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Membership strategy · published examples

Membership strategy examples to copy

Seven membership strategy examples from organisations that publish their strategy: a professional society, a wildlife trust, a medical charity, a fostering network, a students’ union, a local infrastructure body and a patient charity.

For each, what the strategy says about members and what you can borrow. These are their documents, read in October 2026; none is a Membership Quest client.

See the examples →Strategy template →

Strategy examples

01/ Seven published strategies

Seven membership strategy examples, compared.

All seven cover 2025 to 2030. Each puts membership in a different place.

OrganisationWhere membership sitsWhat the strategy commits toWhat to borrow
Healthcare Infection SocietyObjective 1 of five“Grow and support our membership, nurture an inclusive community and deliver resources that meet the community’s needs”Membership as the first objective, tied to resources members need
Wiltshire Wildlife TrustInside the income goalA review of the membership model and member recruitment resources; success measured by membership volumes and average membership valueTwo numbers, not one: how many members and what each is worth
British Pain SocietyA foundation under four pillars“Growing and diversifying our membership”Membership as the base that makes education, research and advocacy possible
The Fostering NetworkStrategic goal two: sustainable incomeCreate new membership categories, a continuous review of the membership offer, and an employer programmeA standing review of the offer, rather than a one-off relaunch
Chester Students’ UnionCommunity and connectionSociety membership up at least 4% a year, after consulting 717 studentsA target built from members’ own priorities
Connected VoiceLeadership and advocacy“Grow our networks and membership, expand our reach”Membership as the source of a credible voice
Psoriasis AssociationSupporting peopleExplore evolving the membership model into a more flexible supporter model aimed at increasing donationsBeing willing to change the model itself, not only the marketing

Quotations are from each organisation’s own strategy document, read 21 October 2026. We report what each says, not how it has performed.

02/ Three patterns

Grow, restructure or measure.

Grow. The Healthcare Infection Society, British Pain Society and Connected Voice treat a larger, more diverse membership as the base for everything else. The strongest version names what members will get in return.

Restructure. The Fostering Network (new categories) and the Psoriasis Association (a supporter model) change the structure of membership itself. That is a decision about membership models and types of membership, not a campaign.

Measure. Wiltshire Wildlife Trust and Chester Students’ Union attach numbers: membership volumes and average value in one case, 4% annual growth in society membership in the other.

03/ A large-scale example

At scale, recruitment only keeps you level.

The National Trust reports its membership in its accounts rather than a strategy, and the numbers show why a membership strategy needs retention and recruitment together. Its 2024–25 annual report records 403,000 new members and retention of 83.3%, yet the base fell 0.4% to 2.61 million memberships.

04/ What to borrow

Five lessons from the examples.

  1. 01Give membership its own objective, or say plainly which objective it serves.
  2. 02Measure value per member as well as the number of members.
  3. 03Review the offer on a cycle, not only when numbers fall.
  4. 04Ask members first, then set the target from what they said.
  5. 05Be willing to change the model, not only the marketing.

Ready to write yours? Use the membership strategy template, and see the six decisions behind it on membership strategy.

Dan Keegan, Founder, Membership Quest and GTM Quest

Written by Dan KeeganFounder, Membership Quest and GTM Quest · GTM Quest ↗

05/ questions

Membership strategy examples FAQs.

What is an example of a membership strategy?

The Healthcare Infection Society’s 2025–2030 strategy makes membership its first objective: grow and support the membership, nurture an inclusive community and deliver resources members need. Wiltshire Wildlife Trust’s 2025–2030 strategy reviews its membership model and measures success by membership volumes and average membership value.

What should a membership strategy include?

Where you are now (members, joins, lapses, renewal), who you are for, the value proposition, the structure and price of membership, three or four SMART objectives, a plan with owners and dates, and how progress will be measured and reviewed. Our membership strategy template sets these out to fill in.

Do organisations publish their membership strategies?

Many publish an organisational strategy in which membership is one objective or a foundation, as all seven examples on this page do. Fewer publish a stand-alone membership strategy; that is usually an internal document that sits beneath the published one.

Are these Membership Quest clients?

No. Every example is the organisation’s own published strategy, read in October 2026. We describe what each document says and do not claim anything about results.

Write a strategy worth publishing

Turn the examples into your plan.

We help membership organisations write strategies with clear choices, measurable objectives and a plan the team can run.

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06/ related

Keep exploring

/membership-trends

Membership trends

The context these strategies respond to.

/membership-strategy-template

Membership strategy template

Fill in your own.

/services/membership-strategy

Membership strategy

The six decisions.

/membership-models

Membership models

When the model itself has to change.

/membership-review

Membership review

Reviewing the offer on a cycle.

07/ sources

Every claim, and where it came from

  1. Healthcare Infection Society — Strategy 2025–2030Organisation’s own published strategy
  2. Wiltshire Wildlife Trust — Our strategy 2025–2030Organisation’s own published strategy
  3. British Pain Society — Our strategy 2025–2030Organisation’s own published strategy
  4. The Fostering Network — Our strategy 2025–2030Organisation’s own published strategy
  5. Chester Students’ Union — Our strategy 2025–2030Organisation’s own published strategy
  6. Connected Voice — Connecting people, supporting action: strategy 2025–2030Organisation’s own published strategy
  7. Psoriasis Association — Our strategy 2025–2030Organisation’s own published strategy
  8. National Trust — Annual Report 2024–25UK operator’s published accounts