{"id":395,"date":"2012-11-05T09:33:49","date_gmt":"2012-11-05T09:33:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/index.php\/2012\/11\/05\/newsletter25002_395\/"},"modified":"2012-11-05T09:33:49","modified_gmt":"2012-11-05T09:33:49","slug":"newsletter25002_395","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/newsletter25002_395\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Membership Size Matter?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 105px; margin-bottom: 10px; height: 103px; margin-right: 10px;\" src=\"http:\/\/www.naylornetwork.com\/NAY-ADVISER\/assets\/hank%20berkowitz%20resized.jpg\" alt=\"\" align=\"left\" \/><span style=\"font-style: italic;\">By Hank Berkowitz<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">As we discussed <a href=\"http:\/\/www.naylornetwork.com\/nay-adviser\/articles\/index.asp?aid=137310&amp;issueID=25001\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">last month<\/span><\/a>, our latest proprietary research study shows that associations of all shapes and sizes are striving to avoid information overload and communicate their membership benefits more effectively. Since more than 70 percent of the 674 respondents to our just-completed <a href=\"https:\/\/ssl.naylor.com\/benchmarking\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/a><a target=\"_blank\">2011 Association Communications Benchmarking Survey<\/a><\/span> are in senior management roles, we also got an earful about the challenges of maintaining their status as the No.1 source of information in their industry, keeping members adequately informed about legislative and technical news and realistically customizing their communications to appeal to different sub-segments of their membership.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">Unfortunately, there\u2019s no one-size-fits-all solution to how associations go about communicating with their members, how they get feedback and how they measure the results of their communications efforts. (See <a href=\"http:\/\/www.naylornetwork.com\/nay-adviser\/articles\/index.asp?aid=139346&amp;issueID=25002\" target=\"_blank\">Listen First<\/a> in today\u2019s issue to learn how world-class organizations are listening to their customers and members).<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-weight: bold;\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.naylornetwork.com\/NAY-ADVISER\/assets\/takeaways.png\" alt=\"\" \/><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<table style=\"background-color: #dcdcdc; margin: 5px; border-collapse: collapse; border: black 1px solid;\" cellspacing=\"3\" cellpadding=\"3\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\">\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">More than 90 percent of associations are communicating with members <span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">more frequently<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"> than they did three years ago, but more than half of their communications efforts go unread.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">Larger associations are the most prolific communicators\u2014and the group most likely to overestimate their success and operate communication programs in the red.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">Midsize associations struggle the most to communicate their member benefits and maintain their position as the industry\u2019s No.1 source of information.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">Smaller associations have the most difficulty keeping members abreast of important legislative news, technical updates and events they\u2019re holding. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"><br \/>\nOne thing\u2019s for sure, the old &#8220;push it out and hope for the best&#8221; strategy isn\u2019t going to fly anymore, regardless of your membership\u2019s annual dues stream, reach, age, industry or geographic location. But, if we had to look at a single factor that allowed us to isolate more unique characteristics of our data than any other, it was <span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">membership size<\/span>. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">Sure, staffing and operating budgets are big factors, too, but there are plenty of cases in which an organization with a small membership (fewer than 1,000 members by our definition) was better staffed and had a larger operating budget than a mid-size organization (1,000 to 5,000 members) or even a larger organization (more than 5,000 members). Again and again, membership size was the most telling line of demarcation when we sliced through all the data.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>As expected, our data showed that larger membership associations had on average<span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"> better staffed publishing\/content creation teams (see below) and they were more likely than smaller associations to have a dedicated person or department (with content expertise) handling their online presence.<br \/>\n<br style=\"font-weight: bold;\" \/><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Staff Size and Duties by Association Size<\/span><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<table style=\"background-color: #dcdcdc; margin: 5px; border-collapse: collapse; border: black 1px solid;\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"1\" cellpadding=\"1\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 0pt; color: #000000; font-size: 10pt; vertical-align: top; font-weight: normal; word-spacing: 0pt; text-decoration: none; border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"241\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\"><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Staff composition<\/span><br \/>\n<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left; letter-spacing: 0pt; vertical-align: top; font-weight: bold; word-spacing: 0pt; border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"90\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">Small<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"font-weight: bold; border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"90\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">Midsize<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"font-weight: bold; border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"90\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">Large<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"241\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">Have more than 10 total F\/T staff<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"90\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">20.5%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"90\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">31.1%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"90\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">82.6%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"241\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">Have multiple F\/T staff on publishing\/content creation teams <\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"90\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">35.3%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"90\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">51.5%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"90\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">77.3%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"241\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">Have a dedicated online person\/department<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"90\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">62.0%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"90\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">67.9%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"90\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">79.1%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"241\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">Use admin or IT staff to handle their online presence<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"90\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">37.5%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"90\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">36.9%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"90\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">19.8%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<div><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic; font-size: 8pt;\">Source: Naylor, LLC, and <\/span>Association Adviser <span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">e<\/span>news<span style=\"font-style: italic; font-size: 8pt;\">, 2011<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"><em><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">*Total exceeds 100% due to ability to choose multiple responses<\/span><br \/>\n<\/em><br \/>\nHowever, larger associations also faced more complex communications challenges. Larger associations were more likely to be under pressure to customize communications for different member sub-groups, they were more likely to need &#8220;fully integrated&#8221; communications platforms, they were more likely to need cross-platform advertising and sponsorship packages for their vendors and they were more likely to be battling multiple for-profit competitors for their members\u2019 attention.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;\">READER NOTE: Interested in drilling down deeper into our brand new association communication benchmarking data? Click <\/span><a style=\"font-style: italic;\" href=\"https:\/\/ssl.naylor.com\/benchmarking\/\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a><span style=\"font-style: italic;\"> for more information.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">&#8220;Time is our biggest challenge,&#8221; said Jeanne LaBella, Vice President of Publishing at the American Public Power Association (see Jeanne\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.naylornetwork.com\/nay-adviser\/articles\/index.asp?aid=139403&amp;issueID=25002\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Corner Office profile<\/span><\/a> in today\u2019s issue). &#8220;We once published a weekly newsletter and that seemed challenging. Now, with no extra staff (albeit with more streamlined production methods) we are producing a weekly newsletter and a daily newsletter, plus publishing content just for the Web and posting to Facebook, Twitter and producing podcasts and short video clips to accompany our Web presence.&#8221;<span style=\"font-weight: bold;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">While larger organizations were more likely than smaller organizations to have recency\/frequency rules and more sophisticated metrics for measuring their online and social networking efforts, they also had more communications waste and were more likely to be running communications programs as cost centers than as profit centers. Ironically, larger membership associations were the size group most likely to rate their own communications efforts as &#8220;above average&#8221; or &#8220;best in class.&#8221; Does hugeness breed hubris?<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Communication frequency and perceived value<\/span><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<table class=\"MsoNormalTable\" style=\"background-color: #dcdcdc; margin: 5px; width: 470px; border-collapse: collapse; border: black 1px solid;\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"3\" cellpadding=\"3\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 0pt; color: #000000; font-size: 8pt; vertical-align: middle; font-weight: normal; word-spacing: 0pt; text-decoration: none; border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"160\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: right; width: 119.7pt; font-weight: bold; border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"160\">\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">Small<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: right; width: 119.7pt; font-weight: bold; border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"160\">\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">Midsize<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: right; width: 119.7pt; font-weight: bold; border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"160\">\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">Large<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 119.7pt; border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"160\">\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 12pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">Associations who communicate with members &#8220;much more&#8221; frequently than 3 years ago<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: right; width: 119.7pt; border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"160\">\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">48.5%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: right; width: 119.7pt; border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"160\">\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">48.8%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: right; width: 119.7pt; border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"160\">\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">63.2%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 119.7pt; border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"160\">\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 12pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">Associations in which members are thought to read only 25 to 50% of what\u2019s sent to them<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: right; width: 119.7pt; border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"160\">\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">43.7%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: right; width: 119.7pt; border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"160\">\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">48.9%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: right; width: 119.7pt; border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"160\">\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 12pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">51.9%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 119.7pt; border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"160\">\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 12pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">Associations whose communications vehicles operate as cost center vs. profit center<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: right; width: 119.7pt; border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"160\">\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 12pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">16.9%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: right; width: 119.7pt; border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"160\">\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">20.1%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: right; width: 119.7pt; border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"160\">\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">23.3%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;\">Source:<\/span><span style=\"font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic; font-size: 8pt;\"> Naylor, LLC, and <\/span>Association Adviser <span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">e<\/span>news<span style=\"font-style: italic; font-size: 8pt;\">, 2011<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<\/span><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"font-style: italic; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;\">*Total exceeds 100% due to ability to choose multiple responses<\/span><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.naylornetwork.com\/NAY-ADVISER\/assets\/aaenews%20march11%20graph2.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">Regardless of size, information overload was the most frequently cited communications challenge across our survey sample\u2014although it was most pronounced at larger membership organizations (see table below). Larger organizations were also the ones most likely to be wrestling with the challenge of customizing their communications for various member age groups and special interest groups. While larger associations (to their credit) were more likely than midsize and smaller associations to have communication recency\/frequency rules in place (65 percent versus 43 and 31 percent, respectively), they were less likely to enforce those rules. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Large Association Stress Points<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<table style=\"background-color: #dcdcdc; margin: 5px; border-collapse: collapse; border: black 1px solid;\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"3\" cellpadding=\"3\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 0pt; color: #000000; font-size: 8pt; vertical-align: middle; font-weight: normal; word-spacing: 0pt; text-decoration: none; border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"252\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt; font-weight: bold;\">Communications Challenge<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"73\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt; font-weight: bold;\">Small<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"73\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt; font-weight: bold;\">Midsize<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"73\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt; font-weight: bold;\">Large<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: left; border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"252\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">Combating information overload\/inbox clutter<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"73\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">51.5%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"73\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">53.4%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"73\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">59.3%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: left; border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"252\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">Customizing communication to different member age groups and SIGs<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"73\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">15.7%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"73\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">29.8%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"73\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">30.1%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: left; border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"252\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">Recency\/frequency rules not strictly enforced<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"73\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">20.8%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"73\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">26.0%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"73\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">32.5%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic; font-size: 8pt;\">Source: Naylor, LLC, and <\/span>Association Adviser <span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">e<\/span>news<span style=\"font-style: italic; font-size: 8pt;\">, 2011<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Our biggest challenge is really understanding the opportunities in publishing without being overwhelmed by their complexity,&#8221; related an executive at a large healthcare association.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Midsize Association Stress Points<br \/>\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<table style=\"background-color: #dcdcdc; margin: 5px; border-collapse: collapse; border: black 1px solid;\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"3\" cellpadding=\"3\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 0pt; color: #000000; font-size: 8pt; vertical-align: middle; font-weight: normal; word-spacing: 0pt; text-decoration: none; border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"252\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt; font-weight: bold;\">Communications Challenge<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"73\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt; font-weight: bold;\">Small<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"73\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt; font-weight: bold;\">Midsize<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"73\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt; font-weight: bold;\">Large<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: left; border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"252\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">Communicating member benefits effectively<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"73\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">31.7%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"73\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">34.1%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"73\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">28.5%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: left; border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"252\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">Maintaining position as industry\u2019s No.1 source of info<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"73\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">28.7%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"73\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">31.3%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"73\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">23.6%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic; font-size: 8pt;\">Source: Naylor, LLC, and <\/span>Association Adviser <span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">e<\/span>news<span style=\"font-style: italic; font-size: 8pt;\">, 2011<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Our data revealed midsize organizations are the group most likely struggling with ways to keep members abreast of all the benefits they\u2019re entitled to and maintaining their status as the most trusted source of information in their respective industries. &#8220;Communicating with&#8221; as opposed to <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">&#8220;<\/span>communicating to&#8221; is the biggest challenge for the executive director of a midsize building and construction association. &#8220;Developing better two-way communication channels&#8221; is a top priority according to the publishing director for a midsize insurance association.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Small Association Stress Points<br \/>\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<table style=\"background-color: #dcdcdc; margin: 5px; border-collapse: collapse; border: black 1px solid;\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"3\" cellpadding=\"3\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 0pt; color: #000000; font-size: 8pt; vertical-align: middle; font-weight: normal; word-spacing: 0pt; text-decoration: none; border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"252\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt; font-weight: bold;\">Communications Challenge<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"73\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt; font-weight: bold;\">Small<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"73\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt; font-weight: bold;\">Midsize<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left; letter-spacing: 0pt; vertical-align: top; word-spacing: 0pt; border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"73\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt; font-weight: bold;\">Large<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: left; border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"252\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">Keeping members informed about new events, continuing education<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"73\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">15.0%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"73\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">13.5%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"73\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">11.4%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: left; border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"252\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">Keeping members abreast of legislative, regulatory, technical updates<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"73\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">16.7%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"73\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">11.5%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"73\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">6.5%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;\">Source: Naylor, LLC, and<\/span> Association Adviser <span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">e<\/span>news, <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">2011<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-style: italic; font-size: 10pt;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"><br \/>\nLike their larger brethren, smaller membership organizations battle information overload. They\u2019re also the group most likely to be struggling with ways to keep members informed about their events, their continuing education opportunities and their industry\u2019s legislative, regulatory and technical updates. &#8220;Simply finding enough volunteers to help with everything&#8221; is what\u2019s keeping the past president of small media production association up at night. &#8220;Just getting the information out is a big enough challenge for us,&#8221; related the operations director of a small association serving the broadcasting industry, who added, &#8220;We have a marketing and communications director on staff, but he does not touch our members on a regular basis<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">\u2014<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">only when there&#8217;s a legal issue or event to be promoted.&#8221; <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">So how much are your peers touching members these days?<br \/>\n<\/span><br \/>\nAs expected, larger membership organizations are the most frequent communicators (9.7 times per month via print and online), but smaller organizations are communicating with their members at least as frequently as the midsize organizations, if not more. Sometimes, smaller organizations have fewer organizational hurdles to clear. As Marc Verhoeve, executive director of<span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"> the 1,500-member <a href=\"http:\/\/www.osca.ca\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Ontario School Counsellors Association<\/span><\/a> (OSCA) explains<span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">, <\/span>&#8220;We are small enough to make changes at speedboat pace, but we have ocean liner horsepower to implement those changes.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Monthly Communication Frequency Via Print and Online Vehicles<\/span><\/p>\n<table style=\"background-color: #dcdcdc; margin: 5px; border-collapse: collapse; border: black 1px solid;\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"3\" cellpadding=\"3\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 0pt; color: #000000; font-size: 8pt; vertical-align: middle; font-weight: normal; word-spacing: 0pt; text-decoration: none; border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"252\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt; font-weight: bold;\">Communications Challenge<\/span><br \/>\n<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"84\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt; font-weight: bold;\">Small<br \/>\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"84\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt; font-weight: bold;\">Midsize<br \/>\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"84\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt; font-weight: bold;\">Large<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: left; border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"252\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">Median<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"84\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">7.9<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"84\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">8.1<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"84\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">9.7<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: left; border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"252\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">10+ times per month<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"84\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">21.1%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"84\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">19.9%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"84\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">29.1%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic; font-size: 8pt;\">Source: Naylor, LLC, and <\/span>Association Adviser <span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">e<\/span>news<span style=\"font-style: italic; font-size: 8pt;\">, 2011<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">While smaller membership organizations <span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">do<\/span> seem to be holding their own on the print and online communication side, our data shows they\u2019re less actively using social media. That surprised us due to social media\u2019s relatively low cost and ease of implementation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-weight: bold;\">Frequency of Member Connection Via Social Media Channels (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn)<\/span><\/p>\n<table style=\"background-color: #dcdcdc; margin: 5px; border-collapse: collapse; border: black 1px solid;\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"3\" cellpadding=\"3\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 0pt; color: #000000; font-size: 8pt; vertical-align: middle; font-weight: normal; word-spacing: 0pt; text-decoration: none; border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"252\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt; font-weight: bold;\">Communications Challenge<\/span><br \/>\n<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"84\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt; font-weight: bold;\">Small<br \/>\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"84\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt; font-weight: bold;\">Midsize<br \/>\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"84\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt; font-weight: bold;\">Large<br \/>\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: left; border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"252\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">Daily<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"84\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">6.8%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"84\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">10.8%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"84\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">27.4%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: left; border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"252\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">Multiple times per week<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"84\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">20.5%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"84\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">26.0%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"84\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">25.6%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: left; border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"252\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">Don\u2019t use social media<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"84\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">40.3%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"84\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">31.9%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: black 1px solid;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"84\">\n<p align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">11.1%<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic; font-size: 8pt;\">Source: Naylor, LLC, and <\/span>Association Adviser <span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">e<\/span>news<span style=\"font-style: italic; font-size: 8pt;\">, 2011<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">&#8220;Engaging members in new media is a challenge as we still have lots of members in the fax generation,&#8221; lamented the publishing director of a small association in the southeastern U.S. &#8220;It\u2019s a constant balancing act between those who want all electronic communication and those who don&#8217;t,&#8221; said the head of a small building and construction industry association. &#8220;We don\u2019t want to overwhelm our members,&#8221; said OSCA\u2019s Verhoeven. &#8220;Our emphasis is on <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">colleague networking<\/span> more than on social networking.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Encouraging Developments<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">On a more positive note, we found great strides being made by associations in all size categories. On the large association front, about four of five respondents said they have some type of recency and frequency rules in place and more than 70 percent allow members to opt in (and out) of the communications they wish to receive. On the small association front, more than half of respondents said they are using webinars and social media to listen to their members. More than half of midsize associations told us they are making their member magazine content available on the Web and more than one-third are actively investing in mobile media applications and platforms. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">Finally, while smaller organizations generally have to do more with less and don\u2019t always have the manpower they need to accomplish their goals, there\u2019s something to be said for knowing one\u2019s organization inside and out. My colleague Charles Popper will be speaking about breaking down silos at next month\u2019s ASAE <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mmcconference.org\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Marketing, Membership &amp; Communications Conference<\/span><\/a> in Washington, DC. Or as a senior exec at a small media association put it: There\u2019s something to be said for &#8220;knowing where all the bones are buried.&#8221;<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">We hope this survey overview\u2014and related commentary from my colleagues in today\u2019s issue\u2014will further your understanding of association communication benchmarks and best practices during these rapidly changing times. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>Click <span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ssl.naylor.com\/benchmarking\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">here<\/span><\/a> for more information about ordering a copy of the full <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">2011 Association Communication Benchmarking Survey.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"><a href=\"mailto:hberkowitz@naylor.com?subject=Does Membership Size Matter?\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;\">Hank Berkowitz<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-style: italic;\"> is the moderator-in-chief of <\/span>Association Adviser <span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">e<\/span>news.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-style: italic; font-size: 10pt;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<table style=\"text-align: left; background-color: #dcdcdc; margin: 5px; width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; font-weight: bold; border: black 1px solid;\" cellspacing=\"3\" cellpadding=\"3\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center; letter-spacing: 0pt; vertical-align: middle; word-spacing: 0pt; border: black 1px solid;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">Rate this article 5 (Excellent) to 1 (Poor). Send ratings and comments <a href=\"mailto:associationadviser@naylor.com?subject=Communication%20Benchmarking%20March%202011\" target=\"_blank\">here.<\/a><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Research says yes, but more resources don&#39;t always mean better communication. However, preliminary research from the <em>2011 Association Communications Benchmarking Survey<\/em> indicates that membership size has a significant effect on communication success.<br \/>\n<em>By Hank Berkowitz<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-395","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-features"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Does Membership Size Matter? - Association Adviser<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/newsletter25002_395\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Does Membership Size Matter? - Association Adviser\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Research says yes, but more resources don&#039;t always mean better communication. However, preliminary research from the 2011 Association Communications Benchmarking Survey indicates that membership size has a significant effect on communication success. 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