2010 Executive Director Survey Results
While there are signs the global economic crisis is abating in 2010, new research indicates that association professionals expect to be juggling more projects and more initiatives than ever before—without much help in terms of staffing, financial or technology resources. But there’s still plenty of excitement on the horizon as association leaders are exploring a plethora of new tools for fine-tuning member/industry communication, database management and non-dues revenue sources.
First, the hard facts: Nearly three in five (57.8%) respondents to Naylor’s comprehensive survey of nationwide association directors and managers cited “limited funding or revenue” and “inadequate staff” (55.4%) as their primary impediments to reaching revenue and member communication goals. In fact, concerns about “insufficient support from members/suppliers” (26.5%), “archaic membership data management tools” (22.5%) and having “too many initiatives and shifting priorities” (22.5%) were cited almost as often as the “economy” itself (29.4%), according to the 212 surveys completed by year-end 2009.
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“Limited personnel resources” is the primary factor limiting some of the National Truck Equipment Association’s growth plans, responded Jim Carney, executive director of Farmington Hills, Mich.-based NTEA. While it’s a challenge for many association leaders to garner the funds they need for long-overdue technology investments, it’s also hard on the association’s members. Paul Lyskava, executive director of the Pennsylvania Forest Products Association, lamented the “number of members who lack technology” themselves as a primary reason Harrisburg, Pa.-based PFPA can’t utilize more of the cutting-edge digital communication tools it would like.
However, drilling deeper into the data (see charts below), we find that association leader concerns can vary greatly according to the size of the organization. For instance, while inadequate staffing (55.4%) was the second-most frequently cited concern among respondents overall, it tended to be more pronounced at smaller associations (59.6%) and at mid-size associations (52.2%) than it did at larger associations (34.5%).
Smaller associations were also more likely than larger organizations to be frustrated by their outdated membership data management tools and perceived lack of support from members and suppliers:
While respondents at associations of all sizes expressed concern about the large number of initiatives in play and constantly shifting priorities, this sense of turmoil appeared most pronounced at mid-size associations.
So what’s keeping leaders of larger associations up at night? According to survey results, it is the overall economy and the sense that its value proposition is not clearly resonating with dues-paying members.
Innovation still thriving in era of belt tightening
Notwithstanding the sobering findings uncovered in our survey, association leaders aren’t exactly holed up in their offices waiting for the economic dark clouds to clear. According to the numbers and verbatim responses we collected, association pros are aggressively exploring as many new communication, data management and revenue enhancing tools as they can.
“The future of association publishing is to ask, ‘Why not?'” notes Charles Popper, Naylor’s vice president of association relations and a 15-year veteran of association publishing.
For instance, researchers found the majority of professional association respondents were “very” or “extremely” interested in understanding where their members go for information online (61.8%). They were also very interested in furthering their understanding of their members’ adoption of social media (58.6%) and in improving their ability to stay on top of market data and evolving trends within their respective industries (50.3%).
Yet, data shows nearly one-third (32.9%) of associations have not surveyed their members in the last 12 months and nearly seven out of 10 (68.5%) indicated they weren’t sure whether members were reading what the association sent them. “We do not currently have a way to personalize the e-mails we send out—everyone’s e-mail is dumped into the ‘blind cc,'” notes an executive from one small association. “We know what members OPEN our e-mail communications, but we don’t know whether they READ what they’re opening,” a leader from a mid-size association revealed.
As Naylor President & CEO Alex DeBarr observes: “Putting it simply, a key for associations’ success in today’s environment is to assume the role of the leading source of information for the members and suppliers. To do that, the association must understand what kind of information the members need and want and then deliver it in an organized and coherent way. That’s called integrated media, when you take the time to plan each media form, cross promote and time each element to the members’ benefit.”
It’s no surprise that more than half of surveyed association leaders expressed interest in doing a better job of tracking where supplier member advertising and sponsorship dollars are spent. And that’s partially what’s driving an increase in association interest in developing electronic media offerings (see related story in this issue).
For instance, more than five out of six (84.9%) surveyed associations were publishing at least one electronic newsletter on a regular basis with more than one-fourth being published on a weekly or daily basis (25.3%). More than three in five (60.2%) surveyed associations were producing Webinars regularly, and nearly that many were publishing a digital edition of their member magazine (59.4%), member directory or buyers’ guide (58.4%).
“E-zines are a natural extension of print and make it easy for associations to develop and enhance their online presence,” says Naylor Vice President of Electronic Media Marcus Underwood. “If you currently publish a print magazine for your members, you absolutely should take the simple step of turning it into a digital edition.”
In addition to e-newsletters and e-zines, nearly half (46.9%) of surveyed associations are actively involved in some form of external social networking such as Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn; more than one-third (36.6%) are producing video content and one-fourth (24.1%) are blogging regularly, the study found.
Count Naylor Group Publisher Bob Phillips among those who foresee an explosion of social media activity by associations as they try to keep pace with the adoption trends of their individual and supplier members. It’s not just about having a presence on online destinations such as Facebook and YouTube, says Phillips. “Associations should be aggressively building their brands on those sites for marketing and recruitment purposes, among other initiatives.”
While online publishing and social media tools offer associations a tremendous variety of high-speed, low-cost ways to reach their members frequently, researchers were surprised by the number of associations that seemed to be aware of the dangers of over communicating with their members. As mentioned, taking the time to organize and plan the content and timing of print and electronic media—in essence, integrating the content and delivery process—will help build association branding, provide good information for members and also prevent information overload.
“Communication overload is a real issue and we work daily to make sure we don’t turn members off,” notes respondent Patrick O’Brien, executive director of the Concrete Sawing & Drilling Association in St. Petersburg, Fla.
These are not easy times for associations, but when you consider the explosion of interest devoted to reinvigorating membership communication and non-dues revenue sources, these times are pretty exciting. If you can work as quickly but smartly within the resource parameters you’re given; if you’re willing to explore everything but test carefully before rolling out to the marketplace; and if you’re willing to solicit continuous feedback from your members, suppliers and peers without overloading them, then you’ll have a leg up on the competition and piles of dues renewals in your mailbox.
About the study
The study findings are based on Naylor’s in-depth online survey e-mailed to nearly 1,500 association directors and managers throughout North America in October and November of 2009. The median respondent was a senior decision maker at an association with a roughly $1 million annual operating budget.
Respondents received no direct incentive to complete the survey but were entitled to a complimentary copy of the survey results and had the opportunity to be entered into a drawing for a free wireless reading device.
Hank Berkowitz is the moderator-in-chief of Association Adviser enews.
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