2019: Engaged and Empowered

This year’s winner of the Membership Recruitment and Engagement Award is the Junior League of Columbus, Ohio.

Over a six-year period, the Junior League of Columbus experienced a 59% decrease in Provisional membership and 62% decrease in Active membership. Their solution: a complete overhaul of their membership model, this time reemphasizing the correlation between Engaged and Empowered members.

Beginning in 2017, the Junior League of Columbus took a meticulous, systematic approach to analyzing and improving programs, projects and events. Leaving no stone unturned, leadership placed 19 League events on a four-quadrant graph according to their degree of impact and satisfaction. In 2018, low impact/low satisfaction events were revamped or phased out entirely. For events high in satisfaction but low in impact or vice versa, innovative techniques were used, defining a successful event as one rated high in both satisfaction and impact.

Leadership put measures in place that increased their ability to address members’ concerns. They replaced their monthly Presidential letters with a monthly video featuring the President discussing important happenings, reminders, updates and personalized member recognition. Newsletters were updated with only the most necessary content and social media engaged members internally, publicized their efforts externally and created a sense of pride, a more empowered membership.

All in all, the Junior League of Columbus achieved 91% provisional membership retention, 103% Active membership retention and 103% Sustainer retention, putting their League at a total of 102% total member retention (thanks to a number of member reinstatements). Their process has resulted in a stronger membership who feel both engaged and empowered.

Congratulations to the Junior League of Columbus on your well-deserved award and outstanding achievements.