5 replies to this topic

[Mind]

We had some great suggestions in the recent membership poll - some things we will definitely want to implement in order to build a better member community.

The organization's income and web traffic has grown steadily over the last decade, but paid membership has remained fairly static. There is a core group of people who support the efforts of LongeCity without getting a whole lot in return. Many other people do not see the value of becoming a member, which is mostly the fault of leadership for not having developed a well-defined well-advertised plan. For those who are looking, you can find a list of current and past benefits, but we could certainly make it more apparent and understandable.

And we could offer more benefits.

Thus, I would like to open this thread up to suggestions for member benefits. One suggestion was getting some sort-of group membership at a testing company.

What would also be helpful is to explain why you are a paying member of other organizations. What is the allure? What are the benefits?

[kmoody]

Good post Mind. Does Longecity have financials disclosed anywhere? I know the organization has a great track record of seeding interesting and important high-risk projects. It may be helpful for some people to be able to see where their dollars actually go. That has been a strong motivator for me in supporting (or not supporting) other organizations.

One of the things I like about Longecity is rather than a membership, I can support promoted projects on a case-by-case basis. Since I feel comfortable evaluating the merits of projects, I like having the flexibility of deciding which ones to support.

[Mind]

Thanks for the thoughtful comment Kelsey! The research is something I would like to highlight to a greater extent this year.

One of the benefits of membership that is not widely advertised but is well-liked is the "book/resource club". This is something that we might be able to make more well-known in the future.

[Mind]

As far as partnering up with companies to provide discounted products/services to LongeCity members, this has been fairly popular in the past.

The heavily discounted online subscription to Rejuvenation Research was very popular and lasted 2 years, before Liebert pulled the plug. Odds are unlikely that we can get such a deal again in the future.

The Vimmortal discount was very popular among members.

Juvess offers a discount code for its skin cream which I still take advantage of.

LongeCity advertisers are often encouraged to offer discounts to members as a way to further enhance their presence in the community. This mainly pertains to supplements and we should continue this practice in the future IMO.

It has been frequently suggested that LongeCity hook-up with 23andMe for some sort-of group buy/discount/genetic science project. I have tried to contact them, but have had no luck. If anyone else has a contact with the company, please let us know.

If there are any other companies you would like to see LongeCity approach for a member discount/partnership please post here in this discussion. Don't be afraid to dream big. This thread is for developing better member benefits. We need to know what members are interested in.

Edited by Mind, 07 April 2013 - 04:20 PM.

[Mind]

I have long wanted to have some sort-of partnership with LEF. A few people knock LEF for "hawking supplements". This is a reasonable critique, but LEF is huge into radical life extension, and I can't help but think there is some synergy to be exploited between our organizations. At one point in the past, LEF provided prizes for our Folding@home team, so they know who we are and are willing to cooperate at least on some level.

If I don't get any suggestions, I will consider cold calling some of the popular supplement providers to see if there are any possible partnerships we can drum up.

Feel free to suggest any journals you would like to get a discount on. Rejuvenation Research was a great deal for LongeCity and you never know if there might be some trial discounts/group discounts we can get with some other major publishers.

[Mind]

Access to a database of member scientists/professions/skills could be a member perk. We are in the process of asking people what type of skills they possess, jobs and what not, in order to figure out who might be able to help out on various projects. Perhaps the list could be a member perk.

I asked earlier what other orgs people belong to (paying member) and why. For me, I pay a few hundred per year to belong to the AMS, but it is kind-of an involuntary thing. They have a certification program and if you are not a paying member (and meet a couple other knowledge-based criteria), you don't get certified, and it is harder to advance in your career. LongeCity could offer some sort-of certification for longevity science or advocacy, but I wouldn't want it to be based primarily upon payment, but more on other contributions to the field and to the organization