--- title: "Thursday Buzz: Losing Members Isn’t the End of the World" id: "31474" type: "post" slug: "thursday-buzz-losing-members-isnt-the-end-of-the-world" published_at: "2015-12-17T22:49:44+00:00" modified_at: "2015-12-17T22:49:44+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2015/12/17/thursday-buzz-losing-members-isnt-the-end-of-the-world/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2015/12/17/thursday-buzz-losing-members-isnt-the-end-of-the-world.md" excerpt: "How the lessons you learn from departing members could help you win more members down the road. Plus: Trying to lengthen battery life is a hard-knock life for developers." taxonomy_category: - "Membership" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "feedback" - "labor organization" - "Membership" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Thursday Buzz: Losing Members Isn’t the End of the World Growing membership is often the biggest challenge that associations face—and with good reason. People talk about “[quintupling membership](http://associationsnow.com/2015/11/a-roadmap-for-quintupling-membership/) ” and [boosting renewals](http://associationsnow.com/2015/11/tuesday-buzz-boost-membership-renewals/) . But what if a decrease in membership wasn’t the worst thing in the world? [MultiBriefs Content Editor Brie Ragland (opens in a new tab)](http://exclusive.multibriefs.com/content/why-losing-members-is-not-all-bad/association-management) argues that there is a silver lining—in the form of a followup survey—in what is otherwise considered a setback. When a member requests to leave an organization, he or she should be asked what leaders could have done to improve the experience. Was it [location](http://associationsnow.com/2015/12/fabricators-manufacturers-association-move/) , [benefits](http://associationsnow.com/2015/11/how-many-benefits-do-members-actually-care-about/) , or something else that caused dissatisfaction? “The beauty behind the idea of surveying these members is that a brief follow-up conversation is really all it takes,” Ragland writes. “By taking a few moments over a quick phone call, or even a short email survey, associations can do more to grow their association than most even know.” As all organizations know, [feedback is super important](http://associationsnow.com/2015/10/wednesday-buzz-plot-feedback-members/) —and feedback gained by losing members could give associations the opportunity to learn from failure. ### A 21st-Century Problem **Batteries just aren’t keeping up.** New phones always boast a new feature or two, but improved battery life is rarely on that list. That’s because battery technology is difficult to manage and advance. “The entire industry is dying to solve the battery problem, in one way or another,” Walt Mossberg, executive editor at *The Verge* and cofounder and editor-at-large of *Re/Code*, [writes of the problem (opens in a new tab)](http://www.theverge.com/2015/12/16/10268518/walt-mossberg-smartphone-battery-life-lithium-ion-technology) . Mossberg highlights what’s brewing behind the scenes in the worlds of science, psychology, business, and technology, with the end goal being a little extra juice for your devices. ### Additional Links For Your Day **“Is our content meeting our members’ needs?”** [On her Smooth the Path blog (opens in a new tab)](http://www.smooththepath.net/2015/12/16/is-our-content-meeting-our-members-needs/) , Amanda Kaiser argues for adding action plans for members in the content marketing equation. **How far should you go for your goals?** How much energy and time? [Blogger Adam Chudy says that (opens in a new tab)](http://www.adamchudy.com/the-extra-mile-is-never-crowded/) “the extra mile is never crowded.” **Time to learn a lesson … or seven.** [Inc. Contributor Will Yakowicz looks at (opens in a new tab)](http://www.inc.com/will-yakowicz/the-top-social-media-fails-2015.html) the seven biggest social media mistakes this year. [Patrick deHahn](https://associationsnow.com/author/patrick-dehahn/) Patrick deHahn is a contributor to Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/patrick-dehahn/) Tags: [#feedback](https://associationsnow.com/tag/feedback/) [#labor organization](https://associationsnow.com/tag/labor-organization/) [#Membership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/membership/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [TemplateMembers onlyMember Onboarding ToolkitNovember 5, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/11/05/member-onboarding-toolkit/) - [PodcastAssociations Now Presents: From Data to Decisions: Helping Associations Better Understand MembersMay 14, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/05/14/associations-now-presents-from-data-to-decisions-helping-associations-better-understand-members/) - [PodcastAssociations Now Presents: Beyond the Tech Stack: How AI Is Changing the Association PlaybookOctober 29, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/10/29/associations-now-presents-beyond-the-tech-stack-how-ai-is-changing-the-association-playbook/) - [ArticleActions Speak Louder Than Surveys: A Smarter Approach to Member Feedback and Combatting Survey FatigueAugust 18, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/08/18/actions-speak-louder-than-surveys-a-smarter-approach-to-member-feedback-and-combatting-survey-fatigue/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2015%2F12%2F17%2Fthursday-buzz-losing-members-isnt-the-end-of-the-world%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !