Associations and other membership organizations often focus on recruitment — and for good reason. Acquiring a new member is exciting and rewarding because it represents growth, trust, and fresh perspectives. The real challenge is keeping those members engaged over time. After all, attracting new members is only the first step in building a thriving, sustainable community.
What about those once-passionate members who have slipped through the cracks? They were actively involved, but for whatever reason, they’re currently disengaged from your organization. Luckily, they’re already familiar with your benefits, and winning them back can be easier than continuously finding and convincing brand-new members to join.
From expanding your offerings to strengthening communications, we’ll explore strategies for rekindling relationships and turning lapsed members into loyal advocates once again.
Lapsed Memberships: Why Do They Happen?
Lapsed memberships are a common challenge for many organizations, but they don’t happen without reason. While the excitement of joining fuels initial engagement, maintaining momentum over time can be difficult. Understanding the root causes behind member disengagement is the first step in addressing those issues.
Common reasons members lapse include:
- Changes in member needs: Over time, members may outgrow your offerings or find different services that better meet their evolving needs.
- Lack of perceived value: If the value of membership isn’t clear or doesn’t match the cost, members may take a step back.
- Poor communication: When members don’t receive regular updates, they may forget the benefits or importance of their membership.
- Forgetting to renew: Members may simply forget to renew manually or update their payment information for automatic renewals.
- External factors: Economic changes, lifestyle shifts, or increased competition can influence members to stop renewing their memberships.
Membership software is a strong defense against these common issues, offering tools to streamline communication, track member engagement, and provide personalized experiences that keep members invested over time.
Of course, the easiest way to determine why members lapsed is simply to ask. When someone cancels their membership, prompt them to answer why during the cancellation process or with a follow-up survey. You might provide multiple reasons to choose from, such as pricing, lack of benefits, or career changes.
This way, you can develop targeted strategies to win them back and prevent others from leaving. We also recommend sending follow-ups after events to gauge ongoing satisfaction, improve your gatherings, and avoid lapses in the first place.
4 Member Re-Engagement Tips
1. Identify your unique value proposition.
Your unique value proposition (UVP) is a statement that explains how your organization’s membership offerings solve a problem or provide unmatched value to your target audience. It highlights the distinct combination of benefits your members gain that they can’t get elsewhere.
A strong UVP sets you apart from competitors and helps potential, current, and lapsed members understand why they should stay engaged or rejoin.
Sit down with your team and answer these questions to determine your organization’s UVP:
- What are your association’s core strengths? Identifying what your association does exceptionally well is essential, whether it’s exclusive content, unparalleled networking opportunities, or high-impact events.
- What pain points do you solve for your members? Think through the challenges or frustrations your members face that you address.
- How are your offerings different from other organizations? Determine how your services or benefits vary from those of your competitors. Perhaps you have a niche focus or offer specialized certifications.
Whatever your UVP is, communicate it clearly on your website and through email campaigns and other marketing materials. Beyond simply stating your UVP, share testimonials that showcase how others leverage their member benefits to further their careers or personal growth. Consider those who have achieved success, grown their professional network, or gained valuable skills.
2. Segment lapsed members.
Categorize lapsed members by how long they’ve been inactive (e.g., 3 months, 6 months, 1 year). If you asked for a reason for canceling, you can also use that information to segment lapsed members. Then, create tailored re-engagement strategies for each segment.
Here’s what your strategies might look like for different segments:
- New members (lapsed within 3 months): These members joined recently but didn’t renew. They may not have experienced their full benefits. To re-engage them, send a personalized email highlighting the exclusive resources, events, or networking opportunities they missed. Offer a “welcome back” discount to encourage them to rejoin.
- Long-term members: These members were active for a long time but stopped renewing after several years. To re-engage them, call or send a personalized message thanking them for their past involvement and offer a special deal, such as a discount or exclusive content. Highlight new developments or improvements since they left.
- Price-sensitive members: These members lapsed because the membership fee was too high. You might offer a special discount, share flexible payment plans, or highlight the value compared to the cost.
- Members who found alternatives: These members left because they found a competing organization offering similar benefits. Highlight what makes your membership unique, focusing on exclusive features or benefits they may not get elsewhere. Offer an incentive, such as a special return offer or a unique perk, to remind them why your membership is the best fit for their needs.
Marketing personalization makes it possible to scale re-engagement efforts by using data to inform your messages. Protech explains that your membership management software empowers you to track member engagement, preferences, and more within a member database. Then, segmentation tools make it easy to highlight relevant events, new perks, or the impact of their membership to engage current members or re-engage lost ones.
3. Launch a tailored email campaign.
Email campaigns are a powerful, cost-effective tool to re-engage lost members. They allow you to reach lapsed members with personalized messaging relevant to their reasons for taking a step back.
By leveraging AI-powered personalization, you can create highly targeted campaigns that analyze member data to deliver tailored content, offers, and incentives. AI allows you to automate the process, ensuring each message is customized to the individual’s behavior, preferences, and past interactions with your organization.
Reignite interest in your association by launching an email campaign that follows these best practices:
- Craft compelling subject lines. Your subject line is your first opportunity to grab attention. Make it personal and engaging, such as “We Miss You! Here’s What’s New Since You Left” or “Exclusive Offer Just for You.” Email tools may even allow you to input recipients’ names into subject lines.
- Create a sense of urgency. Encourage action by offering limited-time discounts or special promotions. Make it clear that this offer won’t last long to motivate them to act quickly.
- Highlight the value they’re missing. Whether it’s new content, events, or networking opportunities, focus on how these opportunities align with their past interests or needs.
- Ensure your contact information is updated. If your emails are bouncing, you likely have inaccurate contact details. While current members can update their profiles easily, it’s trickier for lapsed members. Double the Donation recommends conducting regular email appends, where a service provider matches your member data to a larger database to provide the most up-to-date contact information.
These strategies will help rekindle interest and bring lapsed members back into the fold. Remember, the key to success is personalization and relevance—tailor your messages to address their needs and interests to maximize engagement.
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Re-engaging With Newsletters
While re-engagement campaigns are specifically designed to win back lost members, a regular email newsletter can complement these efforts and reduce lapses before they occur. Your newsletters keep your organization’s opportunities and benefits at the forefront of members’ minds. Use them to:
- Highlight upcoming events.
- Offer a “perk of the month.”
- Showcase new benefits.
- Share success stories or member testimonials.
- Provide relevant industry news or insights.
A well-rounded newsletter keeps members informed and connected to the value your membership provides. In other words, they boost retention by delivering ongoing value.
4. Offer incentives or exclusive perks.
Incentives and exclusive tools can be the push lapsed members need to rejoin. Offering something of value shows that you appreciate their return to your association.
Consider rewarding returning members with these offers:
- “Welcome back” discount: Offer a limited-time discount on renewal to entice members to rejoin at a lower cost.
- Free membership period: Provide a free month or extended trial to give lapsed members a risk-free opportunity to experience the value of rejoining.
- Exclusive access: Grant access to members-only events, webinars, or content they missed while inactive.
- VIP perks: Offer early access to new resources or special networking opportunities.
- Personalized rewards: Tailor incentives to the individual’s past engagement, such as discounts on events they previously attended or content related to their stated interests.
Remember, personalization is key. Your association management software (AMS) can help you track member preferences, automate offers, and streamline the process of delivering personalized perks. With a robust AMS on your side, you can create re-engagement strategies that are both effective and efficient.
Start Re-Engaging Your Lapsed Members
Re-engaging isn’t just about bringing members back; it’s about rekindling relationships and demonstrating the ongoing value of your organization.
Instead of viewing lapsed memberships as challenges, view them as growth opportunities! To get started, take a moment to evaluate your current member outreach and identify gaps for strengthening connections. Whether through targeted emails or exclusive offers, small yet intentional actions can have a big impact on re-engagement and overall retention.
