Guide | Designing your membership scheme

Joining a membership scheme shows commitment to an institution and the desire for a longer and deeper relationship than a one-off visit. Understanding a visitor’s perspective helps build strong connections, while ensuring that your organisation also gains from the partnership. 

Motivations  

There are a variety of reasons why a visitor decides to become a member: 

• Transactional – membership schemes confer defined benefits and offers, many of which are monetary (free entry or a discount in the cafe, for example). 
• Belonging – members connect with an organisation, feel engaged and appreciated. Benefits might provide social opportunities or give members a sense of pride.  
• Special status – members enjoy the privileges and opportunities not available to everyone. They feel part of a cultural scene and benefits give them prestige. 
• Charitable – members believe in an organisation that shares their values and want to support local/regional/national arts, heritage and culture. They are willing to be an ambassador. 

Transactional motivations are a key driver for membership, but non-transactional motivations are a great opportunity to align membership with your organisation’s wider purposes, vision and values.  

Costs

Visitors often start with transactional motivations, assessing what they get back in terms of obvious value compared with the cost of membership, linked with probable intentions and aspirations. For example, they may work out how many times a year they need to visit to make the cost “worthwhile”.  

It pays to help them add up the benefits by spelling out exactly what they will get for their money. A good example is Brewery Arts in Kendal, which clearly lists all the perks of membership on its website, alongside the cost and positive comments from members.  

Membership schemes do cost money to run, including staff time, but there are ways of keeping costs down, including using digital tools and systems. Many venues now send email newsletters rather than printed versions, while enabling people to join or renew their membership online can also reduce processing costs.

The Design Museum in London offers digital membership cards, which are also more environmentally sustainable.  

Benefits

Making it easier for members to plan, book and visit is appreciated, while also benefiting your venue. There are a wide variety of benefits that venues can offer that do not incur significant extra costs, especially if they relate to current and planned activity. These include: 

• Time-limited special offers or last-minute booking with limited availability to fill empty places on events and activities. 
• Incorporating member activities into your website events calendar, giving a sense of a complete programme and reinforcing the benefits of joining. 
• Discounts with selected local retailers, partners or other cultural venues. Visitors to the Bow Street Museum of Crime & Justice in London, for example, enjoy a 10% discount at a local cafe and pub, as the museum has no catering facilities on site. 
• Producing special-exhibition leaflets for members. The Royal Academy of Arts in London provides a “what’s on guide” to help people plan ahead.  

In addition, many existing events and activities can be adapted for members.  For example: 

• Talks, tours and activities for other audiences can be adapted as member events, or events in the public programme with limited places or front-row seats reserved for members at a special rate.  
• Limited access to operational activities, such as new acquisitions, as an extension of behind-the-scenes and object store tours. 
• Sharing insight that can be transferred to a domestic setting. This might include how to care for old photographs or prints, gardening tips or researching your family history.  
• Tours of installations for temporary exhibitions. 

There is also scope to offer benefits that align members with your purpose and vision. For example: 

• Providing updates on activities, especially flagging up how members’ support has helped around sustainability, social impact  
  or research. 
• Keeping members involved in future developments and plans through information and consultation. 
• Considering partnering up with other organisations to create your own membership schemes for your local area. 

Member benefits need not be set in stone and should be reviewed regularly. A good balance of benefits makes membership attractive without making a standard visit or individual events seem poor value.  

Updating benefits or introducing new ones can keep the offer to members fresh and give more reasons to renew.  

Colin Mulberg is the director of Colin Mulberg Consulting