There’s a moment in every membership team’s week when someone says: “Could we just also do a quick version for Instagram/email/the website/members/non-members/ trustees/TikTok?” And then everyone realises that someone has to fit it into their busy work schedules.
That, in a nutshell, is why this year’s Re:member consumer research matters. The big story isn’t that membership organisations need more content, more channels or more noise. In fact, it’s almost the opposite. The future isn’t every-channel. It’s opti-channel.
Right message. Right member. Right time. Right amount of effort.
Or, to put it another way: do less, think more.
This year’s Re:member research represents the largest survey we’ve done so far, with 247 responses from participating membership organisations. The contributors cover all kinds of subjects, and more than 70 consumer membership organisations. These are charities, campaigning organisations, conservation groups, visitor attractions, arts and cultural organisations, hobby groups, sports bodies, and many more. And while the subject matter that these organisations cover might be very different, the challenges that they face are often similar. There are differences however. The main one being that between professional membership (things that you join because of the job that you do) and consumer (things that you doing because of the person you are). In the following piece we’ve segmented responses from consumer membership organisations specifically.
So, what did we learn?
1. Content is carrying a lot of weight
Content is no longer just “the magazine” or “the email newsletter” or “Facebook post that will gain traction on a bank holiday weekend”. For consumer organisations, content is doing several jobs at once.
The main goal is to keep members involved and interested, with a big majority – 77% –saying that’s what their content is mainly for. But that’s not all – a lot of organisations also use content to get their name out there and build their reputation, with 57% saying that’s one of their goals. And on top of that, 55% use content to connect with people who aren’t members yet, reaching and engaging them in different ways.
That tells us something important. Content is no longer sitting politely in the corner as a service function. It’s central to the membership model.
It serves as a reminder to members why they initially joined, the value of their membership and the good that their support of the organisation does. This, in turn, provides them with reasons to stay. It’s a core part of the member value proposition. Furthermore, it helps potential members understand what the organisation stands, and starts to make the argument for membership, before they even consider clicking the ‘join now’ button.
We’ve noticed this time and again at Think – when it comes to organisations such as National Trust for Scotland, The Arts Society, Petplan and Mensa, the most effective content isn’t just about filling up pages or inboxes. It’s about building a connection with the people it’s meant for. It’s a way of saying, “you’re part of this, and it’s worth being a part of.” This kind of content makes people feel like they belong, like they’re valued, and that membership is valuable and that’s what sets it apart. It’s not just about conveying information, but about creating a sense of community and shared purpose. When done right, it can be incredibly powerful, making people feel invested in what you’re doing, and eager to be part of it.
That’s the good news.
The not-so-great news is that content is expected to handle all these tasks at a time when everyone is being pushed to achieve more with limited resources. This leads us to a somewhat awkward reality.
2. The real crisis is capacity
One of the most striking findings is that 69% of consumer organisations say they don’t have enough capacity to deliver content for members. That’s really concerning, not just a minor issue or something to be ignored. It’s a significant problem that needs serious attention, not something to be dismissed or put on the back burner.
Interestingly, even though many organisations are creating content, only a small percentage – about 17% – believe their content is meeting the needs of their members.
Membership teams are not uncaring; in fact, they’re quite the opposite. The people working in membership communications genuinely care about their work. Their role is a complex one, as they strive to serve the needs of members, while also satisfying the demands of internal stakeholders, supporting various campaigns, driving income, demonstrating impact, growing audiences, and keeping everything running smoothly. It’s a challenging balancing act, but one that they’re deeply committed to.
There’s a point where trying to do more isn’t the solution. It’s much better to do less, but do it better. It’s about focus.
At Think, when we work with clients on content strategy, one of the most useful questions isn’t “what else could we create?” It’s “what does the member really care about?” What content is genuinely valued? What supports the member journey? What builds trust, drives action or deepens the relationship? We need to concentrate on the content that will increase engagement and demonstrate value so that members don’t think twice when it comes to renewal.
3. More channels doesn’t mean better communication
Consumer membership organisations are often managing a complex set of channels, with members engaging across a wide range of content types. Email remains the dominant platform, used by 94% of organisations, while Facebook continues to play a significant role, reaching 79%. Open online content and Instagram are also key channels, each used by 76% of organisations to connect with their audiences. Traditional formats remain important too, with 64% of organisations publishing a member magazine. Beyond these core channels, organisations are also investing in webinars, face-to-face events, LinkedIn, video content, downloadable resources, podcasts, mobile apps, online forums and member reward programmes. Together, these touchpoints create a rich and varied member experience—but they also present a significant challenge, requiring organisations to keep a growing number of communication channels active, relevant and aligned.
The danger is that “we’re on lots of channels” starts to sound like a strategy. It isn’t. It’s often just a way of exhausting a small team.
It’s interesting to see how things have changed since we first conducted this survey. When we first started asking people about Twitter in 2015, almost every organisation was using it to connect with their members – a whopping 97%, to be exact. But fast forward to today, and that number has plummeted to just 16%. That’s a huge drop, and it’s clear that Twitter, now known as X, is no longer the go-to platform it once was. In fact, it’s gone from being a must-have to a maybe in a short space of time –slightly over a decade, which is remarkable. Nowadays, organisations are left wondering if it’s even worth posting on X anymore.
The lesson isn’t that X is bad and Instagram is good, or that everyone needs to be on LinkedIn, or that TikTok is the future. The lesson is that channels change. Member behaviour changes. Organisational confidence changes.
The question isn’t: are we everywhere?
The question is: are we in the right places, doing the right things, for the right people?
That’s why I like the phrase opti-channel. It sounds a bit like a made-up word because, well, it is. But it’s useful. It moves us away from the old idea that more channels automatically equal better communication. Sometimes the bravest thing a membership organisation can do is decide not to do something.
Not all organisations need to have a podcast, but when it serves a real purpose, like with Love Scotland for the National Trust for Scotland, it can create a sense of closeness and depth that’s hard to achieve with other channels.
Not every membership body needs a magazine, but for many consumer organisations, like Buglife, Cycling UK, RSPB, Mensa, Woodland Trust and Historic Scotland, a printed magazine is a great way to show they care about their members and want to give them something special. It’s a way to inspire people, make them feel like they belong and are part of something important.
The point is not the channel. The point is the job it does.
4. Print is very much alive, email thrives
Every few years someone announces that print is dead. The Re:member data tells a more interesting story where print is still a core part of both the communications mix and the member value proposition. Among consumer organisations, a member magazine tops the poll in terms of effectiveness scoring 4.2 out of 5, while the perceived value of print is 4.6 out of 5.
Print works particularly well where membership is emotional, identity-led or interest-led. Charities. Campaigning organisations. Conservation bodies. Arts and heritage organisations. Groups where people want to feel part of something bigger than a transaction. Smaller organisations (below 5,000 members) are much less unlikely to have a magazine.
Email is also doing a lot of work, it seems. On average, consumer organisations send out about six emails every month, while professional organisations send out around nine. But here’s the thing: only a small percentage – 18% to be exact – think they’re emailing their members too often. What’s interesting here is that people often think that being bombarded with emails is the main problem, and that’s why they want some peace and quiet. And yes, some people do feel overwhelmed by their inbox. But the truth is, it’s not just about how many emails you get. It’s about whether they’re relevant to you. The research shows that relevance is the key issue, not just frequency.
The numbers are telling – a whopping 76% of people think email is a great way to get people involved, and 73% have already set up automated email journeys. That’s a good start, but only 19% of people say their emails are tailored to the individual, and a mere 17% say they’re targeting specific groups.
The future of email isn’t just about adding more automated features, but about making automation more effective. This means creating more targeted and relevant segments, improving the onboarding process, and designing smarter renewal journeys that work. It’s also about making clear connections between what people are interested in and what they receive in their inbox. By doing so, email can become a more personalised and engaging experience for everyone involved.
5. Measurement, audience insight and AI are the next frontier
We asked people completing the survey about the skills gaps in their organisations. Most, 67%, said that they still struggled on measuring the impact and ROI of their communications. This is a problem because when communication can’t prove its worth, it’s easy for people to see it as an extra expense. Something that’s nice to have, but not essential. And when money gets tight, it’s one of the first things to be cut.
And another 69% say their content is under budget pressure.
We need to look at more than just how many people opened something, clicked on it, or said they liked it. Those things are helpful, but they don’t tell us everything. The important questions are more complicated. What we really want to know is how something affected people, and whether it had a lasting impact. Just looking at a few simple numbers doesn’t give us the full story. We have to dig deeper to really understand what’s going on.
So, did this make a difference in keeping members on board? Was there a noticeable boost in people getting involved? Did it help change the way people think about things? Did it bring in more money? And most importantly, did it encourage someone to take that next step, whether it’s joining, donating, visiting, booking or renewing their membership?
There are a couple of major areas where people are struggling: using artificial intelligence (AI) and understanding their audience. About 42% of them say they’re not skilled enough to use AI tools properly, and 40% have trouble figuring out who their audience is and how to group them together in a way that makes sense.
AI is already here. In fact, 61% of organisations are actively using AI tools internally, and 47% trust AI for generating ideas or initial drafts. But only 28% have clear internal guidance or policies, and only 23% feel confident about the ethical and data implications.
That feels about right. Lots of experimenting. Not quite enough governance. Plenty of excitement.
AI can absolutely help membership teams. It can speed up research, planning, repurposing and analysis. But it isn’t a strategy. And it’s definitely not a replacement for editorial judgement, audience understanding or knowing when something sounds like generic ‘AI slop’.
The companies that will really benefit from AI aren’t the ones that just use it, but the ones that use it in a smart way. They need to have clear rules in place, make sure humans are keeping an eye on things, and not accept any mistakes. This means being careful and having clear guardrails for how the AI is used.
What now?
The big message from Re:member 2026 is simple: membership communications need to get sharper.
Not louder. Not busier. Not more frantic.
Sharper.
Being honest about what really matters to members is key. It’s about focusing on the things that work. So, if print is the way to go for something, then use it. If email is better for another thing, then use that instead. And if audio or social media can really get through to people, then use those too. It’s all about using the right tool for the job and being smart about how you communicate.
If you’d like to find a full version of our report, or to discuss your own communication challenges, get in touch with our team to discuss how we can help you engage, retain and grow your membership.
