Russ, Good to see you are still out there in the museum world! We are too! Here are some recommendations:
For whatever you are doing for membership and annual fund, it is good to do all that you can from direct mail, emails and on social media. These methods all still work and work best when in sync with one another.
For membership acquisition, we are still seeing great results from direct mail and even better when combined with emails - every two weeks during the run of a direct mail campaign. And posting social media ads that complement the creative of the DM and EM solicitations. Uploading your lapsed files to a SM platform to deliver targeted rejoin messages is also a good plan.
Doing a very targeted ask when people visit is imperative for those on site sales, but if you have people that have bought tickets in advance and you have captured their email addresses, be sure to send membership ask via mail and email, perhaps giving them the price of their tickets off the price of a membership. Also, you mention events - make sure you have a dedicated person to make the membership ask to all attendees, perhaps greeting people as they arrive, or working the room throughout the event.
Renewals, same is true - best to start 60 days out and run until 60 days after expiration with at least three direct mail touches and probably 3 to 6 emails.
Upgrades are good to use the mail and email combo too. We send very specific and directed upgrade letters in the non-renewal season of a member's timespan (e.g.. if they are due to renew in March, we are sending upgrade appeal in fall, in their renewal "off season".
Lapsed recapture - include lapsed people in your acquisition direct mail, email and digital campaign efforts. and keep trying - repetition is a must! Go back 3 to 5 years and email them monthly or quarterly at the least. Doing a mailed lapsed effort is also important probably at least twice a year.
And to answer a few of your other questions, yes to premiums or special offers in all appeals, an extra bonus for joining or renewing now, and yes to auto renew, but it will take a while to build participation, so shoot for 5 to 10 percent of your renewal coming in that way to be realistic.
FYI, We will be hosting our Membership Seminar this fall online October 10, 11 and 12. Stay tuned for more info and an invite to that. It encompasses all that you are asking about and a lot more! Best wishes to you and your membership program!
Dana S. Hines, CFRE
President, Membership Consultants
Dana@Membership-Consultants.com
314-574-1185 | www.membership-consultants.com
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Original Message:
Sent: 7/13/2023 5:18:00 PM
From: Russell Daws
Subject: What methods are you using for Membership renewals, upgrades, and new acquisitions?
Greetings, colleagues.
We are a midsized regional museum of history and natural science with a membership base of slightly over 3,000 households. We are in the process of reviewing our membership renewal, upgrade, and new acquisition methods. We would be interested in hearing about how other museums handle these methods. Specifically, some of our questions include the following:
How many renewal notices do you send to an expiring member, and when? Are any of these done via email, mail, or a combination? Do you provide any incentives (i.e., discounts, extended months of memberships, etc.) as part of any of these renewals?
If you offer an "auto-renew" membership option, how do you promote it?
Once a member has lapsed beyond your renewal efforts (say 5 months or longer), what efforts do you employ to try and get them to rejoin? What is your most effective effort?
What efforts do you use to encourage members to upgrade to higher membership levels?
The majority of our acquisition of new members occurs through on-site sales. Aside from on-site sales, what efforts do you use to acquire new members? Do you use direct mail campaigns, social media platforms, telemarketing, paid advertising, etc.? What efforts have provided you with the greatest return on investment?
When hosting special events for the public at your museum, do you promote membership any differently than on a normal museum day? If you have an on-site membership sales program, do you see a greater percentage of membership sales during your special events?
Thanking you in advance for sharing any information and insights you might be able to provide.
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Russell Daws
President/CEO
Tallahassee Museum
Tallahassee FL
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