Non-Dues Revenue: How Associations Can Diversify Their Revenue

1. Crafting a Winning Member Engagement Strategy:

• Navigating Challenges: The landscape of member engagement is evolving, presenting new challenges. The solution lies in a dual focus on delivering value and implementing effective engagement strategies.
• Diverse Engagement Tactics: Acknowledge the diversity within your membership, including those not fully embracing technology. Initiate a volunteer journey, starting with smaller roles, to cultivate engagement.

2. Corporate Sponsorship Unveiled:

• Strategic Approaches: Moving corporate members into sponsorship programs requires a nuanced strategy. Understand their unique goals, involve them in the decision-making process, and gradually progress sponsorship levels.
• Customization is Key: Recognize that corporate goals evolve. Tailor engagement for sponsors, offering customized opportunities that align with their shifting objectives.
• Inclusive Conversations: Break away from traditional sponsorship models. Engage sponsors in meaningful conversations, making them integral to strategic planning and committees.

3. Unraveling Member and Sponsor Objectives:

• Qualitative Research for Members: Dive deep into member experiences through qualitative research. Understand their challenges, goals, and preferences to create tailored programs that add significant value.
• Strategic Business Alignment: For sponsors, inquire about their business objectives, marketing goals, and preferred outreach methods. Align association offerings with their unique needs.
• Beyond Traditional Models: Shift the conversation beyond traditional sponsorship. Explore innovative, customized opportunities that cater to sponsors' evolving goals.

4. Navigating the Technology Landscape:

• Challenge Assumptions: Rethink assumptions about member technology use. Bridge gaps by meeting members where they are, and employ a multichannel approach.
• Seamless Multichannel Engagement: Utilize various channels such as SMS and email to engage members seamlessly, respecting their channel preferences and ensuring a cohesive experience.

5. Elevating Conference Sponsorships:

• Personalized Engagement: Steer clear of a one-size-fits-all approach in conference sponsorships. Understand each sponsor's unique goals and objectives for a personalized experience.
• Value Beyond Logos: Go beyond logo placements; sponsors desire active involvement. Make them part of the conversation, provide tangible value, and involve them in strategic discussions.

6. Evolution in Continuous Engagement:

• Sustaining Dialogue: Establish ongoing dialogues with both members and sponsors. Regularly reassess their needs to adapt programs and ensure continued success.
• Dynamic Reassessment: Continuously revisit conversations with sponsors. Understand changes in their initiatives and audience focus, allowing for dynamic adjustments.

About our panel members:

Amanda Kaiser is a sought-after member engagement strategist. She is the Keynote Speaker & Engagement Strategist at Kaiser Insights LLC and the author of “Elevating Engagement: Uncommon Strategies for Creating a Thriving Member Community”. 

Bruce Rosenthal is the Founder & Convener at Partnership Professionals Network. Bruce is a corporate partnership and sponsorship guru with more than two decades of experience as a strategic advisor, consultant and education for trade and professional associations. 

About our host:

Farhad Khan is a thought leader in membership websites and digital strategies for associations. He is the CEO & Membership Strategist at Grype Digital. He has helped numerous associations automate member engagement and retention over his career of 12+ years.

 

As you embark on your association's journey, remember that Member Lounge is your steadfast ally, ready to support the implementation of these strategic insights for unparalleled success! 🌐💬 #MemberEngagement #SponsorshipSuccess #AssociationStrategies #LearningPost

Special acknowledgement to our guests for providing powerful insights into membership management. 

Follow our podcast for more free educational content.

Visit memberlounge.app to learn more about us.

Contact anika@grype.ca for questions or support.

 

 

Multi-Touch Recruitment Strategies

• Emphasizes diverse communication channels.
• Focuses on personalized messaging to prospective members.

Member Value Documentation

• Stresses the importance of understanding members' needs and values.
• Suggests regular updates and adaptations to these values.

Technology in Member Engagement

• Discusses leveraging digital platforms for enhanced member interaction.
• Highlights the use of data analytics for better engagement strategies.

Creating Vibrant Member Communities

• Advocates for building active, engaging online and offline member communities.
• Emphasizes regular events and forums for member interaction.

Tailored Communication for Different Segments

• Addresses the need to understand various member segments.
• Suggests customized communication strategies for each segment.

 

About our panel members: 

Scott Oser is the President of Scott Oser Associates Inc. Scott has spent the past 25 years working with hundreds of associations. He is an accomplished speaker, writer, and respected authority in the membership communication space. 

 

Farhad Khan is the CEO & Membership Strategist at Grype Digital. He is a thought leader in membership strategy and an expert in membership consultation helping associations automate member engagement and retention. 

Special acknowledgement to our guests for providing powerful insights into membership management. 

Follow our podcast for more free educational content.

Visit memberlounge.app to learn more about us.

Contact anika@grype.ca for questions or support.

 

 

If you ever had second thoughts about your association management system,  you should follow your gut feeling. Here’s what we talked about in our super insightful session with association technology experts Jeff Horne and Farhad Khan -

 

• Adopting more modern and interconnected tools to create a seamless member journey and boost team efficiency.
• Strategic approach to technology selection in your association to ensure it meets the needs of your members.
• Empower your team by choosing technology systems that boost job satisfaction and productivity.
• Navigating association management software challenges to maintain a high-quality member experience.
• Current trends and future of association management technology to enrich your association’s experience

 

About Our Guest:

Co-Founder & CEO of Wicket, Jeff is a passionate advocate and change agent for software solutions available to member-driven organizations. He has been working with digital technologies for over 20 years and has helped numerous associations and nonprofits increase member acquisition and engagement.

 

About Our Host:

Farhad Khan is the CEO & Membership Strategist at Grype Digital. He is one of the thought leaders in digital strategy consultation, helping associations automate member engagement and retention.

 

Special acknowledgement to our guests for providing powerful insights into membership management. 

Follow our podcast for more free educational content.

Visit memberlounge.app to learn more about us.

Contact anika@grype.ca for questions or support.

 

 

About the panel discussion: 

 

Explore creative financial strategies to generate revenue for your association through automated marketing. Get invaluable insights into the best practices to engage and retain your stakeholders!

 

Learn how to attract sponsors whose goals align with your association's mission while maintaining member happiness with the power of state-of-the-art marketing tools.

 

Meet the experts in sponsorship, business development and marketing: 

 

Edward Byers is the Director of Membership at the Canadian Society of Association Executives. He is a passionate non-for-profit executive who has a significant role in boosting partnerships in the association realm. 

 

Lydia Israel is the marketing manager at Grype Digital, who is also an expert in agile marketing and business development. She has led both local and international organizations to immeasurable success in her 20 years of career.

 

Connect with the Experts!

 

The Member Lounge Discussion Community is not just a platform, it’s a hub of innovation and collaboration. Connect with the brightest minds in the association world and explore game-changing strategies to boost your association’s success. 

 

Engage in conversations to get the answers to your burning questions. Whether it’s pricing for your association or governance or technology planning, there’s a space for every topic!

Special acknowledgement to our guests for providing powerful insights into membership management. 

Follow our podcast for more free educational content.

Visit memberlounge.app to learn more about us.

Contact anika@grype.ca for questions or support.

 

 

Do you find yourself asking "How can we create content that not only attracts new members, but also keeps them coming back for more?" If you want to keep your association members enchanted and engaged, content is the key to solve your retention woes! Discover the secret sauce to maximize your content to engage and retain members to make your association stand out from the crowd.

 

About our Guest
Leona Scott is a content connoisseur with passion and expertise in membership and content creation. 

She founded JEP Marketing Communication and has helped numerous member-based associations with content marketing needs.

Leona has won the Dallas Fort Worth Association Executives (DFWAE) 2023 Award for her brilliant marketing and communication efforts in the association realm and the President's Award for her excellent skills in developing popular online monthly meetups that created incredible value for its members.

 

Special acknowledgement to our guests for providing powerful insights into membership management. 

Follow our podcast for more free educational content.

Visit memberlounge.app to learn more about us.

Contact anika@grype.ca for questions or support.

 

 

In a world where innovation thrives on fresh perspectives, we're diving headfirst into the realm of young professionals and their paramount role in driving association growth. Listen to our live podcast as we’re unveiling the master plan for associations to flourish with member engagement and generational shift expert Sarah L. Sladek!Special acknowledgement to our guests for providing powerful insights into membership management.  Follow our podcast for more free educational content. Visit memberlounge.app to learn more about us. Contact anika@grype.ca for questions or support.

Technology is ever more important now for associations. The key is to approach technology planning the right way and using it to drive revenue. But here’s the secret sauce: it’s not just about the dollars and cents. It’s about creating an unforgettable user experience. Let’s discover the perfect blend of technology and user-centric strategies to take your association to new heights with CEO coach, speaker, and author Mary Byers and host Farhad Khan.Special acknowledgement to our guests for providing powerful insights into membership management.  Follow our podcast for more free educational content. Visit memberlounge.app to learn more about us. Contact anika@grype.ca for questions or support.

About This Episode

Looking to level up your fundraising game? Try creative sponsorship options into your fundraising plan and create new opportunities for growth and revenue. 

With our proven strategies and tips, you'll learn how to create a winning formula that works. It's all about leveraging their content and tapping into their expertise to create even more value for your association and grow your membership.

Don't miss out on the chance to take your fundraising to new heights!

About Our Guest 

Bruce Rosenthal is a highly sought-after corporate partnerships strategic advisor, consultant, and educator who has been advancing corporate partnership programs for more than two decades.

He is the co-convener of the Partnership Professionals Network (PPN), a national sponsorship/partnership organization, where he demonstrates leadership in identifying and cultivating partnership best practices, opportunities, and solutions. 

Bruce helps organizations develop customized corporate partnership programs that increase revenue, add member value, and foster organizational sustainability. 

We talked about

• How do I get started when my group has really not had a sponsorship program?
• What are sponsors looking for?
• What are some unique sponsorship ideas at events?
• How do we design win-win sponsorship packages?
• What would be some best practices to follow when creating sponsorship packages?
• How to differentiate, especially from the sponsor's perspective, the difference between sponsorship and advertising?
• What are some ways to attract sponsors outside of events and in just the day to day of operations?
• What other ways can you include corporate partnerships to better serve members?
• How to best use partner services to provide member benefits beyond just providing discounts?
• How to include corporate partners in the online community?
• How to include sponsors to engage and create value?
• How to Leverage content from your corporate sponsors to grow your membership?
• Is there a general rule on the maximum value of sponsorship revenues that an NFP should strive for? E.g., When seeking sponsorships for a particular event, should the sponsorships sought not exceed X% of the anticipated event cost?
• What are the first three steps to set up a sponsorship program?
• How to ensure your sponsorship levels or offerings are revenue positive?
• How do you avoid burning out your regular sponsors?
• How to differentiate, especially from the sponsor's perspective, the difference between sponsorship and advertising?
• Affinity partners (discounts to members) vs. sponsors. Is there a difference besides sponsorship is paid and affinity partnership is no cost? Is it recommended to maintain both? 
• How do you get the Board in line with incorporating sponsorships?
   

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Register for our upcoming live podcast episodes!

Special acknowledgement to our guests for providing powerful insights into membership management. 

Follow our podcast for more free educational content.

Visit memberlounge.app to learn more about us.

Contact anika@grype.ca for questions or support.

 

 

About This Episode

Are you looking to take your association to the next level? Look no further! By prioritizing communication, collaboration, and member engagement you can be at the top.

Strong connections are essential in building a community. With the right strategy you can increase engagement and ensure the long-term sustainability for your organization.

Let's take your membership model to new heights and achieve success together!

About our Guest

Amanda Kaiser is at the forefront of exploring how member and attendee engagement is rapidly changing within professional communities. She authored the book Elevating Engagement: Uncommon Strategies for Creating a Thriving Member Community and shares her distinctive perspective and strategies for nurturing a dynamic and prosperous community.

We talked about

Why is a focus on engagement so important for associations right now?

In your book you have broken down the stages of member engagement. Can you tell us about them in short?

If we want to simplify the stages in 3 different member engagement levels - low, medium and high. How would you approach these 3 types of member segments?

Association staff often have limited time for member engagement. Which areas are the most important to focus on?

Can we talk about some key activities we can do to engage members?

What is the role of a membership website in member engagement?

Another key challenge we see is associations prepare an annual plan and there can be no deviation from that plan during the year. The world is changing faster than we can imagine. How can we be more agile?

How do we engage younger members/professionals?

How to organically gain new members without it always seeming like a sales pitch

When staffing resources and time are extremely limited, how do we develop strategies in creating a self-sustaining community independent of the leadership from official staff team members to sustain it?

How do we minimize the intervention of staff members to sustain the community to avoid the burnout that happens in this leadership role?

Do professional newbies, experienced and expert members need their own groups, or is it all about connecting all? 

Is the idea of recognizing long-standing members dead?

We onboard our members virtually. Onboarding email is the only means we use currently and the organizational email address receives it. Is there a way to improve our onboarding in a way that it extends our message to the entire organization and not solely the main contact person?

How much segmentation is too much when communicating with new members?

How long is a new member considered "new"?

Any new ways to do outreach instead of just mass mailers?

How do you adapt your recommendations for members who may only meet in the virtual world?

What is a good + affordable way to reach outside our current audience?

How to effectively onboard members with automatic communications?

Special acknowledgement to our guests for providing powerful insights into membership management. 

Follow our podcast for more free educational content.

Visit memberlounge.app to learn more about us.

Contact anika@grype.ca for questions or support.

 

 

About This Episode

Are you looking to take your association to the next level? Look no further! By prioritizing communication, collaboration, and member engagement you can increase your association's effectiveness and revenue.

Effective leadership and regular evaluation are essential in achieving your association's objectives. With the right strategy you can increase revenue and ensure the long-term sustainability for your organization. Let's take your membership model to new heights and achieve success together!

About our Guest

Elisa Pratt, CEO and Chief Strategist of Brewer Pratt Solutions, is an influential strategic specialist who served as an impactful senior staff member for several trade and individual membership associations, both domestic and international. She leverages a record of transformative success and specializes in strategic planning, leadership development, and engagement.

As an association management executive for more than 20 years, she delivers strategic and actionable innovations, future-focused member engagement solutions, and tactical operational effectiveness solutions.

With a unique background in components, Pratt is a Certified Association Executive (CAE), has earned her Certified Virtual Facilitator designation from the International Institute for Facilitation (INIFAC), and holds a MA in Government from Johns Hopkins University.

We talked about

How do I find out where potential members hang out?

How to get the buy-in from the decision-makers in your organization to invest in IT and digital marketing (understanding social media is not free)?

How to prospect in different provinces?

How do you get your BOD on board?

How to get a buy-in from your membership at large to serve a new market?

How to keep those first year members

Beyond the financial benefits of membership, how best to sell the less tangible benefits of your association?

How to grab the attention of our prospects when there is already so much noise (emails, newsletters, events etc).?

How do you reach out to try and attract new members without coming across as spam?

How to determine membership pricing when members are associations or businesses?

Does membership recruitment require different tactics for Gen Z vs older age cohorts?

How fluid are most recruitment campaigns that you've helped to create?  

Are they planned in advance with every step concretely established, or, are they adaptive based on the results of prior actions?

What is the best channel for outreach?

What do you do when your membership is limited by mission and bylaws?

In the new digital world, how do renewals cut through the clutter and are calling and mailing invoice campaigns still effective for renewals/retention?

What are your top three most successful membership recruitment procedures/campaigns?

 

Special acknowledgement to our guests for providing powerful insights into membership management. 

Follow our podcast for more free educational content.

Visit memberlounge.app to learn more about us.

Contact anika@grype.ca for questions or support.