Case Study: Surveying Members to Increase Association Engagement

Company

A leading professional association working to advance the success of its 4,000+ members.

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Challenge

With paradigm shifting technologies upending how association members interact with information and each other, the client was grappling with the issue of how to remain relevant and move forward with an informed growth strategy.

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Intervention

External research was conducted in order to develop an initial understanding of current trends and opportunities related to association management. A survey was then administered to the client’s current members, former members, and non-members in order to gain insight into shifting demographics, preferred learning styles, topics of interest, publication content, perceived value of benefits and services, preferred communication mediums, and popularity of engagement activities.

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Results

Critical insights informed by B|G survey research gave the client the tools to develop and refine member programming, build new avenues for engagement, and attract new members.

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The scope of this project includes four main areas of activity:

Insight

Bâton Global engaged in secondary research in order to gain a deeper understanding of the trends, challenges, and opportunities affecting membership organizations.

This research resulted in a deeper understanding of how professional associations handle competitive pressures and manage membership.
A white paper was presented to the client summarizing the research findings.

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Innovation

B|G conducted stakeholder interviews with current association members, former members, and non-members in order to verify secondary research findings. A survey was developed for each of these three stakeholder groups.

Survey questions were customized for each of the three groups based on the needs, concerns, and goals captured in the interviews.
Survey questions were reviewed and approved by the client to ensure goals would be met.

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Integration

B|G administered the survey to stakeholder groups using an online survey platform and analyzed the results.

The survey was open for approximately three weeks, survey response rates were monitored, and the client received weekly updates.
Raw survey data was cleaned, results were aggregated and analyzed, and key takeaways were provided to the client in a summary presentation.

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