Every interaction with a member—whether it’s a welcome email, a renewal notice, or a newsletter—is a touchpoint that shapes their overall experience with your organization. These moments may seem small on their own, but together, they form the foundation of your member engagement strategy.
When thoughtfully designed, these touchpoints can boost satisfaction, increase retention, and build long-term loyalty. From onboarding to renewal and everything in between, how you connect at each stage of the member journey makes all the difference.
Let’s explore five key touchpoints your association should optimize to deliver a more meaningful and consistent member experience.
1. Onboarding and New Member Welcome
After recruitment efforts, onboarding is the first major touchpoint in the member journey, setting the tone for the entire experience. It includes welcome messages, orientation resources, and early engagement opportunities that help new members feel informed, valued, and connected from day one.
Start with a welcome email from a leader or membership coordinator to build an immediate human connection. Beyond this, iMIS’s guide to member engagement recommends building a holistic onboarding plan by doing the following:
- Send a welcome kit that includes the basic resources they’ll need to get started. This might include a summary of your organization, an events calendar, dues information, and branded merchandise like a reusable water bottle.
- Assign a point of contact to make the transition into your community less daunting. You might assign a staff member or pair new members with more experienced ones to act as their mentors.
- Encourage connections by hosting meet-and-greets, inviting new members to join social media groups, and featuring newcomers in your email newsletter.
Beyond this, ensure they know how to use any available tools. For example, if you have a member portal, send over a video tutorial to show them how to find discussions, create posts, message others, and access resources.
2. Event and Program Invitations
Messages about programs and upcoming events promote valuable experiences. This touchpoint encourages members to take advantage of their benefits, engage with peers, and get the most out of their memberships.
To make this touchpoint as compelling as possible, try these strategies for crafting member-focused invitations:
- Personalize invitations with the member’s name and reference past events or programs they’ve attended or shown interest in.
- Highlight exclusive participation benefits, such as networking, continuing education credits, or members-only access.
- Craft strong subject lines and calls to action to boost open and click-through rates (e.g., “Don’t Miss Our Top Member Event of the Year”).
To conduct targeted outreach, take a look at your event registration and program participation data within your membership management platform. Member interests, activity levels, and attendance history can help you segment outreach and deliver invitations that feel more relevant and personalized. For example, you might promote a strategic messaging workshop to members working in communications and public relations.
Thoughtful, data-informed invitations will communicate that your organization understands and values each member’s unique interests.
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3. Newsletters
Send a regular newsletter to keep members informed, engaged, and connected between major events and programs. Whether it goes out monthly, quarterly, or at another frequency, your newsletter is a consistent and valuable touchpoint.
Include a mix of content so there’s something for everyone. Here are some ideas to kickstart your brainstorming:
- Upcoming Events: Share dates, details, and registration links for events, webinars, and workshops.
- Member Spotlights: Highlight individual members who are leveraging their benefits and making an impact in their fields.
- Industry News or Trends: Provide curated insights that help members stay informed in their field.
- Program Updates: Offer progress reports on your organization’s current initiatives and introduce new opportunities to participate.
- New Resources or Tools: Announce newly added content, templates, guides, or other member-exclusive materials.
If your association serves multiple audiences, consider creating segmented newsletters to deliver tailored content based on members’ interests. With the right mix of content and thoughtful targeting, your newsletter can become a trusted touchpoint that members look forward to.
4. Feedback and Surveys
Surveys are powerful touchpoints that give members a voice in your organization. When designed thoughtfully, they invite members to share feedback that helps shape their own experience while showing that your association is committed to continuous improvement.
You can use surveys in various ways throughout the member journey. For example, you might gather input on onboarding, events, programs, communications, or overall satisfaction.
Let’s say you schedule a regular pulse survey to track member satisfaction. You might ask questions like the following:
- Rating (1–10): How satisfied are you with your membership experience so far?
- Multiple choice: Which of the following benefits have you used in the past 6 months? Select all that apply.
- Open-ended: What’s one thing we could do to improve your experience as a member?
- Rating (1–10): How likely are you to recommend our organization to a colleague or peer?
- Multiple choice: How often would you like to hear from us about upcoming events and programs?
- Open-ended: Is there a topic, service, or resource you wish we offered but don’t currently?
After requesting feedback, do something with it! For example, if members ask for more networking opportunities, consider adding a dedicated mixer to your next event. Or, if they request additional educational content, create courses with a learning management system (LMS) and make them available through your member portal.
Then, let your members know. Close the feedback loop by sending a progress update email or adding a “You spoke, we listened” section to your newsletter.
5. Renewal and Appreciation Messages
Renewal and appreciation messages reinforce your organization’s value, build goodwill, and encourage long-term commitment. Thoughtful, timely communication around renewals and expressions of gratitude can turn a routine task into a meaningful touchpoint in the member journey.
Throughout the year, send regular messages that show members they’re valued. This ongoing appreciation lays the groundwork for stronger renewal rates down the road. You might send personalized thank-you notes after events or celebrate individual milestones—like completing a certification or hitting a membership anniversary.
When it’s time to renew, send reminders early. Highlight the value a member has received over the past year—whether that’s events attended, certifications received, or connections made. Fundraising Letters recommends incentivizing early renewals by offering discounts or extra perks to members who respond within a certain time frame.
When members feel recognized and see the value of their continued involvement, renewing becomes an easy decision.
Using the Right Channels to Deliver Touchpoints
Even the most well-crafted message can miss the mark if delivered through the wrong channel. Choosing the right method for each touchpoint ensures that members see, appreciate, and act on your communications
Here are some key channels for delivering the member touchpoints we’ve covered:
- Online Member Portal: A hub for member activity where members can update their profiles, renew memberships, register for events, access resources, and connect with peers
- Email: A versatile channel that’s ideal for newsletters, announcements, event invitations, and renewal reminders
- Social Media: Great for public recognition, community building, and promoting events or programs in a more casual format
- Phone Calls: Perfect for important moments that require personalized outreach, such as feedback follow-up, last-minute renewal reminders, or lapsed member re-engagement
- SMS: Useful for time-sensitive reminders and short updates, such as event or survey reminders
To manage these channels efficiently, many organizations use an engagement management system (EMS). An EMS integrates member data across platforms, providing a single source of truth that enhances personalization and consistency in your communications. By automating routine tasks and offering real-time insights, an EMS empowers your organization to deliver cohesive, data-driven touchpoints that resonate with members.
Wrapping Up: Start Improving Your Member Touchpoints
Every member interaction is an opportunity to build trust, demonstrate value, and deepen engagement. By optimizing key touchpoints and delivering them through the right channels, you’ll create a more rewarding member experience.
Start small, pay attention to what works, and watch as every touchpoint boosts member engagement.
