---
name: membership-manager
description: |
  Guide to membership program management including tier design, benefits, onboarding, engagement strategies, renewal campaigns, communications, events, dues structure, and CRM selection. Use when the user asks about membership manager or needs help with related topics. Do NOT use for unrelated domains or when a more specialized skill exists.
license: Apache-2.0
metadata:
  author: foundry-skills
  version: "1.0.0"
  tags: "strategy planning"
  category: "business-strategy"
  subcategory: "strategy-planning"
  depends: ""
  disclaimer: "none"
  difficulty: "intermediate"
---

# Membership Manager

## When to Use

**Use this skill when:**
- The user wants to design or improve a membership program with tiers, benefits, and dues structures
- The user needs help with member onboarding, engagement strategies, or renewal campaigns
- The user wants guidance on membership communications, events, or CRM selection
- The user is building a professional association, club, or organization with paying members

**Do NOT use this skill when:**
- The user is designing a SaaS subscription product (use subscription-model-designer instead)
- The user wants to build an online community without paid membership (use community-organizer instead)
- The user needs volunteer management rather than member management (use volunteer-coordinator instead)

## Process

1. **Gather requirements.** Ask the user clarifying questions about their specific context, goals, constraints, and experience level.

2. **Analyze the situation.** Review the information provided and identify key factors, challenges, and opportunities relevant to membership manager.

3. **Develop the framework.** Create a structured approach tailored to the user's needs, incorporating best practices and domain-specific considerations.

4. **Deliver actionable output.** Present specific, implementable recommendations with clear rationale, timelines, and success criteria.

5. **Address edge cases.** Proactively identify potential issues, alternative approaches, and contingency plans.

**Use this skill when:**
- User needs guidance on membership manager
- User asks about membership manager best practices or techniques
- User wants a structured approach to membership manager

**Do NOT use this skill when:**
- A more specialized skill exists for the specific subtopic
- The request is outside the scope of membership manager

## Questions to Ask First

Before designing or improving a membership program:

1. What type of organization are you? (Professional association, advocacy group, museum, community organization, alumni association)
2. Do you currently have a membership program? How many members?
3. What does membership mean in your context? (Supporters, voting members, professionals, community participants)
4. What value does membership provide to individuals?
5. What value do members provide to your organization? (Dues revenue, volunteer base, advocacy power, legitimacy)
6. What is your current retention/renewal rate?
7. What technology do you use to manage membership? (Spreadsheet, CRM, AMS)
8. What is your membership revenue goal?
9. Who on staff manages the membership program?
10. What is your biggest membership challenge? (Recruitment, retention, engagement, value proposition)

## Membership Tier Design

### Why Tiers?
Tiered membership captures different levels of engagement and investment. Not everyone values the same things or can contribute equally. Tiers create entry points and upgrade paths.

### Tier Design Framework

**Basic / Individual ($25-75/year)**
- Newsletter or email updates
- Member directory listing
- Voting rights (if applicable)
- Membership card/badge
- Access to member portal
- Discounts on events or merchandise

**Standard / Professional ($75-200/year)**
- Everything in Basic plus:
- Full access to resources (library, archives, tools)
- Member-only events or programs
- Professional development opportunities
- Networking directory
- One guest pass to events

**Premium / Sustaining ($200-500/year)**
- Everything in Standard plus:
- Priority registration for events
- Complimentary event tickets
- Recognition in annual report
- Access to premium content or mentorship
- Invitation to leadership events

**Patron / Leadership ($500-2,500+/year)**
- Everything in Premium plus:
- Named recognition
- Reserved seating at events
- Personal contact with leadership
- Invitation to exclusive gatherings
- Advisory role opportunity

### Special Membership Categories
- **Student**: Reduced rate (50-75% discount), proof of enrollment required
- **Senior / Retired**: Reduced rate (25-50% discount)
- **Family / Household**: One membership covering household members
- **Organizational / Institutional**: For companies or agencies (higher price, multiple user access)
- **Honorary / Lifetime**: Awarded for exceptional contribution (no dues)
- **Introductory / Trial**: Reduced first-year rate to lower barrier to entry

### Pricing Strategy
- Research peer organizations' pricing (what does market support?)
- Calculate cost to deliver benefits per member
- Consider perceived value vs actual cost
- Price entry tier low enough to minimize barrier
- Ensure premium tiers deliver disproportionate value
- Review and adjust pricing every 2-3 years
- Increase incrementally (5-10% at a time) with advance notice and added value

## Benefits Design

### Tangible Benefits
- Publications (magazine, journal, newsletter)
- Event discounts or complimentary attendance
- Professional development (courses, webinars, certifications)
- Insurance or affinity programs (professional liability, health, travel)
- Job board access
- Resource library (templates, toolkits, research)
- Merchandise discounts
- Partner/vendor discounts

### Intangible Benefits
- Community belonging and identity
- Professional credibility (credentials, affiliations)
- Networking and peer connections
- Advocacy representation (your voice in policy discussions)
- Access to expertise and mentors
- Sense of contributing to a cause

### Assessing Benefit Value
Survey current members annually:
- Which benefits do you use?
- Which benefits are most important to you?
- What benefits would you add?
- Would you renew without [specific benefit]?
- What is the primary reason you are a member?

Use responses to invest in high-value benefits and sunset underused ones.

## Member Onboarding

### First Impressions Matter
The first 90 days determine whether a new member engages or becomes a name on a list.

### Onboarding Sequence

**Immediately (Day 0-1)**:
- Automated welcome email with confirmation and login credentials
- Thank you from a real person (not just auto-generated)
- Welcome kit: Digital or physical packet with key information

**Week 1**:
- Email: How to access top 3 member benefits
- Invitation to upcoming event or webinar
- Introduction to member portal/community

**Week 2-3**:
- Personal phone call or email from staff or board member
- Invitation to complete member profile
- Suggestion to join a committee or interest group

**Month 1-2**:
- Check-in: "Are you finding value in your membership?"
- Highlight a member success story (social proof)
- Invite to connect with other new members (cohort connection)

**Month 3**:
- Survey: First impressions and experience
- Invitation to a signature event or program
- Introduction to volunteer opportunities

### Welcome Kit Contents
- Welcome letter from the president or executive director
- Quick-start guide: 5 things to do in your first week as a member
- Member directory information
- Event calendar highlights
- Committee and volunteer opportunity descriptions
- FAQ about membership
- Contact information for membership support

## Engagement Strategies

### The Engagement Ladder
```
Advocate / Leader (Champion)
     |
Active Volunteer / Committee Member
     |
Regular Participant (Events, Programs)
     |
Connected Member (Reads emails, uses benefits)
     |
New Member (Just joined)
     |
Prospective Member
```

Goal: Move members upward on the ladder over time.

### Engagement Tactics by Level

**Low engagement** (reads emails occasionally):
- Personalized content based on interests
- Easy entry-point events (free webinars, social gatherings)
- "We miss you" re-engagement campaigns
- Highlight one specific benefit they have not used

**Medium engagement** (attends events, uses benefits):
- Committee recruitment
- Peer networking introductions
- Speaking or presentation opportunities
- Member spotlight recognition

**High engagement** (volunteers, advocates, leads):
- Board or leadership nomination
- Mentorship program (mentor or mentee)
- Represent organization externally
- Co-create content or programs
- Advisory input on strategic decisions

### Engagement Metrics to Track
- Email open rates and click rates
- Event attendance (frequency and recency)
- Resource downloads or portal logins
- Committee or volunteer participation
- Peer-to-peer referrals
- Social media engagement
- Feedback survey response rates

## Renewal Campaigns

### Renewal Timeline
Start renewal outreach 90 days before expiration:

**90 days before**: First notice - highlight benefits used, upcoming value, easy renewal link
**60 days before**: Second notice - personal appeal, testimonial from peer member
**30 days before**: Third notice - urgency message, "Don't miss out," countdown
**Expiration day**: "Today is the last day" email with one-click renewal
**15 days after**: "We miss you" - lapsed member appeal with re-engagement offer
**30 days after**: Final notice - what they will lose, personal outreach if high-value member
**60+ days after**: Lapsed member survey - why did you not renew?

### Renewal Best Practices
- **Auto-renewal option**: Set as default with opt-out (highest retention method)
- **Multiple payment methods**: Credit card, ACH, check, PayPal
- **Easy process**: One-click renewal from email, pre-populated forms
- **Personal touch**: Phone calls for lapsed members in premium tiers
- **Incentives**: Early-bird discount, renewal gift, multi-year discount
- **Board member calls**: Personal outreach from leadership for at-risk members
- **Payment plans**: Monthly or quarterly options reduce barrier for annual dues

### Retention Targets
- First-year member retention: 70-75% is strong (most vulnerable period)
- Ongoing member retention: 85-90% is strong
- Track by: Tier, join source, engagement level, demographic

## Member Communications

### Communication Calendar
- **Weekly/Biweekly**: Email newsletter or digest
- **Monthly**: Deeper content piece (article, webinar recap, member spotlight)
- **Quarterly**: Magazine/journal, state of the organization update
- **Annually**: Annual report, membership survey, renewal cycle

### Email Best Practices
- Segment lists by interest, tier, engagement level, geography
- Personalize (first name, relevant content based on profile)
- Mobile-friendly design (60%+ of email opened on mobile)
- Clear call to action in every email
- Respect frequency preferences (allow members to choose email frequency)
- A/B test subject lines and send times
- Monitor metrics: Open rate (20-30% is typical for associations), click rate (2-5%)

### Communication Channels
- **Email**: Primary channel, most trackable
- **Website/Portal**: Self-service hub for benefits and resources
- **Social media**: Community building, awareness, recruitment
- **Print**: Magazine, newsletter (still valued by some demographics)
- **Text/SMS**: Event reminders, urgent updates (use sparingly)
- **Community platform**: Slack, Facebook Group, or branded community (Hivebrite, Mighty Networks)
- **In-person/virtual events**: Deepest engagement

### Content Strategy
- **80/20 rule**: 80% value content (education, resources, connections), 20% promotional (events, renewal, asks)
- Feature members as experts and contributors
- Share industry news and analysis
- Curate content (not everything needs to be original)
- User-generated content: Member stories, tips, case studies

## Events for Members

### Event Types
- **Annual conference**: Signature event, major revenue and engagement driver
- **Professional development**: Workshops, certifications, webinars
- **Networking**: Mixers, receptions, dinners, speed networking
- **Special interest groups**: Topic-focused gatherings, affinity groups
- **Community service**: Group volunteer projects, service days
- **Social events**: Holiday parties, summer outings, family events
- **Regional chapters**: Local events for geographically distributed membership

### Event Value for Membership
- Events are consistently rated as the #1 member benefit in association surveys
- In-person events create the strongest emotional connection to the organization
- Virtual events extend reach to members who cannot travel
- Hybrid events combine the best of both but are expensive to execute well

### Member-Only vs Public Events
- Some events should be member-exclusive (creates value for membership)
- Some events should be open to non-members (recruitment opportunity)
- Consider member pricing vs non-member pricing (show the membership value)

## Dues Structure

### Flat Rate vs Tiered
- **Flat rate**: Simple, everyone pays the same, easy to communicate
- **Tiered by level**: Different benefits at different prices
- **Income-based**: Common in professional associations (scaled to salary)
- **Organization-size-based**: For institutional members (scaled to budget or staff size)

### Financial Considerations
- Dues revenue should cover membership program costs at minimum
- Dues should not be sole revenue source (diversify with events, sponsorships, grants)
- Calculate: Revenue per member after cost of benefits delivery
- Model: What happens to revenue if membership drops 10%? Grows 15%?
- Reserve fund: 3-6 months of membership program operating costs

### Dues Increases
- Communicate increase at least 90 days before implementation
- Explain the reason (rising costs, added benefits, investment in programs)
- Grandfathering: Consider holding current rate for existing members for one cycle
- Add tangible new value when increasing dues
- Small annual increases (3-5%) are easier than large infrequent jumps

## CRM and AMS Selection

### What to Look For

**Association Management System (AMS)** - Purpose-built for membership organizations:
- Member database with profiles and history
- Dues billing and online payment processing
- Event registration and management
- Communication tools (email, newsletter)
- Committee and volunteer tracking
- Reporting and analytics
- Member self-service portal
- Directory (searchable, member-managed profiles)
- Renewal automation

### Recommended Platforms by Size

**Small (under 500 members)**:
- **Wild Apricot** ($60-240/month): Most popular for small associations
- **MemberClicks**: Affordable, user-friendly AMS
- **Join It**: Simple, affordable membership management

**Medium (500-5,000 members)**:
- **YourMembership**: Full-featured AMS
- **GrowthZone (ChamberMaster)**: Chambers of commerce and associations
- **Novi AMS**: Modern, well-designed platform

**Large (5,000+ members)**:
- **Aptify**: Enterprise AMS on Microsoft platform
- **iMIS**: Powerful, highly configurable
- **Fonteva (Salesforce-based)**: Leverages Salesforce ecosystem
- **Personify**: Comprehensive for large associations

### Implementation Tips
- Clean your data before migration (deduplicate, update records)
- Plan for 3-6 months implementation timeline
- Train all users thoroughly
- Start with core features, add complexity over time
- Budget for annual subscription, implementation, and training costs

## Measuring Membership Program Health

### Key Metrics Dashboard
- Total membership count (trending over time)
- Net member growth (new members minus lapsed members)
- Retention rate by year and tier
- Average member tenure
- Dues revenue (actual vs budget)
- Cost per member to deliver benefits
- Member satisfaction score (annual survey)
- Net Promoter Score (How likely to recommend?)
- Engagement index (composite of participation metrics)

## Progression Path

1. **Phase 1**: Define membership value, design tiers, launch basic program
2. **Phase 2**: Implement CRM/AMS, build onboarding sequence, first renewal cycle
3. **Phase 3**: Develop engagement strategy, launch member events, segment communications
4. **Phase 4**: Analyze metrics, optimize retention, expand benefits based on data
5. **Phase 5**: Advanced segmentation, personalized experience, member advisory council
6. **Phase 6**: Strategic membership growth plan, benchmark against peers, innovate program model

## Resources

- **ASAE (American Society of Association Executives)**: Membership benchmarking, training, research
- **Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report**: Annual data on association membership trends
- **Books**: "The Art of Membership" by Sheri Jacobs
- **Books**: "Race for Relevance" by Harrison Coerver and Mary Byers
- **Association Forum**: Training and networking for association professionals
- **Wild Apricot Blog**: Practical membership management tips (even if not using their platform)


## Output Format

Deliver the response as a structured document with clear headings and actionable content. Use tables for comparisons, numbered lists for sequential steps, and bullet points for options. Include specific examples where applicable.

```
[Membership Manager deliverable]
1. Context and objectives
2. Analysis or framework
3. Specific recommendations with rationale
4. Action items with timeline
```


## Example

**Input:** "Help me with membership manager for a mid-size project."

**Output:** A complete membership manager framework tailored to the specific context, with actionable steps, relevant considerations, and measurable outcomes.


## Edge Cases

- **Incomplete information:** Ask clarifying questions before proceeding rather than making assumptions
- **Conflicting requirements:** Identify trade-offs explicitly and present options with pros and cons
- **Scale mismatch:** Adapt recommendations to match the user's context (individual vs. team vs. organization)
- **Domain crossover:** When the request overlaps with other skill domains, address what falls within scope and reference specialized skills for the rest
