The Challenge
Every year, Iowa State University’s Alumni Association (ISUAA) seeks to increase and engage their members with a month-long campaign. Since membership dues enhance opportunities for student and alumni programming, developing this network is one crucial part of the association’s mission. Three main strategies of this annual campaign include attracting new members, motivating current members to upgrade to a life membership, and engaging current life members to further deepen the relationship they have with the association.
While being a member unlocks an array of exciting benefits, catching an alums’ attention is always the first and most crucial step to informing them of this opportunity. That’s why ISUAA uses branded merch to elevate this campaign. Every year, ISUAA develops exclusive and one-of-a-kind merch to influence and incentivize their calls to action. By creating collectable branded merch that only association members can receive, it checks off all three goals with one item and gets alumni excited about their continued support.
The Solution
This year was no different and ISUAA wanted to bring a piece of campus into each member’s home. A perfect winter activity came to mind – a jigsaw puzzle! A watercolor print of their iconic alumni center was the image used to make a beautiful and challenging 200-piece puzzle. They kicked off their campaign with social media posts that teased the design and called on alumni to join the association.
The choice was intentional as puzzles require us to disconnect from technology and reconnect with each other. So much in fact, that they even put an extra puzzle in their break room for staff to enjoy. It was proof that the puzzle was an appreciated item that fostered a greater sense of connection and allowed for mental breaks and socialization.
The Outcome
The results with alumni were exciting! Over 100 puzzles were shipped out in the month of January. This included 36 new members and 64 upgraded or engaged life members. An additional $11,500 was collected in membership dues, sending the team in the right direction to kick off the calendar year!
How does your membership association recruit new members or deepen the relationship with existing members?
