How To Build Membership Program Models That Wow Supporters

More than 79% of consumers say membership programs make them more likely to continue their giving. Learn how you can lock in this kind of support for your nonprofit organization, while also providing a membership experience like no other.

Keep reading to learn more about...

• Membership program benefits
• Types of memberships
• Different membership program models

Don’t Miss Out On Memberships

Memberships not only boost giving but also build a community of supporters invested in your nonprofit’s mission. There are lots of benefits to implementing a membership program—one of the top reasons is because it can boost donor retention! The average donor retention rate is less than 50%, while monthly donor retention rate is 90%. Membership programs can also: 

• Encourage long-term support
• Serve as the first step to get donors more involved
• Give you access to quick feedback and exclusive data
• Increase engagement among younger generations
• Provide a reliable source of income

What’s Your Membership Made Of?

Before you decide on the right membership model for your organization, it’s important to understand what your membership is made of. 

Start with your target audience. Who do you want to join your membership program? Lapsed donors? New donors? Determine who your ideal member is. 

Next, ask yourself what your goal is for this membership program. To raise money, build community, or increase awareness? 

Answering these questions will help you figure out how much it’s going to cost to gain these members, so you can then find a way to make sure your nonprofit is still gaining more funds than you’re spending. 

For example, let’s say your goal is to raise more money through your lapsed donors. It’s going to cost less to reach this audience because you already have their contact information, as opposed to trying to find new supporters to increase awareness via social media ads.

Once you have your general goals, you can decide what value you’re going to provide through a nonprofit membership program.

Add This To Your Membership Program Model To Wow Supporters

Give supporters what they really want — Take the guesswork out of your membership program. Instead of assuming what supporters find valuable, reach out to your major stakeholders and ASK them.

87% of consumers are open to organizations monitoring details of their activity if it leads to more personalized rewards. The goal is to maximize benefits for everyone involved. How can you provide supporters with what they really want while still benefiting from it as a nonprofit? Survey results will help you know what benefits to provide and what messaging resonates most with them.

Create meaningful feedback loops — Communicate with members often. Communication can include reminding members of the benefits you provide, building trust through consistent messaging, and providing opportunities for feedback.

The bottom line? Stay connected! Start with creating a welcome email series using automated messaging so they can get to know you more and what it means to be a member as soon as they sign up.

Provide an engaging membership experience — Not only can you do provide this through benefits, but also through how easy it is to interact with your organization as a member. This means an easy-to-navigate, mobile-friendly website, customized member portals, automatic membership discounts, and easy-to-find contact information.

Evolve with your members — It’s important to provide value that is relevant to members. Keep trying new approaches! Continue to monitor and evaluate everything to see if there are tweaks you can make to your membership engagement strategy to improve their experience. For example, you may want to test text messaging or QR codes.

Offer different membership levels — Members of varying commitment levels can still be a meaningful part of your organization through membership. Varying levels also mean there’s an opportunity for members to upgrade their membership status.

Put them in the driver’s seat — Give members the power to change their personal info, payment methods, and security settings on their own. 

Make them feel like the only member in the world — Show how much you care by providing members with a unique and individualized way to interact with your organization. Have private pages available for members (with login) that include exclusive access, insider information, special content.

Make goodie bundles abound — Create membership bundles to send members swag as soon as they join. To do this, you’ll need a platform that can tie your membership program to e-commerce (i.e. if you sell membership, they can automatically send out merch). 

Take community above and beyond — Take your membership program onto social media. Creating a private Facebook or LinkedIn group is a great way to keep members connected to you and one other in real-time and on-the-go. 

Memberships Mean More With Givecloud

From purchases to renewals and reminders, we’ve got you covered. Givecloud makes membership management easier than ever, so you can focus on building a community of people who are passionate about your cause. 

Ready to build your own membership program? Get started with Givecloud today!