We’re way behind but we’re getting better. Our sector is way behind the for-profit world, but we’re getting better. We know from our annual survey of Canadian membership associations, that the vast majority of Canadian associations do not track and manage the basic metrics of their business. Until recently, even the concept of managing a…
Zzeem conducted the fifth annual survey of Canadian membership organizations for 2016. The numbers tell an interesting story. Below is a short synopsis. NOTE: A more detailed summary is available here. In a nutshell, associations are not out of the woods yet, but we may have reached a plateau from which we can move upward.…
Member surveys can be used to address a variety of objectives. In this blog I look at the benefits that can come from three types of surveys. When I talk to member-based organizations about survey research, it’s often a low priority item. After all, they argue “we have our fingers on the pulse of our…
I had a great question today from one of my favourite clients. They are a membership organization of about 1,000 members. They are in the fortunate position of being well-endowed with cash and their finance committee is trying to decide how much to set aside in reserves. Here’s what the CEO told me. “The committee…
Is it really the end of membership as we know it? Sarah Sladek’s book “The End of Membership As We Know It” has generated a lot of attention. And with good reason. The chief executives of membership organizations and their directors are concerned that the 2008-2009 downturn is not over. Although member numbers and revenues…
This annual survey of membership organizations was conducted in January of 2011. Membership organizations are not-for-profit entities who have dues-paying members and whose primary activity is providing services to those members. There is very little data available for the membership organization niche. The purpose of this survey is to help to fill that void. The…