An association’s membership recruitment often suffers because of the lack of a specific strategy to grow membership or because the plan is so complex that it hinders implementation. These challenges can be solved by developing a concise one-page membership recruitment plan that incorporates the critical elements for establishing a successful program. The one-page plan helps you be laser-focused, nimble, adaptable, and action-oriented. Learn the five drivers for a high-performance recruitment program: targeting, channels, offers, messaging, and economics. Then using a simple one-page template, learn how these elements can be combined to build an effective plan to direct the recruitment strategy for your team and your organization.

1. Tony Rossell
Senior Vice President
Marketing General Incorporated
The One-Page Membership
Recruitment Plan

2. Planning and Implementation Challenges
1. No Plan
• Goal without a plan (2,500 members by
2025)
• “If you build it, they will come.”
2. Paralysis of Analysis
What’s Limiting Membership
Recruitment Programs?
“Lack of plan and
budget.”
“No written plan,
lack of strategy.”

3. Sample Membership RFP Request
• Conduct Research
• Create a value proposition
• Evaluate case studies
• Benchmark other associations
• Evaluate staffing and department structure
• Develop strategy options
• Recommend implementation
Paralysis of Analysis
There are
prospective
members ready to
join right NOW. Ask
them!

4. Adopting a Ready, Fire, Aim Strategy
• READY: Create a simple, clear one-page plan
to add members
• FIRE: Deploy the recruitment test effort
• AIM: Evaluate the results and modify the one-
page plan
Overcoming Planning Challenges
Marketing is an
iterative
process
improving
results with
each cycle.

5. The One Page Plan
“Marketing plans should be simple
and to the point. Some CEOs want
only a one-page plan!”
Philip Kotler
Kotler on Marketing: How to Create, Win, and
Dominate Markets

6. The Plan Answers Five Questions
1. The Target Market – Who do you want to reach?
2. The Marketing Channels – How do you reach a
prospect?
3. The Marketing Message – What is the value of
membership?
4. The Membership Offer – Why join now?
5. The Economics – What are the first-year ROI and
LTV?
What is Included in a One-Page
Recruitment Plan?

7. Who Do You Want to Reach?
The Target Market
“Who’s it for?.. Once you are clear
on ‘who’s it for,’ doors begin to open
to you.”
Seth Godin
This is Marketing

8. Who Do You Want to Reach?
The Target Market
Lapsed Members
Past Attendees
Prospect Lists
Industry or Profession
Most likely to join
Least likely to join

9. The Marketing Channel
For Lapsed
Members and
Customers, the full
portfolio of channels
is available.
How Do You Reach a Prospect?

10. How Do You Reach a Prospect?
The Marketing Channel
Omnichannel (Telemarketing, DM, Email, Text)
Omnichannel (DM, Email, Text, Digital)
Digital and Outside Lists (DM and Email)
Digital (SEM, Look-a Like, Retargeting)
For the wider
profession or
industry, take
advantage of paid
digital channels

11. The Marketing Message
How Compelling is Your Value Proposition?
13%
Very compelling
38%
Compelling
40%
Somewhat compelling
8%
Not very compelling
2%
Not at all compelling
The difference
between
received value
(members)
and perceived
value
(prospects).

12. Testing Marketing Messages

13. What is the Value of Membership?
The Marketing Message
See What’s New
Lapsed Members
Attend and Save
Past Attendees
Try Us Out
Prospect Lists
Sample Free Content
Industry or Profession

14. Why join now?
The Membership Offer
“Depending on the offer, differences in the
response of 25, 50, or 100 percent and
more are commonplace.”
Bob Stone
Successful Direct Marketing Methods

15. First-year
dues discount
“No-risk" or
“no-obligation” offer
with a “bill-me”
Product voucher
(e.g., $75 to $100 off
future product purchase)
Premiums
(free gifts)
Money-back
guarantee
Offering more
of the product
(e.g., 15-for-12)
The Membership Offer

16. Why join now?
The Membership Offer
Dues Discount
Lapsed Members
Meeting Discounts
Past Attendees
No-Obligation
Prospect Lists
Content Marketing
Industry or Profession

17. The Economics of Membership
Your plan makes
the economic
case for funding
membership
recruitment.

18. What are the First Year ROI and LTV?
The Economics of
Membership
2 to 1 ROI LTV $1,250
Lapsed Members
1.5 to 1 ROI
LTV $1,250
Past Attendees
1 to 1 ROI LTV $1,250
Prospect Lists
1 to 1 ROI LTV $1,250
Industry or Profession
Example: Five-year
tenure, $200 annual
dues, and $50 annual
non-dues purchases.

19. How Often and How Much for each Prospects?
The Economics of
Membership
Monthly on Expiration $7.50 ea.
Telemarketing
Quarterly $1.00 ea.
Direct Mail
Monthly $.02 ea.
Email
Ongoing 24/7 $1.00 ea. click
Digital

20. The One-Page Recruitment Plan
Economics
Message
Offer
Channel
Target
2 to 1 ROI LTV
$1,250
See What’s
New
Dues
Discount
Omnichannel
Lapsed Members
1.5 to 1 ROI
LTV $1,250
Attend and
Save
Meeting
Discounts
Omnichannel
Past Attendees
1 to 1 ROI
LTV $1,250
Try Us Out
No-
Obligation
Digital and
Direct Mail
Prospect Lists
1 to 1 ROI
LTV $1,250
Sample
Free
Content
Content
Marketing
Digital and
Retargeting
Industry or Profession

21. • READY: Create a simple, clear one-
page plan to add members
• FIRE: Deploy the recruitment test effort
• AIM: Evaluate the results and modify
the one-page plan
Takeaway: Create, Implement, and
Revise an Action Plan

22. Additional guidance available
from the book, Membership
Recruitment
Available on Amazon
Email: Tony@MarketingGeneral.com
LinkedIn: TonyRossell
Questions