Party member benefits

With the party conference season underway we thought we would compare what rewards and benefits the main political parties offer to their members.   

Declining membership of political parties may be part of a general political malaise, but it does look as if UK parties are not putting much marketing effort into membership recruitment and retention.  At a time when many commercial organisations are trying to treat their customers as members, it seems as if these organisations, which really do have actual members, are offering very little in exchange for a members' loyalty. of course, it is arguable that adherence to the cause should be enough, and it would certainly be a shame if people chose their political affiliation on the basis of what personal fringe benefits they could enjoy. Nevertheless, offering exclusive benefits (and we are not just talking about being able to attend the conferences at a discount), does engender a sense of belonging, and of being valued, that might just help higher levels of retention.

 Anyway,  if you’re not persuaded by the policies and are swayed by the goodies,  here is a list of the goodies you can enjoy from the main political parties in the UK.  We hope this is useful.  You can get more details by following these links:

Conservative Party

Labour Party

Liberal Democrats

UKIP

Wine		Discount on The New Statesman
Golfing with Open Fairways		Note: http://www.labour.org.uk/ does mention recycling mobile phones as well as the Phone Co-op as member benefits, but none of the links actually work.
Cottage Rental
Blackwell Books
Discounted Rates on Hotel Stays		No member benefits offered
Childrens Toys
Mothercare online Discount
Experience Days		No member benefits offered
Legal Advice
Telecoms

Get more information at http://www.imember.co.uk

Westonbirth Arboretum added to iMember

We're always adding new organisations to our benefit checker.

Post by IMember.

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How we built the iMember mobile apps

Sel explains it all in this month's edition of Appliness. Read more here: http://www.empress-media.net/appliness/ApplinessSeptember2013.pdf

Winning customer loyalty through membership

Companies and organisations like to put labels on us.  For many we are simply customers.  Sometimes they may be more specific, such as viewers or students.  For others we may be members.

But as members, how involved are we with the organisation we deal with?  In theory the difference between customers and members is that members actually get a say in how an organisation is run.   We may not exercise that right, but whether we belong to a club, our local church, or a rock band, as a member we should have the right to influence how things are run (with the possible exception of the Mile High Club).

When we do belong to something, how active we are as members will differ enormously. Some of us will faithfully attend every AGM, scrutinise the accounts, elect the officers, sit on committees and generally contribute.  Some of us will simply enjoy the benefits.    

Sometimes, membership is just a label. Members of The AA have not had a say in how the association is run since it was de-mutualised in 1999.  Similarly those getting their breakdown cover from The RAC, may think of themselves as members, but they haven’t been since 1978. 

Loyalty from customers was lost when companies stopped being loyal to us.  One answer to this has been that companies are increasingly trying to rediscover some of the values of membership, albeit without any of the actual rights or responsibilities.  

So-called customer loyalty schemes are now moving beyond collecting stamps on cards every time you buy something, to more sophisticated schemes that look to attract us at an emotional level.  Giving consumers a sense of community, something that reflects their identity (giving rewards based on who you are, rather than what you buy), as well as a feeling of exclusiveness. We can expect to see more companies inviting their customers to be members of something, and that is to be welcomed.

http://www.imember.co.uk 

The difference between being a subscriber and being a member of an organisation

The Times (of London) runs a very broad scheme offering a range of benefits and rewards to its readers who subscribe, Times+.  Interestingly I received a survey from them this morning asking a number of questions, including "the difference between being a subscriber and being a member of an organisation".  They then go on to ask the more direct "To what extent do you consider yourself a member of Times+?".  This presages the launch of an "Introduce-a-Friend" scheme, but raises an interesting challenge for any organisation offering benefits and rewards.

There is a plethora of rewards, benefits, discounts, and vouchers to be had. You can't open your inbox without being offered 10% discounts on something. A myriad of websites exist to exchange information on available discount codes. How to stand out in this, less than appealing, crowd?  The answer is membership. Significantly, The Times' website is call www.mytimesplus.co.uk/.

We don't want to collect vouchers and coupons but we all want to save money. There is a special satisfaction in knowing we have really saved money. If everyone can do it, then it's just a price cut. We don't feel that we have saved anything. We want to feel exclusive, special.

Around three-quarters of British adults are members of at least one organisation or subscribe to a service.[Source: ComRes]. So what is the difference?  I think of my subscriptions as regular payments in exchange for a particular service. So this includes my Sky TV, my mobile phone, my gym, my insurance policies, my banking, and my newspaper. The iMember website confirms that nearly all of these offer some fringe benefits above and beyond the service I am paying for.  So what does membership offer that a subscription doesn't?  Do The AA's members feel any different from Green Flag's customers?

The membership we have of clubs, societies, unions, and professional bodies is different because, in addition to the services they provide, membership offers less tangible benefits: a sense of shared interest, a common purpose with a community of like-minded people, and more than anything, a feeling of belonging and recognition. We carry our membership cards with pride. This comes back to feeling special. It's being part of a club that not everyone else is in. I can enjoy the fringe benefits that membership brings because of who I am, rather than simply because I can afford to subscribe to something.  Membership is part of my identity,it reflects my interests, my concerns, my passions, whereas subscription is just shopping.

Going to University? Which ones offer the best benefits?

If you're applying to get into university it may seem as if you have to do everything you can to impress them. But they are keen to impress you too. So keen in fact, that many British universities offer a host of benefits simply by being a student there.   These can range from discounts on books (clearly useful), to cheap wine (clearly essential).  Here's a list of the top twenty universities in the UK offering the most benefits.  

 

Southampton University

Gloucestershire University

University of Oxford

University of Wolverhampton

Hertfordshire University

Heriot-Watt University

Robert Gordon University

University of East Anglia

Anglia Ruskin University

Lincoln University

University College London

University of The Arts London

University of Cambridge

Central Lancashire University

Aberdeen University

East London University

Bath University

Kingston University

Sheffield Hallam University

Coventry University

iMember helps to light up lives of children with life-threatening illnesses

At iMember we understand that the state of the economy means that every penny matters to the UK consumer. With a greater number of people in need and fewer donations coming in, charities also struggle to make ends meet as a result. That is why, in addition to saving the average UK consumer over £100 a year, iMember.co.uk has pledged to donate money that would usually be spent on promotional activities to children’s charity, Lifelites.

Not content with simply saving UK consumers over £100 each a year through offers they are usually unaware of or forget about, iMember is now giving away 5p per new sign up – with a minimum donation set at £250 - to provide education and entertainment technologies to children with short life expectancies.

iMember (http://imember.co.uk/) is a revolutionary new website and app that alerts and reminds UK consumers about money off deals to which they are entitled as members of clubs and organisations – all completely free of charge. To sign up and trigger a donation to Lifelites simply follow this link: http://imember.co.uk?promo=lifelites .

“Helping charities is a natural progression for iMember” said Richard Brown, Founder of the organisation. “As a company, we offer help to people; saving them money and helping them get the most out of their memberships and I am very proud that we are branching out to supporting the incredible work carried out by Lifelites.”

 

In order to start saving money and make the most of your memberships, visit iMember.co.uk via http://imember.co.uk?promo=lifelites and 5p will go towards giving children with limited life unlimited possibilities.