Guest Author: Tim Ebner, Associations Now
Skrob’s new book focuses on the rise and power of “the subscription economy,” which has grown and evolved over the last decade. In a chapter on the popularity of subscription boxes, Skrob interviews FabFitFun VP of Marketing Leslie Emmons Burthey (you can listen in on their conversation on Skrob’s podcast, Membership and Subscription Growth”).
Another chapter details how Charity: Water, a global nonprofit, converted many one-off donors into lifelong members.
The book’s premise is that membership growth comes from a keen focus on member retention, not recruitment. That’s something many associations excel at, but it remains a perennial challenge.
“Associations have been good at establishing their presence early on with new members, but it’s a relationship that can also be tested,” Skrob told me in an interview.
“Because there are so many distractions competing for our members’ attention today, you have to assume that the bulk of them are tuned out.”
That means every communication you send must answer one key question for the member: What’s in it for me? But you also need to avoid counterproductive interactions that can turn your members off. Those missteps can happen as early as during the onboarding process.
