Lapsed Member Contact Program Archive

It’s time to put a bounty on lapsed members! The annual Lapsed Member Contact Program highlights what you do best — provide a personal touch to the letter, email, postcard, social media, or phone call. Because American Mensa extended the renewal deadline until April 30, this year the Lapsed Member Contact program will run June 1-Aug. 31.

We’ll reimburse your Local Group 50 cents for each current-year lapsed member contacted through the end of August. And to appeal to your competitive side, the group with the highest renewal percentage in each group class size will be awarded a CultureQuest team entry in 2021.

Remember, the “contact” can be a letter, email, postcard, or phone call. To receive reimbursement for this outreach, email our Local Group Services Manager by Sept. 1 (5 p.m., Central time) with the number of lapsed members contacted and how they were contacted. That’s it; no fine print or hidden clauses.

A list of lapsed members can be found in your officer reports, and using the Email My Members tool to reach out is a snap.

In your communication with your lapsed members, direct them to us.mensa.org/renew to renew their memberships. Add a link in your email or provide the URL address in a note. Make sure to include the National Office phone number, (817) 607-0060 ext. 199, and remind them to call if they experience difficulties or would prefer to renew via phone.

Thank you for all you do to encourage and promote membership in American Mensa! If you have any questions, or would like to share your particularly successful reach-out campaign, contact Becky Folger, our Local Group Services Manager.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you verify contact?
Well, we trust you. We’re on the honor system here. You need to document how you contacted members (email, phone, letter). An attached sample would be nice.

Is this for any lapsed member?
This program is for current-year lapses only (those whose membership expired April 30, 2020). Don’t forget: Local Groups receive $1/member for renewing members who have lapsed longer than the current year.

What do I say to these members?
Use the checklist below and share it with everyone who is contacting lapsed members. There are sample letters/emails in the archives if you would like to see them.

When will our group receive reimbursement for contact?
We need an email with number of members contacted and form of contact by Sept. 1. (Put that in your calendar now!) The extra money will show up in your September funding deposit.

A stamp costs 55 cents, how is this worth it?
Well, an email or a phone call doesn’t cost that much. Save the postage for the really tough cases. Take advantage of the easy-to-use Email My Members tool.

Is it 50 cents each time we contact them?
No, it’s 50 cents per current-year lapsed member contacted. Some members might need to be contacted more than once: an email followed up by a phone call, or a phone call followed by a personal note.