-ended survey responses.
- My employer
stopped paying for the membership.
- I am retired
and didn’t see an affordable option.
- I am in between
jobs.
- Lacked the time
to participate.
- Had difficulty renewing
on the website.
- Experienced a family
emergency.
- We alternate
membership among colleagues.
- I thought I did
renew.
One research report from ASAE affirms this, noting
that “Respondents who reported having dropped their membership. . . indicate
their reason had more to do with career and other life changes than with the
performance of the association.” [3]
These responses point to an important truth: many
lapses are situational, not permanent, and they create avenues for
re-engagement.
One association's winback effort highlights
the opportunity to reconnect with former members. This large healthcare
association discovered this by testing a telemarketing campaign targeting
recently lapsed members. Some staff doubted they could reach these members, as
they were busy professionals often screened by gatekeepers who could intercept
calls. Others worried that members would resent hearing from the association
after they left. Despite these concerns, the association decided to test the
program. The results surprised the membership team. Of former members reached
by phone, 42 percent agreed to renew their membership. The program achieved an
ROI of $1 in costs to generate $6.70 in dues revenue. Along with the successful
results, the association gathered feedback to update its records and better
understand the reasons for lapsing, such as retirement and job changes. The
campaign demonstrated that a winback effort can produce exceptional returns
when executed with the right message and channel.
Not every winback effort will yield such impressive
results, but the example shows that former members present a significant
opportunity to grow membership economically.
Designing an Effective Winback
Strategy
Despite these potential returns, many
associations give up on former members. That is a mistake. People and their
professional roles, financial situations, and organizational needs change. With
a thoughtful, ongoing outreach strategy, many associations successfully
reconnect with former members even years after they lapse.
Steps
to establish a winback strategy include identifying the concerns and reasons
members left the association and implementing a specific plan to bring them
back.
·
Seek First
to Understand: Renew the relationship by asking former members why they left and
whether there is a way for the association to help them return. Then respond to
their specific concerns or challenges.
·
Multi-Channel
Campaigns: Reach beyond their email inbox to re-engage former members
through a combination of channels, including mail, digital, phone, and ringless
voicemail.
·
Special
Offers: Create an incentive to lower cost
barriers with offers like discounted reinstatement dues or payment options to encourage
them to give the association’s value another try.
·
Messaging: Focus on appreciation and the benefit of
community. Remind them of the value they received and what’s new since they
left. A message might read: “We miss you! A lot has changed, and we’d love for
you to be part of us again.”
·
Timing
and Frequency: Launch
campaigns shortly after expiration or the grace period has ended. Consider
reaching out at least every three months. Persistence pays off.
·
Use
Data: Target your efforts by analyzing
past member engagement. Members who attended events, downloaded resources, or
served on committees may be more likely to return.
·
Test: Try different approaches by building a winback
program that continually improves through testing and refinement.
Winback campaigns are often overlooked, yet
they are among the most efficient ways to drive membership growth. Former
members already understand your mission and value, making them far more
receptive than cold prospects.
Effective winback strategies recognize that
members do not always leave because they are dissatisfied. Life changes,
budgets shift, and priorities evolve. By approaching former members with
empathy, providing clear reminders of value, offering incentives, and
maintaining persistent, multi-channel outreach, associations can reopen the
door to membership.
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