Hi Amanda,
    We send one letter the month before expiration. If, after two  
months, we haven't heard from the "miscreants," we send a bright green  
"last-ditch" reminder postcard. We lost about 25 members last year  
(out of 600) but gained more than that in new membership. We also put  
expiration reminders on the mailing labels of the quarterly  
newsletter, right next to a membership renewal form. I'm always  
surprised how many responses we get to that.
    So, the simple answer is, no, we do not see a significant  
reduction in renewals with one letter.
Best,
Heather McClenahan, assistant museum director
Los Alamos Historical Society
http://www.losalamoshistory.org
[log in to unmask]
PO Box 43
1050 Bathtub Row
Los Alamos, NM 87544
505-662-6272 (office)
505-470-2912 (cell)




On Mar 15, 2011, at 1:59 PM, Amanda Wheeler wrote:

> Hello,
>
> I work at a small museum with a staff of three full time employees.  
> The staff here is weighing the benefits of sending multiple  
> membership renewal letters. At the moment, we send membership  
> renewal reminders three months before membership expires, again two  
> months before, and just before a member expires (three letters in  
> total). We are thinking of simply sending one renewal letter before  
> a member expires to save both time and postage. At the same time we  
> do not want to loose any renewals.
>
> How often does your organization send membership renewal letters? Do  
> you find a significant reduction in the number of renewals if you  
> send only one letter?
>
> Thank you so much for your time!
>
> Amanda Wheeler
> Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden
> 421 East 61st Street
> NY, NY 10065
> (212) 838-6878
> [log in to unmask]
>
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