At Home In Berks - 22

FEATURES

WHAT PBA IS DOING
FOR YOUR MEMBERSHIP GOALS
By Rick Cochran, PBA Director of Communications & Member Services
Membership.
Growing it and keeping it. That is the biggest challenge in
the age of COVID.
Over the past year, local associations across Pennsylvania
have seen numbers falling. It is happening across the
country.
According to an analysis of NAHB membership, the
national average level of decrease over 2019 rosters is 6.40%.
The percentages across the country range from a loss of
64.26% in Rhode Island to an increase of 18.96% in Maine
(looks impressive, but that increase brought them to a total
of only 116). In fact, there were only four states that posted
a membership in the black over 2019. Besides Maine, the
others were Hawaii (7.07%), South Dakota (.39%), and
Nevada (.25%).
Despite the challenges, Pennsylvania experienced an
average loss of 7.30%. Some neighboring states posted
higher losses - Delaware (-16.34%), New York (-9.74%),
New Jersey (-9.65%). Maryland fared slightly better with
a -7.24% loss, followed by Ohio (-6.2%) and West Virginia
(-3.41%).
The biggest deficits across the board have been at the
Associate Member level, some of which results from
budget cuts and layoffs due to the pandemic. COVID
has also played a part in the reduced number of Builder
Members, but other factors including business closures and
retirements have been major factors as well.
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AT HOME IN BERKs SPRING/SUMMER 2021

So where do we go from here?
In 2020, PBA Membership Chair Cathy Sloan headed a
Membership Task Force that polled local associations and
developed materials and ideas for local associations.
Each local was asked to complete a workbook of
questions about their membership efforts. Everything from
identifying potential members, to onboarding, engaging,
and preparing these members for future leadership roles
was included.
The completed surveys were studied by Task Force
members and a Best Practices Retention Booklet was
compiled. The booklet offered proven-effective suggestions
for communicating with new and potential members,
making them feel welcome, establishing ambassadors to
cultivate relationships, and how to develop a 30-, 60-, and
90-day successful membership.
Copies of the booklet were sent to all local executive
officers as well as key membership contacts in those locals.
Also developed were customized Power Point
presentations for each local that spelled out the benefits of
membership. Money-saving perks and rebates, insurance
offerings, advocacy contacts, educational opportunities,
business development and coaching possibilities were all
included in a package that is available for local membership
representatives to share.
At Home In Berks

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