--- title: "Daily Buzz: What the Best Onboarding Programs Have in Common" id: "46903" type: "post" slug: "daily-buzz-what-the-best-onboarding-programs-have-in-common" published_at: "2019-06-05T20:42:27+00:00" modified_at: "2019-06-05T20:42:27+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2019/06/05/daily-buzz-what-the-best-onboarding-programs-have-in-common/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2019/06/05/daily-buzz-what-the-best-onboarding-programs-have-in-common.md" excerpt: "A solid onboarding strategy can improve member retention rates. Successful programs include three key elements. Also: how reminders can hurt your team." taxonomy_category: - "Membership" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "donor retention" - "Membership" - "onboarding" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Director" - "Manager" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Daily Buzz: What the Best Onboarding Programs Have in Common New-member onboarding doesn’t stop once they’ve received a welcome letter in the mail. To prove your association’s value—and increase the chance of renewal in the future—your organization needs a solid onboarding program. The problem: Once dues are paid, associations often don’t do enough to make new members feel welcome. “Associations tend to have very robust renewal programs, but meager new-member onboarding programs,” [says Amanda Kaiser on the Wild Apricot blog (opens in a new tab)](https://www.wildapricot.com/blogs/newsblog/2019/06/04/member-onboarding) . Those organizations that do prioritize onboarding, she says, have three elements in common: **Start early.**“Organizations have a three-day to three-week window of opportunity to first engage each new member,” Kaiser says. “That’s because new members want to know as soon as possible how the organization can help them, what the value is, and most importantly, they want to confirm they did not make a mistake in joining.” **Plan out messaging and make a timeline.**Kaiser says that onboarding plans with scripted and dated communications have higher success rates than those whose emails are impromptu. So, know what you’re going to say and when to say it. **Revisit your program regularly and make changes as needed.**“New member onboarding programs should perform better each year,” Kaiser says. “Why? Because program managers measure the success of each message and re-create the ones that perform poorly.” Audit your program twice a year, making tweaks as needed, and see how it affects your new-member renewal rate. ### Reminder: Send fewer Reminders > If you want to be helpful, then don’t undermine the ability of others to do for themselves. [@WandaThibodeaux (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/WandaThibodeaux?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [https://t.co/FpJFV7gemb (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/FpJFV7gemb) > > — Inc. (@Inc) [June 5, 2019 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/Inc/status/1136233303256776704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) We’re all human, and sometimes we forget things. In the workplace, it’s common to send out reminders to avoid any such mishaps. But these types of notices can also cause tension among employees. “Even if a reminder is well-intentioned, the underlying connotation can be, ‘I don’t quite trust you to handle this like an adult, so I’m going to hold your hand to make sure you don’t screw this up,’” [says Wanda Thibodeaux on Inc. (opens in a new tab)](https://www.inc.com/wanda-thibodeaux/why-sending-reminders-at-work-is-a-total-waste-of-time.html?cid=sf01001) “It’s pretty dang hard for someone to return trust if you won’t hand it out first, and when you passive-aggressively communicate that you think someone has a lack of capability, it can do a real number on a person’s self-esteem.” Instead of sending reminders, Thibodeaux recommends aggregating all critical reminders and sending to the whole team. You can also empower employees with the training or tools they need to remember deadlines or tasks on their own. ### Other Links of Note **Get a GRPI!** That’s no typo—the Bloomerang blog explains how goals, roles, processes and interpersonal relationships [can take your nonprofit team to the next level (opens in a new tab)](https://bloomerang.co/blog/get-a-grpi-to-improve-your-nonprofit-team/) . **What’s in a name?** *CMSWire* outlines [why words matter in branding (opens in a new tab)](https://www.cmswire.com/digital-marketing/the-art-of-naming-things-how-words-impact-brand/) . **All good things** come to an end. Nonprofit Hub breaks down [how to know when to dissolve your organization (opens in a new tab)](https://nonprofithub.org/nonprofit-management/when-to-dissolve-your-organization/) . (FTiare/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/) [#Membership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/membership/) [#onboarding](https://associationsnow.com/tag/onboarding/) **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/) - [ArticleThe First 30 Days: Three Essential Touchpoints for New MembersDecember 8, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/12/08/the-first-30-days-three-essential-touchpoints-for-new-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/) - [ArticleNew Member Onboarding: Long-Term Membership StrategiesFebruary 3, 2023](https://associationsnow.com/2023/02/03/new-member-onboarding-long-term-membership-strategies/) ## 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%2F2019%2F06%2F05%2Fdaily-buzz-what-the-best-onboarding-programs-have-in-common%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !