1 Montana Farm Bureau Federation

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3 Competition 1,373,070 trade and professional associations; charitable and philanthropic organizations in ,640 new applications in 2010

Session Objectives Share some of the top line findings ASAE’s “Decision To Join” study Are you asking “The Ultimate Question” Tools to evaluate your relevance

Presentation Information

6 The Decision to Join The Decision to Join (DTJ) is based on a survey of 16,944 individuals who are, were, or could be but never chose to become members of an association 18 diverse organizations participated by submitting member and nonmember names to a database that was analyzed as one common pool of professionals Have belonged to 5,200 associations

Thank You to the Decision to Join Co-sponsors! American Chemical Society American College of Healthcare Executives American Geophysical Union American Health Information Management Association American Society for Quality American Society of Civil Engineers American Society of Mechanical Engineers The College of American Pathologists Credit Union Executives Society Emergency Nurses Association IEEE Institute of Food Technologists National Association of Secondary School Principals National Athletic Trainers’ Association National Court Reporters Association National Society of Accountants Project Management Institute School Nutrition Association 7

Primary Areas of Inquiry Attitudes toward associations in general –Challenges the respondents face –Functions that associations perform –Means of accessing professional information Attitudes toward the sponsor association –Personal Benefits from membership –Benefits to the Field (Good of the order) –Overall attitude toward membership

Primary Segments Analyzed Level of association involvement Age/Generation/Career Stage Gender Employer/practice type National v. International

Level of Involvement IS CRITICAL!! Respondents perception of value from their association increases with their level of involvement.

11 Governance Volunteers Committee Volunteers Ad hoc Volunteers Nonparticipants Involvement Segments

12 Governance 6.8% Committee 7.8% Adhoc 15.5% None 69.9% Level of Involvement

Governance Committee Adhoc None How likely is it that you would recommend membership in the association to a friend or colleague?

14 The Ultimate Question How likely is it that you would recommend membership in the association to a friend or colleague? Ntnl Avg 9-10= Promoter 43% 7-8= Passive 31.2% 1-6= Detractor 25.8% NPS17.2 Answers based on a 10 point scale 9-10Promoter 7-8 Passive 6 or lessDetractor

Colleague or co-worker35.9% Professor or instructor29.0% University or college program12.8% Do not recall6.7% A workshop, conference or meeting4.3% Some other way3.3% Advertisement in a journal or magazine3.1% Direct contact from the association by direct mail2.0% Browsing on the Internet1.4% Direct contact from the association in person0.6% Direct contact from the association electronically0.5% Booth at a trade show0.2% Telephone or inquiry0.2% News story0.1% How did you first learn about membership in the association? 77.7% Personal Professional Contact Why “Promoter” status is important

Governance 66% Committee 61% Adhoc 47% None 40% How likely is it that you would recommend membership in the association to a friend or colleague?

17 GovernanceCommitteeAd hocNone Promoter65.8%60.7%46.8%39.6% Passive21.7%27.2%33.6%31.8% Detractor12.5%21.1%19.6%28.6% 100% How likely is it that you would recommend membership in the association to a friend or colleague?

Sense of Community Value of Membership Value to Association Retention Levels of Engagement How do we get these folks more engaged?

Members Want to be Part of the Common Good “A person’s decision to join an individual membership organization is NOT a cost- benefit analysis.”

How important were the following benefits in your decision to join?

Access to the most up to date information available4.22 Professional development or educational program offerings3.91 Opportunities for you to network with other professionals3.72 Access to career information and employment opportunities3.39 Access to products, services and suppliers3.21 Opportunities to gain leadership experience3.05 A reference directory of members/practitioners2.93 Member discounts or group purchasing activities2.85 Personal Benefits

Providing standards or guidelines that support quality3.85 Gathering, analyzing and publishing data on trends in the field3.77 Maintaining a code of ethics for practice3.74 Promoting greater appreciation of value to other practitioners 3.70 Conducting research on significant issues affecting the field3.70 Promoting greater public awareness of contributions in the field3.67 Influencing legislation and regulations that affect the field3.64 Supporting student education and entry into the field3.58 Attracting competent people into the field3.53 Certifying those who meet critical competency standards3.52 The association's role in defining critical competencies3.44 Providing awards or recognition for excellence in the field3.07 Benefits to the Field

The importance attributed to program activities varies with level of involvement. In some cases, elected leaders are not in sync with rank-and-file members Leaders v. Members

Personal Benefits Rank order of importance by Involvement Govern None Opportunities for you to network with other professionals the field13 Access to the most up to date information available in your field21 Professional development or educational program offerings32 Opportunities to gain leadership experience47 Access to career information and employment opportunities54 Access to products, services and suppliers (e.g. insurance, publications, etc.) 65 A reference directory of members/practitioners76 Member discounts or group purchasing activities88

Benefits to the Field Rank order of importance by involvement Govern None Promoting a greater appreciation of the role and value of the field among practitioners 14 Providing standards or guidelines that support quality21 Maintaining a code of ethics for practice32 Influencing legislation and regulations that affect the field47 Promoting greater public awareness of contributions in the field56 Supporting student education and entry into the field68 Certifying those who meet critical competency standards79 Gathering, analyzing and publishing data on trends in the field83 Attracting competent people into the field911 Conducting research on significant issues affecting the field105 The association's role in defining critical competencies1110 Providing awards or recognition for excellence in the field12

Reasons Why Leaders are Out of Sync Access to information and analyses that give them a vantage point members don’t have; Responsibility to take action that members don’t have; Ignorance; unaware of the needs certain segments might have;

Age/Generation/Career Stage Issues 28

Generational Stereotypes Silent Generation ( ) What you put into it is what you get out of it. Boomers ( ) Relationship oriented benefits (networking) Generation X ( ) Support Association but don’t want to come to meetings Generation Y/Millennials ( ) What's in it for me? High tech, low involvement, demand quick response

30 Will “Generation X” join their professional associations as their predecessors did, or are they different in ways that make this questionable?

Association Membership of Baby Boomers and Generation X, by Age Source: General Social Survey data, various years 31

What is your overall attitude toward associations? % choosing “very favorable”

Are associations capable of addressing the practical needs of the members? % choosing “very favorable”

Will there be a greater or lesser need for associations five years from now? % choosing “greater”

What do you think are the most important functions of an association?

37 Generation and Career Level Finding: Values differ by career level (generation) Networking and connecting Professional training Representing the field to the government Opportunity for leadership experience

Strategic Opportunities 38 Ask the Ultimate Question and develop more promoters Create awareness with Next Gen before their late 20s Engage members (ad hoc, segmentation) Organizational evaluation: (time for radical reinvention or just tweaking) –brand promise; relevancy

“When you’re done changing, you’re done!” --Benjamin Franklin 39

40 Measurement The Ultimate Question “How likely is it that you would recommend membership in the Chamber/CVB to a friend or colleague?” (1-10 scale with 10 as very likely) Ntnl Avg 9-10= Promoter 40%42%51%41%43% 7-8= Passive 40%32%29%40%31.2% 1-6= Detractor 20%26%20%19%25.8% NPS What will make your organization Remarkable?

RemarkableRemarkable 1. A Customer Service Culture 2. Alignment of Products and Services With Mission 6. Organizational Adaptability 7. Alliance Building 3. Data-Driven Strategies 4. Dialogue and Engagement 5. CEO as a Broker of Ideas Commitment to Action Commitment to Purpose Commitment to Analysis and Feedback

42 Montana Farm Bureau Federation