Turning Relationships Into Gold

Central TopicsCentral Topic / Item Minutes

• Workshop Panel Introductions and Ground Rules 5

• Round Robin Introductions and Workshop Goals 5

• What is a Membership Program 10

• When Should you Start a Membership Program 10

• Why Start a Membership Program 10

• Who are your Members and Where do you find them? 10

• Establishing a Membership Program 10

• Maintaining a Membership Program 10

• Summary and Sharing Ideas 5

A. Participate! This workshop is designed to be an idea sharing time.

B. Contribute! You probably know something we don’t, but how will we learn if you don’t share your idea or best practice?

C. Keep on Track! We’ve got a lot of ground to cover in 75 minutes.

D. Have Fun! The best way to retain knowledge is to have fun while learning.

E. Participate! This bears repeating!

Workshop Ground Rules

What is a Membership Program?

Why start a Membership Program?

When should you start a Membership Program?

Who are your Members and Where do you find them?

Establishing a Membership Program.

Maintaining your Membership Program.

Summary and Review.

Workshop Outline

A membership program is one which asks people to contribute

something - money, time, their presence, their names,

and certain actions - to your organization, in return for

which they become somehow affiliated with it for a

set period of time -- usually a year.

What is a Membership Program?

Loyalty Program: A structured marketing effort that reward, and

therefore encourage, loyal buying behavior…behavior that is

typically beneficial to the organization.

Membership vs. Loyalty Program

Membership Program: The customer buys into the "mission"

of the organization and is aptly '"rewarded" for this both by the

organization as well as by his/her own good feelings of

accomplishment.

Membership uses the individuals need to be part of something

bigger, to leave a legacy, to develop a loyalty that far surpasses

anything a simple "loyalty program" can achieve.

Membership vs. Loyalty Program

What programs in your community have you joined?

Why did you join?

What benefits do you receive that bring value to your membership?

How often does the organization communicate with you?

Consider This…

Building or Maintenance Fund

Venue Conversion (Film to Digital)

Team Building and Staffing

Community Engagement or “Buy-in”

Donor Discovery and Foundation Building

Why start a Membership Program?

Membership Programs encourage

Loyalty

Patronage

Evangelism

Ownership

Dedication

Ambassadors

Compelling Arguments

A properly managed Membership Program can

contribute a whopping 25% to your venue’s

operating budget!

Did You Know?

Ticket Sales

Concessions

Merchandise

Membership

Could you use extra funding?

Could your venue’s image use a makeover?

Could you use some new fresh ideas?

Does your organization need Members?

If you answered “YES”, a Membership Program might be the way to do it!

However, the program MUST be executed flawlessly to make an IMPACT.

Don’t compete with large, community involved fund raisers.

Coincide with an important holiday or an event in your

community.

Partner with similar organizations to discover new

prospective members

Plan with your team in mind.

When do you really need the extra funding?

When should you start a Membership Program?

Who are your Members and Where do you find them?

Existing Customers and Patrons

Social Media platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn

Similar Community Organizations

Chamber of Commerce / Rotary / Exchange Clubs

Social Organizations

Film Festival Patrons

Faith-Based Organizations

Challenge: 20 Members in 20 Days

1. Plan to host a Venue Tour

2. Identify 20 People in Your Community

i. Personal connections

ii. Local Celebrities and Business Owners

iii. Current customers from the Customer Relationship Manager (CRM)

3. Commit to connecting with them in 7 days

4. Don’t pitch on the phone… (unless pressed to do so)

5. Invite your prospective members to the venue tour.

6. Send a reminder email 5 days and then 2 days before your event

7. Pitch your Membership Program options in person

Develop your top-tier Membership level first!

Create subsequent Membership levels with targeted demographics

For example: Student, Sustaining, Film-Lovers, etc…

Articulate your mission and goals clearly

Create packages that make sense for each demographic

Maintain records of each communication with prospects and new Members

Establishing a Membership Program

Make it easy for new members to join

Web, Box Office, Social Media and on the Phone

Stay away from manual forms – enable electronic membership signup forms if possible

Each level should make sense, and easy to enjoy

Benefits should be easy to deploy

Track benefit usage

Sharpen membership levels each year to encourage upgrades

Work within your budget

Apply The K.I.S.S. Rule (Keep It So Simple)

Train your Box Office personnel on non-abrasive membership program solicitation

Keep careful records of patron’s spending behavior

Keep careful records of current members benefit usage

Keep connecting with prospective members through networking and hosting events

Ask for endorsements, consider developing an Electronic Press Kit (EPK)

Maintaining your Membership Program

Use Email Marketing to stay in front of your members

Ask for referrals from board members and new members

Articulate how their membership dollars are being spent

Host a “Members-Recruiting-Members” Event

Communicate!

Is a Membership Program right for your organization

Understand the importance of timing

Understand how to develop a membership program

Manage Membership benefits, offerings and features

Understand how to attract new members

Understand the importance of maintaining careful records

Summary and Review.

Thank You for Participating!

Questions