Pulse of Membership #2 by Membership Consultants, Inc.

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Pulse of Membership #2

1. What type of organization does your membership serve?

Response

Percent

Response

Count

Art Museum 32.5% 55

Association 4.1% 7

Botanical Garden 9.5% 16

Conservation/Nature Organization 5.9% 10

History Museum 11.8% 20

Science Museum 8.3% 14

Zoo or Aquarium 23.7% 40

Other (please specify) 12.4% 21

answered question 169

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2. Comparing year to date membership totals in the 4th Quarter of 2009 to year to date membership totals in Q4

2008, did your membership...

Response

Percent

Response

Count

Increase from the previous year 39.1% 66

Decrease from the previous year 47.3% 80

Stay the same 13.6% 23


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3. In comparing membership revenues year to date in the 4th Quarter of 2009 to membership revenues year to date

in Q4 2008, have your membership revenues....

Response

Percent

Response

Count

Increase over previous year's

revenues43.8% 74

Decrease from previous year's

revenues46.2% 78

Revenues were about the same in

2008 and 200710.1% 17


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4. Comparing your membership expenditure budget for 2009 to the previous year's budget, has your membership

budget....

Response

Percent

Response

Count

Increased over the previous year's

budget11.2% 19

Decreased from the previous

year's budget43.8% 74

Stayed about the same as the

previous year's budget45.0% 76


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5. If your 2010 expenditure budget has been approved, will it be....

Response

Percent

Response

Count

Increasing over your 2009 budget 18.9% 32

Decreasing from your 2009 budget 26.6% 45

Staying the same as your 2009

budget26.0% 44

2010 budget is not yet approved 28.4% 48


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6. Comparing new members year to date in 2009 to new members year to date in 2008, did your membership

acquisition efforts...

Response

Percent

Response

Count

Acquired more new members in

2009 than in 200842.6% 72

Acquired fewer new members in

2009 than in 200834.3% 58

Acquired about the same number of

new members in 2009 and 200823.1% 39


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7. Membership Acquisition. Please select all of the means of acquiring members that your program utilizes.

Response

Percent

Response

Count

Direct Mail 73.4% 124

On site membership sales 90.5% 153

Member Get A Member Campaigns 15.4% 26

Gift Membership Program 74.0% 125

Online Membership Campaigns 62.1% 105

Employee Incentive Campaigns 26.0% 44

Membership Promotion at Events or

Conferences64.5% 109



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8. Please rate each source of Member Acquisition that you used in 2009 and 2008 and indicate if your results were

better than last year, less than last year, or about the same.

More Successful About the Same Less SuccessfulResponse

Count

Direct Mail 33.1% (40) 41.3% (50) 25.6% (31) 121

On site Sales 54.9% (79) 25.0% (36) 20.1% (29) 144

Member Get A Member 13.2% (5) 63.2% (24) 23.7% (9) 38

Gift Membership Program 21.0% (25) 55.5% (66) 23.5% (28) 119

Promotion at Events or

Conferences22.6% (24) 58.5% (62) 18.9% (20) 106

Other methods 36.5% (23) 50.8% (32) 12.7% (8) 63

Comments 18


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9. Comparing membership renewal rates in 2009 to those in 2008, would you say that renewal rates....

Response

Percent

Response

Count

Improved in 2009 over 2008 31.4% 53

Declined in 2009 over 2008 34.3% 58

Renewal rates were about the

same in 2009 as in 200834.3% 58


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10. What is your membership renewal rate?

Response

Percent

Response

Count

Over 80% 6.5% 11

75% to 80% 8.3% 14

70% to 74% 14.8% 25

65% to 69% 18.3% 31

60% to 64% 11.8% 20

55% to 59% 10.7% 18

50% to 54% 9.5% 16

45% to 49% 4.7% 8

40% to 44% 2.4% 4

Below 40% 3.0% 5

Don't know what the Renewal Rate

is10.1% 17


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11. Please indicate the methods your program utilizes to drive membership renewals...

Response

Percent

Response

Count

Direct Mail letter packages 92.9% 157

Direct Mail postcards 21.3% 36

email 60.4% 102

on site renewals 74.0% 125

phone solicitations 36.1% 61

Other (please specify) 12


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12. In 2009, have staffing levels within the membership department...

Response

Percent

Response

Count

Increased 5.3% 9

Decreased 24.9% 42

Stayed the same 69.8% 118


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13. Please describe your organization's visitation or usage patterns this year.

Response

Percent

Response

Count

Visitation or usage has

increased47.9% 81

Visitation or usage has decreased 19.5% 33

Visitation or usage has stayed the

same19.5% 33

Do not know about our visitation or

usage13.0% 22


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14. In your professional opinion, comparing last year to this year, is the membership climate

Response

Percent

Response

Count

Improving 31.4% 53

Deteriorating 35.5% 60

About the same as always 33.1% 56


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15. In 2009, were you able to....(check all that apply)

Response

Percent

Response

Count

Attend membership/association

conferences in other cities18.9% 32

Attend Membership/association

conferences within driving distance26.0% 44

Participate in webinars 58.0% 98

Could not attend conferences 45.0% 76



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16. As you look towards 2010, do you anticipate...(check all that apply)

Response

Percent

Response

Count

Being able to attend

membership/association

conferences in other cities

34.3% 58

Being able to attend

membersship/association

confrences within driving distance

43.2% 73

Will be able to participate in

webinars72.8% 123

Will not be able to attend

conferences26.6% 45



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17. If you were to participate in webinars related to membership topics, what topics are of greatest interest to you?

(Check all that apply)

Response

Percent

Response

Count

Membership audits and strategic

planning42.0% 71

Membership acquisition 72.8% 123

Membership renewals 73.4% 124

Direct mail campaigns 54.4% 92

On site membership sales 52.7% 89

Evaluating membership benefits

and dues structures66.3% 112

Converting members to donors 42.0% 71

Membership upgrade campaigns 68.6% 116

Membership benchmarking and

reporting48.5% 82

Monthly and online giving programs 50.3% 85

Budgeting and forecasting 28.4% 48

Benchmarking and industry

standards: how does your program

stack up?

45.6% 77

Annual giving programs 35.5% 60

Not interested in webinars 3.0% 5


skipped question 4

Pulse of Membership #2 by Membership Consultants, Inc.

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