BlogMembership 16 Member Appreciation Ideas + 6 Quick Steps for Planning Your Member Appreciation Day Membership 16 Member Appreciation Ideas + 6 Quick Steps for Planning Your Member Appreciation Day Author: Sonia Urlando September 16, 2024 Contents 🕑 12 min read No matter who you are or what you do, it feels good to know that you’re appreciated. In the nonprofit world, there are a whole lot of people to be grateful for: your staff, your board, your volunteers—and of course, your members. If you’re looking to keep your members happy and engaged, you’re in the right spot. It’s one thing to welcome people when they join, but showing them some real appreciation can make all the difference. In this blog, we’ll share some fun and creative ways to say “thank you” to your members. From personal touches to memorable events, let’s explore the power of showing member appreciation with some awesome ideas to make members feel like family – plus we’ll have some tips on planning your appreciation day and how membership management software can help you out! Let’s get started! Why Member Appreciation Matters While making people happy is a good enough reason to say thank you, showing member appreciation also benefits your organization in a few unique ways. Welcome new members Showing appreciation with a warm welcome is the first step towards renewal. According to the 2024 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report, associations with renewal rates above 80% reported making welcome phone call to new members. Boost member engagement Showing member appreciation doesn’t just help with retention, it can also entice them to become volunteers, participate in leadership opportunities and become advocates for your mission! Donated time and energy is just as valuable as those monthly dues. Get feedback about their experience Feedback is a key part of the member journey which guides you towards continual improvement. Your members want to know their thoughts and feelings matter—asking for them is a quick way to connect. Share their impact The data you gather about impact can be used for funding applications, promotion and more. Impact stories are one of the most powerful tools when attracting new members and building your organization’s reputation. Your nonprofit will thrive the more you show the world that you’re making a difference. Boost retention When members feel valued, they’re more likely to stick around. Member appreciation fosters a sense of belonging, making them less likely to look elsewhere. Between organizing ongoing campaigns and maintaining the day-to-day work, nonprofits have lots of competing priorities. A member appreciation strategy can help you engage and retain members for the long haul—which ultimately takes work OFF your plate! 16 Member Appreciation Day Ideas Now that you know why holding a member appreciation day is crucial to your organization’s success, here are 10 member appreciation ideas to get your gears turning: 1. New member welcome event Your first show of appreciation should come shortly after sign up! Opening the member experience with a welcome event offers a warm introduction, and shows people all the ways they can get involved. While a welcome package comes with everything members need to know, a welcome event turns that learning process into an engaging experience. Consider hosting a complementary luncheon for new members to meet board members, other members and ambassadors (depending on your organization you can get this provided by of one of your sponsors). 2. Spotlight a member Member spotlights or “member of the month” programs are a highly visible show of appreciation for the people who contribute to your cause and community! Spotlights highlight members’ accomplishments, and can be shared across: Social media Email newsletter Paper mail Your website The spotlighted member can either be nominated by someone else or put in an application themself. Your member spotlight should share the member’s contributions to your organization, any fun memories they would like to share with others and a fun personal detail or highlight – like family or pets. 3. Special swag Member swag is a fun way to offer exclusive, physical tokens of appreciation! The swag should be branded, and reflective of your organization’s values. Why not go for some sustainable swag to celebrate your members and show care for your community’s environment? Did you know that many businesses offer merchandise deals specifically for nonprofits? Busy Beaver has eco-friendly buttons, pins, stickers and more to support your nonprofit’s unique branding. (Psst—here are some swag ideas for clubs, events and more!) 4. One-day partner discounts Building partnerships with businesses—especially local businesses!—helps expand your reach and connect with your community. Reach out to prospective partners and ask if they’d like to support your nonprofit’s member appreciation day with a discount. A few examples of discounts include: A percentage off the bill at a restaurant An free item for your members with each purchase A members-only exclusive discount off of a service This strategy gives you a great opportunity to develop your relationships with both members AND partners. After all, if the appreciation day is a success, the partner business will profit! 5. Member appreciation video It’s perfectly possible to write a heartfelt thank you note (and we’ll get into that below!), but some people will respond more warmly to seeing human faces. This video could be recorded by: Staff members Board members Volunteers Beneficiaries Celebrity cameos Consider uploading your member appreciation video on your organization’s website for all to see! 6. Milestone awards If your goal is to retain members, then it’s worth celebrating retention milestones! The American Society of Baking has been around for 100 years, supporting a network of bakers, engineers, service providers, food technologists and equipment and ingredient suppliers. Because of their longevity, they have a page on their website dedicated to their 50 year members! Celebrating members as they hit their five, ten, or twenty year member anniversaries is exciting, but don’t underestimate the importance of that first birthday. That first renewal is the hardest to get, and some extra appreciation just might seal the deal. Be sure to highlight your members during this time through your member newsletter and social media accounts too! 7. Social media shoutouts Whether you’re spotlighting your members, advertising partner discounts or showing off your exclusive swag, social media is your friend when it comes to member appreciation. Creating a robust social media campaign to recognize members can help you: Boost engagement by interacting in the comments and encouraging people to share. Raise awareness about your organization by reaching a wider audience. Activate your brand with a strong voice and striking visuals. As you work across social media platforms, remember: your members are the star of the show! Each and every post should tie back to why you’re proud to have them around – give members the public recognition they deserve. 8. Behind-the-scenes visit Inviting members into your nonprofit’s space is like welcoming them into your home. Scheduling guided tours demystifies how your nonprofit works and shows members that they’re a part of the team. This members-only tour will be a special event to encourage engagement and reinforce your mission. Seeing your organization’s work up close reminds members why it matters—and lets you say thank you for their support in person! 9. Personalized thank you cards You don’t need to be a master graphic designer to send out a great thank you card. Services like Canva and Vistaprint have templates to get you started, and lots of room to customize the branding! If you want to send out physical cards, adding a personal touch is a must do. A stock thank you card shows that you appreciate your membership base, but a personal card makes it about the individual. Some personal elements you can use include: The member’s name The number of years they’ve been a member Mentions of an event they attended Physical signatures from your board or staff members Photos of them participating in your organization’s activities If your membership base is smaller, or you just want to thank a few members, it’s always a kind gesture to hand write the entire card! 10. Make a week of it! If you’ve got a lot of ideas going, there’s no need to stop at one day—try making a whole member appreciation week! A full week of programming offers: Virtual, hybrid and in-person opportunities Space for social media campaigns Options for each member segment Extra chances to attend The George Eastman Museum‘s member appreciation week is an AMAZING example of this structure. The museum’s member appreciation ideas include: A “Why I’m a Member” survey Members-only discounts A movie night An ice cream social Exclusive tours This week incorporates tons of things we covered in this post, and all in one place. If you have the resources to offer a full member appreciation week, it’ll be worth your time! 11. Host an Appreciation Gala An appreciation gala is your chance to recognize members and their contributions to your organization through a fancy event. Provide your members with a night out on the town to dress up, enjoy a delicious meal and entertainment. Having an award ceremony during your gala is the perfect opportunity to share stories about your members and their impact on your org. Some ideas of awards you can present are: Membership milestones (5, 10, 15+ years) Most service events attended Mentorship recognition Leadership awards Most involved member You can have members nominate each other for awards as well! This peer recognition allows members to see themselves as part of a community, not just your organization. 12. Birthday Celebration One of the easiest ways to show members you care is to recognize their birthday. When members sign up, make sure they input their birthday, then every year you can send them a birthday card, birthday email or even a small gift (like baked goods or flowers) to make them feel special. If your membership is larger or you don’t have the bandwidth to send individual messages, you may want to implement a birthday month. For example, you can shout out all your January birthday members in your newsletter or social media channels on one day in January. If you have a membership management software this is even easier to do. Just have an automated reminder for birthdays so you can be timely with your birthday wishes! 13. Virtual Appreciation Events Virtual events tend to have the highest attendance rates, as members can participate wherever – no babysitters to hire or transportation to figure out. There are quite a number of virtual events you can put on for your members as a show of your appreciation. Consider: Virtual escape room Virtual trivia night Online art or craft session Cooking or cocktail class over Zoom 14. Professional Development Opportunities Many of your members may have joined your organization for the professional development and networking opportunities. As a part of your appreciation efforts, provide exclusive events for members to grow through: Networking luncheons or happy hours Educational courses (these could be virtual too!) Certifications Seminars or workshops with industry leaders 15. Feedback Surveys Make sure your members have plenty of opportunities to provide feedback with your organization. This is the opportunity for members to share their experiences and get any questions answered about your organization. Check out our blog on How to Collect Member Feedback the Right Way for tips on member surveys. 16. Small Gifts A super easy membership appreciation idea is to gift your members small items or gift cards. This doesn’t have to branded swag, it can be small useful items that anyone would love. Plus, your membership manager can buy a lot of these items in bulk and have them on have whenever the time is right. Here’s some ideas of small appreciation gifts for your members: Water bottle Portable battery Wine/beer opener Chip clips Luggage tags Mugs 6 Steps to Plan Your Member Appreciation Day Now that you have some member appreciation ideas, we want to give you a little guidance on planning a member appreciation day. This is your specialized event or campaign designed specifically to show gratitude to your members! Let’s dive into some key steps for planning: 1. Choose your timing We don’t just mean marking your calendar! There are plenty of different points in a member’s journey where an appreciation day could make sense. How do you choose your approach? Consider your primary goal for your appreciation day. For example: A new member welcome event can help you engage your newest members early on. A personal milestone recognition like a 5 year membership anniversary encourages long-term retention and lifetime membership. A campaign milestone celebration can turn donors into members and members into volunteers. Don’t be afraid to have a couple of member appreciation events throughout the year. Each of your member segments have different needs, and addressing them all makes for happy members. 2. Pick a space There are a few different spaces you can use to host your member appreciation day. Consider your membership base, and what they might be most engaged with. For example: Formal in-person galas add a degree of elegance that might excite your long-time members, especially if you’re running a professional association. Casual family-friendly park events are a perfect set up for sports clubs, theaters and other local community spaces. A virtual celebration can reach members all over the world. Mailing out your thank yous is a great way to reach an older audience. Solutions Advisors, who specialize in marketing to seniors, note that 70% of older consumers feel that direct mail is more personal than online interactions. Social media gratitude blasts, on the other hand, give your younger members something to share across their personal platforms. If you have the time and resources, you can always mix and match a few of these ideas! 3. Tell your members Once you’ve got your member appreciation day on the calendar, market it far and wide with: Personal invitations Social media marketing An email marketing campaign Posts in the forums on your member website Ads on-site if you run an online community space Don’t limit yourself to just one of these ideas! The more times members see your event, the more likely they are to register. 4. Plan & prepare your celebration To make sure your member appreciation event goes off without a hitch, it’s important to get prepared well in advance. Aside from developing a marketing plan, you can set yourself up for success by: Delegating roles to your team members Booking venues early if you’re in a physical space Recruiting and training volunteers Gathering any information you need about your members Working with an event planning checklist is a surefire way to make sure you’ve (literally!) checked off all your boxes. 5. Personalize! No matter how large your membership base is, there are still ways to make sure people feel like they’re more than just a number. Surveys, member profiles and information from membership application forms gives you data such as: Member names and locations Why they became members Events they’ve attended How long they’ve been with your organization How frequently they post to your forum What they like best about your organization Personalized thank yous simply feel more authentic—even a simple “thanks for three great years” shows members you’re paying attention! 6. Be ready for what’s next If your member appreciation day is successful, you’re going to see a lot more engagement from your community! You can prepare yourself for what comes next by: Having feedback surveys ready Writing post-event marketing copy Reviewing and updating your welcome packages Investing in membership management software Speaking of that software… How Your Membership Management Software Can Help You Show Member Appreciation Member appreciation is all about making connections. With an ever-growing membership base, it can be hard to keep up with everyone—that’s where membership management software (MMS) comes in! WildApricot’s membership management software helps you: Prepare your content and communications with automated emails sent to your contact database. Get the word out on your website, which can be customized to meet your nonprofit’s unique needs and goals. Add a personal touch with that’s organized in your member database. member data Whether you’re planning a targeted member appreciation day or just trying to incorporate gratitude into your brand, these tools make the logistics simple. Sign up for your 60-day free trial to explore all WildApricot has to offer! After Member Appreciation Day When your member appreciation day or week is over, fresh new opportunities open up for your nonprofit. Learning more about your members and dedicating time to strengthening connections is one way to think about your engagement and retention strategies moving forward. Explore incorporating some post-event practices like: Creating a nurture program.Once you have your members’ attention, make a plan for how to keep it. Communicating consistently about upcoming events, renewal dates and referral programs will secure the engagement you’re hoping for. Asking for feedback.The best way to find out how your member appreciation event went is by asking. Along with reviewing attendance data, send out feedback surveys to learn what members liked best about the event, and what they would change. Tailoring future programming to members’ interests.Planning and executing your member appreciation day is an opportunity to review your member segments. As you develop fresh programming, consider what will resonate with different types of members. Reviewing your current membership model Fostering a culture of gratitude ultimately benefits everyone! You can always go beyond your membership base and hold a volunteer, board or team member appreciation day. Holding appreciation events is a way to celebrate all of the people who are connected to your nonprofit’s community. A Thank You From Us! We hope this guide to member appreciation day ideas and planning has been valuable! Thank YOU for reading, and for the continued work you do for your cause and community. Here at WildApricot, we want to help your nonprofit achieve its goals. Sign up for your 60-day free trial of our award-winning membership management software to learn more. 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