In today’s digital world, multi-chapter associations face a unique challenge in tracking engagement across their organization. With members located in different geographic locations, communication can be difficult, and keeping track of member engagement can be even harder.
However, with the right tools and strategies, it is possible to track engagement and better understand how members are interacting with the organization.
Quick Reads
- Why Tracking Member Engagement Is Important for Multi-Chapter Organizations?
- How can Associations Track Engagement across all chapters?
- Member Engagement Strategies for Chapter-based Organizations
Why Tracking Member Engagement Is Important for Multi-Chapter Organizations?
We all know that member engagement and retention are the lifeblood of associations. And with chapters being miles apart from the headquarters, it's hard to know how members perceive an organization's value or how they interact with it.
Tracking results like event attendance, email campaign outcomes and transaction history represent the first step in understanding true engagement across a multi-tiered organization. With relevant data, staff can identify which members are most involved, and what activities are most popular.
This information can then be used to create targeted communication strategies and identify further opportunities to deepen involvement with new members while fostering the growth of the programs.
Additionally, tracking engagement can help associations identify members who may be at risk of leaving. If member engagement decreases significantly, it could be a sign that they are losing interest in the organization or not finding value in their membership.
By identifying these members early on, associations can take steps to re-engage before they decide to leave.
How can Associations Track Engagement across all chapters?
1. Standardize Engagement Metrics
Having multiple chapters with varying software platforms, or even paper/PDF applications, very often results in messy, inaccurate, and non-uniform member data.
The first step is to identify and standardize the metrics that are most relevant to the overall goals of your organization, rather than to individual chapters.
These might include metrics such as membership growth, event attendance, volunteer participation, and social media engagement.
2. Implement tracking tools
Once you have engagement metrics defined, you’ll need to choose the tools that are put in place to track them.
When it comes to gauging members' involvement level, the following three software categories are the most effective.
i. Association management software (AMS)
Association Management Software (AMS) is the most comprehensive platform for associations that allows them to track member activities, such as event attendance, volunteer work, and membership renewals.
It also provides a centralized database for member information, making it easy to identify trends and track engagement over time.
ii. Email Marketing Software
Another useful tool for tracking member engagement is email marketing software.
Email campaigns created through the software are used to promote events and other activities, as well as to send updates and important information to members.
Once you send these campaigns, you can track the open and click-through rates to determine which messages are resonating and adjust communication strategies accordingly.
iii. Social Media Platforms
Social media is another great platform to reach association members and build meaningful connections with them.
As a multi-tiered organization, you can use social media to engage and interact with your members across all chapters. Additionally, it can help you align all of your chapters with a single mission and show your members that you have a united vision. Plus, you can use the platform to promote events, share updates, and engage with them.
With a vibrant online community, staff can monitor social media engagement and identify the most popular posts and active members.
3. Set benchmarks
Similar to standardizing engagement metrics across the association, you’ll need to set benchmarks for each metric you are tracking. This will help you to determine whether your organization is performing well, or if there’s improvement needed.
4. Share data across chapters
Make sure that engagement data is shared across all chapters/regions of your organization. This is important for each chapter/region to know how they are performing in relation to other units and the organization as a whole.
5. Analyze data
Analyze the data to identify trends and areas where your organization can improve. Use this analysis to make data-driven decisions and improve engagement across your organization.
Nearly all AMS software contains widgets or reports that display these data in a digestible way, making these health metrics easy to view by every staff person without requiring in-depth knowledge of spreadsheets.
6. Monitor progress and take action
Regularly monitor engagement to track progress and ensure that your organization is moving in the right direction.
Based on this progress, take action to optimize your engagement levels and strategies. This might include launching new initiatives, improving communication, or providing additional training to members.
7. Upgrade to All-In-One Chapter Management Software
Tracking engagement can be challenging, especially when critical data is scattered, unformatted, and unverified, across all chapters.
Chapter management software is designed for large, multi-tier associations like you to centralize all your chapter data in one place.
Its unified dashboard automatically transfers membership, events, and finance data from chapters and affiliates to your headquarters. This increases transparency, allowing your team to set benchmarks and monitor all your chapters’ progress.
Additionally, it allows your members to sign up at the national or chapter level, whatever your by-laws or leadership prefer. Having a choice gives them greater opportunities to connect and engage with the unit they prefer.
Member Engagement Strategies for Chapter-based Organizations
As soon as your tracking is up and running, you will be able to see if you need to revise your strategies to boost engagement.
Here are some effective strategies you can employ to improve member engagement across all your chapters.
Provide value to members
Members are more likely to engage with your organization if they feel like they are getting value from their membership.
Thus, make sure to offer a variety of activities and events that cater to different interests and needs. This includes networking events, community platforms for cultivating relationships, and tangible incentives to keep them motivated.
Based on your chapters' digital maturity, you can also use online resources to boost virtual engagement among your members.
Use targeted communication
Use the information you gather about member engagement to create targeted communication strategies. Send messages that are relevant to each member’s interests and activities.
Segment your members into smaller groups based on specific characteristics such as demographics, interests, or behaviors, and create targeted campaigns for each group.
Keep track of your engagement metrics and test different messaging strategies to see what works best. Use this information to optimize your communication and improve engagement over time.
Encourage participation
Encourage members to get involved by offering volunteer opportunities and leadership positions. This will help members feel more invested in your organization and increase their dedication.
Use gamification
Gamification is the process of adding game-like elements to non-game activities.
This can be a fun and effective way to increase engagement. For example, you could create a point system for attending events or participating in volunteer activities.
You can also hold contests such as virtual scavenger hunts or trivia games as an icebreaker to encourage participation. You can also create a virtual leaderboard for your members that shows their points and rewards.
In conclusion, truly understanding member engagement is crucial to know how members are interacting with your organization. With the right tools and strategies, you can fully leverage tracking to identify trends, re-engage at-risk members, and foster productive long-term relationships.
If you are looking to enhance your tracking capabilities, get a demo of our chapter management software and unlock the true engagement potential of your organization.
