By Callie Walker, MemberClicks

Value is at the core of member retention. If a member doesn’t feel like they’re getting value from your organization, they’re likely to let their membership lapse. But on the flip side, if they do feel like they’re getting value from your organization, they’re likely to renew — and engage more with your offerings.

So how can you provide your members with added value without having to come up with new member benefits? Check out these three small (but impactful) tactics:

1. Connect them with others

One of the biggest reasons people join associations and chambers of commerce is to network with other industry professionals. You should continue to offer the many networking opportunities that you do, but take it a step further by introducing your members to others when it makes sense.

For example, let’s say you’re in the midst of your annual conference, and you’re talking to someone who’s studying for a certification exam. If you know someone else who recently passed that exam, connect those two! If the other person isn’t at the conference, make a little note to connect the two and do it via email.

The fact that you took the time to do that speaks volumes, AND it’s added value for your members (a connection they may have not made otherwise).

2. Suggest resources outside of those you offer

It’s so tempting to just want to promote your organization’s resources — your blog posts, your industry reports, your webinars, etc. But in the grand scheme of things, your primary goal is to help your members — with their passions and professions.

Thinking of it like that, then, whenever you come across a resource that may be of value to your members, even if it’s not directly tied to your industry, share it! For example, do you know of a good tool or app that could help your members stay organized? Whether your members are educators or business owners, we bet they’d be appreciative of the recommendation! (Google Keep is one of our favorite tools, just as a little side note. Talk about an organizational life-saver!)

Same things goes for books and blogs. If there are any out there that may be of interest (and value) to your members, share those! (It’s okay to promote resources outside of your own. If anything, it shows you genuinely care about your members’ success.)

3. Offer educational opportunities surrounding soft skills (in addition to hard skills)

You likely already offer a number of educational opportunities, from webinars to workshops to breakout sessions at your annual conference. But as you plan those, make an effort to include content surrounding soft skills, in addition to content surrounding hard skills.

Here’s an example: Last month I attended a marketing conference hosted by HubSpot. As you can imagine, most of the educational breakout sessions revolved around marketing, but there were a few others in there tied a bit more closely to soft skills — public speaking, networking, leadership...and those were some of the most popular sessions there!

While most people are probably involved in your organization to sharpen their hard skills, it never hurts to help them sharpen those soft skills as well.

Like we mentioned, value is at the core of membership retention. For more tips on providing your members with value and keeping them around (and engaged!) long-term, check out our free Membership Retention Kit!