Your members aren't thinking about you as much as you think.

"Your association is not always as important to some of your members as we would like to think it is," says Jessica Brill, Membership Manager at Association Headquarters. She's seen members receive 7 renewal reminders via email, a printed invoice, phone calls, texts, and a "this is your last chance" notice. Then they're surprised when their membership lapses.

That's not a problem of benefits. It's an attention problem. And it points to the one conversation every association leader should have with their membership team before 2027:

Who Signed Up and Went Quiet?

Have your membership team pull one simple report. Who joined or created an account in the first half of the year and hasn't logged in since?

That’s your retention risk, sitting in plain sight. These members haven't left yet. They've just stopped showing up.

Most associations plan the new year around new benefits to bring in new members. But, start with the people already drifting instead. Adding a new perk won't bring them back. Getting their attention just might.

"Members don't leave over the cost of their dues," Brill says. "They leave because they don't feel like their voice matters."

Four Things to Do Immediately

Ask again. Every Monday, Brill emails lapsed members who still have an open invoice. It takes all of five minutes. Some members pay invoices that are months old. For long-time members who lapse, her team picks up the phone and calls them directly. Most say they didn’t realize their membership had lapsed and they renew right over the phone.

Make it easy. Members don't always follow instructions in emails. So instead of "log in and check your profile," send them an email with their profile information in the email and let them click "Looks Good!" or "Make Updates." Use half the words and more pictures. 

Make the request specific. "Join our member engagement committee!" is vague. "Help us tackle one topic over six months" is a commitment people can picture. When Brill's team opened a 10-day call for a single, time-boxed task force, it drew more nominations than a month-long general call the year before.

Thank people where others can see. Volunteering can sometimes feel like a thankless job. Brill regularly thanks her chapter volunteers publicly, in their own community forums. Recognition that others can see keeps people feeling valued and continuing to participate.

Belonging is Your Competitive Edge

Members have more options than ever. Some competitors now offer free continuing education with no membership fee. Fewer employers are covering dues. When the basics are free somewhere else, belonging is your edge.

Brill isn't convinced the next generation is done with membership. "I think people do still want to belong," she says. But belonging has to be felt. It can't be assumed.

Bring These Questions to the Next Membership Team Meeting

• Who joined this year and went quiet?
• Who lapsed without realizing it?
• When did we last ask members what they need, and act on the answer?
• Which volunteers haven't been thanked in public?

Ask Brill why membership breaks, and she has a one-word answer: "Inattention."

Pay attention first. Everything else follows.

An AMC partnership can give your association a membership team backed by shared processes, data, and lessons learned across many organizations. If your board is planning its 2027 retention strategy, talk with Association Headquarters about how the management model could help you keep more of the members you already have.