Here are two new business ideas inspired by a benchmarked SaaS model.
We hope these ideas help you build a more compelling and competitive SaaS business model.
- Benchmark Report: All-in-One Membership Management Solution
- Homepage: https://www.wildapricot.com
- Analysis Summary: Wild Apricot offers comprehensive membership management software that helps member-based organizations automate administrative tasks, manage websites, process payments, and engage members through an integrated platform.
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New Service Idea: MemberMetrics / SkillShare Circle
Derived from benchmarking insights and reimagined as two distinct SaaS opportunities.
1st idea : MemberMetrics
Predictive analytics platform for membership retention and growth
Overview
MemberMetrics is a predictive analytics platform designed specifically for membership organizations that transforms member data into actionable retention strategies. By analyzing patterns in member engagement, payment history, and participation, the platform identifies members at risk of non-renewal months before they leave. The service goes beyond basic reporting by providing specific, personalized recommendations to re-engage at-risk members and strengthen relationships with existing ones. MemberMetrics integrates seamlessly with existing membership management systems like Wild Apricot to enhance their value without replacing them. The platform helps organizations reduce churn rates, increase lifetime member value, and create more meaningful engagement strategies based on data-driven insights.
- Problem:Organizations struggle to understand why members leave and how to effectively retain them without access to actionable predictive data.
- Solution:MemberMetrics provides AI-powered predictive analytics that identifies at-risk members and recommends personalized engagement strategies to improve retention rates.
- Differentiation:Unlike basic reporting tools, MemberMetrics uses machine learning algorithms to predict member behavior and provide actionable recommendations tailored to each organization’s unique membership patterns.
- Customer:
Membership-based organizations including associations, clubs, chambers of commerce, and subscription businesses with 100+ members. - Business Model:SaaS subscription model with tiered pricing based on membership size, plus premium consulting services for advanced retention strategy development.
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Who is the target customer?
▶ Professional associations seeking to improve member retention rates
▶ Membership clubs and organizations with 100+ members and high annual churn
▶ Chambers of commerce and business networks looking to strengthen engagement
▶ Subscription-based businesses wanting to reduce customer turnover
▶ Membership clubs and organizations with 100+ members and high annual churn
▶ Chambers of commerce and business networks looking to strengthen engagement
▶ Subscription-based businesses wanting to reduce customer turnover
What is the core value proposition?
Membership organizations typically lose 10-15% of their members annually without understanding why or having a systematic approach to prevention. This churn represents significant lost revenue and relationship capital. MemberMetrics solves this problem by applying machine learning to identify at-risk members months before they leave. The platform analyzes patterns across engagement metrics, event attendance, payment history, and communication responsiveness to generate an individual “retention risk score” for each member. Beyond just flagging at-risk members, MemberMetrics provides actionable recommendations tailored to each member’s specific situation and interests. For example, if a member hasn’t engaged in 3 months, the system might recommend a personalized outreach about an upcoming event aligned with their previously demonstrated interests. This enables proactive retention strategies rather than reactive attempts to win back lost members.
How does the business model work?
• Core SaaS Subscription: Monthly subscription based on membership size, starting at $129/month for organizations with up to 500 members, scaling to $499/month for up to 5,000 members. Enterprise plans available for larger organizations.
• Implementation & Integration: One-time setup fee ($500-2,000) that includes integration with existing membership software, historical data analysis, and custom dashboard configuration.
• Premium Retention Consulting: Optional quarterly strategy sessions ($1,200/quarter) with retention specialists who analyze an organization’s data and develop comprehensive engagement strategies.
• Implementation & Integration: One-time setup fee ($500-2,000) that includes integration with existing membership software, historical data analysis, and custom dashboard configuration.
• Premium Retention Consulting: Optional quarterly strategy sessions ($1,200/quarter) with retention specialists who analyze an organization’s data and develop comprehensive engagement strategies.
What makes this idea different?
While most membership software offers basic reporting on past member behavior, MemberMetrics is distinctly forward-looking through its predictive analytics engine. The platform doesn’t just show who left and when—it identifies who is likely to leave and why, enabling preemptive action. The recommendation engine goes beyond generic best practices by generating organization-specific, member-specific engagement tactics based on historical success patterns. The platform also creates a feedback loop where actions taken and their outcomes improve future predictions and recommendations. Unlike generalist CRM systems retrofitted for membership organizations, MemberMetrics is built specifically for the unique relationship dynamics of membership models. The deep integration capabilities with existing management systems like Wild Apricot mean organizations can add this intelligence layer without disrupting their current operations or requiring staff to learn entirely new systems.
How can the business be implemented?
- Develop core prediction algorithms and integration APIs for major membership platforms, starting with Wild Apricot (3-4 months)
- Create beta program with 10-15 diverse membership organizations to refine the prediction models and recommendation engine (2-3 months)
- Build the user dashboard and notification system focused on simplicity and actionable insights (2 months)
- Establish partnerships with leading membership platforms for official integrations and co-marketing opportunities (ongoing)
- Launch marketing campaign focused on case studies showing retention improvements from beta customers (1 month post-beta)
What are the potential challenges?
• Data Quality Issues: Many organizations have incomplete or inconsistent member data, limiting prediction accuracy. Solution: Include data health assessments and cleanup recommendations as part of implementation process.
• Integration Complexity: Each membership platform has different data structures and API limitations. Solution: Create a phased integration roadmap, starting with Wild Apricot and expanding to other platforms based on market demand.
• Privacy Concerns: Organizations may worry about sharing member data with a third-party platform. Solution: Implement robust security protocols, obtain SOC 2 compliance, and offer EU data residency options to address GDPR concerns.
• Integration Complexity: Each membership platform has different data structures and API limitations. Solution: Create a phased integration roadmap, starting with Wild Apricot and expanding to other platforms based on market demand.
• Privacy Concerns: Organizations may worry about sharing member data with a third-party platform. Solution: Implement robust security protocols, obtain SOC 2 compliance, and offer EU data residency options to address GDPR concerns.
2nd idea : SkillShare Circle
Microlearning marketplace connecting organizations with their members’ expertise
Overview
SkillShare Circle transforms membership organizations into vibrant learning communities by creating a marketplace for members to share their expertise through paid microlearning experiences. The platform enables members to create and sell short courses, workshops, and mentoring sessions to fellow members, with revenue shared between the instructor, the organization, and the platform. By turning passive members into active contributors and learners, organizations significantly increase engagement while creating a new revenue stream. The platform integrates with existing membership management systems like Wild Apricot to leverage member profiles, handle payments, and track participation. SkillShare Circle addresses the constant challenge organizations face in delivering ongoing value to members while highlighting the often-overlooked expertise within their own membership base.
- Problem:Membership organizations struggle to deliver consistent value and engagement opportunities while overlooking the untapped knowledge and expertise within their own member base.
- Solution:SkillShare Circle creates a microlearning marketplace where members can teach, learn, and monetize their expertise through short courses and workshops, increasing engagement and creating new revenue streams for organizations.
- Differentiation:Unlike generic learning platforms, SkillShare Circle is deeply integrated with membership management systems, enabling organizations to leverage their existing member data for targeted skills matching and community-driven knowledge exchange.
- Customer:
Professional associations, alumni networks, chambers of commerce, and trade organizations looking to increase member engagement and create new value. - Business Model:Revenue sharing model where the platform takes 20% of course fees, with organizations receiving 30% and member-instructors receiving 50%, plus subscription fees for premium platform features.
Who is the target customer?
▶ Professional associations seeking to increase member engagement and provide continuous learning opportunities
▶ Alumni networks looking to leverage graduate expertise and strengthen connections
▶ Industry-specific organizations with members who possess specialized knowledge
▶ Chambers of commerce wanting to facilitate business skill sharing among local businesses
▶ Alumni networks looking to leverage graduate expertise and strengthen connections
▶ Industry-specific organizations with members who possess specialized knowledge
▶ Chambers of commerce wanting to facilitate business skill sharing among local businesses
What is the core value proposition?
Membership organizations face a perpetual challenge: providing consistent value to justify membership fees while increasing engagement. Simultaneously, these organizations are sitting on an untapped goldmine of member expertise and knowledge that goes unutilized. SkillShare Circle transforms this problem into an opportunity by creating a structured platform for knowledge exchange. Members with expertise can create microlearning experiences—ranging from 30-minute skills workshops to multi-session courses—and offer them to fellow members for a fee. The organization benefits from increased engagement, a new revenue stream, and the ability to offer an expanded range of learning opportunities without developing content themselves. For member-instructors, the platform provides a semi-captive audience of peers interested in their specific knowledge domain, creating both monetization opportunities and professional recognition. For member-learners, the platform delivers targeted, practical learning from trusted sources within their professional community.
How does the business model work?
• Revenue Sharing: For all paid courses and workshops, revenue is split with 50% to the member-instructor, 30% to the organization, and 20% to the SkillShare Circle platform. This creates aligned incentives for all stakeholders.
• Platform Subscription: Organizations pay a monthly subscription fee ranging from $199-599 based on member count and feature requirements, which includes the marketplace technology, payment processing, and basic analytics.
• Premium Features: Add-on packages for advanced features like certification management ($99/month), custom branding ($149/month), and advanced analytics ($129/month).
• Platform Subscription: Organizations pay a monthly subscription fee ranging from $199-599 based on member count and feature requirements, which includes the marketplace technology, payment processing, and basic analytics.
• Premium Features: Add-on packages for advanced features like certification management ($99/month), custom branding ($149/month), and advanced analytics ($129/month).
What makes this idea different?
Unlike generic learning platforms like Udemy or Teachable, SkillShare Circle is specifically designed for membership ecosystems. The platform leverages existing membership data to match learning opportunities with member interests and professional needs. The technology is deeply integrated with membership management systems like Wild Apricot, making course discovery, enrollment, and payment seamless extensions of the existing member experience. This integration also enables organizations to track learning as part of overall member engagement metrics. The community aspect is another key differentiator—learners are gaining knowledge from trusted peers they may already know through the organization, creating stronger bonds within the membership. The platform’s focus on microlearning (typically 30-90 minute experiences) rather than comprehensive courses makes it accessible for busy professionals to both create and consume content. Finally, the three-way revenue split model creates meaningful incentives for all parties, unlike typical learning platforms that primarily benefit the instructor.
How can the business be implemented?
- Develop core marketplace platform with Wild Apricot integration, including course creation tools, payment splitting, and basic analytics (4-5 months)
- Recruit 5-7 diverse membership organizations as founding partners for beta testing and initial content development (2 months)
- Create instructor onboarding program to help initial cohort of member-instructors develop high-quality offerings (3 months)
- Launch marketing campaign highlighting early success stories and member satisfaction from beta organizations (1-2 months)
- Expand integration capabilities to additional membership platforms based on market demand (ongoing)
What are the potential challenges?
• Content Quality Control: Ensuring consistently high-quality learning experiences across diverse member-instructors. Solution: Implement instructor guidelines, peer review systems, and learner ratings to maintain quality standards.
• Initial Content Creation: Getting enough member-instructors to create courses during the launch phase. Solution: Develop an instructor incentive program for early adopters, including higher revenue shares for first 6 months.
• Technical Complexity: Building a platform that handles course creation, delivery, payment splitting, and integration with multiple membership systems. Solution: Phase development starting with core functions for Wild Apricot integration, then expanding features based on user feedback.
• Initial Content Creation: Getting enough member-instructors to create courses during the launch phase. Solution: Develop an instructor incentive program for early adopters, including higher revenue shares for first 6 months.
• Technical Complexity: Building a platform that handles course creation, delivery, payment splitting, and integration with multiple membership systems. Solution: Phase development starting with core functions for Wild Apricot integration, then expanding features based on user feedback.
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