Challenge

As the leading voice and authority in health information, AHIMA educates, informs, advocates, and supports more than 100,000 members. Although health information professionals are undoubtedly familiar with AHIMA, the decision to join, engage, and maintain a membership may hinge on other variables. As such, AHIMA understood the importance of ensuring its internal structure, staffing, strategies, tactics, and data management utilize the most effective practices while leveraging strengths and opportunities. Of equal importance, AHIMA was interested in identifying a value proposition that will build and cement long-term relationships for years to come.

Solution

To help AHIMA better align it’s membership efforts with its strategic goals, Avenue M completed the following tasks.

  1. Conducted a deep dive and analysis to understand the current state of membership functions within the organization. Membership functions included recruitment, onboarding, engagement, retention, communications, data collection, usage and reporting, and volunteer engagement.
  2. Interviewed members of the executive team and key personnel to gain their perspective and a better understanding of current strengths and weaknesses as it relates to AHIMA’s operational and strategic goals.
  3. Assessed current staff positions and their roles, responsibilities, skills, and expertise as it relates to the membership function within AHIMA.
  4. Conducted an in-depth audit and assessment of AHIMA’s current efforts to recruit, engage and retain members. To complete this work, we reviewed AHIMA’s membership data, its value proposition, efforts to onboard and engage members, its renewal program, and its marketing and communications with prospective members.
  5. Developed a membership strategy inclusive of recruitment, onboarding, engagement, retention, and positioning. The membership strategy will include short-, mid-, and long-term initiatives with a recommended timeline for implementation.

 

Outcome

At the completion of the project, Avenue M delivered a comprehensive report with specific recommendations, strategies and tactics to increase membership and engagement. Avenue M provided AHIMA with a member value canvas, a new member acquisition and retention strategy, a new onboarding plan, a renewal strategy, and recommendations for staffing the membership department, including job descriptions.

AHIMA employed Avenue M to provide an assessment of our entire membership function to ensure we had alignment with the rapidly changing needs of the healthcare industry and position us for growth. Sheri Jacobs and her team did an exceptional job of listening to us up front to ensure the deliverables would meet the specific needs we had identified. The final report they delivered exceeded all of our expectations as they provided insights into issues we didn’t fully understand along with a clear plan to implement strategies, tactics and outcome measures for future success. Avenue M was a wonderful partner that anyone looking to assess their membership function should consider.

Keith Olenik, MA, RHIA, CHP Chief Member Relations and Service Officer