Growing your membership with a Membership Drive

By Nick Koerbin

Do you need to grow your membership –it may have declined for some time.

You need to have a membership drive.

So, where do we start?

First, these membership drives should always be part of a strategic direction from the Board delegated to the CEO and staff. I have witnessed many a membership drive that ends up as a failure because the project is not aligned with the strategic goals and objectives of the organisation.


Here are my six tips to consider before you commit any resources to your next membership growth project:

😎 Ensure your Association's strategic plan has a defined goal or objective for membership growth. Make the strategies supporting member growth clear and well communicated to the rest of the organisation and what resources are available and allocated in the budget.

😎 Included membership as part of your Board meeting agenda; ensure enough time to receive regular reports on recruiting new members and what initiatives are working. Reports should detail the performance of the membership growth program based on key performance indicators, trends and challenges.

😎 Create a dedicated Board Committee member with overall responsibility for membership growth. Make sure there is a Board Job description for the membership portfolio with the tasks and responsibilities for this role.

😎 Bring together a membership committee, a great idea is to get volunteers recruited from the membership base keen to be involved in the Association's activities. This could be part of your succession planning

😎 Ensure the Board member responsible for members clearly understands their membership portfolio and how they can mentor and guide the membership committee to achieve their goals.

😎 Make sure to celebrate when the membership targets have been achieved. Ensure the organisation celebrates the success and recognises everyone involved, including the Board Director and all staff involved in this project.