Follow Up With Potential New Members Without Being Annoying

Follow Up with Potential New Members w/o Being Annoying

Bryce Sanders, President

Perceptive Business Solutions Inc.

The membership list at a nonprofit organization is like a bathtub.? Water comes in at the top and drains from the bottom.? Nonprofits lose members because they move away, pass away or lose interest.? You need to add new members to at least keep the numbers steady.? As a fellow member or trustee, you do your part, asking friends to join.? How do you follow up without being annoying?

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First of all, congratulations on making the effort.? It can be tough approaching a friend and asking them to support your charity.? FYI: There is an unspoken rule if they step up and join yours, you will be expected to return the favor when they come knocking.? Your friend made the right noises, but nothing has happened yet.? How do you follow up?

1.????? Make joining easy.? You might say “You should join” or “Go to our website.”? This requires effort on their part.? A good strategy is to put together a small kit containing an application, a return mail envelope, a list of benefits and a short, printed piece about the organization.? They can either fill out the form and mail it in or find the website address and join online.

2.????? Approach people face to face.? It can sound sensible to mail a letter or send an e-mail.? These can get tossed out or go into the online junk folder by accident.? It works better if you approach them in person, handing over that envelope with the details.? You might take a few minutes to explain or ask them to look at it when they have time.

3.????? Tell friends the cost up front.? People get solicited for all sorts of charitable contributions.? Sometimes the “ask” is $30 and other times it is $30,000!? When you approach your friend and bring up membership, mention the cost in dollars.? This might move it to the top of their pile.

4.????? Make the decision timely.? Sales techniques are pretty universal.? Is there a benefit they will get if they join now?? A free event they can attend in two weeks?? Is the price of membership going up in the new year?? Why is it in their best interest to act now?

5.????? Visit their business.? Years ago, a financial advisor mentioned “Sometimes you need to become their client before they become yours.”? If you are soliciting a business to become a member of your nonprofit, visit their restaurant for dinner!? This is both an ideal time to hand over your solicitation letter, but also a great follow up strategy when you return for dinner again.? You are probably still considering joining.? Do you need another kit? ?

6.????? Invite them for dinner or drinks.? No one said getting new members was going to be cheap!? If we are soliciting friends, we might have them over for dinner or drinks, perhaps with another member present.? This brings membership into the conversation.

7.????? Send a follow-up letter.? You don’t know if your original solicitation letter was tossed out.? If you haven’t heard anything in three or four weeks, send another letter.? This lets the recipient know you are serious, and it wasn’t a mass mailing.? It also gets the message across, “They aren’t going away.”

8.????? Consider gift memberships.? You have a friend who would enjoy the organization’s activities but does not have much disposable income.? The organization should put together gift membership package, especially around the holidays.? You can pay to gift them a membership instead of soliciting them.

9.????? Run into them at community events.? The Fall is also the gala season for nonprofits.? If you are “on the circuit” you attend a few.? You also run into people when out for drinks or dinner.? I have a personal rule you cannot solicit someone for a charity at someone else’s event.? You can introduce yourself and say “I’m the guy who sent you that letter from (organization)…”

10.? An additional person asks them.? People have many friends.? You ask a friend to join.? That makes an impact.? If another friend independently approaches them, it might raise the importance level of joining.? Other people they know belong.? Two of my friends want to do this.

11.? Will you be running a newspaper ad listing member names?? This is popular in our area.? People like to see their name in print.? They also like the prestige that comes from association with giants in the community who also belong.? If you let them know you will be running a display ad with member names listed, this can be a motivator.

Lieutenant Columbo, the famous detective in the TV series Columbo is my hero.? You need to be in front of people without being annoying.? Unfortunately, Columbo never mastered the “without being annoying part.”

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Bryce Sanders is president of Perceptive Business Solutions Inc.? He provides HNW client acquisition training for the financial services industry.? His book, “Captivating the Wealthy Investor” is available on Amazon.