Stop, Collaborate and Listen. No, we’re not talking about the Vanilla Ice’s classic 90’s hit, but why it’s so important that professional membership associations need to take time to work with its members and listen to feedback.
Surveys can be brilliant, offering insights into what members think, feel and need. A good survey can help you spot trends, measure impact and test assumptions, all the while demonstrating that you as an association are listening.
While surveys can be a fantastic means of gathering feedback, they don’t have to be the sole means of communicating with your members, as sometimes the feedback they provide can be limiting, and can only just scratch the surface of what you’re looking for.
What Surveys Do Well
Surveys are great for:
- Gathering quantitative data – especially useful when you want to compare responses across a range of groups
- Reaching a broad audience quickly – ideal for a large membership body, where you want to collect a large volume of data
- Identifying patterns – when designed properly, they can highlight where action is needed
Surveys are an efficient way to start a conversation, particularly when resources are tight, but they’re only the first step in the feedback process.
Gather More Meaningful Feedback
Surveys tend to give you breadth, but what about depth? Some of the most useful feedback comes from context-rich conversations, the kind you can’t capture from a tick box.
Conversations
Whilst they can be time consuming, conversations are ideal for exploring complex topics or early-stage ideas. Consider:
- Informal drop-ins
- Themed discussions
- One-on-one discussions with new joiners
Observing Behaviour
Feedback doesn’t always have to be verbal or written. How members engage with the association’s events, email or services tells its own story.
- Which webinars are oversubscribed?
- Which resources are being downloaded?
- Which webpage isn’t getting any traffic?
Looking at member’s behaviour alongside formal feedback will help to give you a much fuller picture.
Advisory Groups
Considering setting up small, diverse groups of members who can act as a sounding board throughout the year. This creates a regular feedback loop and allows for more consistent approach to building upon the association’s benefits.
This is especially helpful when testing early-stage ideas, before they’re fully launched to the entirety of the membership.
Embed Feedback in Everyday Interactions
Rather than circulating yearly feedback surveys, incorporate feedback into the everyday delivery of your association’s services.
- One-click emoji rating for newsletters and email updates
- Post-meeting check-in with the management committee
- A rotating question of the week on your member dashboard or portal
Small signals collected from members on a regular basis will very quickly build up a bigger picture.
Reflect
Before you next send out a survey or seek feedback from your members, ask yourself:
- What kind of insight are you really looking for?
- Who are you trying to hear from, and are your questions reaching them?
- What kind of feedback format would work best?
In some cases, surveys are a perfect fit, but for others, a 10-minute phone call or chat over coffee could be far more illuminating.
How We Can Help
Feedback is incredibly important to aid in the development of your association but collecting it can be a very time consuming process. At Cygnul we work in partnership with our clients and are seen as trusted advisors to the Board. We can undertake the full range of membership, secretarial and bookkeeping services as well as offering advice and support to associations around the UK. If you want to explore how these services could help your organisation, please get in touch with us.
