1. The Future
of Membership
American Museum Membership Conference!
Philadelphia, PA!
October 26, 2011!
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2. § Introductions
§ Trends and Transactions
Agenda
§ Culture Track
§ The Interactive Imperative
§ The Membership Profession and The Pulse of Membership
§ Q&A and Conclusion
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3. Introductions
Dana Hines Membership Consultants!
dana@membership–consultants.com
Noreen Ahmad LaPlaca Cohen!
noreen@laplacacohen.com
Rosie Branstetter fiveseed!
rosie@fiveseed.com
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4. Trends and
Transactions
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5. § Demographics.
§ How we transact membership.
A Changing
Landscape
§ Expectation of discounts.
§ Who our members are.
§ How we get and keep members.
§ The membership profession.
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6. A Case Study:
The Houston Zoo
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7. § Set in a 55-acre lush tropical landscape, the
Houston Zoo is home to more than 6,000 exotic
animals representing more than 800 species.
§ The Houston Zoo has an annual attendance of
more than 1.8 million visitors along with 45,200
member households.
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8. 2010 U.S. Demographics
According to the 2010 U.S. Census, 16% of the!
population is Hispanic. This is expected to rise!
from 16% to 30% by 2050.
§ A higher percentage of Houston’s population is!
The Houston Zoo
Hispanic than most of the country.
§ In 2000, 37% of the Houston population was!
Hispanic of any race and 61% were born!
outside of the United States.
§ However, only 10% of the Zoo’s membership!
base is Hispanic.
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9. Introduction
§ Demographically, Hispanic guests were not buying!
memberships at the rate of their attendance at the!
Zoo (10% vs. 38%).
§ Working with researchers from Rice University, the
Zoo examined this issue.
The Houston Zoo
§ Findings: The Zoo’s Hispanic consumers did not!
react well to the term “membership.”
§ The Zoo decided to implement a Season Pass to!
achieve an increase in Hispanic participation.
Goal
§ To engage interest in membership programs from!
additional ethnic groups, with a strong focus on the!
Hispanic market.
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10. Key Operational Methods
§ Created a six month individual pass in the summer!
of 2010 and named it Houston Zoo Season Pass.
The Houston Zoo
§ Adult passes were $15 and children passes!
were $12.
§ The only benefits attached to the pass were free
admission for six months and usage of the member
express entrance.
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11. Key Operational Methods
§ No ticket upgrades were allowed with the passes.
§ The pass was marketed and sold only onsite.
§ Table set up in front of the Zoo with Spanish
The Houston Zoo
signage to sell the passes.
− Staffed with 2 Hispanic sales representatives!
and 3 application processors.
− Anyone could buy the pass but marketing was!
driven toward the Hispanic market.
§ The passes were sold over two weekends at the
end of July and beginning of August.
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12. Results
§ Sold more than 1,200 passes in 4 days.
The Houston Zoo
§ Able to target multiple family sizes.
§ Passes assisted in driving attendance to the Zoo.
§ Guaranteed revenue from pass holders.
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13. § How are people joining?
How We Transact! § How are they renewing?
Membership
§ Are direct mail and telemarketing dead?
§ Should all communications and transactions be
electronic?
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14. Gen Y
Gen X
Boomers
20-30 yrs
31-46 yrs
47-65 yrs
Checkout donation 48%
57%
52%
(This is comparable to
onsite sales!)
Check by mail
26
43
54
How We Transact! Gift shop
28
35
32
Membership
Website
29
35
31
Third-party vendor
25
27
17
Phone
8
10
16
Monthly debit
11
17
14
Mobile/Text
14
13
4
Social networking site
9
6
4
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15. § People are living by discounts.
§ Internal decisions to discount.
§ External means of discounting—Groupon and !
The Expectation ! Living Social.
of Discounts
–
Memberships.
–
Admissions.
§ Membership IS a discount.
§ What is happening to our perceived value of
membership?
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16. § Know your member profile.
Who Are Our! § Age, presence of children, geographic pockets.
Members?
§ Target audiences.
§ What each market segment might be looking for in their
membership relationship.
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17. The Biggest Issues!!
Acquisitions
§ How to define, then find, new audiences.
§ Demographics are changing in the U.S., how do we
make museums an attractive lifestyle choice?
How We Get and
Keep Members
§ How to engage a younger audience . . . is this!
possible?
§ Should you be customizing solicitations by different!
audience interest groups?
§ Should you be customizing your membership levels!
by different interest options?
§ Mission vs. value members—how will you balance
these motivations for joining?
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18. Onsite Solicitations Become!
More Important
§ More challenging to find new prospects.
How We Get and § Work with your visitors, but even smarter.
Keep Members
§ Gain new members and collect:
− Names.
− Addresses.
− Emails.
− Interests.
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19. Renewals
§ How best to gain new members’ loyalty?
§ How to deliver an experience that satisfies year!
after year?
How We Get and § Which will be the best solicitation strategies for!
Keep Members
highest ROI—mail, email, 2-year members?
§ Where does discounting fit in terms of renewals for
the future? It’s the mission vs. value motivation
again.
§ First year renewals are the toughest—so make the
first year more memorable.
§ Engaging welcome packet/communications/
events.
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20. Special Importance for Renewals
§ Some things never change . . .
How We Get and
Keep Members
§ Know your numbers.
–
What are your renewal rates?
–
How are people renewing?
–
Why are they not renewing?
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21. Whole Institution Approach
How We Get and § Collaborate fully with education, curatorial, visitor!
Keep Members
services, and marketing to ensure the promised!
membership experience is delivered.
§ Develop new member welcome strategy.
§ Keep it fresh!
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22. Maintain BEST PRACTICES
§ Know your numbers.
How We Get and
§ Be alert to new ideas and receptive to change.
Keep Members
§ Test new ideas.
§ Before you change the program, can you and your
organization deliver the experience?
§ Without risk there are no new great ideas!
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23. Multi-Everything (Cultural,!
How We Get and Generational, Interest)
Keep Members
§ Make your museum a valued lifestyle choice for
groups who have not traditionally been part of !
your plan.
§ Be you, but reach out—how to do this best?
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50. The Interactive
Imperative
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51. How to use online social media and mobile to!
increase membership:
The Interactive! § Awareness.
Imperative
§ Engagement.
§ Conversion.
§ Retention.
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52. SOURCE: Museum Next 52

53. SOURCE: Museum Next 53

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55. 55

56. The Mobile
Revolution
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57. § There are 5.3 billion active mobile devices in the!
world (that’s 70% of the world’s population).
§ By the end of 2011, over 85% of hand-sets will be!
The Mobile! able to access the mobile web.
Revolution
§ There were over 6.1 trillion text messages sent !
in 2010.
§ Smartphones will overtake feature phones in the!
U.S. in 2012.
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60. 60

61. Indy Museum Adventure Trek
Indianapolis Jones needs your family to
help locate seven treasures in the
museum. Work together to figure out the
clues to try and find the location of each
treasure.
Text childrensmuseum to 728647
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64. 64

65. Getting More
Memberships Online
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66. Getting More! § Best practices in user experience.
Memberships! § Winning with promotions and contests.
Online
§ Converting site visitors into members.
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69. 69

70. Winning With Contests
and Promotions
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74. Converting Online
Visitors to Members
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75. Give-to-Get
§ Premium content.
Converting ! § Enhanced personalized content.
Online Visitors !
§ Free content.
to Members
§ Discounts.
§ Online community.
§ Insider scoop.
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76. Optimize the Registration!
Converting ! Process
Online Visitors !
§ Shorten the registration form.
to Members
§ Adopt a progressive disclosure model.
§ Leverage the user’s existing identities.
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80. 80

81. Pulse of Membership
2011
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82. What is Pulse of Membership?
§ A survey of membership programs nationally.
§ An ongoing membership tracking survey,
performed four times since the economic
downturn.
Pulse of!
Membership 2011
§ Data collected from a pool of 2,000 membership
managers, with approximate response rate of 10%
each time.
§ A survey conducted by Membership Consultants as
a service to the field to monitor the status of
membership programs in challenging fundraising
times.
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83. What Does Pulse of Membership!
Explore?
§ Membership statistics and trends.
Pulse of!
Membership 2011
§ Membership tools used and with what level of
success.
§ Tracks and compares membership by types of!
organizations: museums, gardens, zoos.
§ New in 2011: membership salary and position!
statistics.
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84. How Can I Access the Full
Pulse of!
Membership 2011
Survey?
Visit MembershipConsultants.wordpress.com to view
a copy of the full survey.
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85. Membership Revenue
Pulse of! § Account for 8% to 15% of an organization’s overall!
Membership 2011
operating revenue.
§ Some organizations are viewing membership!
revenue as “earned” revenue rather than donated!
revenue.
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86. Membership Reporting Structure
§ Historically part of development departments.
§ In the zoo and aquarium world, membership!
Pulse of! reporting structure is:
Membership 2011
–
38% to development.
–
31% to marketing.
–
17% to a freestanding department.
–
10% to visitor services.
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87. Membership Titles
Pulse of!
Membership 2011
§ Membership Director
44.1%
§ Membership Manager
36.2%
§ Membership Coordinator
17.5%
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88. Length of Service In Years
§ < 1 year
7.9%
Pulse of!
§ 1 to 2 years
15.8%
Membership 2011
§ 3 to 4 years
24.3%
§ 5 to 10 years
28.2%
§ Over 10 years
23.7%
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89. 89

90. Length of Service!
Pulse of! By Museum or Organization Type
Membership 2011
Zoos (31% with 10+ years of membership service)!
have the membership personnel with the longest!
longevity, followed by art museums (22% with 10+
years of membership service).
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91. 91

92. Membership Salaries
§ Mode: $30,000 to $40,000.
§ Median: $40,000 to $50,000.
Pulse of!
Membership 2011
§ 6% reported salaries in excess of $80,000.
§ 10% did not wish to respond.
§ Related to length of service: 6 out 7 respondents!
who make more than $90,000 have served for 10!
or more years in the membership field.
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93. The Membership
Profession
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94. How is Membership Perceived?
The Membership! § Within the museum world?
Profession
§ What is the positioning of the membership!
department within the institution?
§ What is the status of the membership!
professional?
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95. The Membership Position
Within the museum world:
§ Membership gaining more respectability.
§ Demands on membership revenue ever greater in
The Membership! the future.
Profession
§ Membership is growing in importance to all
institutions from a(n):
– Financial perspective.
– Audience perspective.
– Involvement perspective.
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96. The Membership Department
What is the positioning of the membership!
department within the institution?
The Membership! § More connected to the marketing side.
Profession
§ May move more to the transactional side.
§ If that proves to be true, may see more !
institutions considering membership dues as!
earned revenue.
§ Must still maintain close ties to development!
functions.
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97. The Membership Professional
What is the status of the membership professional?
The Membership!
§ More respectability.
Profession
§ Longer service.
§ Salaries increasing.
§ Membership is a destination position.
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98. Membership Trends
§ Membership is a destination position.
§ Longer service.
The Membership!
§ Salaries increasing.
Profession
§ Membership gaining more respectability.
§ Demands on membership revenue ever greater in!
the future.
§ Membership is growing in importance to!
all institutions.
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99. Q&A and
Conclusion
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100. Contact Us
Dana Hines Membership Consultants!
Consultants
dana@membership–consultants.com
dana@membership consultants.com
Noreen Ahmad LaPlaca Cohen!
noreen@laplacacohen.com
Rosie Branstetter fiveseed!
rosie@fiveseed.com
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101. Thank You
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