Our MemberWise 2025 Presentation
At MemberWise Solutions Day 2025, I had the pleasure of sharing insights on developing effective commercial strategies specifically tailored for membership organisations. Drawing from my experience at Intercloud9, as well as past roles at Women’s Aid Federation and the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, I emphasised how successful commercialisation can coexist harmoniously with mission-driven values.
Understanding Perceptions Around Commercial Strategy
I began the session by exploring common perceptions around commercial strategy within the membership sector. Using a quick poll, attendees shared their immediate thoughts, revealing challenges around lack of commercial skills, lack of available time to create commercial strategies and internal resistance. Addressing these challenges is crucial because the misunderstanding that commercial strategies conflict with organisational values often becomes the biggest barrier to sustainable growth.
Contextual Challenges in the UK Membership Sector
The UK membership sector is diverse, vibrant, but facing unprecedented challenges. Competition, shifting member expectations, and economic pressures have increased significantly, requiring organisations to blend strategic thinking with commercial innovation.
Although many organisations have experienced modest growth, often in single-digit percentages, the landscape remains challenging. Smaller associations struggle with transitioning to contemporary membership models like online CPD, webinars, or digital networking platforms. Meanwhile, larger bodies depend heavily on membership subscriptions, with these fees typically constituting between 40% and 70% of total revenue. Despite ongoing diversification attempts, many still struggle with high attrition rates and low new-member acquisition.
Overcoming Internal Barriers
A major point of discussion centred on internal barriers to commercial adoption. Resistance frequently arises from a perceived misalignment with organisational values or lack of clarity around how commercial practices can support member-focused goals. Moreover, organisations often lack internal commercial expertise or dedicated resources, making strategic commercial development challenging.
To overcome these barriers, I highlighted the importance of reframing the idea of ‘selling’. Rather than viewing commercial practices as purely transactional, we should approach them as ‘problem-solving’ and ‘value-adding’ activities designed to meet members’ genuine needs and challenges.
Developing a Member-Led Value Proposition
A compelling, member-led value proposition lies at the heart of any successful commercial strategy. This means clearly answering the critical question: “What urgent or valuable problems do we solve for our members?”
Using another interactive exercise, attendees identified common member pain points and discussed how their organisations uniquely address these issues. I emphasised the need for continuous, synthesised research to deeply understand member experiences and identify opportunities. Such an ongoing commitment ensures alignment between organisational offerings and member needs, enhancing perceived value and reducing attrition.
Case Study: Women’s Aid Federation
To illustrate these concepts in practice, I shared a case study from our recent experience with Women’s Aid Federation (WA). When Intercloud9 began supporting WA in early 2023, the charity faced significant funding cuts alongside increased cost-of-living pressures negatively affecting donations. Additionally, internal resistance to commercial approaches and inadequate digital infrastructure posed further hurdles.
Intercloud9 conducted a thorough audit of WA’s capabilities, identifying critical gaps in digital and marketing skills, financial data accuracy, and technology infrastructure. Importantly, despite these challenges, WA possessed a strong, recognisable brand and significant potential for growth, provided it could successfully integrate commercial thinking.
Transforming Women’s Aid’s Commercial Approach
By mid-2023, we had formulated a robust commercial strategy designed to replace lost grant funding rapidly. Recognising that the traditional membership model would not sufficiently support growth, we sought new audience segments and leveraged existing strengths. Our strategic focus centred on the corporate market, capitalising on WA’s policy expertise, specialist training programmes, and a unique professionals’ helpline initially aimed at statutory agencies. We repositioned this service to support HR teams and line managers in organisations where employees may be experiencing domestic abuse.
By aligning these offerings with membership and certification products, WA created a differentiated, mission-aligned commercial package. Launching a dedicated business development team in October 2023, WA secured major corporate partnerships with organisations including Uber, Airbnb, Lime, Mastercard, and Fulham FC, generating over £500,000 within the first year.
Key Steps in Developing an Effective Commercial Strategy
Reflecting on the WA journey and broader sector challenges, I outlined three critical steps necessary for commercial success:
- Audience Research: Consistently identify and articulate the urgent problems and opportunities facing your members, using diverse feedback channels to maintain alignment with evolving needs.
- Staff Engagement: Involve your team early to define and refine value propositions, fostering internal buy-in through clear, coherent messaging about the value of commercial activities.
- Product Development and Positioning: Craft clear, relevant, and targeted product offerings closely aligned with genuine member needs. Avoid ‘split personality’ approaches; instead, integrate commercial messaging seamlessly with your organisation’s broader member-focused communications.
Implementing Your Commercial Plan
Developing a strategy is merely the starting point; effective implementation is vital. Organisations must translate strategic goals into actionable, measurable plans. Clearly define responsibilities, set realistic timelines, and establish success metrics to monitor progress effectively.
Commercial targets should align directly with membership objectives, involving departments across the organisation, not only traditional revenue-generating teams like business development or fundraising. Comprehensive integration ensures that all teams, from marketing to service delivery, work cohesively towards shared commercial and membership goals.
Conclusion
Successful commercialisation in the membership sector isn’t about profit. It’s about ensuring long-term sustainability, responsiveness, and the ability to fulfil core missions more effectively. By adopting a strategic, member-led approach to commercial development, membership organisations can unlock new growth avenues, enhance member value, and remain resilient in the face of ongoing economic and operational pressures.
