communication department

In April, the STC office will inactivate records of individuals who have not renewed their memberships by the March 31 deadline. Chapter leadership can have a significant impact on increasing the number of members within their chapter who renew. STC makes it easy and convenient for chapter leaders to have daily-updated information via the Web site on which individuals in their chapters have or have not renewed. (After logging in on the STC Web site, click on My Account and then Community Reports, then follow the prompts to obtain the desired information. Note: access to this area is restricted to chapter presidents and chapter membership managers.)

Contacting Inactive Members

A letter from a local community leader often has much greater impact than e-mail. Letters (even form letters) can lend a personal touch to communication that is difficult to achieve through e-mail. Consider offering nonrenewing members a coupon for one meeting or live Web seminar at the member rate; such a gesture lets recipients know that they’re an important part of the STC community. When time permits, a follow-up phone call often ensures success.

Contacting Lapsed Members

Leaders are also encouraged to reach out to those whose memberships expired several years back. STC will, upon request, work directly with leaders who wish to contact lapsed members. These lapsed members may have lost touch with their communities and may not know about recent changes in STC, including new benefits such as the online STC member forum. When contacting former community members, outline the new benefits of STC membership—and the specific benefits of membership in your community—and invite them to attend a meeting, peruse your community Web site, or read your community’s most recent newsletter. A personal, courteous invitation to rejoin the chapter is often hard to turn down.

STC keeps contact information on lapsed STC members for five years. To receive contact information for former members of your community, contact Stacey O’Donnell, Membership Development Manager.