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NICA ONLINE: Vision Scope (Introduction)Objective: Enhance Virtual Community of NW Communitarians
Objective: Increase NW IC Web Site Traffic
Objective: Improve NW IC Exposure
Objective: Increase NICA Membership
Conclusion
Project Ideas
Board of Advisors
Program Manager
Objective: Increase NICA Membership
Note: The content below was written prior to the addition of the Objective: Enhance Virtual Community of NW Communitarians was added to the NICA ONLINE project. This is an ambitious objective, which may decrease the level of investment made on the Increase NICA Membership objective.
Since almost nobody joins NICA from the current web site, increasing traffic alone will not appreciably increase NICA membership. That goal requires a more effective membership strategy, including well-defined and well-communicated membership benefits.
Develop Effective Membership Strategies
Today, NICA lives because of a few committed members -- as is the case for many low-budget, volunteer organizations, people volunteer, then disapper. Since its formation in 1991, just a handful of people have moved in and out of the all-volunteer leadership positions. NICA has survived economically by operating extremely efficiently (charging $25 per person for a Community Gathering, but only spending $22, for example). NICA has gotten by with a minimal membership base by simply not spending money -- or by relying on the dedicated few to cover NICA costs (such as leaders who have not been reimbursed for long-distance NICA business calls).
Increasing the membership will make the organization more economically sustainable, create a more engaged group of IC supporters, and thereby help NICA and the NW IC movment thrive. The NICA ONLINE project is being funded due to a substantial donation to NICA and would not be possible based only on its current membership income. Similar efforts can only be realized if NICA can establish a more sustainable economic base -- which requires NICA to attract financial support.
Many non-profit organizations have created different types or levels of "membership." One example is The Paramount Theater, which offers several different membership levels, targeting different groups of individuals and organizations. Memberships available today (in order of increasing cost) are Email List Subcribers, Season Ticket Holders, Donors, Paramount Club, Educational Sponsors, and Supporters. Each "membership" offers specific sets of goods and services to the different targets.
Potential NICA "subscribers" include (1) NW communities and community-related organizations, (2) community activists and community members, and (3) community seekers and general supporters. To successfully increase NICA’s membership, we should select one of these targets, then define a package of goods and services that can be cost-effectively delivered. At that point, NICA should reach out to that audience and make it very easy to join. One of these target groups should selected and tested prior to a larger membership drive.
Here are some ideas (with no research) on how NICA might help members of the three types described above:
NW communities & |
Existing community activists and community members |
New community seekers & supporters |
Sponsorship of website sections |
Inclusion in directory |
"Trinkets and Trash", hats, T-shirts, etc. |
Inclusion as featured communities on NICA site |
Discounts on goods and services |
Full access to in depth community information |
Participation in a traffic network -- receive increased levels of traffic |
Right to contribute to websites |
Right to contribute to websites |
Invitation to special events |
Invitation to special events |
Invitation to special events |
Publish to Communities Seeking Members |
Advertisements with links to personal websites |
Inclusion on a new Seeking Community page |
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Duration of membership determines costs of services, e.g. cohousing units for sale get listed for free if a member for>1 year |
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Large commercial website networks work hard to convert general users into more and more “valuable users.” Valuable users are those who generate revenues for the company – either directly, by paying money for goods and services, or indirectly, by doing something that generates revenue (viewing lots of pages with advertising, playing sponsored games, etc.).
The key to "realizing value" out of web site users is to make it very easy for them to get to the right pages. On the simplest level, this means providing links to membership pages from everywhere in the NICA network. More sophisticated methods let users sample something which is otherwise restricted to members.There is much more work to be done regarding increasing the NICA membership.
Contact: Craig Ragland
Updated: 8/18/05