Fall 2002

What Have You Done For Me Lately?
Six places to market the value of membership

by Carolyn Schwaar

It is a constant task to prove to members that the dues they pay provide them with quality programs, products, and services. Luckily, there are many avenues for associations to market their value.

1. Dues billing letter. Your annual dues bill is the ideal place to spell out just what your members are paying for. The Virginia Association of Realtors highlights the benefits of membership in its billing letter from the association president this way:

Dear Virginia Realtor,

Thank you for renewing your membership in VAR, which is also an acronym that stands for our principle mission: to provide Value-Added Return on your membership in Virginia’s largest professional association.

So what do you get for your dues?

Actually, a lot more than you think. As a member of VAR, you join a group of 22,000 fellow Realtors with common business needs and interests. Among the many benefits of membership you enjoy are:

Advocacy through government representation
The Legal Hotline
Commonwealth magazine
E-mail updates and networking opportunities with other members through active listservs
Access to great education programs
Leadership and networking opportunities
Specialty sections
Standard forms
Money-saving member service discounts
Daily updated Web site
And a new benefit: a free personal Web site for every Virginia Realtors through VAR’s new Living Network Web site

We can sum up association membership in three words:
Influence. Information. Interconnection.

First and primarily, I believe my membership in VAR helps to keep me central to the real estate transaction. This is achieved by keeping the Realtor as the initial contact. Second, VAR is visible and vocal in the legislative and regulatory areas to preserve the rights of the public and the rights of the realtor. VAR will fight to keep private property rights from eroding, seeking a balance between property owners and protectionists groups.

---Realtor Jack Torza, Richmond; 2000 VAR President

2. Annual report. The North Carolina Association of Realtors uses its annual report, which is published in its monthly magazine, to drive the value message home to members. The report details the year’s legislative accomplishments; covers legal, education, and event highlights; and summarizes the association’s work monitoring--and keeping members informed about--real estate trends.
(See the 2001 annual report online at http://nc.living.net/public/THR/2002/thr-0702/success.htm)

3. Dollar-and-cent breakdowns. Often, the most eloquent explanations of value pale in comparison to a simple breakdown of where dues dollars go.

The North Carolina Association of Realtors itemizes dues on its Web site this way:
What Your $75 in Dues Dollars Does for You
Ever wondered where your annual dues end up? Here’s the
breakdown:
Operations: $26.66
Legislative: $13.73
Education/Member Services: $12.49
Legal: $8.05
NCAR/NAR Meetings: $7.67
Communications: $6.40

In the Santa Clara County (Calif.) Association of Realtors’ annual report letter, CEO Tom Thompson breaks down the numbers this way:

The cost of membership today, including your SUPRA Key and REIL MLS service for a year is about $1,045, or about $2.86 per day. Where else in America could you go into business for yourself for $2.86 per day, including inventory?

4. Brochures. Nearly every association develops some type of printed member benefits brochure to hand out or mail to members. Brochures range in sophistication from the Virginia Association’s 18-page booklet to Pennsylvania’s York & Adams Counties’ folded single sheet of paper. Visit the Realtor Association Resource Exchange (http://www.realtor.org/rare.nsf) to download PDFs of more association membership benefits brochures.

5. E-mail. Every e-mail you send to your members is an opportunity to market your programs, products, and services. At the bottom of each e-mail, add a line that highlights a program and links members to more information online. Break down the essential services into a one-page e-mail that can be sent out to potential members, such as new students in your real estate license classes.

6. Web site. The Internet has allowed associations to market their services to a wider audience than ever before. Your Web site is your chance to sell the value of membership to existing and potential members. The Nevada Association of Realtors (http://www.nvar.org), for instance, features its extensive member brochure in PDF format at its site. (Click on Member Benefits.) The Atlanta Association of Realtors features a prominent “Become a Member” button on its home page (http://www.realtorsatlanta.com) that links to a list of benefits and discounts, online membership applications, and an annual dues breakdown. The Alabama Association of Realtors’ site lists its legislative accomplishments in its member benefits section (http://www.alabamarealtors.com). The Pacific West Association of Realtors posts “10 Ways Your P.W.R. Realtor Membership Can Pay for Itself” (http://www.pwaor.com/membership/html/tenways.html).