5 Ideas to Welcome New Members to Your Organization in 2021

When onboarding new members to your group, it’s critical to create a positive and memorable experience. Not only does it set the tone for future interactions, it can encourage a long-term membership and healthy renewal rates. We’ll explore a handful of new member welcome ideas, from time-tested methods to fresh approaches opportuned by the digital age.  Here are 8 ideas on how to welcome new members:

Put Together A Welcome Packet

Branded welcome packets are a common but effective way to orient members. Presenting them with a comprehensive package lets them know that your association is organized and eager to onboard.  A welcome packet should include all necessary documentation and information, including:

• A warm, personalized welcome letter that congratulates and reinforces their decision to become a member
• Dues information, including due dates and accepted methods of payment
• Important member support contact information
• Web address and set-up information for the member portal, if applicable
• Overview of benefits they’ll receive
• Information on downloading your mobile app and all of the features it provides
  • In the event they lose the packet, they can always refer back to the association app to find the same information

Wherever possible, personalize the contents and design of the packet to leave a lasting impression on the member. In a survey, 87% of consumers say that personalized content positively influences their feelings towards a brand. Think about ways you can customize the welcome letter, or even incorporate the member’s name into the design elements of the packet or outer packaging.  

Tour Them Around Your Physical Location

If your organization has a physical office, an excellent way to make a new member feel welcome is to tour them around the facility. Much like a college orientation, a tour serves to get them better acquainted with the space where they may be spending a great deal of time. This way, they’re not left to figure out the space of their own devices. Something as simple as pointing out who sits in what office, where to find the bathrooms, and where every amenity is located, can do wanders to immediately make them feel at home.

Connect Them to a Mentor

There’s no limit to the value a one-on-one mentor provides to a new member of your group or ogranization. More than likely, mentorship was something they implicitly sought when they joined. By actively faciliating this relationship, you help your member form a connection more quickly within the group. College sororities and fraternities have adopted this strategy to great effect, assigning older members to serve as a the “Big” sister/brother of newer member, their “Little” sister/brother. Sometimes members need a push to form connections with one another, and this is a great way to nudge that process along. It helps them extract the most value from their membership.

Send Out a Personalized Welcome Email

Carefully craft a series of welcome emails (yes, plural!) as a more passive approach to welcoming members. Include a first name personalizaiton in the subject line to catch their attention. This is a great space to confirm their membership and all important details related to it. They’ll undoubtedly refer back to it. Reinforce the value propositions of membership, and let them know any next steps they need to take in their onboarding (i.e. meeting for a tour, downloading the group’s mobile app, etc). Finally, include a note and a link to where they can reach out if they have any questions about their membership in the meantime.