Thinking about a chamber membership drive?
The idea sounds exciting, doesn’t it? After all, a successful membership campaign could bring hundreds of new members into your chamber in just a few days! You could explode your membership.
With the new members comes all sorts of positive side benefits including a substantial surge in cash flow, a bunch of new volunteers for programs and events, renewed excitement in the community for the chamber, and perhaps not a few “attaboys” or “attagirls” for the hard working underappreciated staff : )
It’s tempting. You want to plunge right in and get started with that drive.
But first, do some planning and research and don’t neglect your homework.
What to Consider for Your Chamber Membership Drive
Be sure to think about:
- How you’re going to organize a successful membership drive.
- Expected retention rates following a chamber membership drive.
- Fundraisers drives versus modern membership drives and campaigns.
- Creating new enthusiasm for the chamber and community.
- The importance of relationship building when it comes to new member recruitment and retention.
- The importance of the chamber and the volunteers being able to share the chamber’s “story.”
- The recommended length of time to wait between chamber membership campaigns.
- How drives work for small chambers versus major metro chambers.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article has been shortened to remove information that is no longer timely or relevant. If you want to learn more about developing a profitable chamber membership drive or just have so many new members that you don’t need to do drives, take a look at these articles and resources:
- Chamber Membership Drives: The One Article You MUST Read This is an extensive article. Worth reading, sharing and discussing with your entire team of membership stakeholders including staff, board and Ambassadors.
- Tips to Get Your New Member Onboarding Humming
- Considering a Chamber Membership Drive? Are They a Good Idea or Bad?