Membership isn’t dying - but the old rules no longer work.

Across NGOs, campaigns, unions and political parties, organisations are signing people up in moments of urgency… and losing them just as fast. This report argues that the real crisis isn’t recruitment, but relationship. In a world of distrust, precarity and digital overload, people don’t join to be counted - they join to belong, to matter, and to make a difference they can see. 

Drawing on interviews and data from organisations representing 300,000 members our new report, The Future of Membership: From Lists of Names to Living Relationships shows what healthy membership looks like now: designed journeys instead of one-off transactions; community as the core product; technology that strengthens human connection rather than replacing it; and models that turn individual commitment into collective power. 

Packed with practical insights, case studies and next steps for campaigners, NGOs and political parties, this session explores how membership can once again become a route to power and belonging - and why getting this right is essential to long-term impact and resilience. 

If you’re grappling with churn, passive members, generational shifts or the limits of “business as usual,” this report offers a roadmap for building living relationships, resilient membership ecosystems - not just bigger lists.