If member engagement were a board game, most of us aren’t trying to win – we’re trying to belong.
People might join for access – the journal, the job board, the discounts that hit at just the right time – but they stay for something deeper. Belonging.
That moment when they stop feeling like visitors and start feeling like part of the fabric – that’s the magic. And it doesn’t happen by accident. It takes sustained effort, intentional connection, and a clear understanding of what your members truly value.
Retention isn’t just meaningful – it’s measurable. The Harvard Business Review notes that retaining an existing customer costs far less than recruiting a new one – 5-25 times less, in fact! When you add up every campaign, every email, every hour of staff time, the math is clear: belonging pays off.
But retention is tricky. The quick win may get members in the door, but it’s the deeper value that makes them feel at home. So how do you turn curiosity into connection – and connection into commitment?
Creating a sense of belonging starts with discovering what truly fits your unique community- rather than relying on one-size-fits-all templates. That’s how you move the needle on your retention goals.
Every Map Looks Different
In our recent webinar, Rhoni Rakos of Ellipsis Partners and Jessica Richardson, Membership Manager at The American Institute of Immunologists, borrowed a bit of inspiration from Settlers of Catan. Every association starts with a landscape, a few resources, and a goal to build something lasting.
The people who join you – your Tourists, Settlers, and Townspeople – represent different stages of that growth. Tourists explore what’s possible, building a few roads into your association. Settlers begin to invest, establishing – you guessed it – a settlement by joining. Townspeople take ownership and help build the community itself, growing the city.
But here’s the key: no two associations have the same board, or the same players.
Your version of these groups is unique. The milestones, motivations, and friction points that define your members’ journeys will look completely different from those of another organization – even one with a similar mission.
That’s Where the Data Comes In
Guessing why people join, stay, or drift away is like rolling dice. Using trackable data will always be your best bet when you’re looking for important insights.
When you track engagement – from the first interaction to long-term leadership – you start to see patterns:
- Which early experiences spark lasting commitment
- What kinds of content or events attract your most active members
- When does participation start to fade (and why)
These insights reveal the invisible – but very real – pathways between curiosity and connection.
Your AMS and CRM already hold the clues: event attendance, renewal timing, email engagement, volunteer activity. Combined with interviews or user research, they paint a story about motivation. Start by mapping small patterns – who attends once and never returns, who shows up every time, who engages quietly online but never registers. The story is already there; data just gives you the language to tell it.
That’s why every association needs an engagement journey map – a visual and strategic way to capture how members move through your ecosystem. It charts the touchpoints, emotions, and decisions that define the member experience, showing where energy builds and where momentum stalls. The goal isn’t a perfect linear path; it’s a living guide that helps you see – and strengthen – the moments that matter most.
Maybe your “Tourists” are digital-first learners. Maybe your “Townspeople” thrive on peer recognition. The point isn’t to fit them into someone else’s model; it’s to understand how they move through yours.
With that knowledge, you can design experiences that meet them where they are and lead them forward – from interest to investment, from membership to belonging.
Designing Belonging
Belonging isn’t built on guesswork. It’s designed – through thoughtful, data-informed choices that make members feel seen, valued, and part of something bigger.
Use your data to personalize outreach, create rituals that reinforce connection, and segment your communications so every message feels intentional. Then test, refine, and evolve. Engagement isn’t static; it’s a living system that grows as your members do.
Our Take
Every association’s map looks different – and that’s exactly the point.
At Ellipsis Partners, we help organizations make sense of their data, design engagement strategies that fit their people, and build the kind of belonging that lasts.
Because when belonging is built with intention, everyone wins.
Want to talk further? We’d love to chat!
