What is Membership Management?

Membership management entails everything from member onboarding to retention and renewal. Membership management is a concept crucial to organizations who work on memberships. For example, clubs, nonprofits, gyms, cooking classes, religious groups, gated content communities, e-learning clubs, etc. All of these organizations put membership management at their forefront in order to maintain thriving communities.

One of the central factors of member management is member engagement. After all, members are the lifeline of any group. In order to keep an organization’s atmosphere lively, attractive and bustling, keeping members active is vital. Members can be kept active and participating if the organization’s administration provides them with ample engagement opportunities. They cannot be expected to stay loyal to a club which they think does not value them enough. And as the saying goes, it takes two to clap!

Manual management of members is understandable in those communities who deal with a limited number of members. As the organization grows in volume, it gets more and more challenging to manually interact with each and every member on a personal level, or even keeping their details right. That is where the role of a membership management software comes in. This software assists the admins in keeping member engagement high and personalized. It also enables the admins to ease their workload, relax, and come up with data-driven strategies to grow their organization.

Steps Involved in Membership Management

There are a variety of functions and components that membership management deals with. Below are some of the most essential ones:

Member Sign Up & Onboarding

The most basic step in membership management is signing up members. Organizations come up with their own registration forms, pricing structures and terms and conditions. Users sign up after agreeing to this information. During the registration process, associations collect the users’ personal and payment information for record keeping, and future payment purposes.

After successful registration comes onboarding. Since the user has now become a member, the administration is expected to welcome them warmly, and introduce them to the existing members. They should also let them in on the community’s procedures, rules and regulations and activity updates. The smoother the onboarding a member gets, the more likely they are to commit.

Database Management

Every organization has a database which stores and keeps record of all their members’ data. Even if those members have left. Managing the database requires organizing member profiles in a way that makes access as convenient as possible. Moreover, member data should always be accurate to avoid miscommunication, or missing opportunities to contact churned members. It should also be kept secure from any data breaches, and only authorized personnel should be given its access.

Some associations categorize their members in separate levels based on their membership plans and preferences. These plans might be basic, advanced and premium etc. Organizing members into levels makes it easier for the admins to deliver level-specific services to them in a hassle-free manner.

Communication & Engagement

Member engagement is fostered by activities planned by the organization. For instance, admins can hold member-exclusive events, meetings or discussions, workshops etc. to strengthen the members’ sense of belonging to a community. Events also encourage members to form networks among themselves, and create more reasons to stay with a community.

Effective communication between the organization and members is also crucial to member retention. With the help of a membership management software, communities can leverage email, messaging or social media platforms to keep in touch with their members. They can also tailor their communication toward a member according to their membership level and preferences.

Payment & Billing

Another important aspect of membership management is payments handling. Memberships work the same way as subscriptions. In order to renew membership, users have to pay at set intervals. Organizations relying on adept membership management software can handle recurring billing with ease. Advanced platforms automate the entire billing process for you and save you from manual invoice generations, and payments tracking.

Signing up with membership management software ensures that your member renewals take place timely, and efficiently. You get to collect members’ dues automatically, and resolve any payment disputes.

Membership Services

Memberships exist in the first place to offer their members special services and benefits. Members should feel like they have access to something that non-members don’t. This fosters a sense of belonging in them toward a certain community. Their membership becomes a part of their identity.

Therefore, memberships must ensure that their provision of the promised privileges to members is seamless. Whether its access to premium content, lectures or other benefits, the provision of these services must be smooth and hassle-free for increased member satisfaction. Communities can offer special discounts, coupons, or loyalty rewards etc. to enhance the membership experience.

Member Renewal and Retention

Smooth member renewals are key to member retention. Organizations need to proactively come up with strategies to encourage members to renew their memberships. Renewal rates can be given a boost by giving the members what they desire. This includes service optimization, dynamic pricing etc. according to trending user demands.

Reporting & Analytics

Membership management software tracks an organization’s key performance indicators (KPIs) and gives a clear picture of its financial stranding. Memberships can stay updated on their key metrics such as member retention, engagement, and growth to gauge their success better.

Moreover, organizations get insights into their member behavior and identify patterns. They can also get to know about their members’ preferences, and tailor their services accordingly. The reporting and analytics feature of a membership management platform is crucial for identifying areas of improvement, and enabling data-led growth.

Member Support

Member support entails responding to customer issues and queries on time. Active member support is one way of making your members feel valued. Collecting feedback, and conducting surveys is essential to understand the members’ point of view, and how satisfied they are with your services.

Governance & Compliance

Memberships make sure that their established policies stay up-to-date and are earnestly followed. Moreover, they also need to lookout for all the regulatory obligations relevant to them. For instance, adhering to tax and payment regulations for secure payment processing, and accurate financial records.

What is the Role of Membership Management Software?

Revenue Optimization

One of the key benefits of having a membership handling software is that you prevent revenue leaks. This platform automates member billing, minimizing the risk of missing payments. The more stable the cash inflow is, the stronger the revenue stream.

Moreover, in case of failed payments, you can employ smart dunning to recover every single hard-earned penny. Smart dunning entails sending personalized notifications and emails to the members that ask them to update their payment details when automatic retries fail. This strategy is effective in keeping members engaged, and reducing churn for higher member lifetime values.

With an advanced membership management software, you can handle membership changes like an expert. Allow members to upgrade or downgrade their plans as per their needs. If members switch to premium plans, you generate additional revenue.

Furthermore, this software allows organizations to predict their revenue by keeping track of key KPIs. This empowers them to make more informed decisions for optimized performance.

Member Onboarding & Engagement

You can create personalized member registration forms, and collect registration fees seamlessly to ensure smooth member onboarding. Membership management platforms also give you access to a suite of communication tools, such as customizable emails and messages, newsletters etc. to keep members informed and engaged.

Event & Resource Management

Associations use this software to launch their events seamlessly, and organize them without hassle. You can easily generate and sell event tickets for additional revenue. Moreover, the platform also manages member access to premium services and resources according to membership levels. Members automatically receive those benefits which they are entitled to when their membership is activated.

Customization & Flexibility

With the help of a membership management software, organizations can create their plans flexibly. Customized membership plans are a great way to attract wider audiences, since they come with a range of prices. Users can go with the plan that suits their budget the most. Although offering various plans does complicate billing, an advanced membership handling software takes care of all the complex billing like a pro.

Data Management & Security

Membership management software is crucial for keeping your member data secure and organized. The data can only be accessed by authorized personnel, minimizing risks of data breaches. Moreover, communities can access their member information from a single location for improved efficiency.