Has your hard-earned membership count dropped? Seeing members lapse is frustrating, but they may not be gone forever.

“The thing is, they may not necessarily be choosing not to renew,” says Callie Walker of MemberClicks. “They may not be thinking about it at all, which is why communicating with them—both leading up to the member expiration date AND after—is so critical.”

To encourage renewals, Walker suggests reaching out to lapsed members at three key points after their expiration date arrives:

Expiration day. “It’s crucial to reach out to your members the moment they lapse,” Walker says. In the email, remind recipients that their membership expires today and highlight the benefits of remaining a member. Demonstrate where members can renew, and provide a link to make it easy.

Three months past renewal date. Thank recipients for being members and remind them that their membership fees are 90 days past due. Give them a date by which they need to pay their dues in order to continue their member benefits. Provide a representative’s contact information in case they have questions or need assistance. This can also work 30 or 60 days past the renewal date, Walker points out. “The more you can communicate with your lapsed members, the better!”

Membership dropped. “Still no renewal? It’s time to send one final message. But you can still make it convincing!” Walker says. Inform recipients that their membership has expired. Make it clear that their participation is always welcome and tease a few upcoming initiatives. To cap things off, provide contact information in case they would like to discuss rejoining.

In all three email templates, Walker recommends highlighting benefits that members receive from your organization, such as networking opportunities, training, and education.

Going Deep

16 strategies to improve focus, minimize busywork and find time for deep work | WBT Systems https://t.co/AsygesvKxJ #assnchat #associations #productivity pic.twitter.com/no3lA04aLZ

— TopClass LMS (@TopClassLMS) December 31, 2019

With daily distractions and interruptions on the job, it can be difficult to find time for deep work, a form of concentration without distraction that opens up new kinds of productivity, according to the WBT Systems blog. How do you avoid procrastinating and filling your days with busywork? The WBT team says it’s a group effort.

“Work out a system with your boss and coworkers so you can enjoy blocks of uninterrupted quiet time. Put on your headphones and tape a sign to your door or cubicle along with a notepad and paper so visitors can say why they stopped by and when they’re available to talk later.”

Other Links of Note

Need to find the right work-life balance? Ashley Faus of HubSpot offers a new approach.

Social studies. Dennis Shiao of the Content Marketing Institute offers seven tips to up your social media game in 2020.

Free webinars. The Wild Apricot Blog identifies 40 free nonprofit webinars happening in January.

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