06/06/2025

Tactics for Student (and ONLY Student) Membership Programs

Reduce barriers for student acquisition and retention

Student membership programs in associations face unique challenges due to the nature of their audience. This article explores effective strategies to enhance student membership retention and engagement by reducing barriers for students and implementing procedures to prevent misuse of the program's lower costs.

Understanding Barriers to Student Membership

Students often face more significant barriers to joining and renewing memberships compared with other member categories. Their professional identity is not yet fully formed, and they are typically very busy and under-resourced. Making the join/renew process as straightforward as possible is crucial for the long-term member retention and growth student membership categories are meant to encourage.

Secure and Grow Your Student Membership Programs

Streamline information collection.
Collecting relevant information from student members is essential. Details such as university, major, degree, and expected graduation date can help verify student status without being a barrier for genuine students. Additionally, collecting both school and personal email addresses is important as this audience is most likely to change locations and contact information in the very near future. Automating a verification email to the school address can discourage ineligible individuals from attempting to join — even if you’re not spending money on technology to actually verify it! Regularly reviewing member data, such as birth dates, can help identify discrepancies and address them promptly.

Please select this link to read the complete article from ASAE’s Center for Association Leadership.