SMART STRATEGIES FOR MEMBER RETENTION

Rapid change is the new normal: is your member retention strategy keeping pace?

Economic uncertainty. Evolving expectations. Competing demands.

Renewing membership is no longer an automatic decision. Every year, members weigh up the value they get from your organisation against other priorities.

Want to keep them engaged? Membership organisations like yours need member retention strategies that are clear, adaptable, and centred on what members truly value.

Here are three proven ways to strengthen long-term member retention:

1. Identify the risks to your member retention
2. Speak to your members
3. Define the relationship

Read on to explore these in more detail.

1. Identify the risks to your member retention

Retention starts with understanding where you’re most vulnerable. Ask:

• When do we expect to lose members?
• Which parts of our membership are most at risk?
• Who do we need to retain to survive and thrive?
• How has member behaviour changed in the last year?
• What areas of our organisation’s offering are members no longer using?
  

Keep these questions live. The answers will shift – and your strategy must shift with them.

We put this into practice with the CIPD, the world’s leading body for people professionals. Using the feedback loop, we aligned campaigns to the value members truly cared about, helping them reverse a four-year decline in renewals.

2. Speak to your members

The best insight comes from your members themselves, so don’t make assumptions.

• Run regular satisfaction surveys to spot what’s working – and what isn’t
• Gather feedback at the point of leaving
• Use interviews or focus groups to identify where your organisation might be falling behind
• Listen to frontline staff and engaged members for patterns you might miss
• Use social channels like LinkedIn to start conversations and test ideas

But don’t stop there – make members part of the value you offer. Create opportunities for them to connect and support each other. Showcase experienced members’ advice for newer ones. Share testimonials to ‘social proof’ the benefits of belonging.

As longtime partners of ACCA, we made member stories integral to this member engagement campaign, amplifying the many voices that make up ACCA’s global membership base. Because the more your members see themselves reflected in their community, the stronger their sense of connection. 

After all, renewing membership isn’t about maintaining the status quo. It’s about being part of something that evolves – offering fresh benefits and opportunities that deliver value your members simply can’t get elsewhere.

3. Define the relationship

Retention isn’t just about fixing problems – it’s about creating a relationship members value enough to renew.

First, define what that relationship looks like for each segment. Your students will have different needs, such as guidance and career planning, compared to professionals 15 years into their career, who may be looking for C-suite opportunities or broader networking. Value will always look different across your membership.

Then for each segment, create a sense of ‘disproportionate value’ – the sense that what your members get in return for their fees is too valuable to pass up. Make it obvious that the relationship you offer cannot be matched – not by competitors, and definitely not by walking away.

With these insights, you can design tailored benefits, communications, and experiences that not only strengthen loyalty, but also create community. Again, we put this into practice with ACCA, through a member loyalty campaign that celebrated member participation and pride – proving that successful retention campaigns need to progress from transactional engagement to emotional commitment.

Let your members guide you

Your members’ needs will continue to change – so keep them involved. Invite them to shape your organisation and influence what you offer. After all, they are you – and you are them.

Because membership isn’t just a transaction – it’s a relationship.

At Consider, we’ve helped some of the UK’s biggest membership organisations improve retention, build community, and grow loyalty – even in turbulent times.

If you want fresh, proven ideas to keep your members engaged for the long term – like this target-smashing retention campaign – we’re ready to help.