giantsof the associationprofession

Finders KeepersTips for Being

Great at Recruitment & Retention

2

Do Tell!Creative Ways to Share Your Story

3

Getting PersonalHow To Make

Fundraising More Appealing

4

2013

Helping Organizations Communicate and Engage With Their Members

Finders KeepersTips for Being Great at Recruitment & Retention

One of the main reasons people join a professional

or trade association is for resources and insights

that help them further their careers. Yet, many

associations say that attracting and retaining

younger members is becoming more difficult To

recruit (and keep) these vital constituents, consider

different levels of membership and offer limited-time

dues discounts in materials you mail to prospects.

What about customizing an informative newsletter

with articles targeted to specific audiences –

younger prospects just starting out, managers on

the way up, executives at the top? Include links to

your website with more content just for them.

The more interaction you can spark, the better!

Ongoing engagement is critical to a growing

membership, and it starts with the onboarding

process. According to a 2012 membership

marketing survey, associations with renewal rates

at or above 80% are significantly more likely to

greet new members with a mailed welcome kit,

phone call from a volunteer or staff member, and/or

an in-person new-member reception or orientation.1

Experts also say that members are more likely to

renew when they attend conventions and join a

special interest group or local chapter. To generate

maximum attendance at meetings, publicize your

conferences frequently and enthusiastically.

Capitalize on the staying power of printed materials.

Statistics show that 70% of associations offer their

meeting materials both in print and online, while

only 20% make materials available online only.2

And here’s an interesting fact you’ll want to

remember: Most people fail to renew simply

because they forget to, says Tony Rossell of

Marketing General Incorporated. That’s why smart

marketers keep the renewal reminders flowing.

Rossell’s firm reports that surveyed associations

spent 62% more on their renewal efforts in 2012.

(Expenditures had decreased in 2010-2011.)3

Almost two-thirds of the respondents (63%)

reached out 4-9 times during their renewal

campaigns.4 Once again, frequency is key!

1. 2012 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report - Marketing General Inc.; 2. Ibid; 3. 2012 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report - Marketing General Inc.; 4. Ibid

To recruit (and keep) these vital constituents, consider different levels of membership and offer limited-time dues discounts in materials you mail to prospects. [ [

Do Tell!Creative Ways to Share Your Story

1. Wild Apricot Blog, What to Include in Your Annual Report, http://www.wildapricot.com/blogs April 11, 2012; 2. Wirstiuk, Laryssa, “5 tips for a quick writing makeover”, http:www.healthcarecommiunication.com; 3. The Muttart Foundation, Talking About Charities, http://www.muttart.org

People who support associations – either by

donating to a non-profit or paying dues to a

professional organization – are keenly interested

in what their group is achieving. A regular flow of

published information (newsletters, legislative

updates, white papers, survey results and the

like) is a great way to keep constituents excited

about all that’s going on. One of your best

communication tools may well be an annual

Accomplishment Report. Just be sure that it does

a creative job of storytelling: about the organization’s

mission and how it’s being supported; about

unique members and the work they do; about the

delivery of funds or services and what those have

meant to recipients.

Kivi Leroux Miller, a non-profit

marketing consultant and writer, says

that any annual report should be about

accomplishments, not activities.1 So think

back. What were your proudest, most significant

successes over the past 12 months? Pick three or

four and have real people give the real story behind

those efforts. Here’s another good tip from Laryssa

Wirstiuk, who teaches writing and blogging at

Rutgers University. “Add one memorable image to

your writing.” Word pictures, along with photos and

illustrations, can hold readers’ interest like a magnet!

Naturally, you’ll want to mail and distribute your

Accomplishment Report to constituents. But

don’t stop there. Let the report take a starring

role in the information kit you hand out at public

events – and provide to special interest groups,

corporations, government agencies, complementary

organizations, et al. And by all means, include the

yearly reports in your media kit. Other media kit

components? Executive bios, your organization’s

history, major press releases, backgrounders, fact

sheets, testimonials and recent speeches.

A public opinion survey commissioned by the

Muttart Foundation found that nearly 100% of

Canadians believe it’s important for charities to

provide information about what they do, and half

(49%) say they’d like more information “even

though it may require more money to be spent

on communications.”3 This research underscores

the fact that folks are eager to read your story.

Don’t disappoint them.

One of your best communication tools may well be an annual Accomplishment Report.[ [

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Variable data print, publication production, and membership drives are just a few of the many ways that Modern Litho is helping associations improve marketing effectiveness and achieve more success.

Please explore our website and find more information on marketing for associations at www.modernlitho.com/associations or call us at 1-800-456-5867 to learn how we can serve you.

Getting Personal:

The challenges of foundation fundraising are well

known to all large healthcare organizations. Also

familiar is the fact that contributions increase when

organizations humanize appeal with heartfelt

accounts of how charitable giving has changed

the lives of recipients. Through these personal

stories, readers see the tangible results of their

monetary gifts.

And now it’s possible to add even more dimension

to the practice of humanizing charitable appeals – by

using variable data printing to personalize the

fundraising message for an individual prospective

donor. This capability allows organizations to easily

focus on specific details relating to the giver

(previous contribution amounts, frequency of

donations, suggested contribution amounts, etc.).

In addition, stories and images that are particularly

meaningful to the individual can be included on a

per-piece basis, making a direct connection on an

emotional level.

The results generated by this type of personalization

in fundraising appeals are staggering. For example,

a completed BRC card printed with vital

information such as name and address has

been shown to increase response times

by a remarkable 5 to 7 days, and improve

response rates by 36 percent. By personalizing

an appeal beyond the expected mailing address

and salutation, marketers increased response

rates from a range of 1.5–2% to a range

of 11–43%!

How To Make Fundraising More Appealing