? Where is your pool? Every pool I know has waitlists or at least no shortage of people wanting to join. Why do you have to offer incentives?

Anonymous wrote:Free or discounted swim lessons. This is a nice draw for younger families and hopefully will develop a love of swimming from an early age (and help create a pipeline for your swim team).

What pool does this

Anonymous wrote:Also what is your buy in. Do you allow new members to rent for a summer without the buy in to decide if they want to become full members.

The bond purchase is $725, so that's what is paid the first year. Associate memberships are temporary/annual and we have those too, which is what I think you mean by "renting" for a summer.

Also what is your buy in. Do you allow new members to rent for a summer without the buy in to decide if they want to become full members.

I’m on the board of a pool inside the beltway with a long waitlist and we get daily emails from people begging to be moved up the waitlist. I think you just need to advertise more. If you have space available in your pool post it here. I’ll start sending people who send us the begging emails direct referrals. Alternatively if for some reason you don’t want to post here reach out to the board of nearby pools with waitlists and let them know you have space so they can send people your way.

Discounts for members x age and under - the idea is that you draw them with very young kids or before kids, and they stay and pay the higher dues once they hit 35 or whatever you choose.

Discounts for fees paid in advance - club can use the fees they receive upfront for capital investment etc.

Off peak members - discounts for members who use the facility on weekdays only etc

I wouldn’t off too many different types of incentives though, it gets confusing and leaves people feeling like someone is getting a better deal than them, which can be frustrating

Anonymous wrote:I thought all pools in this area had long waitlists. I wasn't aware any offered membership incentives. Where are you located?

Not all pools. The ones in lower divisions tend to also lower membership bases.

I thought all pools in this area had long waitlists. I wasn't aware any offered membership incentives. Where are you located?

Anonymous wrote:Sibling discounts are very common for both club and summer swim teams.

Thanks. Our swim team offers this, but I'm looking more for general membership incentives.

Anonymous wrote:Free or discounted swim lessons. This is a nice draw for younger families and hopefully will develop a love of swimming from an early age (and help create a pipeline for your swim team).

That's a good idea. Do the guards provide the lessons and does the club cover the cost/pay their rate?

Anonymous wrote:We offer a referral bonus to existing members if they convince someone new to join.

OP here. Yes, we have that too, but people rarely use it.

We offer a referral bonus to existing members if they convince someone new to join.

Free or discounted swim lessons. This is a nice draw for younger families and hopefully will develop a love of swimming from an early age (and help create a pipeline for your swim team).

Sibling discounts are very common for both club and summer swim teams.

Recent threads about swim team registrations and the waiving of team fees have me wondering what incentives other clubs might be offering new members. I’m on our membership committee and I’d like to hear of anything others might share. We currently offer open house weekend discounts and always have a military discount from our temporary membership. We have a “no dues the first year” incentive for bonds and offer referral discounts for current members, but willing to consider “ outside the box” ideas. For example, I saw one cllub offering a “Join with a friend” promotion during which two families could join for the price of one. Something like that, or a variation of it, we might consider for the future.

Thanks