Membership Lifecycles: Understanding When to Re-Engage and Retain Members

Membership organisations, particularly associations and peak bodies, rely on strong, lasting relationships with their members. Building and maintaining these relationships requires a deep understanding of the membership lifecycle and the ability to identify key moments when members need to be re-engaged. By focusing on these touchpoints, organisations can improve retention, ensuring members stay active, engaged, and satisfied.

In this blog, we’ll explore the critical phases in a member's journey where associations can focus on re-engagement and retention efforts. We’ll also discuss how a CRM can play a crucial role in these processes, helping associations automate, personalise, and optimise member interactions.

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The Membership Lifecycle

The membership lifecycle is the series of phases that a member goes through during their time with an association. These phases typically include:

1. Onboarding/New Membership

2. Engagement and Involvement

3. Renewal

4. Lapse or At-Risk Members

5. Re-engagement or Retention

Each phase presents a unique opportunity to build and maintain strong relationships with members. Below, we’ll highlight key touchpoints in the lifecycle and how a CRM can help organisations better engage members and increase retention.

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1. Onboarding: The First 90 Days

The onboarding phase is one of the most critical stages in the membership lifecycle. During the first 90 days, new members form their first impressions of your organisation. Without a smooth and engaging onboarding experience, members may feel disconnected, leading to early disengagement.

How a CRM Can Help  

A CRM is essential during the onboarding process. It allows associations to create automated and personalised welcome journeys for new members. This includes sending customised welcome emails, sharing relevant resources based on the member’s interests, and setting reminders for follow-ups. A CRM can track each new member’s engagement, enabling organisations to offer the right support at the right time, making the onboarding experience more impactful.

Retention Tip: Create a structured onboarding process with automated touchpoints, such as personalised welcome messages, invitations to events, and tailored content based on the member's profile.

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2. Post-Event Engagement

After major events, such as annual conferences or webinars, members are often energised and more connected with the association. This is a prime time to re-engage members and deepen their involvement in future activities.

How a CRM Can Help

A CRM can track member participation in events and automate follow-up emails with personalised content, such as session recaps, recordings, or recommendations for future events. By segmenting members based on their engagement levels and interests, organisations can send targeted content that speaks directly to their needs. A CRM also allows for timely feedback collection, ensuring members feel heard and valued after attending events.

Retention Tip: Always follow up after events with personalised content, invitations to upcoming activities, and surveys to capture feedback. This shows members that their participation matters and reinforces their connection to the organisation. ‍

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3. Renewal Time

The renewal period is one of the most crucial touchpoints for retention. Organisations often struggle to retain members because the value of membership isn’t always communicated effectively at renewal time. It’s important to remind members of the benefits they’ve received throughout the year and make the renewal process as smooth as possible.

How a CRM Can Help

A CRM can simplify the renewal process by automating reminders and tracking renewal statuses. Organisations can create personalised renewal campaigns, highlighting each member's specific engagement—such as events attended, resources accessed, or committees served on. With a CRM, associations can also implement one-click renewal options and track responses in real time, ensuring that no member falls through the cracks.

Retention Tip: Start renewal communications early and focus on the value members have gained. Automate reminders and make the renewal process simple and intuitive.

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4. At-Risk Members: Identifying and Re-Engaging

Not all members stay consistently engaged throughout their membership. Some members may become less active over time, signalling that they are at risk of lapsing. Identifying these members before they lapse is crucial for retention.

How a CRM Can Help

A CRM can track member behaviour, such as attendance at events, email open rates, and participation in activities. By setting up engagement scoring systems, associations can identify at-risk members based on decreased engagement levels. Once identified, the CRM can trigger re-engagement campaigns, such as personalised emails offering exclusive content or invitations to upcoming events, helping to rekindle the member's interest before they lapse.

Retention Tip: Use your CRM to monitor engagement levels and target at-risk members with personalised re-engagement campaigns before they lapse completely.

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5. Lapsed Members: Win Them Back

Even with strong retention efforts, some members will inevitably lapse. However, lapsed members don’t have to be lost forever. With the right strategy, organisations can win back former members and reignite their engagement.

How a CRM Can Help

A CRM can help track lapsed members and automate win-back campaigns. Organisations can send targeted emails to lapsed members with special offers or discounts for rejoining. A CRM can also collect feedback from lapsed members through surveys, providing valuable insights into why they left and how the organisation can improve. By segmenting lapsed members, organisations can create tailored messages that resonate with each individual's reasons for leaving.

Retention Tip: Don’t give up on lapsed members. Use your CRM to send personalised win-back messages, offer exclusive incentives, and gather feedback on why they left.

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Conclusion

Understanding the membership lifecycle and focusing on key touchpoints can significantly improve your organisation’s member retention. From the onboarding phase to post-event engagement, renewal, and re-engagement of at-risk or lapsed members, each stage of the journey offers an opportunity to strengthen relationships with your members.  

A CRM is a powerful tool that allows associations to automate, personalise, and optimise these interactions, ensuring members feel valued and connected throughout their lifecycle. By leveraging your CRM effectively, you can improve retention rates, deepen member engagement, and ultimately build a stronger, more resilient organisation.

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