Making Changes to Your Membership Program with Blackbaud Altru®
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All membership programs go through changes. Read on for best practices to consider when making changes to your membership program in Blackbaud Altru.
As a membership professional, you will inevitably be tasked with implementing changes to your membership program. You may be faced with raising prices, streamlining levels, or switching up benefits. As you develop a game plan for your membership updates, it is important to consider how your changes will be communicated, as well as how they will be completed in Blackbaud Altru.
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Review the following resources to make sure you are ready when the time comes to make these changes:
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Have you made changes to your membership program recently? What did you learn in the process?
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Plan Ahead
Most changes that you make to your membership levels (such as prices) will take immediate effect in Blackbaud Altru. With this in mind, you'll want to set a date to roll out all of your changes. Make sure that any printed collateral (such as brochures and onsite signage) is ready by this date. You will also want to set aside time this day (ideally before your site opens to the public) to complete any necessary updates in Blackbaud Altru.Review the following resources to make sure you are ready when the time comes to make these changes:
- How can I edit the cost of a membership
- How to add a new level to an existing membership program
- I need to mark membership levels inactive
Communicate!
Changes to your membership program will impact other departments in your organization, especially marketing and visitor services. Make sure these teams are aware of the changes that are coming, the timeline, and any work that needs to be completed to help roll out program updates. Frontline visitor services staff often interact with members (and potential members!) more than anyone else in your organization. Make sure they have the resources needed to communicate changes and address questions when necessary..
Have a Plan for Auto-Renewing Memberships
Many organizations choose to roll out new membership pricing without notifying members ahead of time—but members who have opted in to auto-renewals may be an exception. You may wish to reach out to these members ahead of their auto-renewal if their membership price is increasing as their memberships will auto-renew at the new price. Or, you may need to reach out to auto-renewing members who are in a membership level that you are making inactive, as these memberships will not auto-renew..
Consider Exceptions
We've all received it: the renewal reply device from 2018 that appears at the front desk. If direct mail is a part of your renewal process, you will likely receive several renewals at your older price points as you transition to your new prices. Consider your internal policy for processing these in Blackbaud Altru as they arrive. It is also important to consider how your visitor services team can address these exceptions - are they able to honor the old pricing, or should they direct members to your team? Having a clear policy will help your visitor services team feel supported and reduce confusion for your members.
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We've all received it: the renewal reply device from 2018 that appears at the front desk. If direct mail is a part of your renewal process, you will likely receive several renewals at your older price points as you transition to your new prices. Consider your internal policy for processing these in Blackbaud Altru as they arrive. It is also important to consider how your visitor services team can address these exceptions - are they able to honor the old pricing, or should they direct members to your team? Having a clear policy will help your visitor services team feel supported and reduce confusion for your members.
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Document and Report Back
Changes to your membership program can impact your renewal rates and membership revenue—hopefully in a positive way! Before rolling out your program changes, document key metrics such your current renewal rates, upgrades and downgrades, and annual program revenue. You'll want to keep an eye on these metrics after your program changes go into effect. Note that in most cases, it will take a full year to complete renewal cycles for your current members, so you'll want to compare results at this point to measure the success of the changes you've implemented.
Changes to your membership program can impact your renewal rates and membership revenue—hopefully in a positive way! Before rolling out your program changes, document key metrics such your current renewal rates, upgrades and downgrades, and annual program revenue. You'll want to keep an eye on these metrics after your program changes go into effect. Note that in most cases, it will take a full year to complete renewal cycles for your current members, so you'll want to compare results at this point to measure the success of the changes you've implemented.
- I need to report on membership retention (renewal) rate
- How do I see the membership revenue by membership level
Have you made changes to your membership program recently? What did you learn in the process?
News Blackbaud Altru® Blog
07/02/2024 12:26pm EDT
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Is there any update on when KB Article 110902, “Memberships and Tickets are being purchased at an old price online” (when item left in cart) will be resolved?