Organisations today are highly dependent on information to drive their business growth. Because of this, a large amount of data is gathered every day by membership organisations of all shapes and sizes. Such vast quantities of data capture can create problems such as how to manage that data properly and without the correct tools or processes in place. And therefore an excellent set of tips for membership data management can do wonders. 

Regardless of the amount of data that you may have, there are ways to understand it and organise it. Also you can take full advantage of the knowledge at your fingertips. If these challenges sound familiar to you, then our list of 6 of the best ways to maintain your membership data could give you the answers you’re looking for.

    1. Store membership data in one online location

Keeping all of your membership data centrally in an online database is the best method of data storage. This will provide a live overview of each piece of data. As a result, if any changes occur, anyone looking at it will know it’s accurate. 

Being directly involved with over 90 National Sporting Organisations and tens of thousands of clubs, we’ve witnessed firsthand that maintaining data in multiple locations is a hassle. Also, the data can be inaccurate, and can lead to wasted time and effort. 

Storing data in multiple locations increases the time spent finding the data. Similarly, it also requires you to remember which records you’ve kept where. Also, it often causes you to collect data more than once which is a common problem we see at JustGo. Hence, we have a built-in duplicate merger for when we mass import existing records. 

If you have your data spread out and you’re not quite sure where it all is or how up-to-date it is, don’t worry. It’s easily fixable with a single online system, and here are a few more reasons why you may want to consider it.

• Secured storage for peace of mind that it won’t be lost or stolen. 
• Quick to update and always accurate as you know where it is and when it’s updated at all times
• A simple and secure access method for you and the members. Saving you even more time if you’re using a system (like JustGo) that allows your members to log in and update their records themselves.

     2. Give your members access to their data 

Making your data accessible to members in certain parts of one database is a great way to minimise your efforts. As information is dynamic, it can change at any time. Therefore, it can be extra difficult to keep up to date without a little bit of help.

Besides, it’s not always possible to know if a member has changed their address or has a new family member who wants to join you. By giving your members the authority to update their own details can streamline a lot of tasks. It can open up a range of other benefits too. Here are just a few for you to consider:

• Improved quality of data as the member maintains it.
• With a sense of control over their data, members will feel they can trust you not to abuse their information. 
• Members will be more engaged as they provide and update their own data, maybe even stopping by for a purchase whilst they do it. 
• Increase your revenue as a consequence of the above 

If you’ve been looking but haven’t found the perfect system that allows your members to have instant access to their own data and purchases, then look no further than JustGo. A mobile optimised member experience is at the forefront of what we do.

    3. Keep your members engaged 

A great way to ensure your membership information is up to date is by tracking your members’ engagement and using the info to encourage additional engagements. Understanding what your members are interested in or like to engage with can make it much easier for you to capture the right data from them at the right time. 

For example, if you know a member who loves to volunteer, why not send them a volunteering survey. Alternatively, you can include them in the next mailing for volunteer opportunities and any application that needs their updated information. Moreover, here are just a few other essential metrics that you might want to know about your members.  

• How long have they been a member?
• Check their purchase history. Are there any recurring themes? 
• Do you have an area your member can log into on your website or a way they can interact to leave a trace of themselves for you to track?  
• What’s their attendance at events like? Do they come alone or bring friends and family? 

  4. Minimise duplication of membership records 

Duplicate data is a common occurrence if you don’t have the right system and measures in place to prevent it. Without the measures in place, members will create duplicate records for simple reasons like a forgotten password or because they forgot they had an account to start with. With any online software, like JustGo, you should be able to add simple duplicate checking to make sure duplicate records are a thing of the past.

As an example, JustGo can check various combinations during sign-up to ensure duplicates are not being created. With a simple date of birth, first name, and postcode check, you could easily prevent duplicates. Unless, of course, you have someone living with you who happens to have the same name and birthday.

You may also worry that when you do decide to adopt an online system, your existing data already contains lots of duplicates. Well, that’s where the JustGo Duplicate Merger comes in. With this feature, Admins can merge existing member profiles, selecting the fields from each duplicate record. This will create a new merged profile for that individual. Therefore, with just a few simple steps, duplicate records could be a thing of the past. 

    5. Arrange focused campaigns to keep your membership data up to date 

The value of data is lost if it is incorrect. Most importantly, wrong data can even negatively impact your reputation. Usually, it won’t be your fault, it will mostly come from a change in a member’s details. But it may also come from data gatekeepers who intentionally provide you with inaccurate data to limit your communication ability. 

If you’re looking for some inspiration to help you get the most accurate data possible, then look no further. Because, a top way to encourage the accurate collection of data is through campaigning. 

With a focused data update campaign, you can collect a member’s updated information in no time. It can be something like a competition or a prize giveaway. Additionally, the same can be done by creating a rewards scheme or loyalty program. Members will become attracted by incentives and become more open to providing you with their information. Likewise, here are a few other benefits you’ll see from running such a campaign.  

• Members will become more engaged with your organisation and may suprise you with other engagements they’ve never shown before. 
• You can gather additional analysis by tracking which members are engaging and how to help get a better understanding of your members. Furthermore, this can give you more ideas for future campaigns.
• If you have a particularly large member database, then you may just need help identifying which members are active. Consequently, this can provide an excellent opportunity for marketing events in the future. 

With JustGo, we give you the tools required to run simple but effective campaigns to ensure your data is up to date. Through the Membership Journey in JustGo, you can easily capture new or additional data during the process of membership renewal. 

This really simple setup allows you to display already captured data fields that may need updating. If they are still correct, the member can ignore them and carry on, but if they need updating, it’s the perfect time to do it. 

    6. Ensure the highest possible membership data security 

The members have given you a fair share of their personal data. Therefore, keeping that data safe should be your number one concern. In fact, the importance of data security is so high that we had to keep this in our list of 6 of the best ways to manage your membership data. Ensuring you have a secure online system is paramount to keeping data safe, but here are a few other tips to get you started. 

• If your data isn’t in a secure system, the least you can do is encrypt your file. Password encryption would be the simplest method.  
• Back up your data in case it is lost, either to the cloud or with a USB data storage device. Above all, use a secured Wireless network for any data transfers.

If you don’t know much about data security, then we suggest you at least look for an online system with an ISO 27001 Certification from QMS International. It is a proven information security system that ensures a company’s data protection commitment. JustGo, for example, is ISO 27001 registered, which means we focus on protecting your data and its confidentiality. 

Conclusion

Above, we mentioned 6 of the best ways to manage your membership data. To sum up, these will help you to have peace of mind that it’s safe, it’s up to date, and you can access it whenever you need at the click of a button. We personally have found these tips to work very well for our community and us, so we’re confident they’ll help to set you on the right track also. 

If you’re on the lookout for some membership management software that will safely secure your data and provide a simple and seamless user experience, then we recommend you dive into justgo.com and find out more about what we can offer you, or just reach out to Phil at sales@justgo.com.