Membership Retention & Engagement Toolkit

2024

Best Practices and Systems that will GetYour Members to Stay!

Ohio Chamber of Commerce | 34 S. Third Street, Suite 100 Columbus, OH 43215

Table of Contents

Introduction.....................................03 Initial Onboarding Month 1............04 Member Care Months 2-5................08 Care Review Month 6.......................12 Review Year 1....................................16 Retention & Renewals......................19 Never Say Goodbye...........................27 Templates and Resources.................29

Introduction

Membership is the foundation of your organization and should be handled with care. Without a solid foundation, your organization will crumble. This toolkit has been designed based upon the best practices that have proven to be effective at retaining members and making sure that each member is seeing their investment at work. It also offers the opportunity to help guide in the design of your toolkit.

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." - Maya Angelou

Questions? Send them to senior director of member engagement & association management, Candace Frank at cfrank@ohiochamber.com or by calling 614-629-0922.

Initial Onboarding Month 1

Onboarding • Membership Dues Received ◦ Respond with a welcome to

set-up an onboarding meeting virtually or in person.

• Meeting Set ◦ Have onboarding document ready with all appropriate questions that assist in the process of the conversation. Make the most of this time. • Meeting Day ◦ Do a little prep work before hand. Know enough about them to ask the right

TIPS & Questions

What questions do you ask your members in the beginning that will allow you to show value?

What does your onboarding process look like?

Don't hesitate to meet in person if the opportunity presents itself. This is the opportunity to build a stronger partnership.

questions and fill in the blanks for engagement making sure that you are showing them value.

NOTES :

Start off on the right foot. Be timely, proactive, and extremely responsive. Avoid coming across as your average day spam artist. Respectfully spread out communcations.

Follow-up & Action Items

The meeting is over, but it does not stop there. Here is really when that member is counting on you to come through and show them their investment.

• Post Meeting ◦ Now that the meeting is over and you have gathered your notes from the conversation, organize your notes and thoughts and make things happen. • Follow-up ◦ So that the member knows that you heard them, create an email breakdown of all benefits discussed. Break it out line by line and copy all relevant parties and colleagues. • Action Items ◦ Within 24-48 hours send over the email that you have created with all action items for the member to review and to provide feedback on. This may seem repetative but it shows that you heard them. • Formal Introductions ◦ You are most likely not the only internal resource your member will need. Be sure to make formal introductions to others relevant to the investment.

TIPS & Questions:

Don't forget to track communications back to their member account. Don't assume that a member is happy until you have accomplished all action items and have received their final feedback. How does your chamber track each member's progress and next steps?

NOTES :

1 Month Checklist:

Welcome Meeting and Call Post a welcome message to social media, website, etc. Welcome new members in your newsletter Action Item Email Sent Action Items Complete and/or Underway Set-up Access to Member Portal If filling a board seat, all steps complete.

Member Care Months 2-5

Connect

• Send an Email ◦ A quick note letting them know that you are checking

in makes them feel important to your organization.

• Pick-up the Phone ◦ Starting to feel old fashioned but you would be surprised how much a member appreciates a phone call that is simply to check-in and is not a collections call. • Go for a Visit ◦ Always make the effort to go to your member. There is no better way to understand a member's connection to the economy and what they may be facing. • Positive News ◦ Connect with your member organizations and recognize them for the work they are doing for the community.

TIPS & Questions

Ask yourself, what does connecting with your members look like. Is it individually, is it meetings, is it one direction communications? Are you doing enough or too little? What is your organization's best practices?

Never stop looking at what works and does not work.

NOTES :

"Eighty percent of sucess is showing up." - Woody Allen

Engage

The act of engaging is not enough, it is knowing and calculating their history of engagement as well.

• Review Activity ◦ Make it a point to review and monitor each new member's activity. Are they jumping right in or do you need to guide and offer suggestions for engagement. • Creativity ◦ Never be afraid to step outside of your typical benefit offerings. Every member is • Reminders of Opportunity ◦ We work with busy professionals where their top priorities are not their chamber. This is the reality, so be front and center to remind them of opportunity and benefits. • More is Better ◦ Never forget to involve as many people from that organization as you can. All should be included. Contacts, contacts, contacts! different and may wish to partner in other ways that are not our standard offerings.

Questions:

What are ways in which you engage with your members outside of your standard offerings? Are you reveiwing your standard offerings each year in order to keep up with change and need?

NOTES :

2-5 Month Checklist:

1-2 Virtual Touch Points Complete Attend Member Events if Available Member is Participating in Opportunities Onsite Visit Complete New Company Contacts Added/Updated with Portal Access

Care Review Month 6

Care Review Meeting

• Meeting Set ◦ Have engagement

document ready with all appropriate questions that assist in the process of the conversation. Make the most of this time. • Meeting Day ◦ Do a little prep work before hand. Update yourself with

TIPS & Questions

What questions do you ask your members 6 months in? Dive deeper than the onboarding. Show you care and continue to keep them engaged.

what has been going on with the organization. Do they have staff changes, new policy needs, etc.

NOTES :

Expect the unexpected in this meeting but enter on a positive front prepared for any conversation.

• Post Meeting ◦ Now that the meeting is over and you have gathered your notes from the conversation, organize your notes and thoughts and make things happen. • Follow-up ◦ So that the member knows that you heard them, create an email breakdown of all benefits discussed. Break it out line by line and copy all relevant parties and colleagues. • Action Items ◦ Within 24-48 hours send over the email that you have created with all action items for the member to review and to provide feedback on. This may seem repetative but it shows that you heard them. Follow-up & Action Items to Care Review Repetative of Onboarding but it works!

The meeting is over, but it does not stop there. Here is really when that member is counting on you to come through and show them their investment.

TIPS & Questions:

Gauge their interest and involvement at this point. It is a good sign of whether they will renew in 6 months. Does your organization check-in on a regular basis with new members in their first year? What is the right amount of touch points?

• Formal Introductions ◦ You are most likely not the only

internal resource your member will need. Be sure to make formal introductions to others relevant to the investment.

NOTES :

6 Month Checklist:

Care Review Meeting Complete New Action Items Email Sent and Underway Update Account with any Changes New Contacts and Portal Access

1 Year Review

• Outreach & Survey ◦ Your new member has arrived at their 1 year anniversary with the chamber. It's time for a productive survey and conversation. • Reinvest ◦ Getting a member to reinvest after the first year is the hardest part. Once you make it past the first year, more likely to renew year after year. Make sure that you are getting a member to reinvest by continually investing in them. • Secure Renewal ◦ Start talking renewal and asking for commitment at least 60 days prior to their

TIPS & Questions

Make sure the survey provides valuable questions on how the chamber can do better. Do not waste your member's time with pointless questions. Simple and to the point. Example: 10 Questions give or take. What questions will you be asking your member at their 1 year mark? What conversations need to be had based upon their first year of engagement.

renewal date. Don't wait until they have lapsed. Never look like you only care about the incoming dues.

NOTES :

1 Year Checklist:

Outreach and Survey Reviewed All Benefits Renewal Secured

Retention & Renewals

Demonstrating Benefits/Retention Best Practices

Record preferences to accounts.

Show value added in all communications.

Call and/or email your members encouraging engagement opportunities.

Encourage profile accuracy.

Use reports.

Use your communication channels to remind members of all of their benefits.

Thank and recognize your members.

Connect to all relevant internal and external resources. 20

Successful Renewal & Follow-up

60-day communication before expiration, send a soft email/mailing simply to alert your member that their membership will soon be up for renewal. 30-day communication, email/mailing thanking and outlining benefits. Expiration Day communication, consider an email, mailing, and phone call. 30-days-past-due communication, send email, mailing letting members know that you are aware of their non-renewal and re-emphasize current benefits they will lose. 60-days-past-due communication, time for that call and/or meeting. 90-days-past-due communication, email and final notice with letter. 120-days-past-due communication, drop notification letter and/or email.

Renewal Countdown 60 Days 30 Days Expiration Day -30 Days -60 Days -90 Days -120 Days Deactivate

Email Best Practices

Be Cautious of certain words and characters.

Create a sense of urgency.

Place calls to acton in the top one third of your emails. Use a simple and clean layout.

Be clear about action items.

Make offers clear.

Mention a time line for follow through.

Be cautious of bounced emails.

Anytime you can send direct emails verses mass/group emails, do it.

Mail Best Practices

Ensure clarity.

Prevent misunderstandings.

Minimize errors.

Reduce liability issues.

Maximize efficiency.

Know your target audience.

Prevent return mail by keeping accurate records.

Respectfully display your branding.

Survey Best Practices

Conduct Short Surveys and polls.

Present long surveys less frequently.

Consider using the online survey process.

List membership benefits.

Don't assume members will automatically understand.

Help those who respond be specific.

Address negative feedback.

Offer incentives and experiment and learn from your surveys.

Finding the Right Database

• Compare top Customer Relationship Managment (CRM) systems or Association Management Systems (AMS) by scheduling demos to see software, researching reviews and user feedback, and by reaching out to other similar organizations. • Prioritize your requirements and budget. Always plan to double the estimated amount for customized systems. • Features to consider include but not limited to: automation, document management, campaign management, communication capabilities, customizations, integrations, lead generation, mobile access, reporting functions, sales forecasting, user friendliness, etc. • Mistakes to avoid: Not involving CRM users, ignoring business needs, implementing a CRM without a sales strategy, believing a high price equals a better fit.

• Set-up eye catching email templates that you can use for reoccuring communications. • Track all contacts whether they are members or not, the more contacts your organization has access to, the better. • Project templates, once created make it easy to automate tasks and recreate planned communications. • Connection and affiliations within your data are valuable when sending mass communications or targeted communications.

• Tracking revenue sources.

• Most importantly, tracking and monitoring retention for your organization.

Using Your Database

Never Say Goodbye

NOTES :

Non-Renewal

• Outreach & Survey ◦ An organization has

decided to not renew, still do the outreach and make sure to survey as to why they did not renew. ◦ Never Say Goodbye ▪ Treat a leaving member with the utmost respect as if they will remain a member. They are still a part of the community. They will always be a contact and parting on good terms means possible return in the future and/or a voice to guide new members in.

TIPS & Questions

Don't hesitate to negotiate. Find a way to keep a member.They are not just revenue to the chamber that add value and expertise. Needs have obviously changed. Dive into what is missing and what they need. What does your organization do for members who have decided to leave?

How is the situation handled?

Templates & Resources

New Member Onboarding Form

Company Name: Company Location:

International Presence: Meeting Date & Time: Expected 6-Month Care Review Date: Expected Onsite Visit Date:

Lead Name: Title:

Secondary Contact: Title:

1. Introductions (Answering the who, what, and how)

2. Investment goals and outcomes with chamber?

3. Are they eligible for a board spot? Yes or No

4. If yes, please advise to send details of person serving if known and other details required for serving.

5. Public policy issues the company may be facing an how the chamber can assist?

6. Public Policy Committee Selections?

7. Additional contacts for communications and other relevant benefits?

8. Who is the primary billing contact?

9. Who is the primary markting/communications contact?

8. Relevant attachments to include in action item email: a. Economic Study report b. Board Details if Applicable

c. Membership Binder d. New Member Survey

9. Company questions and/or concerns?

6 Month Care Review Form -Very similar to onboarding with minor tweaks.

Company Name: Meeting Date & Time: Expected 1 Year Review Date: Expected Onsite Visit Date:

Lead Name: Title:

Secondary Contact: Title:

1. Introductions (Answering the who, what, and how)

2. Investment goals and outcomes with chamber?

3. Are they eligible for a board spot? Yes or No

4. If yes, please advise to send details of person serving if known and other details required for serving.

5. Public policy issues the company may be facing an how the chamber can assist?

6. Public Policy Committee Selections?

7. Additional contacts for communications and other relevant benefits?

8. Who is the primary billing contact?

9. Who is the primary markting/communications contact?

8. Relevant attachments to include in action item email: a. Economic Study report b. Board Details if Applicable

c. Membership Binder d. New Member Survey

9. Company questions and/or concerns?

Action Email Example:

Subject: New Member Engagement Follow-up | Ohio Chamber of Commerce

Member Name, Thank you for your time yesterday. I greatly appreciated the conversation and I am looking forward to making sure that your organization begins to see the value of being a member of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. As discussed, I wanted to make sure that I was following up on all action items relative to your membership and our discussion.The following are items discussed and further steps are needed at this time: 1. Ohio Chamber of Commerce Board Seat a. Copying our secretary of the board so that she may further discuss items needed such as bio and headshot. 2. Public Policy Committees a. Please see attached Membership Binder on page 6 for details of all committees. b. These seats are open to anyone within your organization. c. The committees are hybrid and met quarterly. 3. Ohio Matters Magazine a. This is the opportunity to bring light to what your organization is doing for Ohio's economy. b. If you wish to discuss this further in detail and this opportunity, I am copying our director of communications to answer all questions. 4. Company Contacts and Communications a. If there are others within your organization that wish to recive benefits such as all communications, please provide their name, title, email, phone, and address (If Different). 5. Web Portal Login Details This is simply a summary of our current action items. Should you have questions or concerns, please let me know. I do look forward to hearing from you. Have a wonderful day and always happy to be a resource to you and your organziation.

Again, welcome to the Ohio Chamber of Commerce!

Best, Signature Line

How do you leave your member feeling positive about their investment? 32

2-5 Month Check-in Email Example:

Subject: Checking In | Ohio Chamber of Commerce

Good afternoon Member First Name, I want to begin by thanking you for your partnership and support. I am simply checking in to make sure that you are seeing your investment at work.The following are your current list of benefits:

(List Benefits)

Should you have questions and/or concerns, please feel free to let me know. I am happy to be a resource to you and your organization.

Thank you, Signature Line

6 Month Care Review Email Example:

Subject: Member Care Review | Ohio Chamber of Commerce

Good afternoon Member First Name, It has been 6 months since you have become a member of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce and we are appreciative of your partnership. I would like to check-in to make sure that you are content with your membership this far and if there is anything that I can do at this time. I would also be happy to set-up a call if you wish to discus or even meet in person. Please share your availability and I will be happy to schedule the opportunity to go over benefits and/or questions.

Thank you, Signature Line

1 Year Email Example:

Subject: 1Year Anniversary | Ohio Chamber of Commerce

Good afternoon Member First Name, It is hard to believe but your organization has reached it's 1 year mark with the Ohio Chamber of Commerce.We have appreciated your support this last year and are looking forward to continuing our partnership with your organization. With your organization making it to it's 1 year mark with the Ohio Chamber, it is important to us to hear your thoughts on your experience and if there are ways that we may improve your experience with the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. If you would give us a few minutes of your time by clicking the link below to fill out our online survey relative to your benefits, we would greatly appreciate it.This survey will also offer the opportunity to request a meeting with our engagement department should you wish to have a discussion around renewal and benefits. Insert Link for Survey)

Thank you for your support and engagement. I look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you, Signature Line Not Renewing Email Example:

Subject: Sorry to SeeYou Go | Ohio Chamber of Commerce

Good afternoon Member First Name, I know your organization has made the decision not to renew at this time but know that we have appreciated your partnership. It is important to note that the following benefits will be deactivated at this time. Should you have questions or concerns, please let me know. (Exit Survey Link) Wishing your organization all the best and happy to be a resource should you need us in the future.

Thank you, Signature Line

Survey Example Questions:

1. What is your role in the organization? 2. What are your goals for the company? 3. On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your onboarding experience with the chamber? 4. What benefits are you using most? 5. What benefits should we add? 6. What would motivate you to use _ more? 7. On a scale of 1-10, how interested are you in our current education offerings? 8. What topics do you want to see covered? 9. How many events have you attended in your first year? 10. Do you feel we offer enough networking opportunities? 11. Are you interested in offsite meetings? 12. Do you participate on our committees, if so what are we doing well and what can we do better? 13. What would make this kind of commitment easier for you. 14. How do you prefer to stay updated about meeting times and dates? 15. On what platforms do you follow our organization? 16. What makes you happy to be a member? 17. What would you change? 18. Do you participate in our advocacy efforts? 19. What issues are most important to you? 20. How do you think these issues witll impact the local economy? 21. In year two of your membership, what do you wish to accomplish with the chamber? 22. Do you have colleagues who wish to receive our communications that are not at this time? Please use this time to provide their details.

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