01
Problem Statement™
Defines the specific problem your association is best positioned to help members solve and the result membership is designed to help produce.
How the System Works
See how the Retention by Design™ System helps you review what you offer, find what is missing, and design benefits that retain members.
PHASE ONE
Choose What Membership Will Help Members Do
Choose the problem your association is best positioned to help solve. Then get clear on the members you are designing for and what they need.
What this phase doesGives you a clear starting point for deciding which benefits matter most.
PHASE TWO
Map the Path Members Will Follow
Define what members need to accomplish, then map the path that helps them get there. Every member follows the same core path, with benefits adjusted where different member groups need something different.
What this phase doesShows where each benefit fits and what job it needs to do.
PHASE THREE
Design the Right Benefits for the Path
Assess the benefits on the path. Decide what belongs on the path, what needs to be improved, and what is missing. Then use the Retention by Design™ standards to strengthen the benefits members will use.
What this phase doesMakes retention part of what your member benefits are designed to do.
THE MISSING JOB
Most Member Benefits Were Never Designed to Retain Members.
They may educate, inform, connect, and support members extremely well. But doing those things does not automatically make a member want to keep paying for membership. Retention has to be part of what the benefit is designed to do.
The Retention by Design™ Way
- Begins with a problem your association is best positioned to help members solve.
- Builds a clear path that shows how membership helps members move forward.
- Reviews benefits to see where they belong, what needs to change, and what is missing.
- Designs benefits with retention built in.
Traditional Approach
- Creates benefits around separate requests, goals, and initiatives.
- Gives members a collection of programs, resources, and offerings.
- Keeps benefits because they are familiar, popular, or already on the calendar.
- Relies on useful benefits to encourage renewal.
WHAT YOU WALK AWAY WITH
Your Retention by Design™ Blueprint
Your Blueprint brings the work from all three phases together so your leadership team can see what membership is designed to accomplish, how members move toward that result, and how your benefits support that path.
02
Member Design Profiles™
Shows what needs to be considered for each member group when designing the path and the benefits they will use.
03
Member Outcome Path™
Maps the points members need to move through to reach the result membership is designed to help them achieve.
04
Map Current Benefits
Shows where your current benefits fit on the member path and where something may be missing.
05
Decide What Stays
Identifies which benefits belong on the path, which need to be improved, and what needs to change.
06
Check What Stays
Uses the Retention by Design™ standards to strengthen the benefits members will use.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Frequently Asked Questions
Retention by Design™ is designed for association leadership teams responsible for membership strategy, retention, programs, and member benefits.
The system moves through three phases. How long it takes depends on how quickly your leadership team can work through the decisions and complete the work.
Because retention is measured at renewal, the timing depends on when your redesigned benefits reach members and when those members come up for renewal. Associations with different renewal cycles will see the impact on different timelines.
Pricing is based on your annual renewable dues revenue and your membership structure.
I need your leadership decisions, current benefits, renewal data, and available benefit-use data. You’ll work through the leadership decisions inside the Retention by Design™ digital workspace. When we review your current benefits, MemberMap360™ uses your renewal and available benefit-use data to help identify which benefits show a connection to renewal.
THE NEXT STEP
Want to Know More About the Retention by Design™ System?
Bring your questions and we’ll talk through whether Retention by Design™ is the right next move to improve retention at your association.