Sue Froggatt has worked with a number of membership organisations running training programmes. Using international examples to create training programmes for membership organisations. She has been working with the FSB for a number of years.
In 2008/9 on average, individual membership organisations had an 87% retention rate, organisational membership had a 90% retention rate. The FSB in 2008/9 had a 83.6% retention. Of the members who left 63% cease to trade, and 37% contiunue to trade. The ones who continue to trade are leaving because they are not seeing or not using the benefits of the FSB. The FSB needs to raise awareness of the value of benefits.
Sue looked at using new technology to better signpost the benefits in the FSB. Things such as Webinars, Facebook, Twitter, editable web content and iphone apps are all ways of keeping members engaged. There are ways of making products more tangible and to put members in charge of their own membership by ensuring they got what they wanted. Visual reminders, offering fast value for money, and monitoring performance can all make benefits and retention part of the culture of the organisation.
Sue then challanged the tables to come up with their own ideas of how to improve retention and make benefits relevant and accessible to members. This was a well attended work shop with 26 FSB members in attendance. It was a varied audience with David Dexter and Carol Undy taking part as well as staff members Louise Withers and new Regional Organiser Natalie Gasson. Each table came up with their own ideas on how to signpost to the FSB.