How to Improve Member Experiences: 14 Tips for Events & More

What do you hope your members feel when they think about your organization? Maybe you want them to be excited about an upcoming event, proud to contribute to your successes, or grateful to be part of your community.

All of these emotions can stem from a positive member experience! But how can you improve your member experience to instill these emotions? 

To help your organization connect with its members, this guide will explore:

• What is Member Experience?
• Why Does Member Experience Matter?
• 5 Qualities of a Fantastic Membership Experience 
• 14 Ways to Elevate Your Organization’s Member Experience
• How Event Software Can Improve Membership Experience

From events to community to membership perks, your organization has a wide range of options for improving the member experience. 

What is Member Experience?

Member experience describes how people view, feel about, and engage with your organization’s members-only offerings. These factors determine the value members (and potential members!) place on your membership program.

You can improve the member experience by providing a range of benefits and engagement opportunities for your community to enjoy. For example, you might elevate the in-person membership experience with:

• High-value, relevant programming
• Engaging events, like conferences and galas
• Community volunteer opportunities

Or, you can build the online experience through:

• Social media engagement
• Virtual events like workshops and networking opportunities
• Year-round, online community

The best offerings for your organization depend on your members’s preferences. Survey your membership base and assess engagement metrics to determine what types of content, activities, and perks your members appreciate.

Why Does Member Experience Matter?

Your organization’s success is tied directly to your member relationships. Improving your organization’s member experience helps you with:

• Retaining members. One of the keys to saving money for any organization is focusing on retention. Providing a great member experience increases the chances they’ll renew their memberships, saving you the cost of building your relationships from scratch each year!
• Expanding your community. Members who have a positive relationship with your organization are more likely to refer their friends and colleagues. These organic connections can help you grow your member base quickly and save on marketing costs.
• Making your brand stand out. Why should a member join your organization’s membership program over another? If you have a positive member experience, your brand image will be positive as well, leading to higher recruitment. 

In the end, member experience makes or breaks your connection with your members! Putting extra effort into your members’ happiness inspires them to support you for the long haul.

5 Qualities of a Fantastic Membership Experience

Your member experience will differ depending on whether you’re running a club, association, nonprofit, or other membership organization. But no matter what type of organization you run, almost all valuable membership experiences share a few key qualities. 

1. Personal. Salesforce found that 61% of customers say most companies treat them like a number. This doesn’t inspire loyalty, so at your organization, make an effort to recognize your members’ unique pain points, understand their perspectives, and personalize experiences to reflect their values and interests.
2. Streamlined. Your members already want to be part of your organization, so make it as easy as possible for them to engage! Leverage tools like event management software, online community platforms, and learning management systems to offer your members a smooth experience.
3. Data-driven. When it comes to identifying your members’ feelings, wants, and needs, avoid the guesswork by gathering data on their experiences. If your event app or community management software includes analytics and reporting features, use this data to uncover insights into member behavior and adjust your membership experience strategy as needed.
4. Accessible. Follow an accessibility checklist or hire an accessibility advisor for your events to ensure everyone can enjoy your member experience.
5. Feedback-oriented. Polls and surveys are a great way to check in with your members about their experiences. Plus, people love to see their feedback implemented, and making your members feel heard can play a big part in creating a positive experience.

14 Ways to Elevate Your Organization’s Member Experience 

Now, it’s time to take your member experience to the next level. Here are our top tips to help you get there!

1. Lead with a warm welcome.

Member appreciation begins the moment members join your organization. A warm welcome might take several forms, such as:

• An email series. Create an automatic email series that triggers when members register for your organization. The first email should thank them for signing up and offer a formal welcome to your membership program. From there, subsequent emails should point to content and offerings members should explore so they can access benefits immediately. 
• A mailed package. Put together welcome kits that include branded merchandise, a membership ID card, your association handbook, and any other useful items for members. Then, ship your packages to your new members, complete with letters explaining their content. 
• An orientation event. Gather new members who joined around the same time for orientation events. These can be short meetings that explain how to access your association’s basic offerings, such as how to log in to your community platform, search your membership directory, sign up for events, and browse your blog content. Rather than just welcoming members, events provide a chance for two-way communication, so new members can ask questions and share their feedback. 

No matter your strategy, personalization is key. It doesn’t have to be complicated to be personal—small gestures can go a long way! For example, studies show that emails with personalized subject lines are more than twice as likely to be opened.

2. Create a valuable member benefits package.

Your benefits package depends on your organization’s type. Consider your members’ interests, research your competitors’ offerings, and look for gaps you can fill.

Some popular member benefits include:

• Networking opportunities are especially vital for trade and professional organizations, so be sure to provide a membership directory, networking events, and member-to-member communication tools.
• Access to exclusive events where members can learn skills, explore the latest trends, and meet new people in their field 
• Member spotlights and awards, which can be purely ceremonial or recognized certificates that impact career prospects 
• Coupons and discounts for buying merchandise, event tickets, educational courses, and other exclusive content offered by your organization  
• Job boards to help trade and professional association members expand their career prospects 
• Mentorship programs to jumpstart the networking process and help your association build a community 

If you’re looking to revamp your benefits package, survey your members to discover their interests and pain points!

3. Make renewal simple.

Many members are most at risk of lapse when it’s time to renew. Some members may reassess whether they want to remain part of your organization, whereas others might simply forget to sign up again. 

You can make the renewal process as easy as possible by:

• Sending reminders. Set automatic reminders for members when their renewal deadline is a month, a week, and then just a day away. 
• Offering automatic renewals. When members sign up, allow them to automatically renew their memberships so they never have to stress about re-enrolling. 
• Providing a grace period. Give members a few days, weeks, or even one last month to re-experience what they’ll miss when their membership lapses. A grace period can help retain members on the fence about renewing and ensures forgetful members don’t experience a pause in benefits. 

Communicating when and how to renew will keep your organization at the front of members’ minds, eliminating stress and confusion.

4. Use data to improve.

Member data should inform the types of programming, events, and marketing strategies you implement.

In your member application or event registration form, collect data like:

• Member name
• Location
• Date of birth
• How they heard about you
• What benefits they’re interested in

From the data you gather, segment your member lists to deliver them relevant information. This also means your members are less likely to feel misunderstood by your organization!

5. Get personal.

We’ve said it a few times, and we’ll say it again: Personalization is everything! In fact, marketers report that personalized emails can boost revenue by up to 5.7 times. 

Personalize your member experience with strategies like:

• Segmenting your lists for social media and email campaigns based on relevant interests, such as a trade organization sending members who are job seekers alerts about new job postings and members who are established professionals the latest news about industry updates 
• Using peoples’ names wherever possible, such as addressing them by name in emails and text messages rather than something like “Dear valued member”
• Sending handwritten thank-yous that show you care about that individual member’s contributions to your organization and give members something physical to hold onto 

The better you know your members, the easier it is to meet their individual needs. Making the effort to get to know them when they first join your organization will make personalizing future content easy.

6. Run post-event feedback surveys.

When your event is over, gauge member experience by asking them directly. Send out a survey by email or through your event app to learn what you can improve on for your next event.

Ask questions like:

• What was your favorite part of the event?
• Is there anything you did not enjoy?
• Would you attend this event again?
• What changes would make you more likely to attend?
• Would you recommend this event to a friend?
• How did you hear about this event?

Look for trends in responses. After all, if multiple members state the same pain points or share they learned about your event through the same channel, you know to focus on those aspects of your organization. 

7. Build a standout website.

A website that’s attractive, informative, and easy to navigate goes a long way toward improving the membership experience. 

Your website should be:

• Consistently branded. If you plan to expand your website with a community engagement platform or event website, choose a platform that lets you brand your new website pages or microsite to your organization. 
• Visually appealing. Visual appeal is subjective, but a few general ways to improve your website’s design include reducing clutter, following a consistent color scheme, and using crisp visuals. 
• Intuitive to use. Consider the various audiences that will visit your website and how you can help each of them find what they’re looking for. For members, this will be access to your member sign-up page and members-only content. 
• Mobile responsive. Ensure your members can check in with your organization while on the go with a mobile-responsive website design. Some community engagement platforms for members-based organizations also have apps so members can get a mobile-first experience. 
• Accessible. All of your members should be able to engage with your website. Make your site accessible by ensuring sufficient color contrast between text and backgrounds, adding alt text to images, and providing transcripts and closed captions for videos. 

When creating a website for your next event, EventMobi makes it easy to build branded event websites that streamline the attendee experience.

8. Partner with other organizations.

Companies can benefit from partnering with membership organizations like yours, and strong partnerships can support your member experience in return.

Most corporate partnerships take the form of sponsorships. With this added funding, your organization can expand its offerings, host larger events, and invest in improved technology. In exchange, you’ll need to promote your sponsors to your members, so work with companies whose offerings interest your members. 

Additionally, you can partner with nonprofits, associations, and a range of other organizations to pool your resources. You might host a volunteer day with a nonprofit or work with another association to host an industry conference. 

9. Stay transparent.

Transparency is essential to building trust with your current and prospective members. Maintain this trust by keeping your members informed about:

• When and why fee increases occur
• How their donations and fees support your organization
• How and why your programming might change 
• Changes to your organization structure or leadership

Remember, confidence in your organization is a huge part of member experience. The more transparent you are with your members, the better your member relationships will be. Of course, be sure to only provide announcements once you have a clear picture of your organization’s next steps to avoid sending mixed messages. 

10. Hire a member experience manager.

Similar to a customer experience manager, a member experience manager is someone who specializes in your organization’s member relationships.

A member experience manager can help you:

• Build member service strategies
• Review member feedback
• Brainstorm ideas for improvement
• Train front-facing team members

When working with a member experience manager, ensure you have specific goals in mind. While these experts can provide an array of feedback on your current operations, goals give them clear starting points and make it clear when their work at your organization is complete. 

11. Host amazing in-person events.

Great events are often the backbone of the membership experience. Not only do in-person events bring in non-dues revenue, but they also offer community-building opportunities.

When running an in-person event, incorporate:

• An easy event registration process to boost event attendance 
• An event app to increase engagement and give attendees more ways to interact with your event 
• Gamification to give members participation goals and encourage them to get invested in event activities 
• Fantastic speakers and guests who can provide industry insights, professional advice, and memorable presentations 
• Eye-catching branding so guests remember that your organization hosted the event and non-member attendees consider signing up later
• Detailed event maps and schedules to help supporters find the activities they’re looking for 

A memorable event leaves an impression on your members and gives them something to share on social media or with potential referrals, boosting recruitment. 

12. Take advantage of virtual opportunities.

Virtual events and opportunities offer a few unique perks, and your organization can leverage them to create an awesome member experience by:

• Reaching members across the globe
• Reducing the cost of entry
• Building online community
• Offering recorded content year-round
• Bringing in more guest speakers

Not only will taking advantage of virtual opportunities improve member experience, but it’ll also make the planning process easier on your team and your budget!

13. Create an online community.

People join members-based organizations and attend events to meet like-minded people. From professionals who want to expand their networks to fans who want to meet up at a convention, the heart of any great member experience is creating–and maintaining–a sense of connection.

The best membership experience consistently provides opportunities to connect and create positive memories throughout the year.

Build an online community through:

• A members-only area of your website
• A member directory
• Ongoing events
• Networking opportunities
• Mentorships

To host an active community online, consider investing in community engagement software. These tools allow you to create social media-like platforms where members can create posts, engage with each other’s content, and form online connections like they would on Facebook or LinkedIn.

The only difference is that by hosting your community on a platform you control rather than social media, you can focus members’ attention on your content and organization. This drives engagement with your content to boost retention and encourage membership upgrades. 

14. Engage, engage, engage!

Repeatedly inviting your members to connect with your organization can drive retention, increase referrals, and boost event turnout.

A welcome email is essential, but it’s only the start! Engagement at every step of the member journey lays the building blocks of member experience.

Want to encourage participation at every possible turn? Engage your members with member engagement strategies, including:

• A full event calendar with virtual and in-person options
• Clear and consistent communication
• Volunteer opportunities
• Polls & games
• Social media challenges

How Event Software Can Improve Membership Experience

Hosting amazing events can define your membership experience–and lay the foundation for lifelong memberships!

One of the best ways to ensure your event runs smoothly and increases the value of your membership experience? Investing in the right event management software for your organization.

With EventMobi’s event management software, you can deliver better events and more engaging membership experiences all year round! EventMobi’s tools allow you to improve your member experience through:

• A better onsite experience. EventMobi’s Event App allows you to provide members with private and public networking opportunites, including Appointment Booking, to help you deliver experiences and programming your members can enjoy!
• An easy-to-navigate event website. EventMobi’s website designer helps streamline member and event registration while ensuring access to all the information they need. And, considering that 60% of consumers abandon purchases due to poor website user experience, the value of a great website can’t be overstated! 
• Sharing engagement data with sponsors. Sponsors are a major source of event funding, and EventMobi’s software provides hard numbers to back up the value of a sponsorship package. Securing the right sponsors means you might have a larger event budget–and a more impressive member experience–for the next round!
• Foster year-round community. With EventMobi’s Event App, your member experience can go from a live event to a dedicated community space. This allows you to continue nurturing member relationships all year round without losing momentum between events!

To explore how EventMobi’s event software can improve the member experience for your organization, get in touch today.

Maintain Momentum with a Year-Round Member Experience

Creating a positive member experience isn’t just a one-time thing; it’s an ongoing process that defines how your members understand and engage with your organization. With the right strategies, technology, and mindset, you can build stronger connections with members, deliver long-term value, and retain your members for years to come!