2. Membership: An Exciting Story to Tell
Membership: An Exciting Story to Tell! Group discussion on telling your story as a membership professional & optimize your role
Kalisha Bass, Director of Member Engagement and Operations, Arizona Grantmakers Forum Catherine Schmutz, Membership Director, PEAK Grantmaking

3. Membership: An Exciting Story to Tell!
Today’s Objective:
Help you articulate the value of membership within and outside your organization.
Develop ideas to strengthen your role and highlight the value you provide to your organization.
Refine your value proposition and develop services that provide more value to members.
The role membership professionals extends beyond routine operational practices as membership professionals are often the eyes and ears of PSOs. They keep the pulse on current and potential member needs by constantly assessing, adjusting and articulating service offerings. Join your fellow membership peers to explore how to optimize your position in your organization.

4. Customer Service Exercise
Why did you decide to join?/Why do you choose to go to this place?
What service(s) does the company provide?
What do you value the most? Least?
What’s your level of interaction? What could the company do to better engage you?
What has your experience been like overall?
Why do you decide to renew/return? Is it an easy or complex process/decision? Why or why not?
What problem is this company solving for you?
[Kalisha leading] Activity: Individually
Think about your customer service experiences. Particularly with any services where there is a periodic fee or you frequent periodically.
This could be
Gym membership
Credit card membership
Professional association
Dating service
Travel association (AAA)
Retail warehouse memberships (Sam’s, Costco)
Monthly clothing or beauty supply service
How have these experiences shaped how you interact with your members?
Conclusion -- This was the AZ Grantmakers member value project questions! How can you use this at or adapt this for your organization?

5. Measuring Member Engagement and Value
Data Points
Member surveys
Event/meeting attendance
Member satisfaction level
Testimonials
Member referrals
Sponsorship or grants
[Catherine] Ways to determine/find what members value. How do you quantify member satisfaction or measure involvement or engagement.
Data points:
Member surveys
Event/meeting attendance other member engagement tracking systems
Event surveys
Member satisfaction level: Where does each of your members value of the organization lie? How many of your members can you say are passionate about your organization? (Passionate members can be described as ones who think your organization is fabulous. Satisfied are members who might find you as one of many resources and complacent are ones who are not sure what they get out of the membership.)
What factors go into determining value?
Testimonials - what have your members said?
Member referrals - are they referring new members
Sponsorship or grants - are they supporting your organization outside of membership dues
Unsolicited ideas - are they coming up with ideas for your organization to offer
Empathy interviews
In-person focus groups
How involve others!?
what factors go into determing value: What factors go into determining membership value? What is the definition of membership value? Can you measure it?
Individual resources
Registration
Publications
/communications
Content contributor
Level of involvement – how participate
Volunteer opportunities
Criteria:
Volunteer and go to meetings = Passionate
Read s, come to few meetings = Satisfied
Only come to one event or none; doesn’t respond = Complacent
Value (data points) Qualitative (data) vs. Quantitative
Members determine the value. Each member values something different.
Testimonials – what have members said they like about your organization. Ask for testimonials.
Members referring prospective members – good sign.
Members going
What they say in one-on-one meetings, meetings,
Are they soliciting topic ideas for programs, new groups etc. This will tell you that they value this thing.
Are they providing sponsorship, grants? What areas?
Do you adapt to provide more services that create value?
What are other ways?

6. “Who” is your organization? You Your team Your members
How YOU Provide Value
“Who” is your organization?
You
Your team
Your members
[Kalisha] Don’t forget about YOU! Activity:
What skill sets; background; experiences do you possess that bring value to your organization. How does your background lend to how you fit the role you’re in? What’s the one thing about you that members say?
What skill sets; background; experiences does your team members possess that are valuable to your organization.
Who are your members? Demographics
- younger organizations
- older organizations
- more of one type than others (i.e. Corporate)
- more in one geographic area
- common focus areas
Think about this with your team.
What is your background and experiences?
What led you to your role, this line of work?
What are your strengths? How do your strengths help your staff and your members? What are each of your team’s strengths?
What would members say about you? Your staff?
Personalization - in communications (use staff contact)
Lobbying is personal!
Remind everyone that membership is all about telling the story - we are better together.

7. Sample Empathy Questions
Why did you decide to join?
How do you decide to renew? Is it an easy or complex process? Why or why not?
What has your experience been like overall? What do you value the most? What is least valuable?
What other organizations are you a part of?
What could [your organization] do to better engage you?
What challenges are you facing in your organization?
What are you looking for help with?
[Catherine] Sample empathy questions to determine what members value
Unique member survey questions - not just the individual questions about benefits, resources, and services, but also potential benefits
Ask questions all the time! - In newsletter or mini-surveys.
How are other staff asking questions of members - one-on-one, etc

8. What does Member Engagement REINVENTED mean?
AGF Value Proposition Statement:
Arizona Grantmakers Forum is the statewide network that connects, educates and advocates for Arizona philanthropy.
Turning connections into partnerships, knowledge into practice and advocacy into positive change for Arizona communities.
[Kalisha] (Keep it big picture!) One of many ways to determine member’s value
Member Value Project purpose
Explain process
Share what we learned
- misconceptions
- reality
- empathy interviews
- lean innovation experiments
- value themes: connections, education, advocacy
led to value proposition
What we’re doing differently
What is member engagement?
How do you or can you involve others in member engagement?
Across the organization
Your members determine the value.

9. Identify Your Value Proposition
What is the everyday situation of your member?
What is/are the problem(s) that your member encounters?
How does your organization provide the solution?
[Kalisha] Help determine value proposition What can you provide that others can’t.
Providing value goes in tandem with helping to engage members

10. Membership’s Role What are you hearing in membership?
What does the data tell you?
Member profiles – indispensable!
How are your fellow staff engaging members?
Is everyone using the database?
Staff interviews
Experiment and pivot
[Catherine]
Start at the core.
Who is responsible for member engagement? Everyone on team.
Who is your organization? Who are the people in the organization.
Help data support others throughout organization
What are you hearing in membership?
Remind them of the value of a membership professional - If you’re not telling the story about how you are engaging with members – and non-members – how will others know what you do?
What does the data tell you?
Make yourself a data captain!
Membership should be providing the entire organization with monthly reports - what should be in your report?
Member profiles – indispensable!
Make it so your fellow teammates don’t go into a call with a member without one!
How are your fellow staff engaging members?
Do you know what’s going on?!?! (Volunteers, questions, feedback, other department’s surveys)
Is everyone using the database?
Train, train, train!
Staff interviews, ongoing staff interaction
Keep in touch – setup weekly meetings, interview staff with questions
Attend other department’s meetings (find out what you can market! What’s new? What’s coming?
Experiment and pivot on membership value (evolution)
Programs - scale up
Evaluations
How can you try new things - and lead the conversation? New benefits, new trials, etc (experiment and pivot)

11. Craft Your Story Who is your organization?
You, your team, your members
How do you and your team engage members?
What services do you provide? With these services, what have you helped members to accomplish?
What is the overall value you provide?
What problem are you solving for your members?
[Kalisha] What have you helped members to accomplish?/How have members accomplished their goal?

12. Thank You!
Kalisha Bass Director of Member Engagement and Operations Arizona Grantmakers Forum Catherine Schmutz Membership Director Peak Grantmaking

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