Build the Base

The Challenge
In 2006, the new director of membership at The Field Museum asked Kaiser Group to help redirect their current program. We identified three major goals: 1) to keep more members; 2) to be more cost-effective; and 3) to reposition Field membership as a personal relationship with the museum and a fun and substantive experience.

Kaiser Group Inc. Solution
Mary Kaiser worked closely with the director of membership to upgrade every element of the program, including direct mail, onsite sales, renewals, service, and website integration. They also worked together to improve internal relationships and organizational buy-in of membership within the museum. This involved extensive strategic, operating and budget planning; regular consulting meetings to assess and change as needed, and working with other key departments in the museum.

Next, Jen and Mary Kaiser, together with the communications firm a5 group inc., tackled the repositioning of membership. We created fresh messaging, design and copy for the direct mail packages and for all membership materials, such as the membership card, fulfillment package, Member Handbook, and renewal letter series.

Results
Field Museum membership had swelled with 2006’s major Tutankhamen exhibition just as we came on the job. Our strategies helped avoid a crash from this high point and instead guided membership to a stable and growing base of 38,000 as of June 2008. This participation level puts the Field among the top 5 largest membership programs for cultural institutions in Chicago.

Most exciting is that the membership base is stronger. Members are feeling more engaged and enthusiastic, and they’re showing it with greater participation. Members wear their new orange "Field member" stickers proudly when they visit. The renewal rate has increased by 24% in 2008, and the Annual Members Open House in 2008 drew 10,000 people – an all-time high by 40%!

Internally, the membership program gained visibility within the museum, and developed fruitful partnerships with many departments. The Field now has a more cost-effective approach to direct mail, with two design platforms they can use and re-use. Our extensive operating and budget planning with the Field Museum staff has successfully staved off a projected decline in members due to the mandated price increase, and built a program that is able to accomplish both its short-term revenue goals and its long-term retention and stability goals.