You have a hunch about how your organization is doing, but a gut feeling is not going to cut it. You need to look at specific data to see what's working and what isn't. Don't just jump in and start measuring absolutely everything. Pro tip: First focus on these three crucial reports ─ email tracking, invitation history, and levels reports.

1. Email tracking report
Even the busiest membership manager needs to track ─ at the very least ─ email rates. With all the email campaigns you create, it’s helpful to see whether the messages are benefiting your constituents… or not.

Here’s a look at three email rates to keep your eye on. These key performance indicators (KPIs) will let you know whether folks are actually receiving, opening, and reacting to your emails:
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• Open rate

An open rate lets you know how many people are, well, opening your email. Subject lines, the email sender, and the time the email is sent can affect your open rate. Testing out different variations of these will help you optimize your email open rate.
 
Based on a recent email benchmarking report, the average open rate for nonprofits is 25.5%.

• Clickthrough rate

This number shows how many of your members are actually clicking the links you send them. It’s a great indicator of whether the content you send your members actually resonates with them.

The report indicates that the clickthrough rate for nonprofits is 4.10%.​

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• Bounce rate

Do you know how many emails aren’t getting through? This could be because it went to an invalid email address, which is the most common reason for a bounce.
 
One report cites a 0.5% bounce rate for nonprofits, although a popular email service provider reports a 10.25% bounce rate for its nonprofit customers.

To view opens, bounces, and clicks to your email campaigns on memberplanet, hover over Emails in the left navigation sidebar, then click Email Tracking Report in the submenu. Any type of email marketing service (even the ones that let you create an account for free) should provide these basic metrics.

For the date range selected, your email campaigns will be displayed with corresponding metrics.

2. Members invitation email history
You've worked hard to boost membership. If you implemented a membership drive or promotion, you probably emailed prospects to join your organization. What were the results? If you're using an association management system (AMS) or membership management system, it should track that.

​On the memberplanet platform, you can view your membership email history to track who was invited and how they responded. It’s a best practice to periodically send out invitations to prospects. To become members, recipients only need to make a membership payment or provide info to sign up for a free membership, if you offer the option.

A membership invitation history report shows which admin sent the invitations and when, who opened it, and whether the recipient accepted the invitation.  To view your group’s member invitation history on memberplanet:

On the left navigation sidebar, hover over Members and click Invitation History in the submenu.​

3. Membership levels report
​Sometimes, in a rush to drive membership, managers and admins forget to look at overall membership tiers or levels activity. If you’re only looking at new prospects who signed up for a free membership level, you might not quite get the complete picture.

Most organizations have different levels of membership, including free and multiple paid levels. An AMS should have a levels activity report readily available, which will save you a ton of time. The alternative is viewing manually updated reports in Excel. A membership levels report gives you a bird’s-eye view of how many members are on each level, as well as a granular view of the history of each member’s level.

Are you finding that a lot of members have downgraded their membership level? If that's the case, you'll know which members and levels to cater to more frequently. You may need to review member benefits to ensure each level offers the value they’re willing to pay for. You can also target members on a specific level and influence activity by creating events and content to keep members engaged.

Here's how to view the membership levels report on memberplanet:

1. On the left navigation sidebar, hover over Membership and click Membership Levels Report in the submenu

      2.  On the levels tab, click the gear icon for the membership level you wish to view
      3.  Select View Members from the dropdown menu

• The list of members on that level will be displayed, along with their member status

Admins can also view level history by member. On the Members tab, select the gear icon next to the member name you wish to see the history for, then select Level History in the dropdown menu.

All this business intelligence will help you become a better, more informed membership manager or admin. You also can look at other metrics, such as survey results, donations, payments, events, RSVPs and so much more – we have reporting for just about everything on the platform. If your organization has chapters or components, staff can benefit from a customized membership dashboard, aggregate reports and ad-hoc reporting, too. Visit memberplanet.com to learn more.

Updated since original publication on 03/02/2018.

​The adage about things changing but staying the same often feels out of date as the world moves faster and faster, and the technology in our hands does more, listens better, speaks, and buzzes without our interference. Still, we need to be reminded daily about a litany of things both large and small. We use everything from checklists and notes to apps and alarms to ensure our tasks aren’t forgotten. Your association’s ongoing success is in part defined by how aware your members are of what is vital and happening within it. These 5 email reminders are crucial to keeping your membership engaged and current with relevant information from your association. 

​1. Member benefits
Always lead with the what’s-in-it-for-them approach.  Emails arrive in an almost constant stream in everyone’s inbox these days, and users get notified on their mobile phones; make sure yours isn’t swiped left into the garbage by sending benefit reminder emails. These tidbits reiterate the value of your association and keep it at the forefront of readers’ minds.

Benefit reminder emails can come in the form of a newsletter that includes related membership perks; they can also highlight little known or often unused benefits like access to your association’s trade magazine or a calendar of free members-only events and discounts.
 
2. Membership renewal reminders
This is perhaps the most important email associations should be sending to their members. Renewal dates can be forgotten, or slip by in a person’s busy daily schedule. A renewal email reminder is not only a benefit to members, it also helps improve retention, which is a benefit to your association.
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Your association management system (AMS) or membership management software should let staff automate and customize renewal reminders so members are only a few clicks from completing the process. It is standard functionality to set up reminders according to rolling renewal periods, frequency of emails, and how many days before renewal each email is sent. 

3. ​Virtual events
Attendance is paramount to more than just the success of a particular event; it’s also vital to the growth of your association. Utilize email reminders to inform constituents of annual conventions and important events on your association’s calendar. Provide registrants with relevant details like webinar start times and the schedule of activities, as well as reminding them of your code of conduct when interacting online and other event-specific information.

Event emails can remind constituents of the events they’ve previously RSVP’d to.  Your association staff should have the capability to customize and automate email reminders with your event management software so that all registrants receive a personalized notification before the event. 
 
4. Donation campaigns
When the task at hand is raising money, awareness is key. Campaign reminders help boost promotion, further spreading your reach while increasing the likelihood of achieving your goal. Take advantage of your member’s social networks by including a campaign link in your reminder email so they can easily share it. After all, they’re your best ambassadors!

If your association is a 501(c)(3) organization, you can include your tax ID number among other relevant information to remind members their donations are tax deductible. Association staff should also use their fundraising solution to set up automated thank-you emails that go out after someone donates. It’s a great way to complete the donation circle with members so they feel their effort is appreciated.
 
5. Industry news
Informed members are empowered members. Your association should be a thought leader in its area of focus. Use email reminders to ensure there’s a strong baseline of thought-provoking articles, trending updates, and educational resources sent to your membership. This is a great place to share links to your online magazine or blog articles; you can even include an online form for members to sign up to receive blog or article updates by topic. It’s a wonderful way to share content, videos, virtual event highlights, and research with your entire membership.  

​Don’t hesitate to take advantage of the power of email reminders. If you keep your members engaged and informed of all your association has to offer, you will continue to achieve its goals. To learn more about an AMS that can simplify the tasks mentioned above, schedule a call with the memberplanet team.

Updated since original publication on 2/6/20.

​Involvement in an alumni chapter is a great way to continue serving your fraternal organization and remain connected to members. Being an alumni leader, however, isn’t always easy. There’s always a lot to do and consider – yet you took on the role because you saw how it would continue to enrich your life as well as the members who are part of the organization.
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The fact that you’re being proactive and looking for ways to manage your alumni chapter is great. Similar to having tunnel vision, some alumni leaders focus on one area, but overlook another, which can hinder their overall success. To ensure you’re being most effective, these five areas of focus are vital: an alumni website, social media presence, communication, dues collection, and events. With the right tools and some delegation, it’s not that difficult. Read on for fundamentals – and to avoid tunnel vision.

1. Develop a website presence
I’ve seen many new alumni leaders develop social media handles for their chapter yet neglect to update or even start a website. You shouldn’t skip the step of creating a virtual, official presence for your alumni chapter. Reach out to other alums to ask for a volunteer webmaster if you’re not comfortable maintaining a website. Make sure to use a memorable URL.

Your website acts as the public face of your alumni chapter and a hub for your members. It’s also a news feed that will allow members to stay updated on what is happening with the active chapter. This should be the official place to post alumni social events, activities, and updates. A members-only login is just as important – being part of an alumni chapter is a privilege, so your dues-paying members should have a personal login where they can access your members-only content and perks.

2. Create a social media following
Leveraging social media is one of the most cost-effective ways to amplify your reach and create a dedicated following for your alumni chapter. If you’re not sure what social media networks are most popular among your members, Facebook and LinkedIn (for job/career-related posts) are a good place to start. Facebook is still the reigning social network, boasting 2.41 billion monthly active users as of June 2019. You can create private groups if you would like to emphasize the exclusivity of being a member, but if your goal is to expand your reach, go for public pages.

Thirteen percent of global active Facebook users were women between the ages of 25 and 34, and 19 percent were men in the same age range – the biggest demographic of Facebook users as of April 2019. To promote your activities, philanthropy, and initiatives and create a following, use applicable hashtags and tags, engaging content, and eye-catching imagery or videos.

You can utilize other social networks too, but what’s important is that you (or your social media manager) engage your audience consistently. Once you get the ball rolling, your active members will help your social media presence become a vibrant part of your organizational routine.
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While email is effective, some of your alums will prefer to receive text message notifications; comprehensive marketing tools will allow you to draft a message once and send via email and/or group text simultaneously. More robust software will let you segment and target contacts based on data, so you can send tailored messages to everyone who RSVP’d for an event for example. Use built-in metrics (opens, clicks, bounces, etc.) from your communication software to gauge how engaging your content is.

4. Take advantage of a dues program
Collecting dues for your alumni chapter can be a time-consuming headache if you’re doing this manually. Keeping track of who’s paid and who hasn’t, sending out reminders, and handling cash and check are just a few of the tasks that are prone to error. A comprehensive dues program allows administrators to automate the collection of dues and offer convenient payment options for members, so you and your volunteers can focus on driving value for your chapter. The right dues program will offer additional major benefits, including integrated payments for donations and other payments.

5. Plan engaging events
The best events are not only easy to promote, they’re the ones that appeal to both members and prospects to keep your alumni active and increase participation. Your events committee should plan a good mix of annual (Homecoming, sports, etc.), social, and philanthropic events. Alumni members might be busy with work and scattered across the country, but if you plan well in advance and use event management tools to make the experience as convenient and valuable as possible, they will be more likely to attend.
 
Keep in mind that events and activities can be virtual and be just as successful as a physical event. If you create meaningful opportunities for your members, they will recognize the benefit of staying involved.

Here are some event ideas that can be done online or in person:

• Start a mentoring program that pairs alums with undergrad members.
• Launch a one-day donation campaign to support foundation initiatives.
• Celebrate a historic date within the fraternal organization.

  (And here are 10 more event ideas for your alumni chapter.)
 
These five core components are critical in managing an effective alumni chapter over time.  At memberplanet, simplifying membership is our constant focus. Our software and solutions help alumni chapters manage membership, engage supporters, and grow their organization – all in one spot. To learn more, please schedule a demo with the team.
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Updated since original publication on 06/02/17.

​ Email marketing is one of the best tools you’ve got for PTA networking and announcements. Not only is email an effective way of reaching your members and supporters, volunteers are more likely to engage with your PTA if they are invested and connected to your initiatives. Our email features make it easy to send and track mass communications and email newsletters using templates, so you can stay connected with your members.  

Step 5:  Review

Once completed, review your email elements to ensure all the elements, such as recipients and links to social sites, were successfully added.

Click the Save This Email as a Template button if you’d like to reuse it. All you’ll have to do is update content specifics, but the design and general elements remain.
 
 
Step 6: Delivery

1. Choose one of the delivery options:

• Send this email now
• Send this email later
• Save this email as a draft

​2. Click Finish to complete and send your email newsletter
 
Our email builder has all of the tools you need to create engaging content. Keeping in touch with members is a great way to boost participation, make announcements between meetings, and organize your group. 

An incredibly useful – yet irritating – part of our daily routine is email. The average office worker sends or receives 121 emails per day, according to technology market research firm The Radicati Group – a number projected to hit 140 by 2018. And the McKinsey Global Institute estimated that the average knowledge worker spends 28 percent of their day managing email. It would be one thing if all of those emails were useful, but in all honesty, only a small fraction falls into that category.

The time spent sorting, skimming, reading, and deleting emails amounts to about 13 hours per week, which is an especially troubling statistic for businesses and organizations that use email as one of their main tools for communication. 
 
Electronic newsletters can be an excellent way of providing customers and members with information and keeping them up to date on what’s going on. But they only work if people actually see, open, and actually read them. So, how can you increase the odds of that happening? Try these tips: