What is Member Engagement? 12 Ways for Improving Member Engagement for Nonprofits

Member engagement is about how much your members care, show up, and feel connected to your mission. And it’s probably the most important metric to be looking at, because if your own supporters aren’t inclined to support your cause, then nothing else really matters. Think of it this way, you get someone to go to an event, then you never hear from them again, versus someone that shows up at every event, volunteers their time and makes financial contribution to your cause, which do you think is the most beneficial?

This is why increasing member engagement at every turn is so important. From sending simple personalized thank-you notes to including them in the decision process, there are a ton a ways to make your supporters feel more like the team and less like a checkbook. Engagement means active involvement and emotional investment. It’s members replying to your emails, joining a volunteer cleanup, or cheering your cause at a local fundraiser. Always remember, real connection equals real results!

Why focus on improving it? Engaged members stick around! These key supporters renew their memberships and help spread the word about your nonprofit. Many will also chip in additional funding. Plus members who care give you feedback so you can tweak your programs in order to better serve them and your community. Without engagement, you’re stuck with a revolving door of members who leave as fast as they join.

What drives engagement? Personalization is huge. People want to feel seen and part of something important, they don’t want to feel like a checkbook or a number. So blasting out generic emails won’t cut it. You need to personalize, and even tailor your messaging to each supporter as best you can.

By addressing someone by name with content they care about, like inviting a dog lover to walk a dog at your shelter for a few hours works wonders. Relevance also matters. If your events or messaging doesn’t align with what your members are interested in, they’ll tune out quick. And always try to make an emotional connection. Members who feel your mission in their bones, like a parent joining a school PTA to support their kid, are your biggest cheerleaders.

Here’s a quick look at how engaged and disengaged members behave:

So, how do you start to improve community engagement? First, know your members as best you can. Dig into what they love, maybe it’s networking or learning new skills, then tailor your offerings in ways that match. Second, make it easy to join in. Whether it’s your own board members or supporters looking to help out with your community 5k run, or virtual supporters who share and like every post you put out, the easier you can make signing up, the more likely people will.

Another important aspect is asking for feedback from your community, then actually acting on it, especially if it aligns with your cause. A member who suggests a book club and sees it happen feels valued and seen. So get proactive and send a simple survey after each event asking for feedback, whether positive or negative. By simply asking, “What’s one thing we could do better?” and following through on their suggestion can make a world of difference not only to your members, but your entire organization.

Here’s a quick rundown of the top 5 benefits:

1. Higher Retention Rates: Engaged members renew memberships reducing churn.
2. Increased Revenue: More dues, event tickets and referrals add up fast.
3. Stronger Community: Members bond, creating a loyal and tight knit group.
4. Better Feedback: Honest input helps you improve programs and services.
5. More Advocacy: Passionate members spread your message and attract new supporters.

Don’t wait for a perfect plan. Pick one idea, like a personalized welcome email for new members and test it this week. Track who opens it, who clicks, and who shows up to your next meetup. Small steps build big connections over time, so be patient. Improving engagement isn’t about flashy moves, it’s about showing members they matter in small ways over time.

12 Proven Strategies for Improving Member Experience That Actually Work

Stop hoping or thinking your members are just going to stick around because you feel your cause is important. It takes a bit more than just trying to save the world to keep people happy. You need to give people a reason to feel passionate and get fired up. You want to create a true community of like minded people that are passionate about your specific cause. So much so they go out and do the work of building your organization. It’s not hard, it just takes some strategic thinking and following a few steps to make it happen. Let’s break down the strategies that actually work and show you exactly how to put them into practice.

1. Start With a Memorable Onboarding Experience

First impressions shape a member’s entire journey. Go beyond a generic “welcome” email and send an actual ‘welcome kit’ with resources, event calendars, your nonprofit’s organization chart and a personal note instead. This shows you’re not some fly by night organization, that your professional enough to go the extra step to look and act professional will go a long way. Also, Pair your new members with a mentor or point of contact so they never feel lost and always know who to go to with questions or suggestions. Then take it all a step further by hosting introductory meet-and-greets to help them make their first connections and feel more like part of your charity rather than just another new face. A thoughtful onboarding process like this transforms new members from curious participants into loyal supporters for years to come.

2. Build a Thriving Online Community

Most members only see each other at a few in-person events a year. Fill the gaps by investing in an online community platform where members can interact with you and your supporters in a safe and friendly way. Make sure to keep people engaged by sharing insights. Resources and even industry news. You can host active discussion threads and debate topics that discuss your cause and ways to make a greater positive change. Giving all of your members a place to interact with each other only elevates your charity and strengthens the bonds between all of your members making it even more fulfilling for your members.

3. Personalize the Experience

People stay engaged when they feel seen and valued. That means you need to ‘see’ them and make them feel like they are a part of your organization and valued. A great way to do this is to personalize their experience by aligning their part with their own interests. Use your member management tools to segment by each person’s Interests. For example break everyone down by what they are most looking for, leadership development, advocacy or career advancement. Then add a section that lets you know where they are in their career stage such as students vs. seasoned professionals. And of course it helps to know their location and event preferences so you can invite locals to in-person events and others to virtual ones. By taking the time to gather and use this information correctly, each of your members will feel their experience with your organization has been tailored just for them, making them more enthusiastic and reliable supporters.

4. Keep Content Fresh and Relevant

Stale content is one of the quickest ways to lose engagement whenever you're marketing to your solutions. No one wants to read about the same thing over and over. But it’s easier to keep everyone engaged with what’s going on than you think. Simply be sure to write blog post and social media content every few days, or more if you have the news. Let them know what was accomplished that day, publish videos of behind the scenes operations, inspirational quotes of the day, anything to keep their experience fresh and alive. You can even bring in other outside experts for Q&As and workshops to keep things really interesting. Doing all of this not only keeps your current members stimulated, but also attracts new ones.

5. Leverage Gamification

This is a newer technology many nonprofits have been injecting into their events. People love a good challenge, and adding playful competition and recognition to your community is a sure fire way to get people excited to be involved. And with online platforms like Paybee’s suite of nonprofit tools, you have a host of options like point systems, badges, fundraising trackers and leaderboards to keep everyone visually engaged. Gamification allows you to do just that, make engagement a game so people enjoy getting involved. For example, you can make seemingly boring stuff fun, like hosting a challenge where each member that attends three webinars for the month gets a reward, something like discounts, exclusive access, or some sort of public recognition. Gamification taps into our natural motivation to achieve and makes participation fun rather than a chore.

6. Identify and Re-Engage At-Risk Members

Don’t wait until members lapse, it’s usually too late. Rather, you need to be extremely proactive and be monitoring engagement strategies to spot red flags like missed renewals, fewer logins or no recent event attendance. If you spot an issues, send a warm, personal “We miss you” email with easy next steps. Offer low effort opportunities to rejoin the conversation like answering a quick poll. This keeps your charity in their mind and allows them to reengage with little effort. And even if someone does leave, an exit survey provides invaluable insight for the future.

7. Host Diverse and Interactive Events

Events remain one of the best ways to bring members together but you still need some variety and interaction. Spice things up with annual conferences and smaller workshops or roundtables. For virtual events you can include polls, breakout rooms and live chats to keep the energy high. Or use Paybee’s hybrid formats to make sure your supporters can connect with you from anywhere in the world. Members should walk away from your events feeling inspired, connected and happy they took their time to show up.

8. Provide Opportunities to Contribute and Lead

People engage most deeply when they have an actual ‘hands on’ role to play. Encourage your memberswith volunteer opportunities at events, in communications, or even behind the scenes. Or have them mentor new members or lead small groups so they can learn valuable leadership skills. Then let them pass on that knowledge as guest speakers or writers for your website and blog. This is a superior way of getting people to truly feel they are an important part of your organization. And the truth is, they really are!

9. Elevate Your Member Benefits

You don’t need an endless budget to give members a reason to stay engaged. Start by asking yourself: “Are the benefits we offer something people actually use and value?” Then focus on simple, high-impact perks you can realistically provide. Strong incentives might include practical resources like templates, toolkits, or how-to guides that save your members time in their work or personal lives.You can also incorporate exclusive access to new events, early registration discounts or behind-the-scenes updates they wouldn’t otherwise know about. If your charity is strong enough, partner with local businesses, service providers, or industry tools to offer simple but useful discounts. These benefits don’t need to be flashy, they just need to be relevant, accessible and easy to take advantage of.

10. Encourage Member Generated Content

This is not only a great way for your members to feel important and they’re really contributing, it also helps your charity consistently come up with new content to share. Your staff really can’t do it all if you empower your members to contribute. And there are many possibilities from blog posts, testimonials or case studies to photos and videos from events. Just remember to align their natural abilities with what needs to be done. If one volunteer excels at creating videos, then use them to make videos and not something they’d be less happy doing. And spotlight everyone’s contributions in your newsletter or on social media. Recognition fosters pride and community ownership.

11. Show Genuine Appreciation

A little recognition goes a long way! Celebrate your members by sending personalized thank you notes or eCards or highlighting member stories and milestones in your newsletters. Even offering small tokens of gratitude like free merch or event discounts helps members feel appreciated and valued. Simply think about what would make a certain person feel good? Each person is different, so again, personalize the reward to the person being rewarded.

12. Always Ask for Feedback and Act on It

Sadly we find many nonprofits do not ask their own team and engage members for feedback. This is something we feel is very important, and can give you a serious advantage over other organizations in the nonprofit sector. With all the people involved, and all the moving parts of a successful organization, it’s impossible for a founder to know every aspect of the charity. But asking for feedback on practically anything is a fantastic way of getting real objective information from people on the ground doing the work. Simply survey your members about their favorite programs and why they matter to them. What frustrates them or feels missing. New ideas they’d like to see tested. Most importantly, close the loop. Let members know what changes you made because of their feedback. That simple act shows you’re listening and committed to growth.

Quick Reference Table: Strategies, Steps, and Outcomes

Final Thoughts

Member engagement isn’t about chasing numbers or ticking boxes, it’s about building a culture where people feel connected, valued and inspired to contribute. With the right mix of personalization, opportunities, recognition, and feedback, you can turn casual participants into loyal supporters who stay for years to come.

Trends That Improve Member Engagement

Keeping members engaged isn’t what it used to be. Gone are the days of just newsletters and a few quarterly meetings. Today’s trends to improve member engagement lean heavily on technology, flexibility and purpose to pull people in. From apps to hybrid events, these engagement ideas are reshaping how associations connect with members now and well into the future.

Tech solutions are definitely the biggest disrupter of the old ways of doing things. Mobile apps and virtual platforms like Paybee’s make it easy for members to stay connected at all times and interact with your organization on a minute to minute basis. And with hybrid events, you’re now able to go digital while still holding that annual board meeting in person all at the same time. Small hybrid events like a workshop with a Zoom option allows members to stay involved even if they can’t make it in person.

Then you have AI and automation tools that make personalization easy and a must. are making things personal. AI chatbots answer member questions 24/7, while automation can tailor your emails to each individual’s personal interests. You can test this yourself by setting up a free chatbot on your website to handle FAQs or send personalized event invites to you supporters. AI is definitely the future and any organization that doesn’t totally embrace this ground breaking technology is going to be left behind. So start getting familiar with it now, it really is much easier to use than you think.

Another trend we’ve been seeing is the push for sustainability and social impact. Many charities already serve the greater good, but that doesn’t mean they can’t push further. Things like a recycling drive or working with a clean water organization not only shows you care about more than just your own cause, it also demonstrates you’re commented in making the world a better place no matter what the cause is for. You members will see this and stand by you even stronger.

Here’s a quick list of these trends in action:

• Tech Solutions: Apps like Discord keep members connected with real-time updates.
• Hybrid Events: Virtual and in-person options, like a Zoomed-in book club, boost turnout.
• AI and Automation: Chatbots answer questions; tailored emails drive sign-ups.
• Sustainability: Green initiatives, like cleanups, draw value-driven members.

You can start integrating these future trends into your own association right now. It doesn’t need to be a huge idea, just start with something small, like placing recycling bins next to every garbage can in your offices. Or set up a free virtual platform for your next meeting and invite members to join online or in person. You can even add a “sustainability spotlight” to your newsletter and highlight a different local cause each month.

But don’t forget to always measure your KPIs! Track how many members engage, clicks, sign-ups, or comments and tweak from there. Current trends to improve member engagement for associations are all about meeting people where they are. Start small, experiment, and watch your community light up.

Measuring Member Engagement Success and Failures

You can’t improve what you don’t measure. And when it comes to trying to improve member engagement, the real question isn’t just “Are people showing up?” It’s “Are they sticking around, participating and telling others to join and support your mission as well?” Tracking the right data gives you a clear idea of what’s working and what needs fixing. Let’s walk through the key ways to measure success so you’re no longer guessing but rather making smart, data backed choices so you can spot trends early and adjust before things slide.

Essential KPIs for Engagement

Here are the most important metrics or KPIs you’ll want to keep an eye on:

1. Retention Rates – How many members stick with you month after month or year after year. A high retention rate means people find real value in staying connected.
2. Participation Rates – The percentage of members who show up to events, contribute in forums, or take part in surveys. It’s not about headcount, it’s about active involvement.
3. Net Promoter Score (NPS) – A quick way to gauge member satisfaction. Ask: “On a scale of 1–10, how likely are you to recommend us?” The answers give you a clear pulse on loyalty.
4. Referral Systems – Track how many new members join because an existing member referred them. Nothing screams engagement louder than people bringing friends on board.
5. Member Journey Tracking – Look at how members interact over time. Do they join and attend one or two events and then disappear? Or do they steadily climb from casual participant to core contributor?
6. Performance Metrics by Channel – Measure which channels spark the most action like emails, social posts or text reminders. This helps you focus effort where it pays off.

Engagement Tools That Make Tracking Easier

You don’t need a giant tech budget to measure success. In fact, Paybee offers you free tools to get you started while you’re growing your nonprofit. Or you can use other free tools like Salesforce for a CRM or iMIS can track engagement over time. Google Analytics helps with website traffic and member journeys. Even simple tools like Typeform surveys give you actionable feedback. The key is to pick tools you’ll actually use, not ones that collect dust.

Learning to Engage Members Using Feedback

Numbers don’t tell the whole story. Direct feedback still fills in the gaps which is why, like we discussed previously, you should always be asking for feedback. Regularly ask your team and members what’s working and what feels off. If you use real data combined with human insight there should be no reason you won’t find and tweak any problem that arises. You can also see what is working and decide to even improve that with your data analytics. The point is, you can’t improve on what you don’t see, so actually use the information you gather.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are advanced metrics for tracking member engagement beyond basic participation?
Depth of involvement (event-to-action ratios), retention rates, referral activity, sentiment analysis and contribution value.

How can AI specifically transform strategies for member engagement?
By personalizing communication and predicting drop offs through association while automating feedback and tailoring content to each member’s specific behavior.

What role does sustainability play in modern trends?
Members increasingly value associations with eco-conscious practices like green initiatives which help build trust, loyalty and shared purpose.

How does member engagement affect fundraising outcomes?
Engaged members will always donate more often and give larger amounts. They’ll also become strong advocates for your future fundraising campaigns.

What long-term effects does poor member experience have on associations?
High attrition, reduced influence, weak community bonds and declining financial stability.

Summing up

Your engagement strategy is a lot more important than many founders realize. The association between your marketing, membership program and member engagement ideas all tie together in order to form a complete strategy that reinforces member loyalty. And with the rise of engagement tools and AI bots, there’s no reason any organization large or small can’t create an effective program that is inclusive of all their members, while also making each and everyone feel seen and valued. This strategy should include everyone from management to volunteers while giving all involved a voice to make change. When done right, you’ll see not only your member engagement rising, but excitement and donations as well.

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