Guest Author: Sophia Conforti, Associations Now
Engagement might be the top priority of a membership portal, but it can generate revenue from your other offerings too. Also: a lesson in retaining young members.
Your membership portal is the ultimate engagement tool—but it can also help your association generate nondues revenue.
“A member portal is like a display window into your association,” says the MemberSuite team in a blog post. “From the homepage you can link to different engagement opportunities, like your online community, events, and certifications. But, you can also diversify your organization’s revenue streams by adding an online storefront where members can purchase products and services.”
Members’ time and attention are limited. So to truly leverage your membership portal, you’ll need an intuitive and efficient design that makes your offerings accessible and easy to pay for.
“Keep [the member’s] transaction moving along with a streamlined checkout process,” the team writes. “Visitors will be less likely to abandon their shopping cart—and the portal—if they can quickly purchase an ad, buy a book, or subscribe to a publication.”
