Members Survey 2015 Inner Yoga Trust A report by Arkenford Ltd April 2015

The board of the Inner Yoga Trust (IYT) are currently working on two key projects: Reviewing the benefits we offer to our members Joining an accreditation body. To better inform any decisions make on their behalf they conducted a short survey amongst their members and supporters Arkenford Ltd, an independent research company (and supporters of IYT), conducted the research using an online survey XXX members and supporters were sent a link to the survey, and we received completed interviews from 52 respondents The survey evaluated three accreditation bodies: Yoga Alliance (YA) - Independent Yoga Network (IYN) - British Wheel of Yoga (BWY) - The ethos and member benefits of each were presented for testing within the survey Links to each organisation were ed to members and supporters for evaluation prior to the research This document outlines the key findings from the research 2 Introduction

3 Sample Profile – Age & Gender 77% of respondents are aged over 45 The profile of student teachers appears to be lower (51% aged over 45)* No respondents aged under 25 96% of respondents are female * Low sample base

4 Sample Profile – Type of Teacher Vast majority of the sample a Yoga Teachers Those who are not a teacher attend workshops and courses run by IYT

5 Sample Profile – Membership 71% of the sample are members … and the vast majority of these (80%) have Teaching Membership

6 Sample Profile – Members 60% have been members for 4 years or more Only 8% have joined in the last 2 years

7 Sample Profile – Non Members 27% of the sample are non members 13% are lapsed members 14% attend workshops / courses but are not members The majority of lapsed members had been a member for 3+ years The majority had stopped being a member in the last 3 years LAPSED MEMBERS* Around a third of this group are currently evaluating IYT membership Around a quarter cannot see the benefits of membership COURSE ATTENDEES* Around half are members of other schools Around a third are currently evaluating IYT membership * Low sample base

8 Sample Profile – Non Members involvement with IYT For most of the non members, the main point of contact is through newsletters / event information * Low sample base

9 Membership with other Organisations 29% of respondents are members of another school The vast majority of these were members of the British Wheel of Yoga Teachers were more likely to be members of another school than student teachers Lapsed members are no more likely to be a member of another school than are current members The group most likely to be members of another school are non members who attend workshops / events * Low sample base

10 What first attracted respondents to IYT The teaching is the predominant hook for most This covers the quality and style The style of yoga is also an important factor The quality and depth of the training programme is much more of an initial attractor than messages surrounding teaching hours The Benefits offered to members isn’t an aspect that first attracts respondents … but we know it will be an important aspect that can attract them to sign up c

11 Appeal of Member Benefits

12 Appeal of Member Benefits Accreditation is the feature more likely to be perceived to be an ESSENTIAL benefit Information such as e-newsletters, regular updates on events and teaching resources and guidance documents attract the most interest overall

13 Most Valued Benefits The aspects that were most likely to be value are: Insurance Discounts Teacher Workshops with CPD Points Accreditation to a National Body Another aspect that would be valued more is access to IYT teaching resources Over 80% of Non Members indicate that they would be more likely to join if these benefits were offered

14 Importance of Accreditation Around 2/3rds of respondents feel that accreditation is important for IYT This rises to over 3/4s od respondents who view accreditation as important when attracting new members Key reasons include; Requirement for employment Adds value/credibility to the quality of training (reputation) Access to a wider Yoga network / organisation

15 Evaluation Factors to Evaluate Widespread agreement that the most important aspect when evaluating an accreditation scheme is the fit with the IYT ethos

Testing Reaction to Different Accreditation Schemes

17 Testing Different Accreditation Schemes We tested reaction to 3 different accreditation schemes; Independent Yoga Network (IYN) Yoga Alliance (YA) British Wheel of Yoga (BWY) Respondents were sent a link to each organisations website prior to the research The survey itself presented them with an overview of each broken down by: Ethos Accreditation Benefits to IYT Benefits to Members At each stage respondents were asked to indicate the accreditation scheme that: … Best fits with the values of IYT … Would be most appealing to New Members

18 Testing Different Accreditation Schemes - ETHOS IYN tested most positively in relation to ETHOS Seen as being the Best Fit and Most Appealing to new members

19 Testing Different Accreditation Schemes - ACCREDITATION IYN tested most positively in relation to ACCREDITATION Seen as being the Best Fit and Most Appealing to new members YA tested far more positively that BWY

20 Testing Different Accreditation Schemes – BENEFITS TO IYT IYN tested most positively in relation to Best Fit with BENEFITS TO IYT However, the YA Accreditation is seen as just as appealing when it comes to being APPEALING TO NEW MEMBERS

21 Testing Different Accreditation Schemes – BENEFITS TO MEMBERS IYN tested most positively in relation to Best Fit with BENEFITS TO MEMBERS However, the YA Accreditation is seen as just as appealing when it comes to being APPEALING TO NEW MEMBERS

22 OVERALL FIT with Accreditation Schemes Perceive strongest fit is with the Independent Yoga Network

23 Accreditation Scheme more likely to attract NEW MEMBERS Respondents more split when it comes to deciding which scheme is more likely to attract new members Most indicate it would be the Independent Yoga Network or Yoga Alliance

Contact: Ben Moxon Address: 1 Bell Court, Leapale Lane, Guildford GU1 4LY Tel: Website: Thank You