The member who does not renew in year two of membership

2 days ago
3 min read

Introduction

Membership organisations lose more people in year two than at any other point. The first renewal is the cliff: somebody joined for a specific reason, got it or did not, and then faced a second payment with no clear answer to the question of what they are actually getting.

Nobody argues about it. The direct debit is cancelled, or the reminder is ignored, and the organisation records a number without ever finding out why. The reason stays unknown and the pattern repeats.

The second year has to be sold during the first. Nothing at the renewal date can make up for a year of silence.

1. The member who does not renew in year two never found a second reason

Understand what the membership was for. The answer is rarely the whole offer.

Most people join for one specific thing

An event, a qualification, a discount, a directory listing. Ask at the point of joining. Once that is used, the reason is spent. Nothing has replaced it.

The remaining value is usually invisible

Members routinely do not know what their membership includes. Assume nothing has been read. Unused benefits feel like no benefits. Tell them what they are not using.

2. Get the first ninety days right

Early use predicts renewal more reliably than anything else. Measure it from the first week.

Show them what to do first

One clear thing in the first month. Not a list of twelve options. A member who has used something is far more likely to renew than one who has only paid. Make the first action obvious.

Introduce them to people

Belonging keeps members. People renew relationships, not subscriptions. Isolated members leave, however good the resources are. Introduce them to two or three people.

3. Keep the value visible all year

Silence between renewals is fatal. Twelve months is far too long to say nothing.

Send a summary of what they used

Events attended, resources downloaded, support given. A short annual statement works well. Most members underestimate it substantially. Send it before the renewal notice.

Communicate what the organisation achieved

Representation, standards, campaigns. These justify the fee for many members. Members pay for things they never personally consume, but only if they know about them. Report it in plain language.

4. Handle renewal as a conversation

Not a payment reminder. The invoice should never be the first contact.

Contact them before the invoice

Ask how the year went and whether anything is missing. It catches leavers while there is still time. A short call is enough.

Offer alternatives to leaving

A different category, a pause, a reduced rate for a change in circumstances. Make all three easy to request. Retaining somebody at a lower level beats losing them. Offer it before they ask.

5. Learn from the ones who go

Every lapse is information. Most organisations throw it away.

Ask why, and actually read the answers

A single question at cancellation is enough. Patterns appear quickly. Act on what they say.

Try to win them back later

Lapsed members are the warmest list an organisation has, and most never contact them again. Get in touch six months later.

Conclusion

Year two is the cliff because most people join for one specific thing, and once it is used the reason is spent while the remaining benefits stay invisible. Get the first ninety days right by showing new members one clear thing to do and introducing them to other people, since belonging is what keeps members and resources alone do not.

Keep value visible with a summary of what they personally used and what the organisation achieved on their behalf. Treat renewal as a conversation before the invoice rather than a payment reminder, offer a different category or a pause instead of leaving, ask departing members why, and contact lapsed members again later.