Membership is the lifeblood of all associations — there really is no arguing that fact. Retention and recruiting are two of the top-tier priorities of most successful associations. A keen focus on growing an organization just naturally lends itself to a positive outcome.

With that said, losing even one member can be seen as a significant setback. However, with a little follow-up work, turning that kind of negative situation into something beneficial can easily be done.

In general, people are not likely to complain or provide feedback unless either they're asked or they had an incredibly bad experience. To that end, a survey directed specifically at former members, or members who are about to cancel their membership, allows associations to get in front of this integral group at a crucial point in the retention cycle.

The reasons for a followup survey are two-fold. First, it gives the association an opportunity to learn useful information to help adjust or improve processes or benefits that would make the association better (and that’s always important). Second, surveying former or canceling members allows the association to take action to prevent loss of members, or subsequently talk them out of canceling their membership. It's all about diligence and the approach.

The beauty behind the idea of surveying these members is that a brief follow-up conversation is really all it takes. By taking a few moments over a quick phone call, or even a short email survey, associations can do more to grow their association than most even know.

Here are a few questions to get the conversation flowing:

Why did you choose to cancel your membership?

This question works because it gives the former/canceling member an opportunity to explain previously unknown underlying circumstances for letting his/her membership lapse, and because the question is open ended, it allows for a variety of answers and approaches.

For instance: If the answer provided is that a competing association offers different benefits, there is a unique opportunity to explain similar benefits the member may have been unaware of. If the answer is that the required dues are too high, that opens a door to offer a discounted renewal rate to regain the membership.

Perhaps the member has strong opposing legislative views that contradict those of the association. This situation provides the unique opportunity to promote grassroots efforts, committee involvement and overall legislative awareness.

If re-signing the member isn't achieved with this question, associations still learn what they can possibly do to make their value proposition that much more beneficial or relevant.

For example, by hearing that there are too few education opportunities, or just not enough applicable benefits for the member company, the association learns what items to look into moving forward. New benefits, new event opportunities, better education courses or a more engaging staff are all feasible improvements any growing organization should be able to implement.

What did you find most beneficial about your membership?

This question is interesting for one simple reason. It immediately puts the prospective member in a positive frame of mind. The way it is framed, it is almost impossible for the response to be a negative one (unless the member is really ticked).

It also provides a great opportunity to get a foot back in the door as far as keeping the departing member or re-signing the former member. By passively reminding the member why he/she joined the association in the first place, or by being able to prove the significant savings or benefits the member received during their membership, associations can work back into the good graces of their audience.

Is there anything that can be done to make you consider rejoining?

Even though this question can seem a bit redundant after the two above, it is still an important one to ask.

After getting the member focused on the positive and easing him into this question, the association is essentially letting the member know there is a real interest in what would make him happy. That, in and of itself, is more powerful than most even realize.

By feeling like they were heard, lapsing or canceling members often times will re-up on membership, for no other reason than that feeling of actually mattering.

So, it's simple. By actively surveying members, associations learn ways to change or improve in an effort to make the association better as a whole. And since the survey can lead to getting one more touch with a now-prospective member, there really is no reason not to survey canceling or former members.

By looking at a seemingly negative situation with a positive attitude and an intention to grow, associations can learn more from losing members than they may have expected.