The Seven Deadly Sins of Membership Marketing

How to Overcome Barriers and Drive Association Growth

Is your association struggling to recruit and retain members in today’s rapidly challenging landscape?

The Seven Deadly Sins of Membership Marketing by Tony Rossell delivers a fresh, actionable approach to overcoming the most persistent obstacles that hold associations back. Drawing on decades of industry experience and in-depth research, Rossell offers association leaders a clear, proven path to revitalizing their membership strategies and driving sustainable growth.

Today’s association leaders face mounting challenges: shifting member needs, heightened competition, and rising member expectations. But achieving growth is possible—and Rossell reveals how. The Seven Deadly Sins of Membership Marketing identifies the critical pitfalls that undermine membership success, from failing to define a compelling value proposition, neglecting consistent recruitment efforts, overlooking the power of omnichannel marketing, and underfunding critical membership initiatives. Each chapter dives into one of these “Seven Deadly Sins,” providing practical, strategic solutions to help associations attract, engage, and retain more members.

Rossell’s focus on understanding member behavior, justifying marketing investments, and crafting a compelling value proposition equips association leaders with a powerful toolkit to drive change. With insights from real-world case studies and years of industry research, Rossell’s guide empowers associations to tackle membership barriers head-on and transform their marketing efforts into a sustainable growth engine.

If your association is ready to identify and solve the challenges holding back membership growth, The Seven Deadly Sins of Membership Marketing is the book for you.