Telephone route to member retention: VFW's Membership Department is testing telephone marketing to bring unpaid members back into the fold

If you haven't paid your VFW dues and you get a call from what seems to be a typical telephone solicitor, don't be so quick to slam down the phone. VFW is testing a new approach to urge delinquent members to pony up their membership dues.

It began on Jan. 21 this year when VFW Membership Director Jim Rowoldt gave a list of 50,000 names to a Kansas City-area telephone marketing company. After paring the list down to some 28,000 names, the calling began. Rowoldt has personally observed the operators at work and believes it has potential.

"I've watched as they (telephone solicitors) have called delinquent members" Rowoldt said. "Right away the callers identify themselves as VFW representatives. It communicates to our members that we're not trying to sell them something."

Rather, Rowoldt explains, it is more a friendly reminder that VFW National Headquarters has not yet received the member's 2002 dues. So far, he says it seems to be working.

As of Feb. 15, the telephone solicitors had called some 7,700 delinquent members. Rowoldt said that 15% to 20% of the VFW members reached had agreed to pay their dues by check or money order. Another 1% to 2% paid over the phone by credit card. Less than 5% told the telephone operators they would not renew their memberships, and 3% were deceased. About 1% fell into what Rowoldt called "hardship cases."

"We refer these back to the home Post so that they can investigate or help the member renew," he said.

Another 1% of delinquent members have asked not to be called again.

Two Phases to Plan

The Membership Department's test of renewing delinquent members via telephone--the first time it's ever been tried by VFW--consists of two phases. The first is aimed at merely retaining members. The second phase is geared toward enhancing national and Department recruitment of VFW members-at-large (MALs).

"If this proves to be successful," Rowoldt said, "we will offer this to the Departments. We're trying to offer Departments more tools to retain annual members and attract and recruit new members."

Rowoldt notes that delinquent members who are not interested in joining a Post are invited to join the organization as a MAL. He added that this new approach to dues renewal is being tested only in Departments participating in the direct dues program and on MALs whose membership has lapsed.

He says that if the telephone marketing test is as successful as it appears to be, then it may become a regular retention method in the 2002-03 membership year, beginning in September 2002.

"I'm excited," Rowoldt said. "With a little luck we can keep our annual members and bring in many new ones."