From October 13 to December 30, 2015, we ran our biggest membership drive campaign ever. We did a lot of experimenting and I want to share some results and learnings with you.

But first, I'll tell you about our program. Drupal Association membership is for anyone who uses Drupal, and anyone who wants to support our community and the project through a donation of membership dues. Membership is one way to contribute to Drupal, but it is by no means the only way.

The biggest accomplishment in this campaign: 10% growth

During the campaign period, we saw 10% overall growth in our membership (3,266 to 3,590 members). For the last two years over this same period of time, we had seen 1% growth in membership. Last year’s growth is a huge win.

Goal vs actual

Our campaign goals were to raise $100,000 and to have 1,000 new members sign up.

The results looked more like this: $50,896 and 480 new members.

We also had 148 lapsed members return and our overall membership grew. Despite not hitting our goals, we are happy to have new and renewing members and some new knowledge about campaign content.

Testing content

When the campaign launched on October 13, we put our first banner ever on drupal.org to test whether an increased presence on the site would make a difference in membership sales. The answer is a big Yes. There were spikes in membership sales around the times we launched and changed the content of the banners. The biggest day of sales took place on the day after the launch, Oct. 14, when 74 members paid dues.

On December 14, we refreshed the banner to include a photo and quote from a member who gave us a testimonial. We rotated the banners and a separate block on the drupal.org homepage until the end of the campaign to highlight a few members.

This graph shows the results during our December banner rotation period. There was a trough around the Christmas holiday, so testing this at a non-holiday time of year will be beneficial in a future campaign.

What we learned

A greater drupal.org presence helps sell memberships, and being mindful about what content to show our active members is important for inspiring people to share the campaign. If members see a banner, they should easily be able to share it or hide it.

We need to keep telling your stories. I saw some of the members who gave testimonials were given kudos in the community. It feels good to see the faces of the community and to see just why you care. We have continued sharing stories, starting with DrupalCon Asia.

On days we launched banners or refreshed content, we saw the biggest sales spikes and flurries of social activity. The time of year when many people step away from their computers could impact campaign performance, so testing at another time of year should be done.

Thanks to everyone who participated in this campaign. From the 27 members who gave testimonials, to everyone who joined or renewed membership or encouraged the community to be a part of the drive, we appreciate your help.

See the full report at https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1h0r32Tfw7TZ6osQbgtfMMJCZ3gjHMmwYlqOF8Xnmc80/edit#slide=id.g34532c755_069

Personal blog tags: Membership