Payment disputes can be awkward: You don’t want to frustrate members or put them in a bad spot financially, but you also have to make sure that your association is collecting dues and other payments accordingly.

If a member does contest a charge, first find out why.

“Typically, if it is a valid reason such as credit card fraud, then the most reasonable course of action is to accept the dispute and move on,” say The Membership Guys on their blog. “If the reason is for nondelivery of product, then this means you will have to put on your Sherlock Holmes hat and get into detective mode.”

Gather all relevant evidence and then contact the member directly to listen to his or her reasoning and discuss the information you found.

“If they are reasonable people (and not complete jerks), most of the time they are likely to withdraw their complaint knowing they will get their money back,” they say. If they don’t, however, you’ll need to provide evidence to the payment provider.

To minimize the potential for future disputes, it’s important to post your refund policy on your website, along with contact information in case members have further questions.

“If you are clear about your refund policy, then customers have a course of action with you rather than through their payment provider, which is what you want,” they say.

The Meeting Planner-Attendee Divide

7 of 10 planners believe a live appeal will be successful in collecting attendee donations, but only 4 of 10 donors said it was likely for them to donate. Another 4 of 10 said there was a 50/50 chance of them donating – https://t.co/3rJMKoQzDF #nonprofit #fundraising

— NonProfit Times (@NonProfitTimes) November 13, 2019

More than half of planners and attendees say they are more likely to attend events today compared with five years ago, according to a study from GiveSmart. But once meeting planners and guests convene, they have different views about the event agenda.

“Planners want donors to have a great experience at events, but donors want content about impact that has been achieved by the organization,” writes The NonProfit Times about the research. Both groups agreed that celebrating is important, but “donors at events tend to want the big picture,” the publication says. For example, 76 percent of meeting planners want to tell personal stories, while only 40 percent of attendees share the same interest.

Of course, these preferences varied by age group. So what’s the takeaway? Lean in on variety.

“Hold a variety of events that includes the interests of all donors,” The NonProfit Times says. “To expand and grow your donor base, hold events throughout the year that reach different segments of your donors.”

Other Links of Note

Human-centered design, data-driven insights, and value creation—these are the golden pillars of a customer-focused experience, says CMSWire.

Podcasting your way to association glory? The HubSpot blog shares 15 podcasting tools to take your series to the next level.

Instagram’s latest feature: Reels, a video function that allows users to create and remix short videos, just like TikTok. Social Media Today explains.

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