Member Retention/Engagement

Members:Find them.Support them.Keep them.

Short on time? Skip around to find what you need. Have time to learn? Navigate through each unit and get the most out of this module.

Table of Contents

Resources

Retaining Members

Supporting Existing Members

Attracting New Members

About SPE

Take a Step Back

What is a professional association? Why do people join and retain their memberships? Let's take a quick look back before moving forward.

Take a Step Back

Professional Organizations and Why Join?

Advantages of joining include:

Networking with like-minded individuals - including peers, mentors, and other industry leaders.
Education – gives you a competitive edge through expanded technical knowledge.
Intrinsic value (rewarding) – you help your organization improve your profession, which in turn helps the overall state of the industry. It’s rewarding for you; it’s rewarding for the industry.
Jobs – connect with prospective employers and make contacts through other members.

A professional organization...

Represents a collection of professionals who work towards the common goal of promoting and improving their industry.
Supports members by providing resources, information, and opportunities they might not have otherwise.
Provides members with a competitive advantage because they become active, informed professionals within their industry.

Take a Step Back

SPE is the place for all industry professionals to get connected, informed, and involved.Review the mission, vision, and strategic plan.

About SPE

Vision

Mission

Strategic Plan

SPE has identified four key strategic goals to advance the society toward our vision over the next 3–5 years. 1. Life-long Learning2. Knowledge Transfer3. Membership4. Professional Pride

To collect, disseminate, and exchange technical knowledge concerning the exploration, development and production of oil and gas resources, and related technologies for the public benefit; and to provide opportunities for professionals to enhance their technical and professional competence.

Advance the oil and gas community’s ability to meet the world’s energy demands in a safe, environmentally responsible, and sustainable manner.

Mission, Vision, and Strategic Plan

About SPE

Finding potential membersStarting the conversation about SPEPersonalizing the value

Attracting New Members

The impact SPE has on its members and their industry.
The diversity in demographics SPE caters to and which services, resources, and programs best align with them.

Career stages: looking for a job, just getting started in a job, advancement, professional development/training, retired.

DO NOT...

Assume others know what a professional association is—and know the impact SPE can have on them as an individual, their employer, and the industry as a whole.
Assume everyone’s needs are the same.
Just give a list of benefits without sharing the value of the benefits..

Educate potential members about...

DO...

The Do's and Do Not's

Attracting New Members

Remember, SPE membership includes all disciplines working in the E&P industry, not just petroleum engineers. Anyone who meets the professional membership requirements is eligible!

In your own company - work with HR!
Section meetings or events (guests and non-member attendees).
Local oil and gas industry events.

Where might you find potential members?

Nonmember who attends your section meetings.
Recent graduate from a university engineering program now working in the E&P industry.
Colleague who needs an answer to a technical challenge.
Peer looking for career advancement.

One of SPE’s strategic priorities is to reach diverse technical specialties—such as data science. Get creative! There are many other job classifications within the industry, besides engineers, such as:

Where and Who?

Attracting New Members

Talk about how SPE’s programs and training courses have enhanced your own technical knowledge and helped you advance your career.Make it personal!

Point out the benefits of interacting with industry professionals worldwide.
Give them a tour of OnePetro.
Take them to an upcoming section or SPEI meeting or event.
Tell them about the convenience of the products and services that SPE offers online.
Give them a copy of JPT.

Other talking points:

Start The Conversation About SPE

Attracting New Members

This is key to convincing someone why they should choose to become a member.

What's in it for them?

What is their situation?
What is most important to that particular person?
What are some of the things they need?
What’s their WIIFM (what’s in it for me?)

SPE offers a wide range of membership benefits. It is important to educate both members and non-members about the advantages and value of an SPE membership. All products and services are not of equal value to members in different stages of their career. Gaining an understanding of their specific needs and circumstances can help sections highlight what is likely to interest them the most.

Personalize The Value

Attracting New Members

Career assessment
Technical and professional development
Networking

Giving back to the industry
Sharing knowledge
Staying current

Technical and professional development
Career advancement
Networking
Research and sharing with students, if faculty

Professionals by Career/Life Stage: What They Might Need

Attracting New Members

Technical and professional development
Career advancement
Networking
Social events
Giving back to students

In Transition

Senior Professional

Professional

Young Professional

For any section that sponsors student chapters, the graduating students are a great pool of new talent to tap into and can also help you grow your overall membership. Sections should play an active role in coaching your student chapters and help them develop a recruitment and retention strategy, as ultimately you will benefit from this further down the line. Students, especially those in their final year, can be encouraged to participate in section events, making them more likely to stay engaged with SPE on a local level and continue their career within the oil and gas industry.

SPE can offer professional development, an "in" to the industry, CV enhancement, networking, and more for students.

SPE offers free membership for the first year after graduation, so it is worthwhile helping your student chapters remind their members of this advantage. A further reduction in dues is available for the second year, too.

Personalize The Value: Students (Future Professionals)

Attracting New Members

Onboarding, enaging, and recognizing membersContinuously driving value

Supporting Existing Members

4. Survey - ask about their experience. What did they like and what items should change? Incorporate open-ended questions to allow them to express their opinions and feelings.

3. Mentoring – pair long-term members with new members.Long term members not only represent the relevance of being a member of SPE, their presence acknowledges the purpose to stay engaged and drive home the need to continue their engagement - whether for networking, education, or career advancement.

2. Communication – consider a personalized welcome to their first event and match them with an experienced member to greet and accompany them.

1. Welcome – email or post, include a message of why they made the right choice in becoming a member of SPE, followed by an outline of member benefits. It is important to also highlight the local benefits your section offers and to mention upcoming events.

There is a close correlation between a member’s initial introduction to your section and their desire to continue to interact with the section. The components of the onboarding process are the following:

Onboarding

Supporting Existing Members

It is the process to move new members from simply being observers—to users—to advocates. The only sound tactic to understanding what a member needs is to ask (survey). However, before asking how you can better serve your members, you need to build a solid connection through engagement.

The methods an organization undertakes to enhance the emotional and/or psychological investment in its brand.

What is engagement?

Engagement

Supporting Existing Members

LINK

Think about recent/relevant industry impacts and trends, and how their needs might have changed because of those.View their job classification in Membership Builder in advance of your conversation.

Ask them about the latest on-the-job problem they are trying to solve.

You got them in the door perhaps with the only thing they were interested in at the moment, such as discounted meeting registration, but SPE offers so much more that is probably applicable to them and their situation. Continue to educate them on what you think will give them the most value. In order to do so, you must stay up-to-date on new SPE services, resources, and programs.

Continuously investigate your members’ needs and interests.

Driving Value

Supporting Existing Members

LINK

International and Regional Awards

EXAMPLES

Just as SPE recognizes outstanding members through , your section is encouraged to provide local recognition to increase engagement.

Membership Milestones

Volunteers

SPE depends greatly on the talents of volunteers to accomplish the work of the Society, so it is worthwhile to recognize their efforts.

Consider recognizing your members for 5, 10, 25, and 50 years of SPE membership. Use the Members report in Membership Builder to view data. Certificates are available for download in the Section OfficerCommunity library of Connect.

Engagement Through Recognition

Supporting Existing Members

Website maintenance – Make a good impression! Keep it updated, active, and looking nice.
Social media – appoint champion(s) to manage your accounts and have a consistent voice.
Informz broadcast email

Use the targeted lists for specific member groups: new member welcome, unpaid reminder, new transfers welcome, etc.
Don't use boring subject lines. Catch the readers' attention. (It's okay to have a little fun!)

Ensure you have clear call-to-actions - easy instructions for what you want the reader to do, such as register, RSVP, etc.

Ensure your members know about your meetings and events and are given the opportunity to provide feedback.

Communication

Supporting Existing Members

LINKS

VIDEO

All data contained within the reports is updated daily.

Membership Builder is available only to current section officers listed on the roster. Use your usual SPE.org login and password.

The information on the rosters may be used only for programs endorsed by SPE. Use or reproduction of the information for commercial purposes or for programs not endorsed by SPE is strictly prohibited and subject to legal action. Unsure how to handle data safely and responsibly? Refer to the data protection best practices for further information.

Get to know your members by viewing charts and graphs with current, monthly, and historical data through Membership Builder. The dashboard gives a quick, visual snapshot of membership, while rosters contain more details - including education, committee experience, award history, and papers.

Membership Builder

Supporting Existing Members

Why Use It?

Members Since column lists when members joined and may be used for recognition or to create a mentor program for newer members.
Awards lists members with special designations and those who have won awards in the past. Nominate members for regional and international awards if they are deserving.
Committee Service lists members who have served as officers or on an SPE committee. These might be potential award nominees and future volunteers.

Members Report

Dashboard

Companies with a high percentage of membership might make potential sponsors.
Welcome new members to your section.
Encourage lapsed members to renew.
Technical disciplines, company category, and job classificaton are great ways to know what luncheons, study groups, or technical presentations might be of interest to your members.
Figure out new programs to serve your demographics.

Membership Builder

Best PracticesDues CycleTimeline

Retaining Members

It is easier to keep an existing member than it is to make a new one.

Offer members value – highlight the benefits that sets SPE apart from other organizations
Personalize approach – engage the individual member, greet them at events, showcase their achievement as it relates to membership (awards, committee assignments, volunteerism, etc.)
Allow multiple avenues for engagement opportunities – committee appointments, speaking opportunities, volunteering, etc.
Enhance networking channels – fundraising, events and social gatherings
Make it easy to renew – coordinate with SPEI’s renewal campaign

Retention is the key element to a successful member organization.

Retention

Retaining Members

Each of the strategies regarding the membership cycle are best implemented with enthusiastic officers committed to making sure each member enjoys a positive experience.

The strategies will improve with consistency and evaluation. As for any supportive board, a continual group of senior members rotating on and off allows for continuity as well as fresh ideas.Engaging (supporting) members accounts for most of the work. If you are successful in reinforcing the value of membership throughout the year, the only thing left is the renewal reminder campaign towards the end of the year.

Administration

Retaining Members

Tell them they are not renewed/unpaid

It might seem obvious, but many members do not know they are not renewed for the upcoming year. Remind them!

Run a renewal campaign

Via email or phone. Send a reminder through the Informz broadcast email system and/or split up the list for personal phone calls.

Appoint company champions

Assign a renewal advocate at each local company and task them with personal reach-outs to unrenewed colleagues. Hint: get senior management's support.

Coordinate your efforts with SPEI

Check out the next page for details on how to best coordinate local campaigns with SPEI's global timeline.

Best Practices

Retaining Members

The SPE membership year is January through December. SPEI runs an extensive renewal campaign including a popup reminder notice upon spe.org login, emails, phone calls, a mailed post card, social media, and notices with JPT magazines. Notifications are also pushed through the SPE App. Our Customer Service team continues a calling campaign throughout the entire year to reach out to unpaid members. SPE occasionally offers special promotions. Contact service@spe.org for more details.

Membership Dues Cycle

Retaining Members

This includes tactics such as:

Check out the current year's dues renewal timeline by selecting the link below.

Officers are strongly encouraged to run renewal campaigns along SPEI’s campaign through the end of March. Local campaigns are very effective through a combination of email, phone calls, and face-to-face reminders.A personalized approach from you is more effective when getting members to renew rather than receiving an email from SPEI. If the reminder does not come from you, many times they will not realize they are unpaid.

Reminders at events during the check-in process and on introduction/exit slides
Targeted and personalized email reminders highlighting local benefits
Reminders in event emails and newsletters
Social media posts

Dues Renewal Timeline

Retaining Members

Individual slides

Making the Most of Your Membership

Power point presentations are available for your use when recruiting new members. Slides include the benefits of joining SPE as well as information on individual programs. is a thorough presentation that includes SPE's mission and vision statement, strategic priorities, history of SPE, as well as the benefits of being a member. Technical resources, online resources and programs just for students are included. for SPE Programs and Benefits are also available. The slides include Student Paper Contest, PetroBowl, Virtual Career Pathways Fair, and many more.

Presentation & Slides

Resources

Can't find what you need? Let us help! Send us an email anytime.

LINK

Broadcast email service, so you can communicate with your members via email..

Download a visual dashboard of key demographics on your section's membership as well as detailed rosters.

Use this forum to access documents, post questions, and share best practices with officers from around the world.

Your first source for information about conducting activies and getting involved in SPE's many programs.

Just For You!

Resources

Informz

Membership Builder

Officer Community

Section Officers Resource Center

Member Retention/Engagement

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Transcript