Membership Growth Blog

Do you know how Wal-Mart was able to achieve astounding growth when other businesses were struggling?

Good or bad, Wal-Mart grew because they targeted markets where what they had to offer was not easily available. They offered products, services, and prices that could not be found in the communities that they set up shop. They started in small town America.

What other businesses have been successful with this model?

Mary Kay, Tupperware, and Longaberger are for-profit companies that I can think of that have shown sustainability in smaller cities. The Elks, Masons, Kiwanis, and Rotary are non-profit organizations that have also continued to thrive in smaller communities. Why is that and what is your organization doing to grow in those markets?

Too often businesses and organizations target the mega-markets to establish themselves. With a desire to grow, they think that canvassing New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago will get them the members they need to be sustainable.

WRONG!

If organizations want to grow, then they need to first target markets where they can be the only provider of a product, service, or membership offering. Why try to enter a market where the cost of entry is high? You will only be putting too much effort into to little of a return.

For membership based organizations, small cities offer a sense of community that larger cities do not enjoy. In the large urban markets, there is less a sense of community and more of a focus on self. In smaller cities, you have a much tighter social network where everyone knows what everyone else is doing and if someone is part of an interesting organization, then everyone else wants to be a part of that organization. That gives you the word of mouth growth you are looking for with minimal initial investment.

So I ask you, is your organization targeting small?

When people ask me why they can’t attract new members, I ask them how they demonstrate value to potential members.

It is a question that many organizations do not have a good answer for. I understand that many organizations have traditions, a name, or even a large membership. All of those are good, but when was the last time you sat down with your executive team and really asked the tough questions:

Why are our members in our organization?

What have we done to provide them with value today, this week, month, or year?

Where are our members coming from?

Are we attracting the members that will allow us to provide more value in the future?

Do we serve ourselves or our members?

If you find your membership lagging, I think the last question might be the most important one to answer. No matter how old or distinguished your organization is, if you are not adding value to your members lives then you will not grow as an organization.

Next time you meet with your executive committee, think about those questions and ask yourselves, “Is this for me or for them.”

How many new members did you add today?

Chris

1. Have you called or sent a card to potential members?
2. Did you attend a networking event?
3. Did you send a press release announcing an important event?
4. Were you mentioned in your or someone else’s blog?
5. Did you submit an article to a magazine or blog about your organization?
6. Did you stop by and see a member that hasn’t been active in awhile?
7. Did you discuss cross promotion with a similar organization?
8. Have you posted your next meeting location in free newspapers, craigslist, coffee shops, online organizational sites, or on telephone poles?
9. Did you talk about it with a coworker?
10. Did you show someone the value of being in your organization today?