Navy membership cards, a welcome folder, sealed envelopes, a desk calendar and a brass hourglass on a pale blue table.
Membership Journeys

How do I get more members to renew, year after year?

Ricochet builds onboarding, renewal and win-back journeys in your HubSpot, Mailchimp or Higher Logic Thrive platform. Each one is benchmarked against best practice and written from your member benefits.

Why do so many new members leave after year one?

First-year members renew at 72%, against 82% for members overall, in Marketing General’s 2026 benchmarking report. The gap opens in the first weeks, long before the renewal notice goes out.

  • Onboarding that stops with payment receipt

    A receipt, then silence until the first renewal notice.

  • Renewal notices that read like bills

    The same message to every member type, with no reason to stay.

  • Lapsed members nobody contacts

    Former members go quiet, and so does the association.

Here is how Ricochet compares with the usual fixes.

CompareRicochetIn-House TeamPlatform TemplatesFreelancer
Strategy
Benchmarked against research
Data and deliverability review
Current journey review
Design
Copy built on your member benefits
Segmented and personalized
Accessibility compliant
Production
Programmed in your platform
Live in weeks
Light lift for your staff

What makes a Ricochet member journey different?

Strategy, copy, design and programming come from one team, so the journey runs the day we hand it over.

  • An open navy report binder with bar charts and a brass magnifying glass.

    Benchmarked against best practice

    Your current journey is measured against association research, not opinion.

  • An open navy gift box holding a membership card, a pin and a conference badge.

    Built on your member benefits

    Every message sells the value each segment actually uses.

  • A navy smartphone, a cream envelope, a navy postcard and a brass desk bell.

    Every channel your systems allow

    Email, text, voicemail, telemarketing, postal mail, paid media, pop-ups and landing pages.

  • A navy laptop beside three brass gears.

    Programmed in your platform

    We build and test the automation, so it runs on its own.

What do I get from a Ricochet member journey?

A journey built for your members and live in your platform, with every asset it needs.

  • A benchmarked planYour current journey and campaigns compared to best practice.
  • Copy built on your benefitsMessages that give each segment a reason to join, stay or return.
  • Assets for every channelBranded, accessible assets for every channel, personalized with renewal amounts and special offers.
  • A journey that runsProgrammed and tested in your platform, then launched with your sign-off.
Preview of the guide How does my association's performance compare to membership benchmarks?
Free download
How does my association’s performance compare to membership benchmarks?

Which member journeys does Ricochet build?

Choose one journey or all three. Each is built for your member types and your platform.

  • A navy welcome folder with a brass member pin and a lanyard badge.

    Onboarding

    Welcome new members, show them what they paid for and get them involved before their first renewal.

  • A navy membership card leaning on a desk calendar marked with a red circle.

    Renewal

    The right reminder to each member type, before and after the due date, with a reason to stay.

  • A brass boomerang resting on a navy membership card.

    Win back

    Reach lapsed members through fresh channels, with what has changed, an easy way to rejoin and a deadline.

How does Ricochet build a member journey?

We build in HubSpot, Mailchimp or Higher Logic Thrive, using every channel your systems allow: email, transactional email, text, ringless voicemail, outbound telemarketing, postal mail, paid social and display, website pop-ups and landing pages.

A benchmark report with a magnifying glass, an open planner with dates circled in red, navy and white member mail pieces and a laptop showing a journey flowchart, joined by a loose red thread.

  1. Assess

    We compare your current journey, campaigns, data, tech stack and deliverability to best practice.

  2. Recommend

    We map the recommended journey and its calendar, then refine it with you before anything is built.

  3. Create

    We write and design branded, accessible assets for each member segment, with creative review until you approve them.

  4. Launch

    We program and test the journey in your platform, then go live with your sign-off.

Cases

See what membership journeys have done for associations like yours

Browse all 8 membership journeys cases in the Ricochet case library.

Explore cases

Related services

Membership ModelingTest dues, types and benefits before you change them.Member ResearchMember surveys your leaders can trust and act on.

What associations ask about member journeys

Which platforms do you build member journeys in?

Ricochet builds member journeys in HubSpot, Mailchimp and Higher Logic Thrive. We work inside your own account and connect it to the member data in your AMS, so the automation, segments, emails and landing pages stay with you after launch. If your association uses another email platform, we can talk through options, but these three are the platforms this service supports.

Do we need new vendors for text, voicemail, telemarketing or paid media?

No. Text messages, ringless voicemail, outbound telemarketing and paid media run through the vendors your association already uses, and Ricochet writes the scripts, messages and ads for them. The service does not include setting up new channels or new vendors. Your association pays vendor costs directly, including messaging, calling, media, printing and postage.

Why do you need a member benefits summary?

Journey copy works when it names the benefits each member type actually uses. A member benefits summary lists what every member type receives, so each email, text or letter can give a clear reason to join, stay or return. Ricochet writes the summary at kickoff from your dues schedule, benefit lists and brochures, and you confirm it before writing begins.

How many member types or segments can a journey include?

A journey can include as many member types or segments as your membership needs. Each segment gets messages written for its own benefits and situation, personalized with details such as renewal amounts and special offers from your member data. Ricochet reviews your data first and advises on any list or data gaps that would limit segmentation.

What does an email deliverability review cover?

An email deliverability review checks whether your messages can reach the inbox. Ricochet looks at domain authentication, such as SPF, DKIM and DMARC, list health, bounce and complaint rates, and sending patterns. You get a short list of fixes, because the best journey fails if members never see the emails it sends.

Do you handle postal mail?

Yes, as design. Ricochet designs postal mail pieces, such as renewal letters and postcards, that match the rest of the journey and delivers print-ready files to your association. Your staff then coordinate printing and mailing with your own mail house, and your association pays printing and postage directly. Postal mail fits best in renewal and win-back journeys.

Can we start with one journey and add others later?

Yes. You can start with onboarding, renewal or win back and add another journey later, or build all three at once. Building all three together costs less, because the member benefits summary, tech stack review, data review and deliverability review are shared across journeys rather than repeated for each one.

Let’s talk about your association

Bring your toughest question. We’ll help you find the next step.

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