Three ways to strengthen your renewal strategy

Professional Bodies and membership organisations are in for a tough time in 2011. For some, a large proportion of their membership are public sector workers, and the pressure is on to cut back on anything that could be classed as non-essential. Research undertaken in Scotland last month uncovered multiple memberships funded by the taxpayer, which will not survive the cut backs in Local Authorities. So how should organisations retain their members?

1. The first step must be to engage with those who are leaving. Call a sample of members in the renewal cycle and find out more about their thought process. Are they concerned about the cost? Have they used any of the benefits? Have they attended any of your events? They may identify changes that can be made quickly and cheaply.
2. The next step must of course be to find out how well the benefits are being used currently. Do you track click throughs to affiliated offers? Can you track usage of your on line resources? Are regional events well attended? If the answer is no to any of these questions, you need to address the issue immediately.
3. And thirdly, start to forecast the likely renewal rates for the coming year. Undertake a simple survey of members' likelihood to renew, and take a view on the resulting figures. As a rule of thumb, count all those who say they will definitely renew, and half of those who will probably renew.

By doing three simple things, you will be starting the year from a position of strength, and will be able to plan much more effectively to maintain a strong membership base.