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Membership strategy · free template

Membership strategy template to fill in

A membership strategy template you can download, copy or print: seven sections from the audit to the review date, with space for your answer, your evidence and an owner.

It follows the five steps Co-operatives UK publishes for a membership strategy, with the decisions a board will ask about added in.

Open the template →Membership strategy →

Strategy template

01/ The template

Download, copy or print the template.

Fill in the header, work through the sections in order, and leave a cell blank rather than guess.

Membership strategy template

1. Where we are (the audit)

Use three years of data where you have it.

PromptMembers now, and three years ago
Your answer 
Evidence 
Owner 
PromptJoins and lapses per year; first-year and mature renewal
Your answer 
Evidence 
Owner 
PromptStrengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats
Your answer 
Evidence 
Owner 
PromptWhy members join, stay and leave (survey and exit data)
Your answer 
Evidence 
Owner 

2. Who we are for

A decision someone can apply to an edge case.

PromptPriority audiences
Your answer 
Evidence 
Owner 
PromptAudiences outside scope, and why
Your answer 
Evidence 
Owner 
PromptSize of the eligible population
Your answer 
Evidence 
Owner 

3. The value proposition

PromptThe problem membership solves
Your answer 
Evidence 
Owner 
PromptBenefits with no free substitute
Your answer 
Evidence 
Owner 
PromptBenefits to stop, and what they cost to serve
Your answer 
Evidence 
Owner 

4. Structure and price

PromptTypes, categories or tiers
Your answer 
Evidence 
Owner 
PromptFee for each, and the rule for future increases
Your answer 
Evidence 
Owner 
PromptCorporate or group option
Your answer 
Evidence 
Owner 

5. SMART objectives (three or four)

Specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-bound.

PromptRecruitment objective
Your answer 
Evidence 
Owner 
PromptRetention objective
Your answer 
Evidence 
Owner 
PromptEngagement objective
Your answer 
Evidence 
Owner 
PromptIncome objective
Your answer 
Evidence 
Owner 

6. The plan

PromptActions for each objective, as small tasks with dates
Your answer 
Evidence 
Owner 
PromptBudget and people needed
Your answer 
Evidence 
Owner 
PromptDependencies and risks
Your answer 
Evidence 
Owner 

7. Measuring and reviewing

PromptKPIs and how often they are reported
Your answer 
Evidence 
Owner 
PromptRed, amber, green status for each task
Your answer 
Evidence 
Owner 
PromptReview date, and what would make us change course
Your answer 
Evidence 
Owner 

Membership Quest template, built on Co-operatives UK’s five-step membership strategy method. Nothing you type is stored or sent.

02/ How to use it

Five steps from audit to review.

Co-operatives UK’s membership strategy guidance sets out five steps: review your membership audit, set three or four SMART objectives, create a membership plan, measure success with KPIs, and review and update. The template follows that order.

Its example objectives are worth copying for their shape: recruit 100 new members by March; retain 75% of members each year. Each names a number and a date. Set your own numbers from your own baseline.

  1. 01
    Step 1

    Review the audit

    SWOT, activity, retention and value.

  2. 02
    Step 2

    Set SMART objectives

    Three or four, each with a number and a date.

  3. 03
    Step 3

    Create the plan

    Small tasks, each with a date and an owner.

  4. 04
    Step 4

    Measure success

    KPIs reported on a fixed timetable.

  5. 05
    Step 5

    Review and update

    Red, amber, green; adjust and repeat.

03/ What good looks like

A strategy says what you will not do.

NCVO describes strategy as a set of high-level decisions that set priorities and purpose, and notes there are no fixed rules for what a strategic plan looks like (strategic planning). A filled-in template is a plan; it becomes a strategy when sections 2 to 4 rule things out.

For charities, the Charity Commission’s 15 questions trustees should ask are a useful test of the finished document before it goes to the board.

Before it goes to the board · 0/5 in place

Finish these before the board meeting.

04/ After the template

Turn the strategy into campaigns.

The six decisions behind each section are explained on membership strategy. Turn the agreed direction into marketing with the membership marketing strategy and each campaign into a campaign brief.

For worked examples of what organisations publish, see membership strategy examples.

Dan Keegan, Founder, Membership Quest and GTM Quest

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

05/ questions

Membership strategy template FAQs.

What should a membership strategy template include?

An audit of where you are (members, joins, lapses, renewal and a SWOT), who you are for and who you are not, the value proposition, the structure and price of membership, three or four SMART objectives, the plan with owners and dates, and how you will measure and review progress.

How many objectives should a membership strategy have?

Three or four, which is what Co-operatives UK recommends. Each should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound, and between them they should cover recruitment, retention, engagement and income.

How long should a membership strategy cover?

Most organisations write a strategy for three to five years and a plan for the next twelve months. NCVO notes that strategic plans are commonly revisited every three to five years; review progress against the plan at least quarterly.

Is the template free to use?

Yes. Download it as a CSV that opens in Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets, copy it as text, or print it. Nothing you type into the page is stored or sent.

Want a second pair of eyes?

We can review your draft.

Bring your completed template and we will tell you which decisions are missing and which numbers the board will question.

Book a call →

06/ related

Keep exploring

/services/membership-strategy

Membership strategy

The six decisions, explained.

/membership-strategy-examples

Membership strategy examples

What organisations publish.

/membership-kpis

Membership KPIs

What to measure in step 4.

/membership-campaign-brief-template

Campaign brief template

From strategy to campaign.

07/ sources

Every claim, and where it came from

  1. Co-operatives UK — Membership strategy (five steps)UK sector body guidance
  2. NCVO — What is strategy?UK sector body guidance
  3. NCVO — Strategic planningUK sector body guidance
  4. Charity Commission — Charity governance, finance and resilience: 15 questions trustees should askUK regulator guidance