03/09/2022

Take a Risk-averse Approach to Launching a New Membership Model

Careful planning, research and listening to members are essential

Change can be hard, but if you’re thinking about changing your association’s membership model, now might be the right time.

“It’s easier to make changes now than it has ever been because we’ve had so much disruption and innovation over the past two years,” said Mary Byers, CAE, president of Mary Byers, Inc. “I can’t think of a better time to try something new.”

Added to the potentially good timing, evidence from case studies is strong. “There are associations that are experiencing significant wins with a change,” Byers said. For example, Byers shared that the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association launched tiered pricing in 2016 and experienced an 11.5 percent membership increase. The Healthcare Financial Management Association shifted to an all-access membership model in 2018 and grew its new individual members by 36 percent and improved its retention rates by 4.5 percent in the first year.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Associations Now.