As highlighted by the American Alliance of Museums 2024 survey, museums and cultural institutions today face a growing need to streamline their membership management processes. From increasing membership renewals to fostering meaningful engagement, leveraging the right tools can make all the difference.
Membership programs play a crucial role in cultivating long-term relationships with your community, extending their value far beyond being a simple revenue stream.
But how do you keep members engaged, ensure timely renewals, and make the most of your membership program?
Below we’ll explore the best membership management tools available, share tips for improving member engagement, and highlight key solutions for automating membership renewals.
Along the way, we’ll discuss the benefits of using HubSpot for Nonprofits, one of the leading tools to simplify nonprofit marketing and CRM.
When selecting the best membership management software for museums, it’s crucial to choose tools that integrate seamlessly with your operations while helping you engage your audience effectively.
Here are a few key tools that lead the pack:
| Platform | Features | Unique Benefits |
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All-in-one CRM platform for nonprofits. Manages membership data, email campaigns, workflows, and engagement. Membership Renewal Automation sends automatic email reminders and tracks renewal status. | Comprehensive CRM capabilities integrated with marketing, sales, and customer service tools. |
Wild Apricot |
User-friendly platform with automated renewals, online payment processing, detailed analytics, and community-building tools like event registration and member directories. | Ideal for smaller organizations prioritizing ease of use and community engagement features. |
MUSEUMS+ |
Tailored for museum operations. Includes member management, event coordination, and communication tools. Integrates with websites and social media. | Designed specifically for museums, ensuring alignment with their operational and outreach needs. |
Tix |
Specialized for museums. Combines membership and ticketing management, streamlining account and sales processes. | Perfect for museums relying heavily on ticketing revenue. |
MemberClicks |
Membership management with integrated communication channels, event management, and comprehensive engagement reports. | Simple, effective platform for museums focusing on engagement and tracking renewals. |
The softwares above provide the foundation for automating many aspects of membership management—especially around renewals and member engagement. But beyond choosing the right software, the key is understanding how to use your chosen software effectively.
HubSpot for Nonprofits excels in this area by not only offering robust features but also providing user-friendly features that empower nonprofits to maximize their impact:
Combines powerful CRM capabilities with best in class marketing automation, making it a one-stop solution for membership management.
Unlike other tools that focus solely on memberships or event management, HubSpot allows nonprofits to:
- Nurture relationships through targeted email campaigns
- Track engagement at every stage
- Automate workflows for renewals and outreach
| Need help getting started with HubSpot? We’re one conversation away! |
One of the biggest challenges for museums is ensuring that members renew on time. Whether due to forgetfulness or a lapse in engagement, membership renewal rates often fall below expectations. Automating membership renewal reminders helps reduce churn by keeping your members engaged and reminding them of the value of their membership.
According to the Michigan Society of Association Executives' 2023 Benchmarking Report, increasing member engagement through automation, such as membership renewal reminders, is directly correlated with higher retention rates. By using automated email reminders, museums can ensure they stay top of mind without requiring manual follow-ups.
And with HubSpot for Nonprofits, the process is especially streamlined—automating personalized reminders, renewal confirmations, and event invitations.
Pro Tip:
Segment your members based on factors like renewal date or membership level to send more relevant, personalized messages. Automation can trigger different workflows depending on how long a member has been inactive or which benefits they have access to, helping to nurture relationships and improve engagement at every stage of the membership lifecycle. Learn more about segmentation and automation in HubSpot here.
Engagement is a core pillar of a successful membership program. It's not just about sending renewal reminders; it's about building a relationship with your members that keeps them connected to your museum.
Here are some key tools that can enhance member engagement:
| Feature | Description | Tools |
Email Campaigns & Newsletters |
Send targeted email campaigns based on members' interests or past engagement. Include updates on new exhibits, events, or member-exclusive offers. | Mailchimp, HubSpot |
Social Media Integration |
Engage members via social media with updates and exclusive offers. Tools integrate directly with your accounts for seamless sharing. |
|
Event Management |
Organize and promote events to drive member engagement, like exclusive previews or behind-the-scenes tours. | Eventbrite, MemberClicks, HubSpot |
Surveys and Feedback |
Gather feedback from members using surveys to understand their preferences and improve their experience. | SurveyMonkey, HubSpot, Alchemer |
Community Building |
Foster a sense of belonging through forums or discussion groups where members can connect and interact. |
|
Pro Tip:
Use HubSpot's powerful workflow automation to nurture your members at every stage of their journey. For example, create a workflow that sends a personalized thank-you email after an event, followed by a survey to gather feedback. Then, set up automated reminders for upcoming member-exclusive events, ensuring your audience stays engaged without manual effort.
This approach not only saves time but also ensures consistent communication tailored to your members' preferences
Unifying data across systems is one of the most transformative benefits HubSpot offers to museums. Many organizations struggle with siloed data—donors, members, volunteers, and visitors are often managed in disconnected systems, making it difficult to get a clear picture of engagement and relationships. HubSpot solves this by acting as a central platform that brings all this information together, empowering your team with actionable insights.
With unified data, you can:
This unified approach is the cornerstone of digital transformation, helping museums modernize workflows, streamline operations, and foster deeper connections with their communities.
Here are more features that make HubSpot a powerful tool for museums:
| Features | Description |
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Simplifies the renewal process by sending personalized reminders, eliminating manual follow-ups, and ensuring members stay connected without missed deadlines. |
CRM & Member Segmentation |
Provides a robust CRM to manage member data and segment audiences based on factors like engagement level, demographics, or interests for highly targeted communications. |
Marketing & Engagement |
Enables museums to design professional, targeted email campaigns, automate social media posts, and create engaging content, such as newsletters or updates about events. |
Event Management Integration |
Integrates with tools like Eventbrite to organize and promote events, send invitations to segmented audiences, and track attendance for better planning and follow-ups. |
Surveys & Feedback Collection |
HubSpot’s built-in survey tools allow you to collect valuable feedback from members on events, exhibits, or general experiences, showing members their opinions matter. |
Reporting & Analytics |
Offers detailed dashboards to monitor membership growth, event participation, and engagement metrics, helping museums optimize strategies based on real-time insights. |
Workflows & Automation |
Streamlines repetitive tasks, such as welcome emails for new members or follow-ups for lapsed memberships, freeing up time for museum staff to focus on their mission. |
Donor and Sponsor Management |
Allows tracking and managing donor contributions and sponsorships, keeping records organized and providing insights to build stronger donor relationships. |
AI-Powered Insights with Breeze AI |
Utilizes AI-driven data enrichment to gain deeper insights into member preferences and behaviors, enabling more effective engagement strategies. |
Content Assistance with Breeze Co-Pilot |
Breeze Co-Pilot helps museum staff draft personalized emails, generate creative marketing content, and automate routine communication, enhancing productivity. |
Scalability & Customization |
Adapts to your museum’s unique needs, whether you're managing a small membership base or expanding rapidly, with customizable workflows and dashboards. |
AI Pro Tip:
Use HubSpot’s Breeze AI to analyze member engagement data and generate highly personalized renewal emails or event invitations. Breeze Co-Pilot can draft compelling content for your campaigns, saving time while maintaining high-quality messaging. This ensures every touchpoint feels thoughtful and relevant to your audience.
Adding these AI-powered capabilities emphasizes HubSpot's role as a cutting-edge platform, giving museums the tools they need to thrive in a tech-driven landscape.
To ensure your membership program is thriving, you need to measure more than just the number of members.
Here are the key metrics to track plus how to improve your tracking with HubSpot:
| Metric | Description | How to Improve |
Membership Renewal Rate |
The percentage of members who renew their memberships annually. High renewal rates indicate satisfied and engaged members. | Use HubSpot automation tools to send personalized, timely renewal reminders and follow-ups. Offer incentives or exclusive benefits to encourage renewals. |
Churn Rate |
The percentage of members who do not renew their memberships. A lower churn rate is a sign of effective engagement. | Use HubSpot’s survey and analytics tools to identify why members leave. Leverage these insights to enhance benefits, improve communication, and automate re-engagement campaigns. |
Engagement Metrics |
Tracks how often members interact with your organization, such as opening emails, attending events, or visiting your museum. | Use HubSpot’s analytics tools to identify engagement trends. Send personalized invites for events, and segment email campaigns based on member preferences and behavior. |
Revenue per Member |
Measures the average contribution each member makes to your organization, critical for evaluating tiered memberships. | Use HubSpot for tracking member data, allowing you to segment by membership tier. Use personalized emails to highlight exclusive benefits and automate campaigns targeting members likely to upgrade, while tracking spending patterns with built-in analytics. |
New Member Growth Rate |
The percentage increase in new memberships over a given period, reflecting your ability to attract fresh audiences. | Invest in targeted marketing campaigns. Use HubSpot’s segmentation features to reach specific demographics and promote introductory offers to attract new members. |
Lifetime Value (LTV) |
The total revenue expected from a member over their lifetime with your organization. A high LTV indicates strong loyalty. | HubSpot enables personalized communications through automated workflows and segmentation. Use its CRM to identify long-term members, send rewards campaigns, and track Lifetime Value (LTV) with detailed analytics to refine your membership strategy. |
Membership programs are essential for museums to thrive but they require the right tools and strategies to succeed. By carefully weighing your options and taking the time to find the best membership management tools suited to your institution, you’ll be well on your way to boosting renewals and fostering a dedicated community of supporters—ensuring long-term success, deeper engagement, and a growing base of passionate members.
You might also be tempted to DIY your membership program or stick with your existing patchwork of tools, but why not get an expert to help you streamline everything?
Nonprofit Tech Shop specializes in simplifying processes, improving engagement, and unlocking the full potential of HubSpot for museums.
Contact us today to start a no-commitment conversation about how we can support your goals!