A Membership Model Designed to Scale

How CMA Simplified Membership Pricing and Helped AMM Grow Without Disruption

CHALLENGE

The Association of Medical Media (AMM) was operating with a membership structure that no longer reflected the realities of its evolving industry.

The organization had layered new categories and pricing tiers onto its original model to accommodate changing company types, services and revenue streams. The result was a complex, inequitable structure with various pricing tiers that offered the same benefits.

This lack of clarity created challenges. Larger members questioned the value of higher dues, smaller companies struggled with affordability, and prospective members often did not see where they fit. Frequent changes to categories and pricing led to renewal confusion and reduced confidence in the membership model.

AMM needed a solution that would restore equity, simplify and clarify its membership categories and support growth without disrupting existing operations. With a lean staff and a volunteer-led committee, AMM turned to CMA for guidance.

SOLUTION

CMA partnered with AMM to redesign its membership structure, simplifying and clarifying categories so members and prospects could easily see where they fit.

Following a review of the industry landscape, member composition and pricing equity, CMA streamlined AMM’s membership categories, replacing a complex mix of tiers with a clear, flexible structure.  Key elements of the solution included:

• Reducing publisher (full) tiers from nearly six to three while maintaining revenue-based pricing.
• Consolidating multiple micro-categories into a single affiliate category to simplify choices and accommodate diverse service providers.
• Tiering affiliate membership by employee size to ensure affordability and equity.
• Introducing a formal proration policy, standardizing 50% dues for members joining after July 1.
• Providing clear talking points to support consistent, confident member communication.

CMA also had AMM introduce an end-of-year incentive that allowed prospects to begin their membership early, effectively creating a 13-month membership.

RESULTS

The restructured membership model took effect during the last renewal cycle, delivering immediate, measurable impact. In one year, AMM achieved the following growth:

• 2 new full member companies.
• 5 new affiliate member companies.
• 5 new agency member companies.

Total company membership reached 60, representing 905 individuals, an increase of 127 individuals and 16.3% growth prior to CMA’s engagement.

Beyond membership growth, the simplified and clearly defined structure improved pricing equity, strengthened value alignment and restored confidence in AMM’s membership model. Clear categories and consistent messaging enhanced outreach efforts and contributed to increased inbound interest.