If your nonprofit offers memberships, as so many do, then you need membership management software. And what’s more, you’d benefit from membership management software for a nonprofit’s specific needs.
Let’s take a look at how nonprofit membership management software can help keep your members active and engaged while saving you time and effort. But first, let’s review why so many nonprofits are offering memberships at all.
Why nonprofit memberships?
Organizations that are able to offer specific benefits for membership are finding that their loyal constituents are willing to pay for those benefits. Nonprofit organizations that are able to articulate how memberships help the mission of the nonprofit, in particular, have discovered that memberships are a valuable way to generate predictable and ongoing revenue.
Stanford University’s Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society articulates that “Not only do member fees provide financial support in the long term, members receive special perks and additional engagement opportunities, and thanks to a closer information exchange, are more firmly within the organization’s grasp.”
The increased engagement, and the potential for things like guest passes to events, or special members-only merchandise, are prime ways to increase membership, as your loyal members share your organization’s work with friends and families.
Why is membership management software essential?
Memberships tend to be more complex than other forms of recurring revenue. While they can operate similarly to recurring donations, there are more details and specifics. Let’s look at some of these aspects of memberships that a membership database software for nonprofits can help navigate.
Multiple tiers
It is common for nonprofits to offer multiple tiers of membership, with increased benefits in exchange for a higher monthly or annual membership fee. While these can be tracked manually, membership management software is designed to help ensure that your members are receiving the appropriate benefits.
In addition to traditional tiered membership, membership management software can also be used to help manage other types of memberships within your organization, such as your Giving Society, or to automate Board memberships.
Recurring payments
Handling the processing of recurring payments is far easier with membership management software that processes, tracks, and records those transactions. Some membership management software, like the one within the Giveffect platform, can also automatically generate and send receipts, and help notify all parties in the event of a declined or expired card.
Rolling expiration dates
Because members sign up at different times of the year, and different times of the month, nonprofit membership management often includes tracking rolling expiration dates. This can be a monstrous task without the right software to help.
The need for renewals
Your revenue stream benefits from your members renewing their memberships as (or before) they expire. This means that you need a way to know whose memberships are expiring and also a way to easily contact them with a request for renewal. Giveffect’s 10-in-one nonprofit platform offers automated and personalized emails, texts or mailers for these notifications.
Giveffect includes membership management software for nonprofits that can address all of these details and more, making it easier than ever to manage your membership program.
Learn more about all of the ways that Giveffect can help your nonprofit today.