Spend any time at all surfing the Web these days and you can’t avoid the hottest term in online marketing:  funnels. So, what’s the deal with funnels and does a membership, or membership-based organization, need them? Let me start by saying that there’s actually a...

I was browsing through an online group recently and noticed the same question repeatedly asked in a variety of ways: What’s the best way to make money from my community? How can I get people to pay for my membership? If I offer a free membership, how will I get people...

Over the past few weeks, I've been posting in a new series about The Path to Community. You can read previous articles inside the Community here (it's free to join): https://joyofmembership.mn.co/topics/509853 If you've been following along with the series, you'll...

This blog post is part of a special new series we're doing inside The Joy of Membership Community called The Path to Community.  If you're intent on building the most amazing community ever around what you do, I invite you to come be part of the conversation. Click...

What question is top-of-mind for most people who are interested in starting or growing a membership-based initiative?  "Where do I find new members?"  (followed very closely by, "How the heck do I get these people to engage?!") My response to that first question is...

While listening to a podcast this week, I heard a guest quip, “You can’t automate relationships!" At first, it’s an easy statement to agree with, right?  Yet, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I actually do use automation a lot in my relationships...

Membership technology is easier and more affordable than ever. This means it's completely possible nowadays to set up your own membership site and you don’t need to be a technical wiz to do it. But should you do-it-yourself or hire it out?  That depends... and you...

I’m sure you’ve heard it, haven’t you? It’s not about you… it’s about the customer. It’s not about you… it’s about building with the member in mind. It’s not about you… it’s about the greater purpose. And so on. Those things, my friend, are nonsensical.  Those are...

Today is New Year's Eve, so of course, people are getting all reflective and many are doing some sort of dreaming, visioning, planning about the year ahead. It's like seeing yesterday's footsteps get filled in with fallen snow. You awaken to the opportunity to create...

They creep up on you when you least expect it, keeping you stuck and making membership-building feel extra hard. They are the ‘joy stealers’. They suck all the fulfillment and reward out of the membership-building experience. When they are around, it’s easy to feel...

More than a decade ago, I received a thank you from a client that I have never forgotten.  In fact, I appreciated that thank you so much that it has remained above my desk all these years. It came from a guy named Scott, after conclusion of a project that we had been...

During one of last week’s Live Chat sessions for The Movement Summit, I asked people if their membership was informational or transformational.  The responses were mixed, but one person in particular commented that “transformational memberships have more staying...

It's our LAST day of the Summit... as you can imagine, when you've spent MONTHS putting this event together, coming up on the end is bittersweet. There are TWO things that I absolutely DO NOT want you to miss. 1) Our Closing Session - This happens at 1:30 pm (Central...

Day Four of The Movement Summit continues with membership leaders sharing their real-world advice around engagement.   DAY FOUR OVERVIEW: 9 am (CST) - FEATURED KEYNOTE with Maxim Schram  (42 minutes) "CMNTY amplifies your ability to connect with people, create...

Day Three of The Movement Summit continues with membership leaders sharing their real-world advice around engagement.   DAY THREE OVERVIEW: 9 am (CST) - FEATURED CONVERSATION with Calvin Correli, CEO Simplero  (22 minutes) "Ultimately, everything we do is about love....

Day Two of The Movement Summit continues with membership leaders sharing their real-world advice around engagement.   DAY TWO OVERVIEW: 9 am (CST) - FEATURED KEYNOTE with Terry Ibele, Wild Apricot  (31 minutes) You're going to love this Featured Keynote with Terry...

It's finally here... a day I've been working toward for months.  The Movement Summit kicks off at 10 am CST.  I could not be more excited about how it has all come together. Every day is a beautiful mix of experiences from membership leaders who are doing the...

  Let Them Date You, Then They Have to Put a Ring on It Sometimes you know instantly when you meet someone that you're going to "click". Nicole Roberts Jones is that kind of person. That's why I know you're going to love the energy that shines throughout the interview...

It's Tough to Fill a Leaky Bucket “How do I get more members to JOIN?” is a question that I hear quite often in my line of work. It comes as no surprise that people would be naturally concerned about this. Most of us want to be bringing in as many people as possible...

How To Make Members Fall In Love With You Whether you are brand new to the concept of membership, or you’re running a membership program that’s been operating for decades, there’s one universal thing that EVERYONE wants… that is, for members to fall in love with us....

Member Engagement and Relevance - An Interview with Mary Byers The Movement Summit is getting closer! As you have probably noticed, I’ve been interviewing a variety of people with wisdom and insight into the topics surrounding building a community. Today, I’m sharing...

Grace In The Tough Times While preparing for the Movement Summit, I’m getting the chance to chat with many of the greats in the membership and leadership communities. I am so inspired by the incredible people I’ve been able to interview! Today, I want to tell you...

He Says it's Like Innovation Theory 101 Are you as excited about The Movement, the upcoming summit on membership and community, as I am? My most recent interview was with Eric Lanke, leader of the National Fluid Power Association (NFPA). As I talk with these...

The past few weeks have been amazing as we are preparing for The Movement Summit. I am so inspired by the incredible people I’ve been able to interview. Today, I want to share about my recent interview with Adam Garone , Co-Founder and USA Country Director for the Movember Foundation.

Do Members NEED to Hang Out With You? If you’ve been following along with the blog at all recently, you know I’ve been completely immersed in interviewing leaders of thriving membership programs about their engagement strategies. Even for someone like me who has been...

In preparation for my upcoming virtual summit for membership-builders, The Movement, I chatted with Carmel Bond from the Melbourne EA Group about her engagement experience. Carmel is one of 30+ membership leaders who will be sharing her story and tips during the...

Never again run out of things to say or ways to connect! I've gotcha covered this month with some member engagement ideas that are perfect for October. I've included: a couple of holidays/commemorative days you can leverage touch-base triggers that give you a great...

Being a Flutterbug can derail your business and keep you stuck without knowing why. I recently interviewed Marc Mawhinney from Natural Born Coaches about his community, The Coaching Jungle, in preparation for my upcoming summit for membership leaders, The Movement....

Understanding how to keep going when you feel a little stuck with your membership growth. “I’m tired,” she said. “Tell me something that will make me feel better." In an instant, my heart went out to her. I had noticed how hard she had been working. I knew she had a...

Create an Identity in your Membership My husband recently purchased a motorcycle and I noticed something that was new to me. Did you know that motorcyclists *wave* to each other?  It’s subtle.  It’s not like a big hi-there wave up in the air. It’s like they’re...