If your member renewals run on a calendar year, January can be a bit of a wake-up call.

If your renewals are lower than expected, you’re not alone. The good news? There are some quick, practical steps you can take to salvage some of those lapsing members and start turning things around for the next cycle.

Here are three easy steps you can take this month to stop losing members and start shoring up your retention.

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1. Make Renewing Easy

If renewing is too hard, members will put it off until later – or not bother at all.

Think about your own memberships and subscriptions – I know I have some that are just automatically charged to my card and I never even think about them (I probably should think about them sometimes 😅 ), and a couple that require me to actively renew and pay. Guess which ones are never late?

This month, test your renewal process as if you were a member.

❓ How many clicks does it take to renew?
❓ Do members have to log in (and reset a forgotten password)?
❓ Is payment easy? Are the options flexible?

If there are roadblocks, remove or fix the ones you can. Even small tweaks can make a big difference.

2. Make a Human Connection

You can keep emailing and texting reminders endlessly. You might catch one or two members who just missed the renewal notice and reminders, or who simply forgot.

But what about the ones who aren’t seeing your comms at all for some reason? A dead email address or mobile number, spam filters, or members who don’t spend all their time at their computer and in their inboxes (what a life, imagine!). There are loads of reasons someone could miss your emails or texts. And what of the members who are undecided about renewing in the first place? Endless pro-forma reminders do nothing to help them decide (though may help them decide to block your emails!).

This month, try something new: Each day, reach out to a few members with a quick, personal check-in. A simple email, LinkedIn message, or better yet, a call: “Hey, happy new year! Just checking in—how’s everything going?”

No pitch, no agenda – just a genuine connection. You likely can’t reach out to everyone who hasn’t renewed, but you might be surprised how many of the ones you do renew soon after.

3. Ask for Feedback – But Please, Not with a Survey

If renewals are dropping, you need to understand why – and your members hold the answers. But (and I hate to be the bearer of bad news), a survey is not the way to find out.

I know, I know. It’s easy, fast, and feels like a logical step. But let me save you the trouble – if you’re surveying disengaged members, you’ll get almost no responses. And the ones you do get may not be overly helpful or constructive.

This month, pick up the phone and talk to some lapsed members. A 10-minute conversation can uncover gold – insights you’d never get from a survey.

And if you act on that feedback? Let that member know, and thank them again for sharing it. It builds trust, shows you listen, and who knows—that lapsed member might just come back.

Start Today

You can’t boil the ocean in a day. Or at all, actually.

There’s always more you can do, and it’s easy for leaders and membership teams to feel overwhelmed by what feels like an endless list of things they could or should be sorting out.

But regular effort and small changes can make a big difference, and can even turn a few of those lapsed members back around into members. I’m a huge fan of the concept of ooching – just keep making small changes and tweaks in the right direction. You’ll get further than if you do nothing while waiting to have the time or resources to do everything at once (spoiler alert: you never will).

Pick one or two of these tips this month, try them and see what works. Then keep doing that! Then maybe add one or two more. Keep tweaking, testing, and improving.

And if nothing is moving the dial? Then it’s time to dig deeper into why.

If you’re not sure where to start or what to focus on, give me a shout. I’m always happy to chat!