Associations and retention: retention in a membership context

The aim of this research was to provide a framework whereby marketing theories were applied in a non-profit membership management context. The decline of members and the building of a new location (which increased the fixed costs) forced the association of study toward a more commercial approach since costs increased and membership amounts decreased. The specific purpose of this paper was twofold: mapping the characteristics of current members and their future course, and identifying actions or a strategy to ensure sufficient active future membership. This dual purpose is needed to provide recommendations for the association of study to retain current members and on the other hand to identify opportunities to ensure sufficient future membership.