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In Part 1 of our Board Orientation series, GrowthZone focused on how associations should establish goals and define success when setting up an association new board of directors’ orientation. The next step in the process is to decide how to structure the board member orientation. There are dozens of ways to format association board onboarding and many decisions to be made. Get the Field Guide to Association Board Orientation for a step-by-step plan.  What is the orientation plan? Will it […]

Indirect costs are not directly accountable to something (e.g., a particular project, facility, or product). A robust membership management software system can generate great long-term ROI for associations. On the other hand, sub-par association membership software can be inefficient. Associations depending on outdated AMS software are often saddled with unanticipated indirect costs. The direct costs are clear—the amount spent on the association software. The indirect costs, however, can quickly add up. A subpar AMS can result in wasted time, missed […]

Our recent post, The First 3 Months of Association New-Member Onboarding covered the first three months of the onboarding process. The new-member onboarding and first-year renewal processes go beyond dropping a welcome packet into the mail. A touch plan to improve the process builds a strong foundation for engagement and for a long-term membership. Take a look at the next three months, then download the complete plan of the onboarding process. 4 Months Enter member into your Association’s marketing funnel […]

You don’t have to be a math person to determine your organization’s renewal rates. Follow this simple 1-part formula to see how your association is doing! RENEWAL RATES: (the percentage of members that renew their membership over a given period of time) (# of Renewals) ÷ (Eligible Members) = Renewal Rate Example: At the end of 2018, 3,000 members were up for renewal and 2,825 renewed.  2,825 ÷ 3000 = .94  Renewal Rate = 94% Important Info: The # of […]

New-member onboarding is crucial for associations. A touch plan to improve the process builds a strong foundation for engagement and for a long-term membership. The new-member onboarding and first-year renewal processes work hand-in-hand and should be a 12+ month program (at a minimum). Take a look at the steps for the first three months, then download the complete plan of the onboarding process. Day 1-7 Send welcome email. Mail new-member packet. Call the member to say, “Welcome to the association.”. […]

Efficient meetings require more planning than simply emailing the attendees an invite. Whether it’s the association board, staff, or members, use the following tips to plan association meetings that meet objectives, produce results, and leave participants with a sense of accomplishment. Define the objective: Ask yourself what you are trying to accomplish. Are you: Looking for a decision? Generating ideas? Receiving status reports? Communicating something? Making plans? Do you even really need to have the meeting? Download We’ve Got to […]

Book Lovers Day, Clown Week, and Picnic Month are just some of the fun August holidays to inspire your posts. Keep your association’s social media feeds active with these 23 ideas for your August social media schedule. Monthly Observances Family Fun Month Peach Month Black Business Month Eye Exam Month Water Quality Month Dog Days of Summer National Picnic Month Golf Month Download the must-have elements of great association marketing plans » Weekly Observances August 1 – 7 Clown Week […]

The number of hours that go into association event planning is staggering. When making sure to cross all the T’s and dot all the I’s, name badges should be at the top of the list. After all, if they’re not well-designed (i.e., readable), attendees are shorted on their conference experience. Ground Rules for Conference Name Badges Less is more. Keep the design clean and resist the urge to include extra information or complicated design. Everyone wears their badge. Attendees, staff, […]

For associations, Instagram marketing can be challenging. Finding compelling visuals can be tough (as a software company, we can empathize). Instead of focusing on association-related images, focus on images that will engage your audience. The reality is that posting about memberships or event registrations is unlikely to drive meaningful activity. Your audience is human and likely using Instagram on a personal level, so it’s not necessary to engage with them on a solely professional level. To drive interaction, pay attention […]

Keeping fun ice-breaker questions on-hand is always a good idea. Whether it’s a staff meeting or a networking event, loosening up the attendees leads to a more laid-back environment. Check out these 31 ice-breaker ideas: What is your most-used emoji? Who was your childhood actor/actress crush? If you were a wrestler, what would be your entrance theme song? You have a late-night talk show, who do you invite as your first guest? What was your least favorite food as a […]

Does the thought of having to calculate retention, churn, or the cost of acquiring a new member make your head hurt? For many association pros, crunching numbers is (unfortunately) a part of their daily grind. You don’t have to be a math person to use this easy-to-understand calculation to determine retention rates. RETENTION RATE: (the percentage of members retained over a given period of time) (End Count – New Members) ÷ Start Count = Retention Rate Example: At the end […]

Could you use some more time or an extra set of hands in your organization? Most people would respond with an emphatic YES! to this question. Below, Membership Expert Frank Kenny shares his thoughts on marketing automation for associations: When you ask associations if they are using marketing automation to gain back time or get more done, the answer is still usually no, not really. The reasons for this vary, but three of the more common excuses are we don’t […]