Membership programs have become a popular way for some service-oriented charities, clubs and associations to raise funds for their nonprofit group. The members of the group receive benefits and perks, such as exclusive access to special facilities or even information in exchange for paying dues or other membership fees.

To attract and retain supporters, nonprofits must focus on increasing the ways that members interact with their organisation. The following tips can help you improve member engagement with your NFP.

Make Certain Your Member Benefits are Worthwhile

Helping members is the reason why many nonprofits organise in the first place. To increase membership rolls, and improve your NFP’s retention rate, focus on improving the services and benefits that you provide your members.

To make sure that you are meeting the needs of your members, conduct a survey. Ask your members if they are satisfied with their current benefits package. Seek suggestions on how you could improve your services. Find out if there is a specific perk that they wish your organisation would add.

Offering services that your members actually want and need, and exceeding their service expectations, is key to being able to recruit new members and earning the trust and loyalty of your current ones.

Personalise Content and Interactions with Your Members

Most of us join clubs and other groups because we want to feel part of something larger than ourselves. We want to feel that we are part of a community whose members share our interests and concerns.

To help your members feel welcome in your organisation, you must humanise your communications.

Personalise your greeting and call your members by their name, whether you are writing a newsletter, sending an email or contacting them in some other manner. Review each member’s prior history with your NFP to discover their preferences when it comes to the types of communication that they respond well to and make sure that you are using their preferred channels at the preferred frequency.

Segment your member list and create personalised, exclusive content that’s targeted to each member based on these preferences and interests.

Increase the Number and Types of Opportunities to Engage

As your members increase their interaction with your organisation, the more connected they will feel to your cause. This increases the likelihood that they will continue their membership and improves that chance that they will recommend your nonprofit to their friends and family.

To keep your membership rolls on the upswing, give members plenty of chances to interact with your organisation in a meaningful way.

One easy way to do this is to increase the number of special, “members only” events that you host. Organise and host conferences, trade shows, awards banquets and similar “face-to-face” events for your members to give them an opportunity to gather in person with others who share their values and interests.

Harness your members’ support for your cause by giving them opportunities to advocate on behalf of your organisation. Start a letter, or email writing campaign to promote your cause with local leaders. Ask members to sign petitions, make a pledge, and help your NFP mobilise support for your cause.

Open up volunteer activities to your members. Or create a membership directory that includes the contact information of all of your supporters and give it to your members. Offer other types of exclusive content to your members, such as access to your NFP’s blog, or offer access to case studies, reports and other news that relate to your cause.

Make sure that the content you offer members is meaningful and interesting to them. Offer access to fresh, original content on a regular basis. Send out alerts when you have something new to share with your members so that they don’t miss out! Make the navigation of your online site easy and intuitive so that members can quickly and easily find the information that they need. Create and host an online forum for your members to interact with one another.

Ensure it is easy for your members to share your NFP’s fundraising campaigns and allow them to create their own customised campaigns on social media. Stress just how important their active participation is to your cause and advancing your mission forward!

The more opportunities that you offer your supporters to engage with you, the more likely they are to respond and continue their membership!