Outreach and Retention Committee Meeting Notes

[J.R. Logan]

MakeHaven Outreach and Retention Meeting Notes

Attending: Terence, Ashely, JR, Christina Q, Nancy

1. Budget Situation / Analysis

• Tight Budget Year:

  • Sliding scale implementation offset the price increase. Sod did not see expected revenue growth.
  • School program cancellations impacted expected income.
  • Member recruitment is critical to stabilize finances.

• Considerations:

  • Is member behavior influenced by the election cycle?

2. Postcard Experiment

• Sent postcards to Wooster Square from a purchased mailing list. Results pending.
• Suggestions for Improvement:
  • Include specific event dates rather than general tour invites.
  • Target new apartment complexes in the area.
  • Create small promo cards ("Join MakeHaven") for members to hand out.
  • Leverage member network using existing flyers and NFC-enabled access cards that lead to the website. (Note: Consider accessibility for less tech-savvy audiences.)

3. Social Media Outreach

• Discussed the creation of a TikTok account for outreach. JR to explore feasibility, focusing on cross-posting from Instagram.
• Instagram Takeover Idea:
  • Designate members to showcase their daily activities at MakeHaven for a week. Nancy to develop the concept.

4. Member Funnel / Driving Membership

• Opportunities:

  • Build membership through follow-up after tours, meetups, workshops, and lectures.
  • Track guest waiver contacts in CRM and create follow-up campaigns.
  • Refine post-event emails with clear Calls to Action (e.g., “You loved tufting—join us to continue your hobby!”).
  • Offer a discount for sign-ups within 24 hours of tours or workshops.
  • Explore integrating tours into workshop experiences.

•  GEMS Driving membership:

  • Gems fills up and recruits, we should replicate gems.
  • The 10-week format may be intimidating for some.
  • Mini-GEMS concept: a 4-week, workshop-focused package designed for new members.
  • Potential to position workshops as introductions to membership.

5. Promoting Membership During Workflow

• Current Tour Conversion Rate: Approximately 25%.
• Plan to enter leads into the CRM with scheduled follow-up actions.
• Add a promotional discount to post-workshop follow-up emails to encourage membership.
• “Meet MakeHaven” monthly meetup proposed but might be better to enhance existing successful meetups.
• Use success factors from existing meetups to refine the recruitment strategy.

6. Media Outreach

• Explore working with the Arts Council to feature a story in the Arts Paper.
  • Determine the most compelling angle to pitch.

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J.R. Logan
Executive Director

MakeHaven

JR: 203-676-3414 | LinkedIn | Meeting 

MakeHaven:  Tour | Newsletter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram | Website | Donate 

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[Kate Cebik]

Thanks for the great notes, JR. Sorry I had to miss. Family emergency. 

Just a couple things to add:

-We do currently offer a discount to be used post-tour in the follow up email. We just started this a couple of weeks ago. So far one code redeemed.  Love the idea of adding to workshop follow up. 

-For my last orientation 4 out of 4 people had never been in the space (no tour or otherwise). Curious to give some thought to how else people come to join and what grabs them so we can better utilize it. 

-Had the idea to offer a gift card sale to members, as we still get a lot of members from current members. Encourages members to consider a gift of MakeHaven this holiday season for friends and family members they have been suggesting to join. Thoughts?

Lots of great ideas in here. Thanks all!

Kate Cebik

she/her/hers

Operations Manager

MakeHaven

770 Chapel St.

New Haven, CT 06510

(203) 936-9238
www.makehaven.org

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[Brenda Brown]

Thank you for the notes. I didn’t see the reminder today until after the meeting was over as I was out doing yardwork. It looks like you all came up with a lot of good plans.

Brenda

Sent from my iPhone

On Nov 20, 2024, at 6:46 PM, J.R. Logan <jrl...@makehaven.org> wrote:



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[Ashley Zdeb]

Business card sized promo cards, from the topic of members being able to hand something out. 

Thoughts, ideas and impressions more than welcome. 

Ashley Zdeb

They/Elle

Education Manager

(860) 913-6899

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[Kate Cebik]

You are a master of Canva (I presume?) Looks good to me. We are okay with $10 off for 10 months?

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[Christina Quinonez]

These look amazing! 

Thank you Ashley!

On Fri, Nov 22, 2024 at 11:54 AM Ashley Zdeb <ashle...@makehaven.org> wrote:

[Ashley Zdeb]

Since they are cards meant for members to hand out, I went with the same benefit we give them for referrals. I'm not attached to it though, if the collective thinks something else would be better. It's easy to change the text. (and yeah, Canva, co-designed with ChatGPT. We make a pretty ok team!)

Ashley Zdeb

They/Elle

Education Manager

(860) 913-6899

Want to share a skill you have learned?

Become an Instructor

[Kate Cebik]