Growing Your Membership Ryan Johnson Membership Chair, Charlotte Ski and Snowboard Club
Why I Joined a Ski Club • Why I Joined the Charlotte Ski Club: • Grew up in GA – learned to ski at Beech Mountain • Lived 10 years in New England • joined Social Boston Sports which had local sports teams and ski trips to meet new people • Lived in Charlotte for 2 years • Was looking for similar group as SBS to meet new people in my new city • Tried SportsLink and other sports teams – Found CSSC on Meetup • Attended membership meeting at Heist and had great info breakdown from Publicity Chair • Joined that night • 2 nd season as Membership Chair • Wanted to get involved and help promote a program I was proud of and cared about the future
Membership Sign Up Process • Sign up for new membership or renewals • 3 methods - Online, MailApplication, or in person • Accept Cash,Check, Credit Card (use PayPal Here for Credit Card and Stripe for online) • $30 Single Membership, $50 Household Membership • Info all captured in master spreadsheet • Website is doing a good job of reminding people to renew each year • For Household memberships that are online have to get additional signatures for waiver – can be problematic • Send Membership Packet • Welcome Letter • MembershipCard(s) • Alpine GiftCard (if before February 28 th ) • Pros – Complete data/stats on membership, starting to become systemic, welcome packets to members give complete starter information if new to the club • Cons – time consuming, still manual entry into master file and entering new accounts online for paper sign up, technical issues, household liability waiver issues
Membership Application and Online Interface Credit Card payment new as of 2014/2015 season
Membership Packet Welcome Letter and Membership Card
What has worked well • Membership Meeting Location – Heist Brewery • Central Charlotte location, casual environment, breeds social engagement • Key to success – this is likely where potential members will first encounter the club and keep it accessible to all members in your area • Discounts • Deals with local ski shops - GiftCard, tuning package, rental discount, lift ticket discounts • Highlight what you bring to their business by teaming • Heist Brewery 10% discount • Social Media – have them link to each other and off your website • Meetup – calendar of events • Facebook – post events, photo sharing, general updates • Instagram – photo sharing • Consider getting an intern to help run your social media • Diversify Leadership • Have multiple age groups and interests represented on the board
What has worked well • Year Round Social Events – Keep in touch off the slopes • Monthly happy hours • Trampoline dodgeball • Lake parties • Summer MonthlyWhiteWater Center River Jams • AnnualChristmas Party • Trivia Night • Go Kart Racing • Knights Game • 3 year trend has membership growingYOY • 2013/2014 – 255 memberships (314 Members) • 2014/2015 – 268 memberships (366 Members) – 38% New Memberships • 5% Growth # Memberships, 17% Growth in # Members • 2015/2016 – 152 memberships (228 Members) – 27% New Memberships as of 10/22/15 • Compare End of October 2014 – 129 Memberships (176 Members) • Currently 18% Growth in # memberships, 30% Growth in # Members from same time last year
Membership Challenges • Retention • Keeping current members engaged and coming back year after year • Send email to previous years members who haven’t signed back up • Growing New Members andYounger Member base • Competition from other social clubs • Can be hard to find people interested in skiing/snowboarding • Change • Keeping what the legacy membership base wants and meshing with what the new membership base wants • Making people aware the club exists • Hard and costly to publicize and make community aware of the club • Website • Your best advertisement tool – must be aesthetically pleasing and user friendly • Household memberships make it a 2 step process when online • Know and acknowledge your weakness
Ideas to Grow Membership • Reward members who bring in new members – make it a contest for t-shirt, free membership, member of the month spotlight • Team with local university alumni groups from regions with ski resorts (Colorado, MA/NH/VT/ME, Northwest, Michigan, Minnesota, etc) • Team with a company’s Wellness department – offer discounted membership or see if they will promote club • Team with local stores – cross advertise, co partner/co sponsor • Advertise!! • Social Media – Meetup, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. • Table at Fall Festival, Church Events, College Campus • Posters to hang at ski stores, gyms, college boards, bars/restaurants • Business cards to hand out when you meet new people – can be a generic club card or for each officer • Team with local college organizations – Outdoor Clubs, Ski teams • Press Releases – local newspaper and magazine, local tv station • Teton Gravity Research andWarren Miller Movies • Promotional Materials • t-shirts, koozies, stickers for car, business cards • You are your best advertiser • Work with other clubs to learn from their successes • Focus – start with 2-3 new ideas to implement – don’t overwhelm and burnout
Communication • Mail Chimp – Free Email Service • Unsubscribe Feature • Statistics – % open email, % clicked on each link, bounce backs • Newsletter • Moved from PDF format (est 10 pgs) to email body with links through MailChimp • Easier to read while mobile, get to info you are interested in quickly • Consistency in sending it out monthly, • Easy to update and send next month – just make edits and resend but the bulk is already done • Website – have a user friendly and up to date website • Meetup • Best method other than word of mouth/friends to find new and young members • Facebook • Good for staying in touch with current members – open to anyone though • Instagram (#CLTSKI)
Meetup.com
Meetup.com
Meetup.com
Meetup.com • # Meetup Groups in 10 mile radius of: • Knoxville,TN – 137 • Charleston,WV - 20 • Asheville, NC - 301 • Greenville, SC – 234 • Myrtle Beach, SC – 58 • Greensboro, NC – 205 • Winston – Salem, NC – 128 • Huntsville,AL – 81 • Augusta,GA – 80 • Wrightsville Beach, NC – 133 • Hickory, NC - 27
Meetup.com • #1 way new members find out about us other than through a friend • You do not have to be a paying club member to follow on meetup • It can be set up so it is members only and a host has approval rights • Or can be open to the public so more people can follow the club • Post events and allow people to RSVP • Great for social events where you may not need to be a paying member • Can also post trips and help gather interests where members would need to sign up • Make sure to show club diversity in pictures to attract all groups • Great way for people new to the area or looking to meet new people to find the club
What’s the “Buzz” with Social Media? Robert Avsec
Why is KSC Using Social MediaTools? Improve communications with KSC members; ◦ KSC activities and meetings during ski season; ◦ KSC activities and events outside of ski season Improve KSC marketing efforts to attract new members
Twitter Twitter is an online social networking tool in which users post 140 character updates of what is going on in their lives along with links to things they think are interesting, funny, or useful to their followers (“following” being essentially what “friending” is on other sites).
Signing Up withTwitter www.twitter.com
Twitter users choose who they do and do not follow. You have total control of what news you receive on their homepage. When I refer to your “homepage”, I’m referring to the feed that you see when signed into twitter containing you and your followers tweets. You can have an unlimited amount of followers, but only follow a select few people if you want, making it easy to stay in touch with the people you care to stay in touch with.
Your T witter Homepage
TwitterTerminology @KanawhaSkiClub is our Club’s User Name; only someone who has User Access to the KSC Twitter account can send tweets with this User Name When you sign up with Twitter, you get to select your User Name. e.g., what goes after the @
What Twitter Offers KSC Promote events inside and outside of the Club; Notify Members of changes or cancellations to events in real time; Communicate with other KSC and CSC members while on ski trips; and Share links to interesting content with other KSC or CSC members
The Twitter # Symbol Using the # symbol, you can create a unique “address” for other Twitter Users so that they can see your posts
What Facebook Offers More than the 140 characters allowed by Twitter; Post photos Create Event Invitations, e.g., Ski trips,“Munch & Mingle”, Membership Meeting Share content with other KSC members (Inward-Facing Facebook GROUP) or with anyone on Facebook who has Liked our Outward-Facing Facebook PAGE)
Our “Outward –Facing” Facebook Page
Our “Inward –Facing” Facebook Group
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