Editor’s Note: This is Part 2 of a three-part series by Denise Saari, CMP, Membership/Marketing/Communications Manager at Addison Reserve Country Club, exploring how member onboarding has evolved to meet the changing needs of today’s club memberships.
In the first two parts of this series (see Onboarding Doesn’t End After 90 Days and One Welcome Doesn’t Fit Every Member), I shared how our traditional onboarding program welcomes new members and how we have adapted that experience for younger members and families. But onboarding doesn’t stop once a member settles into club life. Sometimes, existing members find themselves experiencing the club in an entirely new way.
New Club Experience Onboarding
A Change in Membership Categories
At Addison Reserve, we offer two membership categories: full golf and partial golf.
When an existing member has the opportunity to change from partial golf to full golf, onboarding starts all over again. That member now has the opportunity to fully embrace and become integrated into the golf culture at the club.
Everything is new to these members. There are differences in spending, an introduction to golf itself for some, and the completion of a mandatory golf orientation. It is possible they have never made a tee time, owned a golf cart or understood the trail fee structure, clinics and tournaments, or, most importantly, how to find a golf partner or three, or join a group.
It is a fresh look at membership for them.
Our membership is evolving, and I am evolving as well.
During my 16 years at Addison Reserve, I have witnessed the evolution of our membership. Sixteen years ago, original members who joined the club in the early 2000s were in their 60s, full of life and engaged in every aspect of the club. Fast forward, and those same members are now approaching their 80s. Many are experiencing life-changing events that impact their club experience.
Single Member Onboarding
“I’ve Been Here for 20 Years, but This Is All New to Me. My Spouse Did Everything.”
A maturing membership requires an evolution in onboarding.
The newly single member is, more often than not, unaware of the mechanics of the membership.
Many spouses, most often female but certainly not exclusively, have no idea how the membership account functions. They are unaware of what changes will occur to the membership and are completely overwhelmed with everything happening in their lives. The club account is the least of their concerns, yet it must be addressed.
In these instances, onboarding becomes a guided tour of statements, how to pay, when to pay and, often, the first realization of the annual cost of their membership. That can be a total surprise.
During this transition, adult children often become involved and question their role in the membership, if any, and how they may assist their newly single parent.
We offer a Companion Program for single members that allows them to have a companion with them for club functions. This program is very important to newly single members, and many are unaware it even exists.
I make every effort to spend a great deal of time with these members, answering questions not only about the membership, but also about how their club experience has changed.
All this is to say, onboarding never stops. Not in 90 days, six months or even 12 months.
For some members, onboarding may be a one-time experience when they join the club. For others, they will board that train more than once during their club life.
The common thread throughout these very different scenarios is that each change within the club necessitates a new integration into the member’s club experience.
Perhaps it’s time we stop thinking of onboarding as something we do for new members and start thinking of it as something we do for members—wherever they are in their journey.
