--- title: "Daily Buzz: Reinventing the Membership Wheel" id: "44565" type: "post" slug: "daily-buzz-reinventing-the-membership-wheel" published_at: "2018-10-22T22:15:12+00:00" modified_at: "2018-10-22T22:15:12+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2018/10/22/daily-buzz-reinventing-the-membership-wheel/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2018/10/22/daily-buzz-reinventing-the-membership-wheel.md" excerpt: "If you’re having a hard time with membership recruitment or retention, it’s time to seek a new strategy. Also: a conference badge that doubles as a working computer." taxonomy_category: - "Membership" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "donor retention" - "job recruitment" - "Membership" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "Executive Team" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Daily Buzz: Reinventing the Membership Wheel Membership is at the heart of any association—it’s the key component that every decision should lead back to. And if your organization is struggling in the recruitment and retention departments, its survival relies on a new membership strategy. [In a post on the MemberClicks blog (opens in a new tab)](https://blog.memberclicks.com/guest-post-voices-of-experience-ceos-talk-member-engagement) , Kevin Ordonez talks to CEOs from associations that turned their membership woes into great success. Their key takeaway? Don’t be afraid to get personal or break from tradition. For the [National Shippers Strategic Transportation Council (opens in a new tab)](https://www.nasstrac.org/) , for example, Executive Director Gail Rutkowski strayed from the customary digital approach and went straight to members. “People will ignore emails, but if you connect with them on the phone, it makes a difference,” she said. “I call and talk with two to five members each week. Many are people whom I’ve never spoken with before. I’ve been able to get them involved and to agree to help us through these conversations, more than through any other strategy. I personally assist them to register for events and participate.” This direct-to-members approach might not work for your organization, and that’s OK. “One-size-fits-all does not work in the association world,” Ordonez says. “Associations that understand how to celebrate the past and reinvent the future stay fresh, contemporary, and inviting for both current supporters and new kids on the block.” ### The Perfect Meeting Badge **Conference badges can be a fun token for attendees,** especially when meeting planners go all out to find one that represents the essence of the meeting. For this year’s [Hackaday Superconference (opens in a new tab)](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hackaday-superconference-2018-tickets-47386813234) on November 2-4—an event for hardware hackers, builders, engineers, and enthusiasts—planners did just that. The conference badge itself is a computer, with hardware that runs BASIC and CP/M operating systems, includes a color screen and full keyboard, and allows users to save and load programs. Talk about computing the perfect meeting souvenir. ### Other Links of Note **Event technology can drive better ROI for your meetings.** [Smart Meetings explains (opens in a new tab)](https://www.smartmeetings.com/tips-tools/111785/drive-success-with-roi-technology) . **Adding webinars to your association’s content strategy?** The Web Scribble blog shares [content planning tips for an impactful webinar (opens in a new tab)](https://www.webscribble.com/blog/association-webinars-beginners-guide-content-planning) . **Stories are the next social media frontier.** *Fast Company* outlines [best practices to keep your organization on top of its storytelling game (opens in a new tab)](https://www.fastcompany.com/90252767/4-tips-on-how-to-succeed-with-stories) . (teekid/iStock/Getty Images Plus) [Jeff Hsin](https://associationsnow.com/author/jeff-hsin/) [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/jeff-hsin/) Tags: [#donor retention](https://associationsnow.com/tag/donor-retention/) [#job recruitment](https://associationsnow.com/tag/job-recruitment/) [#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: 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/) - [VideoThe Career Moves Every Association Leader Needs Right NowSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/the-career-moves-every-association-leader-needs-right-now/) - [VideoNCRA: Safeguarding Cancer Surveillance: An Advocacy Response to FY26 Budget ThreatsSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/ncra-safeguarding-cancer-surveillance-an-advocacy-response-to-fy26-budget-threats/) ## 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%2F2018%2F10%2F22%2Fdaily-buzz-reinventing-the-membership-wheel%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !