Member Engagement & Retention

Membership organisations rightly devote time and energy to listening to their members. Member surveys and consultations provide valuable insights into satisfaction, needs, areas for improvement, and opinions on important subjects and developments within the profession. But often, one group’s voice is missing: non-members. Non-members may not complete your regular surveys or attending your events, [...]

Futureproof your organisation by investing in the next generation — now. I recently collaborated with a forward-thinking membership body that truly values its student members. They don’t just offer free membership — they invest in it. The result? A dynamic, engaged, and loyal future member base. If you’re in a membership organisation and you’re not [...]

Stop segmenting for convenience - Start segmenting for impact Segmentation has become a buzzword in the membership world, but the way many organisations approach it is fundamentally flawed. Too often it’s a tidy admin exercise: categorising members by age, career stage or geography and calling it done. This type of segmentation might keep the [...]

Online communities are an integral part of any cohesive membership organisation. An active community expands reach to prospects, invokes a sense of belonging in existing members, and can even make USPs all the more compelling. In a recent podcast, discussion of the 90-9-1 rule highlighted a major challenge of online communities. The majority of [...]

The thought of visiting the local Blockbuster store with your membership card in hand, brings a warming sense of nostalgia for an 80s child like me.  But what’s the story behind the demise of this iconic membership business? In its prime in 2004, Blockbuster boasted 9,000 stores worldwide, with revenues of $6 billion and [...]

The landscape of membership is changing. Retention is tough, and attracting new members is even tougher. Simply offering benefits no longer guarantees loyalty or success. According to the 2024 MemberWise Digital Excellence Report, around 34% of membership organisations have seen a decline in membership numbers over the last year. On top of this, over [...]

Introduction We’re always talking about the ‘ongoing loop of value and engagement’ - but what does that actually mean? It’s a simple idea: your members give, and they get. They contribute their time, ideas, and energy – and in return, they receive valuable resources, recognition and that all-important sense of belonging. But here’s the [...]

Trust means a lot more to your members than you might think. Loyal members spend 67% more than new members, and they are much more forgiving when things do go wrong every now and then. That is trust in action. However, some membership organisations still prefer working behind closed doors, leaving members to guess [...]

In today’s digital-first world, member engagement isn’t just a buzzword – it’s the foundation for thriving, resilient membership organisations. That’s why at Cantarus, we’re helping organisations transform their digital journeys with data and optimisation tools. These combined with a CMS platform enables organisations to turn visitors into loyal members, by combining real-time data with [...]

From streaming platforms and meal kits to Spotify and Netflix, monthly recurring payments are piling up. Members already juggling multiple subscriptions may start questioning whether they can justify one more. As a result, associations and membership bodies risk being viewed as just another expense to cut. In the UK, the average annual retention rate [...]