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It’s not just the kids who should be receiving their grades this time of year.

The 2014 “Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report” from Marketing General Inc. found that member renewal rates were flat, even in the face of rising new member rates. Sending report cards to your members is a great way to remind them of the value your association provides throughout the year, and could be an important resource when it comes time for renewals.

Assign a dollar amount to the benefits you offer and use your association management system to track and pull reports on what your members have taken advantage of so far and what remains for them to use. Not only does this help members understand your value, it also serves as a reminder to take advantage of unused benefits before their member year is up.

If you provide a certain amount of free legal counsel, for example, put the market value of that service in the report. And, similarly, show how much they’ve saved in member discounts to events, products, trainings, and other association initiatives.

Even if he or she is a less engaged member, you can place a dollar amount to your legislative efforts and any public campaigns you have done on behalf of the industry. Don’t be shy about showcasing your hard work and the cost of those efforts.

In addition to report cards for individual members, an overall report card or benefit breakdown is useful for prospective new members. Include this in the membership section of your website and in printed new member materials.

If done well, your members’ scores should far exceed the cost of membership.

In a time where members are closely watching every dollar and considering how they will budget for professional development in 2016, this fall could be the right time to send your first report card and show them how well they are excelling (or where they could make up) in their membership engagement.