How the Zimmerli Art Museum Doubled Its Membership Base with Digital Membership Cards

When the Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University set out to modernize its membership program, they needed a solution that could work within the constraints of a large university system while still delivering a seamless, modern experience for members. What they found with MembershipAnywhere exceeded expectations.

The Challenge

As a university-based museum, the Zimmerli must work within Rutgers’ strict privacy and security standards for donations and data. This limits integrations between the university’s software and the museum’s CRM and other digital tools; creating a lengthy, manual process for tracking and managing memberships.

“This created a lengthy process for processing and tracking memberships, especially with our previous digital membership card platform,” explains Gabrielle L., Development Specialist II at the Zimmerli Art Museum.

Why MembershipAnywhere

From the first demo, the Zimmerli team knew MembershipAnywhere was the right fit. The platform offered an intuitive admin portal, strong customization options, and crucially the ability to manage memberships in one central place without needing a direct system integration. This meant the Zimmerli team finally had a single, centralized view of their entire membership base complete with member ID numbers, guest details, number of children, expiration dates, and each member’s first membership purchase date, all accessible in one place.

“From our first demo, the customer service was responsive and reliable, which was a complete change from our previous service,” says Gabrielle. “The admin portal for tracking and uploading memberships was so easy to navigate.”

A Fast, Smooth Onboarding

Even working within the university procurement process which can slow things down for outside vendors, MembershipAnywhere was patient and accommodating. Once underway, onboarding took just three weeks from start to finish. The Zimmerli provided their logos, member list, and images; MembershipAnywhere handled the rest: automated email templates, member data loading, and test digital membership cards.

The Results

The impact was immediate and measurable:

• Doubled their total membership base since launching digital membership cards
• Launched a new “30 Under 30” membership tier, significantly growing their 18–30 demographic with a dedicated level built specifically for the next generation of art lovers
• Automated renewal emails replaced paper lapsed membership notices; members are now renewing digitally rather than receiving physical mailers, helping retain more members and sustain ongoing communications
• Transitioned from physical punch cards to a fully digital loyalty rewards system, with QR-code tracking for engagement metrics
• Staff across multiple departments were freed from manual card management, with members now tracking their own points and benefits 24/7
• Gained a single, centralized view of their entire membership base including member ID numbers, guest details, number of children, expiration dates, and each member’s first membership purchase date

“MembershipAnywhere provides organizations with an effective tool and a dedicated customer service team to leverage the modern convenience of digital membership cards and additional features to support member engagement, growth, and retention.”

Gabrielle L., Development Specialist II, Zimmerli Art Museum

The Standout Feature: Loyalty Rewards

One of the Zimmerli’s most meaningful wins was transitioning their physical loyalty punch card to MembershipAnywhere’s digital loyalty rewards feature. What once required coordination across multiple staff and departments now runs automatically.

“We were able to quickly set up our reward system and full list of benefits,” says Gabrielle. “Members now have full access to their points and benefits information and can easily track them 24/7. As an organization, we can also effectively track engagement metrics using the QR codes associated with the loyalty rewards system.”

Looking Ahead

The Zimmerli Art Museum is now better equipped to grow, engage, and retain its membership community. With a modern platform that appeals especially to younger audiences, they’ve positioned the museum for the next generation of art lovers.

“Of course, MembershipAnywhere provides a quality service and experience that cannot be beat,” Gabrielle concludes. “There are a variety of features with the digital membership card that make it a great addition to any museum. Plus, on-demand support that guides you every step of the way.”

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See how MembershipAnywhere can help your organization grow, engage, and retain members, just like the Zimmerli.
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