Guide
Member engagement strategies that show up at renewal.
Engaged members renew. Here is how to measure engagement from the data you already have, what to do at each stage of a member's year, and membership drive ideas to bring new members in.
Updated
Measure it with a simple score
You don't need a survey to know who is engaged. Give points for the things members do and add them up. Here is an example to adapt:
| What the member did | Points |
|---|---|
| Attended an event in the last 12 months | 3 |
| Finished a course or earned CE credits | 3 |
| Serves on a committee or the board | 4 |
| Opened an email in the last 90 days | 1 |
| Updated their profile or directory listing this year | 1 |
| Renewed on time last year | 2 |
Members scoring 0 to 2 a few months before renewal are the ones to call. Members scoring high are the ones to ask to join a committee, speak or recruit.
Ideas for each stage of the year
The first 90 days
- A welcome email from a person, not just the system
- An invitation to one specific event or course in their first month
- A short call or note from a board member or volunteer
- A check at day 60: have they done one thing yet?
The middle of the year
- Ask one or two members a month to help with something small
- Feature a member in the newsletter
- Send a mid-year summary of what they’ve used: events, credits, discounts
- Invite quiet members to a low-commitment event
Before renewal
- Remind them what they got this year, in specifics
- Call anyone with a low score before the first renewal notice
- Make renewal one click, with automatic renewal for card payers
After they lapse
- A win-back email that asks what would bring them back
- A free event invitation for lapsed members
- Keep them on the newsletter list unless they opt out
Membership drive ideas
- A member-get-a-member month, with a small thank-you for anyone who brings someone in.
- A discounted first year for people who attended an event as a non-member.
- A join table, or a QR code on the screen, at every event.
- A partnership with a school or training program for student memberships.
- A free webinar on a topic non-members care about, with a join offer at the end.
- Personal invitations from current members to colleagues, with a template to send.
Engagement in FullRoster
In FullRoster, every event registration, CE credit, committee seat and email open is on the member's record, so you can see engagement without stitching spreadsheets together. Ask the AI assistant a question about your own data, and send a welcome, renewal or win-back series that's ready to go.
More: Member retention strategies · Renewal letter templates · Membership directory template
Common questions
- What is member engagement?
- How much members take part in what your association offers: events, courses, committees, email, the directory and the community. Engaged members renew; members who never take part in anything usually don’t.
- How do you measure member engagement?
- Give points for the things members do, such as attending an event, earning credits, serving on a committee or opening emails, and add them up for each member. Watch the members with low scores before their renewal comes round.
- What are good membership drive ideas?
- A member-get-a-member month, a discounted first year for non-members who attended an event, a join table at every event, student partnerships, a free webinar for non-members, and personal invitations from current members.
- How do you re-engage inactive members?
- Reach out personally before their renewal, invite them to one specific, low-commitment event, and remind them of what they got this year. For lapsed members, ask what would bring them back.
- What is the difference between engagement and retention?
- Engagement is what members do during the year; retention is whether they renew. Engagement is the earlier signal, so it’s where you can still change the outcome.
About FullRoster. FullRoster is association management software that's free for up to 1,000 active members. Members, dues, events, email, courses and payments in one place, and we move your data over for you. See how it works →
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All guides →See who is engaged, and who is drifting.
FullRoster keeps events, credits, committees and email opens on each member's record. It's free for up to 1,000 active members.