Global Membership Drive
Membership/Marketing Plan
This plan is derived from the Real Guide to Growth Membership Handbook – it refers to sections and action plan templates within the guide. For more detailed planning information please refer to the handbook, which can be found in the Training Library of the online Marketing Center (Members Only area).
Membership Recruitment
Situation Analysis
· Examine the framework of your chapter. (Action Plan Template 1.1)
§ Think about the membership of your chorus and ask where was the chorus a year ago and where is the chorus now.
· Identify your core values. (Action Plan Template 1.2)
§ List specifics that serve as guiding principles for the chorus.
§ Identify the benefits that each member values most.
§ Uncover any potential issues with the chorus membership and list solutions.
· Decide what you’d like to see the chorus accomplish this year. (Action Plan Template 1.3)
· Survey women in your community to understand the local awareness level of your chorus and what the impression is of your chorus. (Action Plan Template 2.1)
· Determine your best opportunities to recruit. (Action Plan Template 2.3)
§ Should you focus on increasing awareness?
§ Do you need to generate more trial among the women in your community who already know about your chorus?
§ Could you improve the continuity among the guests who come so that they come back again and again?
Membership/Marketing Objectives
· Factor in the retention of current members and decide how many total members the chorus should have by year-end. (Action Plan Template 2.4)
· Decide how many members your chorus needs to gain over the next year.
§ Calculate your attrition rate to estimate the number of members who will resign. (The average attrition rate across the organization is 15 percent.)
· Determine the number of guests required to come through your door in order to meet your membership/marketing objectives.
§ Take into consideration your conversion rate of actually turning guests into members. (The average conversion rate across the organization is 30 percent.)
Target Audience
· Define the target audience appropriate for your chorus that will positively impact your membership/marketing objectives. (Action Plan Template 2.5)
· Establish the best way to reach the chorus’ target audiences and develop promotional methods. (Action Plan Template 2.6)
Marketing Tactics
· Decide if you will use incentives and promotions, advertising, public relations and/or word of mouth marketing to attract prospects.
§ Develop incentives and promotional strategies to increase awareness, trial and continuity. (Action Plan Template 2.7)
§ Build an advertising plan that will generate the number of guests needed to meet the marketing objective. (Action Plan Template 2.8)
§ Utilize public relations tools to generate awareness, encourage trial, increase inquiries, enhance image and build credibility. (Action Plan Template 2.9)
§ Connect with potential members through word of mouth marketing and social media. (Action Plan Template 2.10 and 2.11)
Budget, Execution and Scheduling
· Produce a marketing budget that itemizes any expected costs that will arise when executing the member recruitment plan. (Action Plan Template 2.12)
· Plot out all of the marketing tactics you plan to employ to attract new members on a 12-month planning calendar. (Action Plan Template 2.13)
Prepare The Chorus For Active Recruiting
· Create a member service culture in the chorus. (Action Plan Template 3.1)
§ Ensure that your prospective member service standards are the best they can be.
§ List ways to improve and/or enhance Prospective Member Service.
§ List ways to create a Member Service Culture in the chorus.
§ Prepare members to talk to guests (Action Plan Template 3.5)
· Care for guests. (Action Plan Template 3.2, 3.3 and 3.4)
§ Use a chart to create a customized procedures plan for the chorus’ membership activities during a guest night.
§ Distribute guest packets to prospective members that include a prospective member brochure, chorus fact-sheet, chapter newsletter, sheet music, etc.
§ Ask guests to fill out a Guest Profile form so you have the advantage of following up with them to obtain their valuable feedback.
· Learn from guests. (Action Plan Template 3.7)
§ Gather constructive feedback from prospective members by asking them to complete a Guest Survey. This will help the chorus continually improve its recruitment efforts.
· Follow-up with your guests with a personalized note, e-mail or even a phone call. (Action Plan Template 3.8)
Evaluation and Adjustment
· Calculate and assess any information or data collected on your marketing efforts at the end of your membership campaign. (Action Plan Template 2.14)
· Use these results to determine if your objectives were reached and which marketing tactics were effective.
· File these results and evaluation parameters so that marketing leaders can use this information to build from for future marketing campaigns.
Membership Retention
Retention Analysis (Action Plan Template 4.1)
· Track how many members are leaving the chorus each year and find out why.
· Establish short and long-term objectives for membership retention.
· Ask members to complete a Resigning Member Exit Survey to uncover the reasons why members are leaving the chorus. (Action Plan Template 4.2)
The All Important First Year
· Evaluate the potentially successful new member and discover her strengths and weaknesses. (Action Plan Template 4.3)
§ Find out about their singing history and musical influences, what their singing needs and habits are and if they possess a healthy competitive spirit.
· Institute a follow-up Rookie Program to help new members feel accepted, comfortable and connected. (Action Plan Template 4.4)
· Have new members fill-out a New Member Survey as they reach their one-year anniversary. (Action Plan Template 4.6)
Satisfying Existing Members
· Instill exceptional people skills within the membership. (Action Plan Template 4.7)
· Recognize, reward and nurture existing members effectively. (Action Plan Template 4.8)
· Implement an annual Membership Satisfaction Survey so that leaders can monitor and assess the satisfaction level of the membership. (Action Plan Template 4.9)
§ Identify member complaints through the Membership Satisfaction Survey and take steps to address and reduce those complaints. (Action Plan Template 4.10)
· Develop a Renewal Recognition Plan to show renewing members that they are as valuable as new members. (Action Plan Template 4.14)