Top tips for using your association’s website to drive non-dues revenue

Non-dues revenue is vital to your association’s long-term financial health.   

Read on for tips on how to drive revenue from your association’s website. 

By Michelle Schweitz, Marketing Director, Community Brands

What association doesn’t need to drive non-dues revenue? It’s vital to your association’s financial health. It helps you maintain your budget while allowing you to provide your members with ongoing value – especially during periods of flat or declining memberships when raising the cost of membership dues is not a reasonable option. 

Findings from the 2021 Association Trends Study by Community Brands confirm that associations see the importance of non-dues revenue for their long-term success. The study shows that associations plan to turn to new forms of non-dues revenue more than other means to address any revenue losses from the past year. 

How to drive non-dues revenue from your association’s website
Your association’s website can be a powerful channel for driving non-dues revenue. Here are five ways to drive revenue from your website: 

1) Set up a sponsorship page.
Selling sponsorships is a highly effective way to drive non-dues revenue. It also gives companies in your industry exposure to a targeted audience (your members) while giving your members information about relevant products and services.

If you already have a sponsorship program, set up a sponsorship page on your website to promote it. Include a list of sponsorship opportunities available with a list of sponsor benefits and information about how to sign up as a sponsor. Be sure to offer banner ads for your website as an option for sponsors to gain added exposure to your member base.

If you don’t already have a sponsorship program, you’re in luck. Check out the Sponsorships 101 Toolkit for resources to help you build a strong sponsorship program.

TIP: YourMembership AMS by Community Brands includes built-in form builder functionality to help you easily create forms for sponsorships, donations, membership applications, and more. It also includes a content management system with mobile-responsive layouts and an easy-to-use editor tool so you can quickly build web pages that will work and look great on mobile devices. 

2) Ask for donations.
Your organization is a valuable resource in your industry. So, if your organization can accept charitable donations, don’t be shy about asking for support.

Create a “donate” page that includes messaging about the importance of donations to your organization. Be sure to spell out how your organization uses donations. People will be more likely to give if they can visualize how their donations will be put to work in their industry or profession.

Also, make it easy for donors to give. Your website should be mobile responsive and easy to navigate, with a “donate now” button front and center on the home page.  

TIP: Give donors the option to make a recurring donation. It’s an easier way for donors to give larger amounts over time. For example, asking for a smaller donation – like $10 or $25 per month – will keep funds coming in while not feeling like a large ask to the donor.

3) Promote event registration.
Whether they’re in person, virtual, or hybrid, your events and online learning opportunities can be a great source of revenue. Be sure to promote them on your website with an “Events” page on which people can sign up and easily pay for their event registrations online.  

TIP: During the online event registration process, offer people the option to join your association or renew their membership.

4) Sell merchandise.
Offer branded merchandise on your website. For example, sell coffee mugs, T-shirts, and other gear with your association’s logo on them.

You can take your merchandise offerings even further by selling unique branded items. For example: 

• Golf apparel 
• Travel accessories 
• Tech products 
• Themed day shirts such as Tropical Thursday or Flamingo Friday

5) Optimize your online store.
Allow people to browse and pay for anything from sponsorships and event registrations to merchandise and donations through your online store, which should have a prominent button on your website. This approach puts your non-dues revenue generating activities in front of more people and gives buyers a convenient way to purchase them. Buyers will appreciate having a familiar shopping experience and a convenient way to pay. 

TIP: YourMembership AMS includes e-commerce and online store functionality that makes it easy to accept donations and sell store items, including sponsorships, event registrations, and merchandise, through a familiar online shopping cart experience.  

Take the next step.
When you need to drive non-dues revenue, be sure to put your website to work. Using YourMembership association management software, you can implement the approaches in this article and more.

Discover more about how YourMembership AMS can help you drive non-dues revenue and manage your entire organization: Explore YourMembership AMS.