We've talked a lot about retention — keeping the members you have. But every membership, however well cared for, naturally loses people: they retire, change careers, move on. Without a steady flow of new members, even a well-retained association slowly shrinks. Acquisition isn't optional; it's how you stay the same size, let alone grow.
The mistake is treating member growth as marketing's problem, or as something that "just happens" through reputation. The associations that grow do it deliberately: they're clear on who their ideal next member is, why that person would join, and what the very first experience of membership feels like. They make the value obvious before someone joins, not after.
And here's the link to everything else — your best acquisition tool is your existing members. A member who can clearly name what they get is a member who recruits others. Retention and growth aren't separate projects; done well, the first feeds the second.
So alongside "are our members happy?", ask "why would someone new join us this year — and how would they find out?"
Building a clear value proposition that attracts new members is a thread through What Every Association CEO Needs to Know.
Explore the Association CEO course
Free first step: the Membership Health Scorecard.
Annie
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