Membership

Monday Buzz: What Membership Leaders Get Right

What’s the secret to a thriving membership program? Industry leaders reveal what has worked best for them. Also: how the smartphone is changing the very nature of physical spaces.

A quality membership program is an engaged membership program. Membership leaders employ a ton of different tactics to get people to engage, but there are a few habits nearly all good leaders have that keep programs revving along.

In a recent post for the Wild Apricot blog, membership expert Joy Duling shares the lessons that she’s gleaned from association leaders who are running successful programs.

To start, Duling notes that effective leaders are great listeners. They are tuned into what members say on social media channels, surveys, and interviews. “When you ask an engaging leader what their members care about, they actually know without equivocation,” she writes. Knowing what your members care about means that you can serve them better.

Another key characteristic of an energetic membership program is that the leaders themselves are active participants. “From daily emails, to making personal phone calls simply to check in, to introducing people who should know each other, engaging leaders often spoke of uncommon ways they show up for their members,” writes Duling.

Duling also says that high-performing membership pros show concern for the future and are constantly striving to improve on the value of the program.

Space Experiences

Smartphones are changing nearly every aspect of modern life, including the design of spaces we inhabit.

We do everything on our smartphones, including work, shop, and socialize. Consumers are starting to expect our IRL spaces to be just as flexible, reports Co.Design.

“We’re in a multitask world where people are toggling between different modes. Space needs to be flexible to handle those modes,” says Lauren Adams, lead author of the Experience Index, a study by the architecture firm Gensler. “It’s almost like every space needs to be in beta.”

This article provides some food for thought for event professionals who are looking for ways to stay on the cutting edge of attendee expectations.

Other Links of Note

Get people talking. The Classy blog shares a few ways to activate the social media influencers in your audience.

Make sure your emails are seen. Care2 shares the latest best practices in email delivery.

Data is one of your most valuable assets. The Capterra Nonprofit Technology Blog reveals a few ways you can ensure it stays protected.

(Yuri_Arcurs/iStock/Getty Images Plus)

Raegan Johnson

By Raegan Johnson

Raegan Johnson is a contributor to Associations Now. MORE

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