Running an association events programme for a national membership organisation requires strategic coordination. Each branch, functioning with a degree of autonomy, relies on support from headquarters (HQ) to build and maintain membership and execute fundraisers and community outreach events. Meanwhile, HQ counts on its branches to act as extensions of the organisation, helping to further its mission. This symbiotic relationship is crucial for fostering member engagement, driving fundraising initiatives, and amplifying community outreach.
Your membership organisation with local chapters likely employs a host of tools and vendors, including a fundraising platform, customer relationship management (CRM) software, and an online printing service. Utilise these tools to their fullest to help mitigate challenges, set your branches up for success, and build a successful programme!
Below, we’ll break down some of the bigger challenges our membership organisation customers face. We’ll also lay out solutions and best practices based on what’s worked for them.
Membership Events Program Challenges & Solutions
As you know, each banch is different, and so are their challenges. While some of the solutions below would help save aggravation for everyone, others might struggle in one area more than others. For them, a more tailored problem-solving approach would work best.
A great way to learn where branches feel most challenged is to send a survey to determine where they could use some help. If sending an email survey isn’t your style, call your local leaders and talk.
In the meantime, the following are challenges we most often hear about from our membership organisation customers, as well as the solutions they find work.
Challenge #1: Cohesive Branding Across Events
Inconsistent branding is the top operational challenge we hear from national charities with regional branches.
Branches independently host fundraising and community outreach events to build support and attract fresh faces. Typically, chapter leads build their own event pages as well as order printed marketing materials and custom merch. If branche cannot access up-to-date brand guidelines and assets, this can lead to inconsistent branding which ultimately dilutes your organisation’s identity.
Solution 1: Comprehensive Event Management Platform
Event and Fundraising Templates
Create and set standardised event and fundraising templates that branches can click to copy and then personalise to their needs.
Enable branches to use these pre-approved templates, ensuring that every event they host is automatically aligned with national branding guidelines.
Private Ecommerce Storefront for Branding Materials
- Establish a private b2b ecommerce storefront populated with branded print-on-demand templates for things your branches regularly order, such as event tickets, raffle tickets, postcards, and branded merchandise.
- Set product template customisation options to allow branches to add specific details while maintaining overall brand integrity.
- Provide access to your branches so they can order what they need when they need it.
Solution 2: Multi-Platform Approach
If you’re using a few different tools and platforms to manage branches, try this:
- Create a detailed branding manual that includes specific instructions on logo usage, colour schemes, typography, and messaging tone. It should cover various applications, from digital communications to physical event materials. Make your manual, along with other visual assets (logos, images, and brand typeface), available and accessible to all branches using a file-sharing service like DropBox. Just be sure to keep it regularly updated!
- Distribute your manual and incorporate it into the onboarding process for new branch leaders and volunteers. Communicate that all fundraising and event pages and printed items should adhere to your organisation’s style guide.
- Implement a proofing process for building event pages and printed materials, so that the visual brand is consistent any time a chapter hosts a fundraiser.
Challenge #2: Increase & Retain Membership
Attracting and keeping members is a challenge for many branches—and it can limit their impact. Our customers have found that the strategies below help prevent member fatigue and bring in fresh interest.
Solutions:
Implement Centralised Data Analytics
Collect and analyse data on member activities and preferences across your organisation. Depending on your events and fundraising platform, you also may be able to access your data across your events programme. Your events platform should enable easy event registration so you’re not adding to chapter workload! Another method is to ask your chapters to gather attendees registrations, and then send in the data to HQ.
Set Up Engagement Metrics
Set up metrics for engagement, such as event attendance and participation. For example, if a community event is well attended by one segment of your membership but didn’t resonate with others, make note of that. You can then use that sort of insight to guide branch events.
Share What Works
If one branch’s event strategy is a success, share it. Encourage branches to collaborate so that everyone wins. You could create a private Facebook group or Reddit community, or if your organisation has a forum, you could create a space to interact and share information.
Peer-to-Peer Fundraising
Branch members, donors, and supporters get tired of repeatedly being asked to support the cause financially. Invite them to be co-fundraisers through peer-to-peer initiatives. This approach, where supporters raise funds for your cause, includes activities like “walk for a cure” events. The benefits of peer-to-peer fundraising are significant. Your organisation can simultaneously expand its reach through existing member networks and engage donors where they are!
Sweepstakes + Membership Drive
Like many charities, our membership-based customers are focused on their mission—but often short on time. To drive membership and cut down on data entry, some of our customers have rolled a fundraising event and membership drive into one event. The prize is something that appeals to those interested in their cause, and the charity sweepstake is marketed to everyone in the community. However, thanks to registration data from past events, they’re able to conduct personalised outreach to people who’ve participated in community events. The purchase of a sweepstake entry comes with a membership, and since participants signed up through the platform, there’s no data entry on the back end.
Workshops and Educational Sessions
Offering free workshops and educational sessions is another way our customers provide value to the community that’s also related to their cause. Whether it’s a bird-watching session or a composting workshop, these events can be both fun and informative. These events also help bring in new members. During workshops, participants learn more about the organisation’s mission—and often go on to join their local branch.
Challenge #3: Relevance and Member Benefits
All great relationships are about give and take. Members need to feel valued and that there’s a reason to continue supporting your organisation through their time and membership fees. In addition to expressing gratitude and regularly communicating how their dues and donations help your cause, member benefits are a great way to provide value.
Solutions:
Use Data to Create Targeted Member Benefits
Use your fundraising platform and CRM to gather and evaluate donor, volunteer, and participant data across your entire programme. Segment it by region, then review it for insights on what sort of members-only events or content you could provide.
Offer Unique Benefits Beyond Networking
Offer unique benefits in addition to networking and professional development events. Some ideas include discounts for goods and services, gifts like branded merch, a member feature on your organisation’s site, mentorship programmes, or valuable members-only content (such as a newsletter).
Challenge #4: Chapter Volunteer Burnout
Most, if not all, of the work at branches is completed by a group of dedicated volunteers. Over time, day-to-day administrative tasks can take the joy and sense of accomplishment out of the time they give to your organisation. Before long, branch leaders and thier volunteers can experience burnout, which can affect their commitment.
Solutions:
Eliminate Repetitive Event Creation
Take reinventing the wheel out of event creation. Create templates for in-person, virtual, and hybrid events that your distributed team can click to copy. You can review and manage all your current and future events across your distributed teams from one place.
Automate Registration Processes
Enable branches to use your event platform to automate attendee registration. This will make information available instantly to HQ, enabling you to help your chapters make informed decisions.
Simplify Volunteer Onboarding
Make it as easy as possible to onboard new helpers. Assign roles to regional directors, local event organisers, and volunteers, then designate permissions within your platform. Alternatively, you can make available online a regularly updated manual that will help them fulfil the responsibilities of their role. The trick to doing it this way is that you must work closely with your branch leaders to create the manual.
Focus on Meaningful Engagement
Ensure that volunteers are engaged in meaningful activities, balancing routine tasks with opportunities for personal and professional growth.
Streamline Dues Collection
Include membership dues with event ticket purchases. Many of our membership organisation customers host annual banquets or galas. Since these events are popular with members, branches and HQ use their event platform to collect dues alongside ticket sales.
Whether you’re running a national membership organisation, sports team, film tour, or another large operation, our platform is built to simplify your national events programme—both at HQ and locally. Eventgroove is equipped with all the tools you need to accomplish more with less and manage events at scale. Explore our all-in-one fundraising platform or schedule a demo today!
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