Associations and event organisers depend entirely on collecting membership fees to be able to organise everything from monthly activities to larger gatherings, not to mention distributing information to members and volunteers. That is why it is often a major challenge when associations and event organisers struggle to collect membership fees.
One of the reasons why it can be difficult to collect membership fees is that many associations and event organisers still use outdated and inflexible solutions to collect them. In this context, we are thinking in particular of sending letters by post.
There is no denying that invoices that arrive by post sometimes disappear among other papers on the kitchen counter or elsewhere in the home. You have almost certainly experienced this yourself. And then you know that, of course, this does not mean you had not planned to pay – it was simply forgotten and lost in the chaos.
Membership fees are your most important source of income. Read more about why they can be crucial for carrying out your activities here.
– The process has become far more streamlined
De Sandvigske Samlingers Venner is a friends' association linked to Maihaugen in Lillehammer. With 2,500 memberships, it is one of Norway's largest museum friends' associations. For several years, the association found it difficult to get members to pay their membership fees. Much of the reason was that the invoices were sent out by post. When you are talking about more than 2,000 envelopes packed by hand by busy fingers, it is no wonder this was both time-consuming and costly.
In 2017, they switched to Rubic's digital member register, and today all information, including invoices, is sent to members by SMS or email. “The process has become far more streamlined,” says Svend Strand, chair of De Sandvigske Samlingers Venner.
Would you like to read more about De Sandvigske Samlingers Venner and their experience with Rubic? Here, Svend Strand explains how the switch to the digital system led to a huge increase in demand for, and interest in, the special tours at Maihaugen.
Does the post get through?
Another reason why it can be problematic to collect membership fees when invoices are sent by post is that people tend to move and change address. If you have ever tried to send out a lot of letters at once, you know how common it is for a large percentage of them to be returned. This is usually because the recipient has moved and changed address. And it goes without saying that an invoice will not be paid if it never arrived.
In association work, and when it comes to organising volunteers, a lot comes down to a good flow of communication. Read more about how Rubic can help you reach both members and volunteers here.
Collect membership fees with Rubic
By upgrading an outdated membership system, you can collect a far larger share of membership fees. We can all but guarantee that you will have earned back the money you spend on switching to a new system by the very first invoice run, simply because far more people will actually remember to pay by the deadline.