Listen Up! Series on Member Needs and Satisfaction #5: Turning the Triangle Upside Down Key to Boosting Association Member Influence

Member influence is a challenge for many of the associations we work with.  Why? Most follow the traditional triangle structure often used in the for-profit world where the executive staff and board sit at the top and make autonomous decisions based on what they feel is best for the rest of the organization.

For better or worse, these decisions then trickle down to the members in the form of programs, services, strategic goals and priorities without the benefit of input from those ‘in the trenches’ of the profession, trade or industry the association represents.

At an average of just 59% across more than 50 member needs and satisfaction studies we have conducted over the past several years, member satisfaction with the extent to which members influence the direction and priorities of the associations they belong to is marginal (see this post for more information about this research and averages across the other key benchmarks).

Because they haven’t had a say in the decision-making process, programs and services are often poorly targeted, leading to a membership that is apathetic or, in some cases, downright dissatisfied and fed up with the association.

What is still so often overlooked is that associations are not like private sector organizations.  Members are the de facto owners of these organizations, but most associations are not run this way.  The associations that we have seen turn the tables in this particular area are the ones who are able to make an ongoing commitment to turning the triangle of power and influence upside-down to become a truly member-driven organization.  (Another great article on this particular concept can be found here).

Here are some of the key steps to consider when working to boost satisfaction with member influence in your association:

Step 1: Get Feedback

The first step is to take the ‘pulse’ of your members and get a sound understanding about how they really feel toward the association; what it is doing right and what it needs to improve. Where possible, a formalized member satisfaction and needs survey that can benchmark your performance over time and against other organizations will allow your association to measure its success.

Step 2: Take Ownership

Whether your feedback is glowing or devastating, it is important to take ownership by acknowledging where members feel you are succeeding and, importantly, where they would like you to improve.  Showing members that you have not only heard what they have said but are going to do something about it is a key piece of the puzzle here because it shows your members you truly care about what they think.

Step 3: Call to Action

Members feel they have influence when they not only help to set the direction and priorities of the organization, but when they are also inspired to roll up their sleeves to turn their strategy into a reality.  Sending the message to your members that at the end of the day, it is their association and asking them to take action in different ways (ranging from providing feedback through member surveys to working on committees etc.) to accomplish their strategy shows that you really mean business.

Step 3: Communication, Communication, Communication

As I discussed at great length last week in these posts (post #1) (post #2), communicating your achievements back to your members on a regular basis throughout the implementation process is critical to keeping them in the loop and helping them to stay excited and motivated about what they are accomplishing.

Step 4: Lather, Rinse and Repeat

Seeking and implementing member feedback will fall flat if it is just a one-time or token occurrence. Providing ongoing opportunities for members to provide input (both formal and informal) throughout the implementation process will show your members that you truly are a member-driven association.

ARC's core product areas are member needs and satisfaction research and strategic planning. If your associaiton is interested in learning more about how we can help you in these or any other area related to your nonprofit's success, please don't hesitate to contact me.

If you are located in Central Canada, we hope you will join us in April during our roadshow on this topic as part of CSAE's Association Excellence Series

If you enjoyed this, you may be interested in our other blog posts in this series. :

Listen Up!Series on Member Needs & Satisfaction #1: The Bird’s Eye View

Listen Up!Series on Member Needs & Satisfaction #2: Members Vote With Their Feet When it Comes to Programs and Services

Listen Up! Series on Member Needs & Satisfaction #3: Effective Communication a Bellwether for Member Satisfaction

Listen Up! Series on Member Needs & Satisfaction #4: Representing Member Needs A Challenge for Associations?

Listen Up! Series on Member Needs & Satisfaction #4: Representing Member Needs A Challenge for Associations?

If you were to guess which area association members tend to be least satisfied with, what would it be? Programs and services?  Nope. Influence and engagement?  Close but not quite...

Based on 47 member needs studies conducted over the past several years, representation of member needs to different stakeholder groups has consistently been at the bottom of the list in terms of member satisfaction.

Why?

Well, as I touched on in point #2 of this post on why people join associations, one of the key drivers for members is that they recognize the potential power in numbers and added credibility that their affiliation with a professional association can provide.

As a result, members mean business in their expectation that their association will represent their best interests to external stakeholders like the government, the media and the public.  Not surpisingly, it also tends to be the area members are most critical of.

So what do members really want in the murky realm of advocacy and external relations?

While this is by no means an exhaustive list, following are some of the more common expectations we have seen for these main external stakeholder groups:

Government:

• Members want their association to ‘have a seat at the table’ when it comes to regulation and legislation development that affects them, as well as their profession or industry.
• They also want the association to be a recognized authority the government turns to when it comes to seeking advice on policy, legislation development etc.  
• Finally, members want to be kept aware of any changes coming down the legislative pipeline that will affect them - They expect their organization to provide them with the necessary tools and resources to help them mitigate challenges and take advantage of opportunities ahead.

Media:

• Members want the media to know who they are, understand the ‘brand’ of the association, and buy into the benefit the association offers.
• They want the media to be telling the association’s story.
• They also want the media to turn to representatives or members of the association as 'experts' when it comes to giving opinions on the profession, industry or related topic.

Public:  

• Members want the public to know who they are, what the association is about and what benefit the association and its members can provide to them.
• In the case of voluntary accreditation bodies, they also want the public to understand the benefit that an accredited professional or organization can provide that a non-accredited professional or organization cannot.

If you’re sitting there, thinking ‘But I’m doing all of that already...and more!’ then perhaps the issue is not with representation, but with communication.

Ah, yes, communication, which, as we discussed in our previous Listen Up! post, is often a bellwether for member satisfaction in other key areas.

As often as not, the dissatisfaction in this area comes from a lack of awareness by members of what the association is doing and/or a lack of understanding by members about what is realistic for the association to accomplish.

So, if you have been hard at work getting results for your members with these external stakeholders, have you set expectations and clear targets related to what you are trying to accomplish? More importantly, are you keeping your members up-to-speed with your progress toward these targets? And, finally, are you making sure that you are using the right communications channels that will ensure your members actually listen to what it is you are trying to tell them?

More Listen Up! Posts and information about our member needs and satisfaction research can be found here.

The ARC’s Listen Up!Series on Member Needs & Satisfaction #1: The Bird’s Eye View

Shhh!!  Listen closely!  Do you hear that?

Meh.

Could that be the sound your members are making with they think about their association?

Over the past few years, we have compiled data in 47 studies carried out on member needs and satisfaction for 37 different associations in Canada.*  On the whole, the trend among the associations we’ve studied suggests that association members are reasonably satisfied with the organizations that represent them...but they aren’t blown away. 

In each of these studies, we benchmarked member satisfaction and needs across a number of key indicators.  Following are the average results for each category:**

	Benchmark Measure	Rating
	Overall Satisfaction	67%
	Satisfaction With Services	72%
	Satisfaction With Representation	57%
	Ease of Having Voice Heard	64%
	Member Influence	60%
	Effectiveness of Communicating	71%
	Overall Benchmark Satisfaction Rating	65%

In a world where a growing number of associations are competing for a shrinking number of members and where people are able to meet more of the needs they have traditionally turned to associations for by going online, we all know too well that mediocrity is a very dangerous thing.

So, why are satisfaction levels for associations so, well...average?  Following are some of the trends we are seeing behind the numbers:

Members Aren’t Charting the Course

Member influence, the extent to which members feel they have a direct and tangible impact on the direction and priorities of their association is a significant source of dissatisfaction among members of many not-for-profits.  

While marks by members on how easy they feel it is to be heard by their association are marginally better, this is also an issue for associations.

It is one thing (and a very important thing) to regularly seek member input to find out how your members think you are doing and where they want you to be headed in the future.  The key to really raising the bar, however, is to actually take this input and turn it into a reality.  Once you have achieved some real results, communicating back to members that that you have acted on their input will help them to see how they have made a difference.   Once members realize that their input truly matters, they are more likely to be excited about what is going on and more willing to pitch in to help the organization achieve its goals.

Advocacy is a Priority...and Associations Aren’t Up to Snuff… or Are They?

Member representation to stakeholders like the government, the media and the public is definitely a sore spot when it comes to member satisfaction.  For many of our clients, representing their members’ interests to governments and other key groups is one of the primary reasons why members join an association in the first place.  Because it is so important, it also tends to be one of the attributes they judge most harshly. 

There are many underlying issues that can contribute to low scores in this area but one common factor tends to be not that an association isn’t doing enough in the way of government or public relations, but that members are simply not aware of the organization’s strategy or accomplishments in this area.  Another factor is that members are also often not aware of what is realistically possible to achieve from advocacy efforts.

Again, ensuring your advocacy strategy is in-line with your member needs and communicating effectively with them about your organization’s initiatives, goals, expectations  and accomplishments in this area are some of the tactics associations have used to improve member satisfaction here.

Better Tidings for Services

Overall member satisfaction with services received have traditionally gotten strong ratings, suggesting that while there is always room for improvement, members are pretty happy with the performance of associations in this area.  Satisfaction with services is only measured among members who use each service.  Despite high ratings, many associations struggle with member usage and awareness of services… but this is a topic for another day.

Communications Strong...When Targeted Properly

Effectiveness of communication to members is another area where many associations tend to do well.  Sending the kind of information your members want and need, using the delivery channels with the best ‘fit,’ and finding the sweet spot between sending too little and too much information are some of the success factors we have seen in this area.

While associations seem to be doing a pretty good job at communicating overall, lower scores across many of the other benchmarks suggest that some types of information just might not be getting through.   Members need to know what their association is up to, how their input is being used to drive the agenda, and where the association stands in terms of achieving results in each category.

Embedding effective communication across each of the benchmarks has helped many of our clients to raise satisfaction across the board, while failure to do so is almost certain to have the opposite effect.

What have been your association’s successes and challenges in achieving success (or not) in these key areas?  We have seen many associations score well above (and some well below) these averages -   I would love to hear about your experiences.

Stay tuned for our next instalment of the Listen Up! Series, when we start to dig into the detail of how people perceive, participate and experience their associations through member services.

Looking for More Information on ARC’s research capabilities?  Please visit our corporate website, or email me through this blog or directly at carolanne@associationconsultants.com.

*About This Research

The sample used for this discussion consists of the most recent results for 37 Canadian associations who have conducted member satisfaction and needs studies over the past few years incorporating the Association Resource Centre’s benchmarking tool.  The sample includes professional, trade and industry associations, including 10 provincial, 24 national, and 3 regional/municipal organizations.  Sectors represented include healthcare, finance, construction/contracting, manufacturing, education, sales, public service, and leisure. 

It is important to note that the ARC Listen Up! Series is based on a small sample of not-for-profit organizations and for this reason the results should not be interpreted to be statistically representative.  Rather, these results should be viewed as the general trends and observations seen by the Association Resource Centre’s consulting team of its clients over the past decade in the area of member satisfaction and needs research.

**A Note on Interpreting the Benchmarking Results

What satisfaction score needs to be achieved before an association can say its members are satisfied?  It depends on the association.  For some associations, it is simply not possible to achieve over 70% no matter how well they perform, while for others, 70% may be considered low. 

For this reason, it is important to consider the nature and dynamics of the association when interpreting satisfaction scores.  To properly assess satisfaction requires tracking it over time and seeing how it changes while keeping in mind what the association has done to try to improve its performance. 

Having worked closely with not-for-profits for many years and conducting studies in this area for many clients, ARC has developed a good sense of what different ratings mean in different organizations and has developed a scale which can be used by associations seeking to benchmark their results against other similar organizations.