What Happens After Members Join?

How to turn your value proposition into practical CRM journeys that fit

Part 3 | APPLY VALUE

If you’ve ever wondered why your onboarding feels flat, or why so many members drop off after their first year, this is probably why:

➡ You don’t have a clear picture of what should happen after they join.

You might have a CRM. You might have data. But if the steps between “welcome” and “renewal” aren’t mapped out or don’t reflect what members actually value, it’s going to feel like you’re always chasing engagement.

In Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, we talked about the importance of getting clear on what your organisation really offers and how to define that in a way that your team, your content, and your CRM can actually use.

Now we’ll show you how to turn that clarity into real journeys — journeys that help members feel seen, supported, and part of something.

Step 1: Break it down into real stages

Every member goes through a version of this:

➡ Join
➡ Engage
➡ Renew
➡ Re-engage (if they drift)

These stages might look different depending on your organisation or member types, but the principle is the same.

If your CRM isn’t supporting each of these steps and tracking when someone isn’t moving forward, it’s not doing enough.

Step 2: Think about what the member actually needs at each point

This is where your value proposition becomes your guide.

For example:
If your value proposition for student members is about confidence and career advice, then early engagement content should:

Point them to mentorship or grad schemes
Share stories from recent members who’ve found roles
Offer a clear path through your benefits

That’s real value, not just listing features.

And it means your CRM journey isn’t just “email 1, email 2, renewal reminder.”
It’s a designed experience based on what they care about.

Step 3: Use your CRM to track real movement, not just clicks

You don’t need to get super technical to do this well.

You just need your CRM to track:

Key actions (e.g. registered for CPD, downloaded guide, joined group)
Gaps (e.g. no activity in 60 days, didn’t open onboarding emails)
Triggers (e.g. change in job role, moved from student to associate)

This gives you the power to build lightweight but relevant journeys:

Send check-in emails at the right time
Tailor messages based on their role or interests
Know when to prompt re-engagement

Step 4: Connect CRM and CMS to make it visible

This is the step many orgs skip: connecting your CRM to your CMS.

It doesn’t have to be complicated; many platforms (like Umbraco) allow this with simple tools.

The result?

Show different web content based on role or status
Personalise portals or dashboards with helpful resources
Avoid showing retired members' events for students (and vice versa)

This kind of quiet relevance shows your members that you see them.

It’s subtle, but powerful.

Step 5: Test, review, and adapt

Not everything you build will work straight away.

That’s normal.

The organisations that succeed with CRM journeys treat them like live experiences, not one-off campaigns. They:

Track which touchpoints actually lead to renewal
Talk to their members about what feels useful
Adjust when something falls flat

It’s not about perfection. It’s about progress built on clarity.

What this looks like when it works

Here’s what happens when you get this right:

· Members feel supported because your emails, content, and portals speak to what they need.

· You save time because your team isn’t reinventing journeys or firefighting every quarter.

· Your CRM becomes a strategic asset, not just a place where data goes to die.

Let’s recap

You need:

A clear value proposition
Defined journeys built around that value
A system that helps you deliver it consistently

That’s how you go from “doing CRM” to actually creating member experiences that work.

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