Gone are the days when a not-for-profit (NFP) organisation could mail out a hardcopy monthly newsletter to its members and expect them to keep renewing their membership. Competition from an increasing number of organisations offering similar products and services, and advancements in technology requires that organisations provide a range of benefits that are delivered through a variety of platforms.
E-newsletter
With so much information available, people are looking to membership bodies to act as a filter and only pass on the most important information. A great and inexpensive way to supply your members with relevant industry and organisation updates is by sending a regular e-newsletter, which is delivered straight to members’ inboxes.
E-newsletters provide huge value to members as they save members time and the hassle of trawling individual websites for industry news. In addition, members can actively engage by posting comments or emailing the organisation to request further information on a particular topic of interest.
Member magazine
Publishing a magazine is the perfect platform for delivering members in-depth feature articles that provide professional development advice, research findings, expert industry opinions and more. Not only does a magazine provide members with a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of their area of interest, it helps to connect your organisation with major industry players and helps to position it as a thought leader and powerful voice within the industry.
Events
Hosting an event enables your organisation to connect with its members face-to-face, and provides an interactive environment where members can ask questions and brainstorm solutions. In addition, events provide the hugely valuable benefit of enabling members to share ideas and network with each other, which is a key reason why many people join membership organisations.
Webinars
Webinars are a powerful and cost-effective way to create the interactive two-way dynamic that an event offers from the comfort of your own computer. Delivering professional development advice or training via a webinar is hugely beneficial to members who desire two-way engagement but don’t have the availability to attend courses and events. Members can ask questions or request that the webinar host expands on a certain point.