Membership

Member Retention

Member retention is a vital component of a sustainable club and will set the club up for future growth and success.

Using data

It is important to understand the key motivations as to both why members join and drop out of the club.

Collecting retention data from the registration database will help by providing a breakdown of the club’s retention rate and the details of players who did not return. It may identify age groups that have an issue or common trends in participation rates.

It is a good idea to ask past members via a phone call, email, or survey for reasons that they did not come back to the club.

Provide quality experiences

Most members will come back to the club if they have a positive experience. To provide an enjoyable experience, you first need to understand what you audience deems as enjoyable so you can design products and experiences that attract and retain more participants. Use informal feedback, surveys, and marketing research to identify what your participants are looking for in a club.

Factors that can add to an enjoyable experience include:

Induction into the club with positive first interactions
Opportunities for fun and fitness with less competition
Quality coaches and program deliverers
Quality venues, equipment, and programs
Flexible programs and variety

Sport Aus provides sport and physical activity data and insights to inform participation offerings across life stages which can help inform the club about different target markets. The research can be found on Sport Aus website.

Create a community

It is not always the success in the pool that encourages members to come back. The club’s ability to provide social opportunities to harbour a strong comradery will help members feel connected to the club. By building a friendly community, members will feel a sense of belonging.

TEMPLATE Member Retention Phone Script

FACT SHEET Member Retention