As a follow up to Novi's Mailchimp Integration Group Training last week, our latest customer roundtable brought together association professionals to talk about Mailchimp automations, with a spotlight on drip campaigns. The conversation was led by Jake Byk from the Climbing Wall Association, who walked us through live examples, shared best practices, and invited participants to showcase their own experiences.
This recap highlights the key themes, tips, and customer stories that surfaced.
Watch the Recording
What are Drip Campaigns?
Attendees described a drip campaign as a series of emails sent to a targeted audience about a specific goal, such as dues, events, or member benefits.
Jake expanded on this definition:
Keep one clear call to action consistent across the series.
Use simple, repeatable messages.
Drive timing by member actions or inactions, not a fixed calendar date.
Ensure the campaign has a clear beginning and end.
Expert Tip: For those new to marketing lingo, a CTA (call to action) is the specific step you want readers to take, such as clicking a button, registering for an event, or updating their profile.
When to Use Drip Campaigns (and When Not To)
Good fits for drip campaigns include:
Overdue invoices and dues reminders
Lifecycle flows like acquisition, onboarding, and retention
Announcements with a clear endpoint, such as a price change
Not ideal for drip campaigns:
Crisis or time-sensitive communications that shift daily
Journeys with multiple CTAs that compete with each other
Highly complex branching logic before you’re ready for it
The group agreed: start simple and layer complexity later.
Tips When Building a Drip Campaign
Jake shared a step-by-step demo of creating a flow in Mailchimp with a few key takeaways.
Triggers: Use Novi-synced groups (for example, “Not Registered for Annual Conference”) or Mailchimp tags.
Safety step: Always add a time delay (Jake recommends one day) before the first email to prevent accidental immediate sends.
Email steps: Name them clearly for reporting, use scheduling windows to keep sends inside business hours, and track performance with Google Analytics when possible.
If/Else branching: Send different follow-ups based on whether someone clicked, registered, or stayed in a Novi group.
Spacing: Insert time delays between steps to give recipients a chance to act.
Real Use Cases: How Associations Are Using Drip Campaigns
Participants shared real-world examples of how drip campaigns are saving staff time, increasing engagement, and improving personalization.
Invoicing and Dues Reminders
Katie, CRA
Audience: unpaid dues segments by member type, plus billing and main contacts
Goal: reduce manual outreach and find the right payer
Flow: Novi groups for unpaid vs current; staggered cadence that tightens over time; exit upon payment
Tip: linking directly to the Member Compass makes it easy for recipients to act
Result: saves staff hours and reveals incorrect billing contacts
Prospect Nurture Around Cybersecurity Month
Kelsea, ATLIS
Audience: prospective members interested in cybersecurity
Goal: deliver value first, then invite conversion
Flow: promote free cyber resource kickoff, branch on click to send more resources or discounts, continue with membership invitations
Result: 50 downloads within an hour; multiple membership inquiries followed
Anniversary Check-in and Data Clean Up
Jake, Climbing Wall Association
Audience: members hitting one-year anniversaries
Goal: confirm profile data and re-engage inactive members
Flow: anniversary-triggered email prompting members to verify info in Member Compass
Result: lifecycle touch points can double as data cleanup
Member Onboarding Series
Katie, CRA
Audience: all new members
Goal: help members see value quickly
Flow: monthly onboarding cadence, each email highlights a different benefit
Result: simple, steady touch points build early engagement
New Member Welcome Cadence
Amanda, Upcycled Food Association
Audience: all new members
Goal: extend welcome and benefit reminders
Flow: six emails total, spaced closer at the beginning and stretching further apart over a 6 month period
Result: sustained communication keeps new members engaged long after the initial join
Event Registration Nudges with Incentive Path
Generic Example
Goal: boost registrations before early bird deadline
Flow: wait one day, send a reminder, branch on click; if clicked but not registered, send a promo code; if unopened, try a different follow-up later
Result: one clear CTA and thoughtful timing matter most
Additional Favorite Features and Tips Shared
In drip campaigns, use scheduling windows to avoid weekend sends
In all emails, personalize with dynamic content blocks that show different messages to Novi groups
Check Click Map reports to see which links get the most attention
Review Content Optimizer feedback to strengthen readability
Experiment with polls and surveys inside emails for feedback
Explore Mailchimp’s segmentation options and merge tags for deeper personalization
A big thank you to Jake Byk for leading the discussion, and to everyone who shared their examples!
Additional Resources