Essential research for membership organizations
Membership surveys are the research workhorse for membership organizations. These surveys come in many forms: they can be brief or detailed; conducted online or by mail or phone; address a single topic or cover many topics. The latter, sometimes called an omnibus survey, is most common. Here are some examples of what can be examined through a membership survey:
Member Involvement: What makes membership worthwhile for members? What motivated them to join and to renew? How involved are members in organization programs and activities? Why aren't they more involved? These are fundamental questions for every membership organization.
Preferences & Priorities: On which issues should the organization focus its resources? Understanding the priorities of the membership can make the organization more relevant. One association president told us that having this prioritized list of actions for the coming year paid for the study.
Service Quality & Staffing: Members have higher service expectations than do retail customers. Great service can have multiple dimensions ... it's more than just friendliness. In some organizations, responsiveness is most important, in other organizations it's expertise. Find out where you are meeting, exceeding, or failing to meet members expectations.
Programs & Activities: Who participates in the programs and activities you provide? Who doesn't ... and why? How well do these programs match members' needs? Information from members can provide direction to develop or modify programs and increase participation.
Benefits & Amenities: What do you provide that can only be received through membership? Benefits may be philosophical, emotional, physical or financial. A survey can explore how benefits are valued by different segments of the membership. It can also explore if members feel the benefits justify continued membership. If members don't perceive value, either to themselves or others, they won't be around for long.
Facilities: For many membership organizations, like museums, health clubs, and recreation or entertainment organizations, facilities are a key element driving member involvement and satisfaction. Members can evaluate the pros and cons of facilities across many dimensions, such as location, atmosphere, cleanliness, equipment, lighting, amenities, and personal safety.
Newsletters, Websites, & Other Communication: Some organizations rely heavily on these resource-intensive communication vehicles. A survey can help maximize the effectiveness of newsletters, websites and other communications by evaluating usability and identifying what is most interesting and relevant to members.
Events: Events require substantial participation to be successful. They are also expensive to produce. Surveys can be used to help plan and evaluate events, and to make decisions about the types of events to stage. In some cases surveys can be incorporated into an event.
Surveys provide knowledge about the overall membership and membership segments, such as young members, new members, long-time members, or sustaining contributors. Results are also analyzed by demographic and lifestyle factors. When the membership is comprised of organizations instead of individuals, business or organization characteristics like size, industry classification, and other business demographics are used.
These are just some possibilities. There is no standard off-the-shelf membership survey. Each one is custom-designed around what you need to know.
