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703.739.1000 |  800.644.6646 info@MarketingGeneral.com www. marketinggeneral .com 625 North Washington Street, Suite 450 Alexandria, Virginia 22314

Summer 2017 Dear Colleague, You have in front of you a marketing research tool like no other: the 2017 Marketing General Incorporated  (MGI)  Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report.  This is the original and I think the most complete  report of its kind. I hope you'll agree! For the 9th year, MGI has conducted its annual Benchmarking Survey to analyze, track, and report on the  strategies and tactics that membership organizations from the US and from around the world use to recruit  new members, engage and renew those members, and reinstate lapsed members.  This year we had a total of 1,005 unique associations (our largest response ever) participate from a  combination of Individual Member Associations, Trade Associations, and Associations combining  characteristics of both. My thanks to all of them.  In addition to the pages of actual survey results, take the time to read the answers to the open-ended  questions. This is where our respondents share their thoughts and professional experiences with  membership growth, member satisfaction, their most popular benefits, payment plans, how and when they  raise their dues, and what keeps them up at night. How have the  Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report findings changed over the last nine years?  For the ninth consecutive year, more associations are reporting that their membership has increased than  those reporting a decline. While communication methods and best practices have certainly changed over the past nine years, each  type of organization has adopted those changes to best meet their goals and objectives. This report represents the combined efforts of our research and creative teams, individually listed on the  back cover. All of us at MGI hope that this report helps you gain increased knowledge and understanding  of this ever-evolving profession of ours that knits together people and communities around the world.  Call me, email me, or contact MGI through our website with any questions, thoughts, comments, and  suggestions on this or future reports. Sincerely yours ,

Richard Whelan, CDM President, Marketing General Incorporated Rick@MarketingGeneral.com703.706.0350 www.MarketingGeneral.com

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Report Layout The data in this report will be segmented by type of association: Individual Membership Organization (IMO), Trade  Association (Trade), or association with a combination of both individual and organizational types of membership  (Combination). A total segment will be included in all charts and tables to show data relevant to all associations.  We are continuing our inclusion of the Participant Comments Highlights, which provide verbatim insights and  recommendations shared by participants in the survey. The sections included in this report are:

Section 1: Association Statistics

Section 2: Member Recruitment (Acquisition)

Section 3: Member Engagement

Section 4: Member Renewal and Reinstatement  (Retention)

Section 5: Social Media

Section 6: Challenges and Goals

Section 7: Dues and Membership Structure

Section 8: Managing Your Association

Section 9: The Demographics of Your Association

Section 10: Words of Wisdom

Executive SummaRY

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The headline for the 2017 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report is that for  the ninth  consecutive year, many more associations  are reporting an increase  in their  membership compared to those citing a membership decline.  Individual membership organizations (IMOs) led the way with 48% sharing that  membership increased over the past year.

In fact, many associations report substantial growth rates. Of those organizations that showed  increases in overall membership, one-quarter report increases of 6% to 10%, while 19% report increases in  membership over the past year of more than 10%.

Similarly, associations are maintaining membership growth over the longer term. Again this year, 50% of associations report that their membership over the past five years has increased.  And if we look back over the historical trend from our very first benchmarking report, associations have  consistently reported an ongoing trend of increasing membership counts.

These outcomes challenge the narrative put forth by some that membership – as a  product – and professional and trade associations – as a category – are in decline.

In addition to the increases reported in total membership counts, the 2017 Membership Marketing  Benchmarking Report also highlights continuing strong data on other key membership statistics.  Similar to 2016, 68% of associations report renewal rates of 80% or higher. The median  membership renewal rate is 84% overall. Trade associations have a higher median renewal rate (89%)  compared to IMOs (80%) and combination associations (82%).

Renewal rates from our benchmarking research have remained remarkably stable over the years, meaning  the engine for membership growth continues to be new member acquisition. This does not in any way  indicate that maintaining a high renewal rate is not important, but it does show that growth depends on  continued new member acquisition.

And strong membership acquisition results have continued for associations. Over the past  year, 45% of associations report increases in their new member acquisitions, with IMOs showing the most  growth (47% vs. 45% for trade associations and 43% for combination associations).

Some organizations are seeing substantial levels of new member input. For those associations reporting  increases in new members, the median increase in new members is 8%. One-third of associations (32%)  report new member growth rates of 11% to 50%.  However, all of this positive data does not mean that associations are not facing significant challenges. Respondents report some major external challenges to their association. For IMOs the cost of membership  and competing associations or sources of information are the top two challenges. Combination associations  are most likely to struggle with declining member/employer budgets (32%).  For trade organizations, the biggest external challenge is industry consolidation/shrinkage (36%). One participant shared in the comments section of the research, "Our market is shrinking and certain  leaders are averse to opening up our member categories to expand opportunities."

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Internal challenges were also identified in our research. IMOs are significantly more likely to be challenged  in attracting and maintaining younger members (26%), while trade organizations struggle more with proving  that their membership provides a tangible ROI (32%). And combination associations find it more difficult to  meet the needs of a diverse membership (27%). Small IMOs (under 5,000 members) struggle significantly more with insufficient staff and  the lack of a strategy or plan, compared to larger IMOs. One participant shared her challenges in  the comments section of the research very concisely, "Too little staff, no cohesive marketing plan, lack of a  real marketing leader or manager."

But the good news is that the analysis of this year's data also highlights signs of vibrancy helping to drive  membership growth.  For example, it appears that associations – especially those that are experiencing membership growth –  are more effectively reaching out to upcoming generations of members.  In fact,  associations estimate that about 21% of members are Millennials or Gen Z . And  associations reporting an increase in membership over the past year, the past five years, and an increase  in overall renewals are significantly more likely to have a higher percentage of Millennials.

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New technology is also helping associations market more broadly and effectively. Specifically, there has  been a rapid adoption of online digital marketing including Facebook paid advertising, search engine ads  (pay-per-click), lead generation content marketing (white papers), and paid banners on other websites.  Many participants highlighted the use of these tools in the comments section of our research – noting, for  example, "Facebook remarketing has been successful, especially when specifically targeted to a specific  audience such as our Young Professionals." And, "Using content (which is not gated, but is behind lead  gen), to both capture leads and demonstrate the quality of our product."

Trade associations are significantly more likely to believe that  members join for conferences and trade shows, while IMOs and  combination associations are significantly more likely to consider  association publications and certification to be membership drivers.

QUICK STAT

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Finally, another driver building more vibrant memberships has been  engaging members with new  products and services that deliver what members want, when they want it .

In the case of IMOs, for example, when looking at the products and services that are reported as showing  stable or decreasing engagement, one finds many of the traditional and long-term association offerings like  volunteerism, the purchase or maintenance of insurance, or book or directory purchases.  However, when looking at what is reported as showing increasing engagement and participation, we find  activities like participation in the public social network of the association, or participation in the private social  network. Other increasing engagements for associations are attendance at webinars, increasing  professional credentials by acquiring or maintaining a certification, or participation in a young professional  program.  In other words, increasing engagement has been driven by change and innovation and not relying on the  services of the past.  For 2017, the Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report continues to highlight growth and resilience for  membership associations. But as you will see in the comments section of the report, our respondents do not  pull any punches.  Maintaining growth is challenging, taxing, and requires hard work and constant innovation. As one  participant commented, "Membership marketing should be pervasive to the organization – all staff; all  volunteers are responsible for membership marketing all year long and in every encounter with a member  or potential member." 
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Survey Objective For the ninth consecutive year, MGI has conducted its annual Membership Marketing Benchmarking Survey.  As in past years, the report highlights the strategies and tactics that membership organizations find most  useful in recruitment, engagement, renewal, and reinstatement of members.  Each year, we review the questions from the previous survey to ensure that the content we provide is  relevant and on trend. We evaluate the usefulness and success of questions and determine which will be  removed, what questions will be added, and which will be retained for further analysis. Additionally, we  always include some suggested questions offered by previous survey participants.  Methodology The 2017 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Survey was conducted online. It was launched on January  9, 2017, and remained open until February 20, 2017. Email invitations were sent to association executives  who subscribe to MGI's monthly newsletter, the  Tipster ; had downloaded the 2016 Membership Marketing  Benchmarking Report; or had completed the 2016 survey. A link to the survey was also available on the MGI  website. Finally, those who requested to participate but had not been included on any of the lists were sent  a link to the survey. Response Rate Email invitations were sent to 18,692 individuals. Of those, 1,311 emails bounced, bringing the total to 17,381.  A total of 870 executives completed the survey and 300 partially completed the survey, totaling 1,170  participants. The response rate is approximately 7%. Analyses Our practice is to include only one response per association, so as to not duplicate data. If more than one  person from an association completes the survey, we use the data that was most complete, and/or the data  from the individuals whose responsibilities most closely relate to membership marketing. We require that  each association or company name be provided for this reason. If no association name or company is  included, the data is not used. Net duplicate association submissions, a total of 1,005 unique associations  participated in the current research. This represents the highest level of participation ever for this  association research.

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Overall, close to half of associations report increases in membership over the past year (46%). This trend is  visible across the board, as all types of organizations are most likely to report that membership has increased.  This represents a slight decline from the previous year (49%), but still demonstrates an overall trend of growth  in association membership. In comparison to the 2016 research, the percentage of organizations showing increases has declined; the  percentage of IMOs showing increases has dropped from 52% to 48%, the proportion of trade organizations  has dropped from 48% to 45%, and the percentage of combination associations citing increases has dropped  from 48% to 46%. One-quarter of associations are reporting losses in membership (25%), with combination associations  reporting the highest percentage of membership declines (28%). This represents an increase in losses for a Similar to the previous research, trade organizations are the most likely to indicate their membership numbers have  remained stable (32%).  Associations reporting increases in membership over one year are significantly more likely to also report  increases in membership over the past five years, in new members, and in renewals. Associations with operating budgets over $5 million are significantly more likely to report increases in  members over the past year.

How has your membership changed in the past one year period?

Of associations reporting an increase in membership, 56% report increases of 1% to 5%. The median  percentage for associations reporting an increase in membership for the past year is 5% . The percentages are slightly higher for IMOs (58%) and slightly lower for combination associations (51%).  One-quarter of associations report increases of 6% to 10%, while 19% report increases in membership  over the past year of more than 10%.  Trade associations are more likely to report increases of 6% to 10% compared to IMOs or combination  associations.  23% of combination associations indicate their membership has increased by more than 10% over the  past year.

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Over the past five years, how has the total percentage of your  membership changed?

Of the associations reporting declines in membership over the past year, 69% cite decreases of up to 5%.  The median percentage of membership decline is 5%. More than two thirds of all association types indicate their membership has declined by up to 5%.  IMOs and trade organizations are more likely than combination associations to indicate membership  declines of 6% to 10% (IMO: 22%, Trade: 20% vs. Combination: 14%).

50% of associations report that their membership over the past five years has increased, on par with  findings from 2016 (51%).  About half of IMOs (50%), trade associations (52%), and combination associations (49%) report increases of  up to 5%.  About 30% of associations indicate that their membership over the past five years has declined, similar to  2016 results (31%).  Combination associations are most likely to report declines (33%) compared to IMOs or trade associations.  Associations whose membership renewal rate is at 80% or higher are significantly more likely to indicate  that their membership has increased in the past five years (54% vs. 46% for associations with less than  80% renewal rate).  Associations reporting increases in their five year membership are significantly more likely to also have  increases in membership in the past year, increases in new members, and increases in overall renewals.  Associations with the largest operating budgets ($20 million or more) are significantly more likely to have  increases in membership over the past

Of associations reporting an increase in membership over the past five years, 43% report that their  membership has increased by 11% to 50%. This represents a slight decline from 2016 (47%).  The median increase over the past five years is 13%, slightly lower than in 2016 (15%).  Combination associations are most likely to report increases of more than 50% in their five year  membership (15%).

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Of the associations reporting declines in membership over the last five years, 37% mention that their  membership has dropped by 11% to 50%.  The median decrease in membership over the past five years is 10%, the same as in 2016.  About one-third of associations report declines of up to 5% (32%), and another 31% report declines of  6% to 10%.

In the past one year, how has your new member acquisition changed?

1

45% of associations report increases in their new member acquisitions over the past year, with IMOs  showing the most growth (47% vs. 45% for trade associations and 43% for combination associations).  This, however, represents a decline, as 53% of associations reported increases in their new members in  2016. All association types show declines in new member acquisition (IMOs: 47% vs. 55% in 2016; Trade:  45% vs. 49% in 2016; Combination: 43% vs. 53% in 2016).  Over one-third of associations report that their new member acquisitions remained the same over the  past year (36%). Associations reporting increases in new members over the past year are also significantly more likely to  show increases in overall membership over the past year, increases in their five year membership  numbers, and increases in their member renewals.  As trade associations grow in membership size, they are less likely to show increases in new member  acquisitions.

For those associations reporting increases in new members, 44% indicate their membership has grown  by up to 5%. The median increase in new members is 8%. One-third of associations (32%) report growth of 11% to 50%. IMO and trade organizations are more likely to demonstrate new member growth of up to 5% (49% and  44%, respectively), while combination associations are most likely to report growth of 11% to 50% in new  members (38%).

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Of the associations that report declines in new members (13%), almost four in ten report a drop of 11% to  50% in new members (39%).  The median decrease in new members is 8%. Just over one-third of associations report smaller declines in new members: 36% report a drop of up to 5%.

In the past one year, how has your member renewal rate changed?

For a large percentage of associations, renewal rates have remained stable over the past year (44%). This is  true for all types of organizations: IMO 42%, Trade 51%, and Combination 40%.  One-quarter of associations have seen an increase in renewals (25%) and a similar percentage have  witnessed a decline in renewals (23%). IMOs are more likely than other association types to have increases  in renewals (27% vs. 23% for Trade and 24% for Combination).  Combination associations are more likely to report declines in renewals (29% vs. 21% for IMOs and 23% for  Trade).  Associations reporting increases in overall renewals are significantly more likely to report increases in  membership over the past year and increases in membership over the past five years. IMOs with more than 5,000 members and trade associations with more than 500 members are significantly  more likely to report increases in renewals over the past year.

Three-quarters of associations (73%) reporting increases in renewals indicate an uptick of up to 5%  over the past year.  The median percentage increase in renewals is about 3%. For all types of associations, the majority report increases of up to 5% (IMO: 74%, Trade: 70%,  Combination: 72%).

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Of the associations reporting declines in renewals, 72% report a drop of no more than 5% over the past year.  The median decline in renewals for associations is 4%. At least seven in ten associations of all types report declines of no more than 5% (IMO: 73%, Trade: 70%,  Combination: 73%). 17% of associations, however, report a drop in renewals of between 6% and 10%.

What is your overall membership renewal rate?

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Similar to 2016, 68% of associations report renewal rates of 80% or higher. The median membership  renewal rate is 84% overall.  Trade associations have a higher median renewal rate (89%) compared to IMOs (80%) and combination  associations (82%). Associations reporting renewal rates below 80% are significantly more likely to show declines in overall  membership over the past year, declines in membership over the past five years, and decreases in their  new member acquisitions.  Associations with new member renewals at or above 80% are also significantly more likely to report overall  renewal rates at or above 80%. IMOs with up to 1,000 members are more likely to report renewal rates at or above 80% (67%) compared to  larger associations.

A majority of associations (56%)  do not have chapters .  Among trade associations, 77% do not have chapters.

QUICK STAT

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Please indicate what percentage of your membership belongs to each  of the following generation groups.  Total should add to 100%.

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IMOs estimate that nearly four in ten members are Baby Boomers (39%), and about three in ten are Gen  X-ers (29%).  Associations estimate that only about 21% of members are Millennials or Gen Z.  Associations reporting an increase in membership over the past year, the past five years, and an increase  in overall renewals are significantly more likely to have a higher percentage of Millennials. Associations with an 80+% new member renewal rate also have the highest percentage of Millennials.  As operating budgets for an association increase, so does the percentage of Millennials in an association.  Conversely, as the operating budget for an association increases, the percentage of Baby Boomers  decreases. IMOs with at least 20,000 members are the most likely to have members born in 1945 or earlier.

What is your renewal rate for first year members?

The median overall renewal rate for new members is 74%, the same as in 2016. Combination associations  report lower new member renewal rates this year compared to last (70% vs. 75%). Trade associations are significantly more likely to report new member renewal rates at or above 80% (63%)  compared to IMOs (30%) or combination associations (39%).  Associations with an overall member renewal rate at 80% or higher are significantly more likely to have  new member renewals at that same rate (58%).  Associations with new member renewals at less than 60% are significantly more likely to have overall  renewals less than 80%, to show declines in new members overall, and to show declines in their five year  membership numbers.  Associations with new member renewals at or above 80% are significantly more likely to report overall  increases in their five year membership numbers and increases in their new member acquisitions.  The smaller associations (IMOs up to 1,000 members and trade associations up to 500 members) are  significantly more likely to report new member renewal rates at or above 80%.  New member renewal rate for IMOs with more than 5,000 members is significantly more likely to be less  than 60%.  Trade associations with 500+ members are significantly more likely to have new member renewal rates of  less than 80%.

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Member Recruitment

SECTION 2

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Which recruitment marketing channels get your organization the  most new members?  You may select up to five answer choices.

Similar to 2016 and 2015, the top two recruitment methods for new members are word-of-mouth  recommendations (68%) and email (54%). These are the top two recruitment channels for all types of associations.  New within the top three recruitment methods is cross-selling to non-members who buy products or  attend your conferences (32%). This is one of the top three recruitment methods for combination  associations (41%). For IMOs, direct mail is one of the top three recruitment channels for new members (32%), while  personal sales calls are highly productive for trade associations (43%). These findings mirror those  from 2016 and 2015.  Associations reporting increases or no change in their new member acquisitions are significantly more  likely to employ association-sponsored events as a recruitment tool. Associations indicating increases in overall renewals are significantly more likely to use digital  marketing techniques for recruitment.  Local events and meetings are employed significantly more often by associations with new member  renewals rates above 60%.  IMOs with more than 20,000 members are significantly more apt to use direct mail and digital  marketing, while smaller IMOs (under 5,000 members) tend to use local events/meetings and  association-sponsored events significantly more effectively. Trade associations with more than 100 members find personal sales calls to be significantly more  productive in recruiting new members.  Associations with operating budgets under $5 million are significantly more likely to find word-of- mouth recommendations and local events and meetings to be significantly more effective, while those  with operating budgets at $5 million or more are significantly more apt to employ direct mail as an  effective recruitment tool.

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On average, how much do you spend to acquire each new member?

The median amount spent to acquire each new member is $41. For both IMOs and combination  associations, the median amount is $24, and for trade associations, the median amount is $95.

You indicated that you use digital marketing recruitment tools. Which  of the following provide the most new members? Please select up to two responses.

The two most effective digital marketing recruitment tools remain the same as in 2016: association- sponsored social networking websites (e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn) (56%) and organic search engines (38%).  The percentage of associations that rate the association-sponsored websites as a top digital marketing  recruitment tool has dropped from 63% in 2016 to 56% in 2017.  The third most effective digital marketing method, Facebook paid advertising, has increased in  effectiveness for many associations (38%, up from 20% in 2016). This is especially true for trade  associations (21%, up from 9% in 2016) and combination associations (24%, up from 14% in 2016). Associations with renewal rates at 80% or higher are significantly more likely to report that association- sponsored social networking websites are highly effective for recruiting new members (62%).

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How effective are the following offers for recruiting new members?

Associations reporting an increase in membership over the  past year, the past five years, and an increase in overall renewals  are significantly more likely to have a  higher percentage  of Millennials .

QUICK STAT

Overall, conference or convention discounts are considered the most effective offer for recruiting new  members (60%). This is true for trade and combination associations (57% and 65%, respectively).  For IMOs, the most effective offer is a dues discount for the first year of membership (64%).  For associations reporting increases in overall membership, five year membership, and new members,  conference discounts, first-year dues discounts, and online registration discounts are significantly more  effective. A free trial membership is considered significantly more effective or very effective for associations reporting  renewal rates at or above 80%.  As the operating budget for an association increases, it is more likely to find that the first year dues  discount is highly effective. IMOs with the most members (20,000 or more) are significantly more apt to find that free gifts or  premiums are effective or very effective for recruiting new members, compared to smaller IMOs.

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What do you believe are the top three reasons members join your  organization?

For all associations, networking with others in the field is considered the top reason that members join  the organization (55%). This mirrors the findings from 2016 and 2015. Continuing education and access to specialized/current information (each 26%) have supplanted best  practices (22%) in the top three reasons for joining.  IMOs and combination associations report that continuing education (32% and 29%, respectively) is one of  the top reasons that members join, while trade associations indicate that advocacy is a greater membership  driver (33%).  Trade associations are significantly more likely to believe that members join for conferences and trade  shows, while IMOs and combination associations are significantly more likely to consider association  publications and certification to be membership drivers.  According to associations with fewer than 20,000 members and those with under $5 million in their  operating budget, networking is a top reason for joining the organization. Associations reporting renewal rates of 80% or higher indicate that access to specialized information and  advocacy are significant membership drivers. Compared to associations with at least 60% in new member renewals, those with less than 60% consider  association publications and supporting the mission of the association to be reasons members join the  association. Associations with fewer than 5,000 members are significantly more inclined to report that members join  to have access to industry thought leaders.

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Participant Comments MEMBER RECRUITMENT Describe an acquisition or recruitment strategy that your association  has employed that has been very successful, and/or from which you  learned something valuable.  Provide details so that others may learn from  your experience.

Associations reporting increases in new members over the  past year are also significantly more likely to show increases in  overall membership over the past year, increases in their five year  membership numbers, and increases in their member renewals.

QUICK STAT

90-day free trial has been very successful - after the 90-days participants are offered 20% discount on  first year dues. (Trade) Telemarketing has significantly increased conversion rates. We have a ready database of potential  members, available every month, and have refined and streamlined our contact with them. We start with an  eDM (where we have email addresses) to convert the easy wins, then send a DM approx. 4 weeks later to  any non-converted, and follow up with a phone call approx. 4 weeks later to any still outstanding.  Conversion rates for TM are around 15%. (Combination) 3 years for price of 2 promotions - only available onsite at events. Improved both retention and  acquisition locking in members for 3 years at current prices. (IMO) Our best performing acquisition has been offering an extra 3 months for the price of 12. We offer it via a  mailed campaign as well as a "look-a-like" campaign on Facebook. (Combination) Facebook remarketing has been successful, especially when specifically targeted to a specific audience  such as our Young Professionals. (IMO) Direct mail, following up with an email still works. (Combination) Using content (which is not gated, but is behind lead gen), to both capture leads and demonstrate the  quality of our product. (Combination) We invite our members to bring guests to our Member Mixers, and we then invite those guests to attend  one of the events in our monthly series as our guest. This allows people to become familiar with our  organization and the work we do. We also add them to our email invites/newsletters/alerts (with their  permission) to increase our contact with them. (Combination)

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Do you have a separate strategic initiative or tactical plan to  increase engagement?

Member Engagement

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he majority of associations have a strategic initiative or tactical plan to increase engagement (60%). Trade associations are significantly more likely to have a strategic initiative or tactical plan (66%). Among associations that saw their renewal rate increase, 68% have a strategic initiative or tactical plan to  increase engagement. This is compared to 62% who saw a renewal decrease and 56% who saw no change.  IMOs with 20,000 members or more are significantly more likely to have a strategic initiative or tactical plan  to increase engagement than smaller organizations (73% vs. 53%).

Which of the following communication methods do you use to help  onboard or engage new members in the association? (Check all that apply.)

An email welcome is the most common method used to help onboard or engage new members. Mailed welcome kits continue to be a distant second choice method, while membership cards or  certificates are the third most popular method. 51% of associations send a mailed welcome kit; this is down from 83% in 2009. An invite to use the members-only website section is a popular method of onboarding new members of  trade associations (47%). Associations with an operating budget of $20 million or more are significantly more likely to mail out a  membership card or certificate to new members (66% vs. 43%).

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In the past fiscal year, how has member engagement and participation  changed within each of the following areas? Please indicate N/A if a  particular item is not offered or not relevant to your association.

For IMOs,  direct mail is one of the top three  recruitment channels for new members (32%), while personal  sales calls are highly productive for trade associations  (43%).

QUICK STAT

69% of associations saw an increase in participation in their public social network. The use of private  social networks continues to increase rapidly. 60% of associations saw an increase, down slightly from  63% in 2016.

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52% of associations base the  membership renewal on the  anniversary date, while 44% choose a fixed calendar date.

QUICK STAT

A majority of associations (56%) saw an increase in webinar attendance, down slightly from 60% in 2016.  For individual member and trade associations, 54% saw an increase in webinar attendance, while 60% of  combination associations experienced an increase in webinar attendance

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The median percentage for associations reporting an  increase in membership for the past year is 5% .

QUICK STAT

Only 13% of associations saw a decrease in attendance at their annual conference/trade show. This is up  from 12% in 2016. 64% of associations with a five-year membership increase also saw growth in attendance at their annual  conference/trade show last year. This compares to 36% among those who have a five-year decrease in  membership.

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52% of trade associations and 51% of combination associations saw attendance growth in professional  development opportunities. By contrast, professional development meetings saw somewhat slower growth  among individual membership associations, with only 40% seeing an increase in attendance in the past year.  65% of organizations that experienced increased new member growth in the past year also saw an  increase in attendance at their annual conference/trade show. Only 40% of those with negative growth  and 42% with no new member growth saw increased attendance.

Do you offer certification?

38% of associations offer certification, up from 35% in 2016. 46% of combination associations offer certification, compared to 37% of IMOs and 31% of trade associations.  In 2016, only 38% of combination associations offered certification. Large trade associations are significantly more likely to offer certification. 46% of those with 500+ members  offer certification, compared to 30% of all smaller trade associations.  Offering certification has a positive effect on renewal rates. 41% of associations that saw a renewal increase  offer certification. Only 34% of those that saw a decrease offer certification.

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What service do you use for your online community?

44% of associations do not use an online community. At 55%, trade associations are significantly more likely not to use an online community. Only 39% of IMOs  and 41% of combination associations forego an online community.

For all associations,  networking with others in the field is  considered the top reason that members join the organization  (55%). This mirrors the findings from 2016 and 2015.

QUICK STAT

Participant Comments MEMBER Engagement How do you measure the effectiveness of your engagement strategy?

We calculate a composite engagement score based on service usage/event attendance and break that  into quartiles. (Trade) We assign point values to various forms of engagement (online community posts, educational session  registrations, etc.) and track this through our AMS. (IMO) Number of members who not just paying fees, but participate in committees, speak at events and  volunteer in any other way. (Combination) Membership satisfaction survey, clicks on website. (Trade) Number of likes and/or shares on Facebook, number of views on website and monitoring of online access to  members only resources. (Trade) By the number of members participating in our advocacy, volunteer programs, regional affiliations, awards,  education, research, and affinity programs. (Trade) Still working on engagement metrics which are new to us. (IMO) We do not have adequate tools to measure engagement at this time. (IMO) We monitor email open and click-through rates, but the ultimate measure is retention rate. (IMO) This is difficult, but we look to proxies: attendees at our webinars, attendees at national convention, number  of downloads of certain member only materials, use of our analysis tools included with higher levels of  membership. (IMO)

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Is membership renewal based on a fixed calendar date for all members  or an anniversary date from the start of the membership?

52% of associations base the membership renewal on the anniversary date, while 44% choose a fixed calendar  date.  This represents a two point increase in using the anniversary date, but a two point decrease on the fixed  calendar date. Trade associations are significantly more likely to use a fixed calendar date (58% vs. 40% for IMOs and 33%  for combination associations).  IMOs and combination associations are significantly more likely to use a membership anniversary date  (57% and 61%, respectively, vs. 39% for trade associations). 54% of associations with a new member renewal rate of 60% or higher renew members on a fixed calendar  date. Associations with a new member renewal rate of less than 60% overwhelmingly use the member  anniversary date (77%).

After a membership expires, how long is your association's grace  period for accessing member benefits?

4

Member Renewal and reinstatement

SECTION 4

Most associations offer a grace period; only 20% do not (up from 16% in 2016).  68% of associations offer a grace period of up to three months; 47% offer a grace period of 2 to 3 months. Trade associations are significantly more likely to offer a grace period (89% vs. 75% for IMOs and 78% of  combination associations). Associations with an 80% or higher renewal rate are significantly more likely to offer a grace period  (85% vs. 73%).

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IMOs with an 80% or higher renewal rate are much more likely to offer a grace period. 83% offer a grace  period, while only 68% of those with lower renewal rates offer one. Among IMOs with an 80% or higher renewal rate, 70% offer a grace period up to 3 months; only 63% of  IMOs with lower renewal rates do the same.

Associations with an 80% or higher renewal rate are significantly  more likely to offer a  grace period (85% vs. 73%).

QUICK STAT

For each member, how many of each of the following membership  renewal EFFORTS do you have in your renewal series?  Select ONE for each renewal series.

Email is the most popular method of contacting members about renewing their membership. IMOs and combination associations typically make four renewal efforts, while trade associations  make three. Phone is one of the least often used renewal efforts, while faxes and texts are not used at all. Associations with an operating budget of $20+ million make five email contacts per member, while  associations with smaller budgets make three. Associations with a renewal rate of less than 80% are significantly more likely to forgo making any  renewal efforts via phone. \-  38% do not make any attempts to contact a member by phone. \-  Among associations with a higher renewal rate, only 15% pass up the opportunity to contact  members by phone.

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When do you end renewal efforts (stop renewal contacts to the member)?

When do you start the renewal effort?

62% of associations begin their renewal efforts at least three months prior to expiration, with the three- month mark being the most popular start time (36%).  Associations with an 80% or higher renewal rate are more likely to start at the three-month mark  (42% vs. 34%).  38% of associations with a renewal rate of 80%+ wait until two months or less remain on the membership  before beginning their renewal effort; among associations with a renewal rate of less than 80%, only 32%  wait until the two-month mark to begin renewal efforts.

The median membership renewal rate is  84% overall .

STAT

47% of associations end renewal efforts within three months of expiration. 21% do not stop contact with lapsed members, down from 23% in 2016. 52% of associations with renewal rates of less than 80% give up renewal efforts by the third month after  expiration. By comparison, only 46% of associations with higher renewal rates give up that soon.

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In total, 79% of associations indicate that email marketing is the most effective marketing channel for renewals.  This is up from 77% in 2016. All three membership types indicate that email marketing is the most effective marketing channel for renewals  (84% for IMOs; 68% for trade associations; 85% for combination associations). Overall, mail is the second most effective channel (50%) and staff phone calls are the third most effective (39%).  Trade associations, however, prefer staff phone calls to mail (63% vs. 40%).  Mail is a more popular marketing method among larger associations. 66% of IMOs with 20,000 or more  members use mail for renewal efforts, while only 35% with 1,000 or fewer members use mail.  Among associations with an 80%+ renewal rate, 49% say staff phone calls yield the most membership renewals.  Among those with lower renewal rates, only 25% cite staff phone calls.

Which of the following marketing channels generates the most  membership renewals?  You may select up to THREE choices.

Do you offer any of the following renewal options? (Check all that apply.)

Trade associations are significantly more likely to offer installment renewal payments (59% vs. 36% for  IMOs and 34% for combination associations). This, however, is a decrease from 2016 when 64% of trade  associations offered installment renewal payments. Multi-year renewals are popular offerings among IMOs and combination associations (41% and 30%  respectively). Associations with 80% or higher renewal rates are significantly more likely to offer installment renewal  payment plans (50% vs. 26%). Associations with renewal rates less than 80% are significantly more likely to offer automatic annual credit  card renewal (41% vs. 29%).

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What do you believe are the top reasons members DO NOT renew their  membership in your organization?  You may select up to THREE choices.

Lack of engagement with the organization is the most commonly-cited reason for non-renewal. 37% of  associations list this as a top reason, up from 33% in 2016. Among trade associations, 49% cite lack of engagement as the most common reason for non-renewal.  This is up from 40% in 2016.  Among IMOs, 37% cited employers not paying dues for their employees as a major factor for non-renewal; this  is an increase from 34% in 2016. 40% of trade associations say that members could not justify membership costs with any significant ROI;  this is significantly higher than IMOs (23%) and combination associations (29%).

Installment payments are popular among organizations of all sizes. Automatic credit card renewals are popular across organizations of many different sizes. 32% of all  associations use this renewal feature, up from 29% in 2016.

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After a membership lapses or expires, how long do you continue to  contact the member to invite them to reinstate their membership?

What channel generates the most reinstated lapsed members?  Please select up to TWO answer choices

Participant Comments MEMBER REnewal and Reinstatement

Describe an engagement or retention strategy that your association  has employed that has been very successful, and/or from which you  learned something valuable.  Provide details so that others may learn from  your experience.

Approximately a third of all associations continue to contact lapsed members indefinitely.  Trade associations are the most likely to continue indefinite contact with lapsed members (42% vs. 31%  for IMOs and 27% for combination associations). Other than associations that contact lapsed members indefinitely, most associations do not go beyond  three years. 16% of associations make contact for only one year, another 11% for a second year, and  another 10% for a third year. 10% of associations make no contact at all with lapsed members.

Lapsed member telemarketing generates at least 5% of our renewals - members either forget to renew or  weren't getting notices because of address changes etc. (IMO) We have a retention committee. The committee meets monthly and makes calls to expiring members. (IMO) We have company memberships. Our best retention has been with organizations that we have visited to  discuss their challenges and how membership helps address those challenges. (Trade) After six month of expiration the society offers a $100 discount to renew. This has been very effective. (IMO) We started a digital advertising campaign with Facebook to find those members who are up for renewal. Two  months in, we have seen significant success compared to total dollars spent. (IMO) SMS campaign. (Combination) Engaged outside vendor to contact lapsed members, to renew. (IMO) Providing an annual summary of achievements and member benefits provided by the association to members  in infographic format. (Combination) We have not figured out a very successful strategy. (Trade) Creating a Facebook Custom Audience of members who lapsed in the last 12 months and presenting  Facebook ads reminding them to reinstate their membership. (IMO)

At 70%, email is the channel that generates the most reinstated lapsed members. This is up from 66% last year.  Among trade and combination associations, phone is the second-most popular channel for reinstating lapsed  members (52% and 35% respectively). Direct mail is the second-most successful channel for reinstatements among IMOs (39%). another 10% for a third  year. 10% of associations make no contact at all with lapsed members.

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Which social media does your organization officially use? (Check all that apply.)

Which types of content do you provide on each of the following social  media channels?

5

Social Media

SECTION 5

Facebook and Twitter are the most popular social media platforms across each type of association. Facebook has dropped two points to 89% since 2016. LinkedIn (public) has increased four points to 67% and Instagram has jumped ten points to 32%.  Associations with renewal rates of 80% or more are significantly less likely to use many social media  platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, a public LinkedIn page, and Association Blog.

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Which types of content do you provide on each of the following  social media channels?

Associations use Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to post association news and events/notices.  Association Blog is used more for association news (70%) and other blog postings (82%) than for  events/notices (55%). Instagram is the leading platform for posting pictures (88%).

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ASSOC BLOG

LinkedIn is widely used by trade associations to disseminate industry news (63% vs. 52% for IMOs and 49% for  combination  associations). IMOs make more use of YouTube for presentations (24% vs. 13% among trade associations and 14% among  combination associations).

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Does your organization have any apps?

55% of associations have apps.  Larger associations and those with higher budgets are much more likely to have an app.

What type of apps does your organization have?  (Check all that apply.)

Apps are most widely used for meetings and conferences (84%).  Trade associations are the most likely to use an app for meetings and conferences (90%). 25% of IMOs have an app for their publications, significantly higher than either trade or combination  associations (10% each).

Describe how you have used social media for your association in a very  successful manner.  Provide details so that others may learn from your experience.

Participant Comments Social Media

We have generated a large volume of social media engagement when we highlight individuals from our members.  The likes, retweets, etc. are huge. (Trade) Our blogs on "How-Tos" and resource evaluation have been very successful. (Trade) Twitter is our most active channel, we re-tweet other's posts and other groups re-tweet ours. (IMO) Our Facebook group is very active. The members and volunteers made it that way, not staff. It strengthens the sense of  community that we work so hard to create, and makes nonmember group members wish they were members. It's one  step to getting a sense of the culture of the group that doesn't require you to attend a meeting. (IMO) We only use LinkedIn right now. But we have a theme for each day, in which we use content from our member  companies that they are offering - for industry related news. We welcome new members, celebrate member good news  and we post event invites. Our followers are up 362% since we started actively working on this one year ago. (Trade) We have not seen a measurable reward from social media, but we aren't very focused. (Trade) Our members have been slow to use social media for our association (many were older and viewed most social media  as for personal life only). We've just started to see more interest in it in the past year as we see demographics shift and  see some older members get it more. We're looking at how to use it and grow it in the future. (IMO) Promoting curated content to non-members as examples of our member benefits. (Combination) We have a strong presence across all major platforms and post daily and out hot topics and upcoming events. (IMO) We use prescheduled Twitter posts; links to articles from our publications and white papers. (IMO) Have a schedule and theme to posts as well as sharing current events and more edgy content/topics has resonated  well with people in and outside of the association. We now have followers who are not members. The key is to be  discriminating in what gets shared and knowing the right content for the user/member. (IMO) We have used it to mobilize around advocacy issues. (IMO)

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Challenges and goals

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6

What are your organization's biggest internal challenges to growing  membership?  Please select up to three responses.

For all associations, the top commonly shared internal challenges include a difficulty in communicating the  value or benefits of the association (37%) and insufficient staff (30%). This mirrors the results from 2016;  however, associations have more trouble communicating their value and benefits than in 2016 (31%).  In fact, the difficulty in communicating value has increased for all types of associations (IMO: 37% vs. 30%  in 2016; Trade: 40% vs. 30% in 2016; Combination: 34% vs. 32% in 2016). Trade associations are more likely to struggle with each of the top two challenges compared to IMOs and  combination associations.  IMOs are significantly more likely to be challenged in attracting and maintaining younger members (26%),  while trade organizations struggle more with proving that their membership provides a tangible ROI (32%).  Combination associations find it more difficult to meet the needs of a diverse membership (27%). Associations reporting declines in their one-year membership numbers are significantly more likely to  struggle with communicating the value and benefits of the organization, lack marketing expertise, and  need integration between the national organization and its chapters.  Small IMOs (under 5,000 members) struggle significantly more with insufficient staff and the lack of a  strategy or plan, compared to larger IMOs.  Associations with larger operating budgets ($5 million or more) find the diversity of their membership to be  a challenge, while those with smaller operating budgets struggle with an insufficient budget.

Among trade and combination associations,  phone is the  second-most popular channel for reinstating  lapsed members (52% and 35% respectively).

QUICK STAT

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What are your organization's biggest external challenges to growing  membership?  Please select no more than two responses.

Associations with renewal rates at or above 80% are significantly  more likely to mention goals focusing on increasing  membership acquisition, increasing non-dues revenue from  members, and increasing understanding of members' needs.

QUICK STAT

Overall, the two biggest external challenges associations face are the cost of membership (31%) and  competing associations or other sources of information (30%). This echoes the findings from the 2016 study.  For IMOs the cost of membership and competing associations are also the top two challenges, but the cost of  membership is less of an issue this year compared to last (34% vs. 40% in 2016). For trade organizations, the biggest external challenge is industry consolidation/shrinkage (36%), followed by  the cost of membership (30%).  Combination associations are most likely to struggle with declining member/employer budgets (32%) and the  lack of brand awareness (31%).  Associations with renewal rates at or above 80% are significantly more likely to struggle with industry  consolidation/shrinkage and the changing demographics of the industry, while those with lower renewal  rates are challenged by a lack of brand awareness.  Associations reporting declines in their one-year membership and declines over the past five years are  significantly more likely to find the declining budgets of members and employers and the industry  consolidation to be challenging.  IMOs with more than 1,000 members consider the changing demographics of the industry to be  challenging, while trade associations with more than 100 members struggle significantly more with industry  consolidation and shrinkage.  For associations with less than $20 million in their operating budget, a lack of brand awareness can be a  significant challenge.

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What are your association's top membership goals?  You may select up  to two choices.

Similar to findings from 2016, the top membership goals are increasing member engagement and  increasing member retention (50% and 47%, respectively). The goal to increase member engagement has  risen since 2016 (47%).  IMOs and combination associations also consider their top goals to be an increase in member  engagement and member retention. Echoing the 2016 study, trade associations report that increasing  membership acquisition is more important than increasing retention.  Associations with renewal rates at or above 80% are significantly more likely to mention goals focusing on  increasing membership acquisition, increasing non-dues revenue from members, and increasing  understanding of members' needs. Those associations with renewal rates less than 80% and associations  whose one-year membership has declined are significantly more likely to indicate their top goal is to  increase membership retention.  Associations reporting increases in new members over the past year are significantly more likely to focus  on increasing member engagement.  Those associations with operating budgets under $20 million are more likely to mention increasing non-

On average, how many emails does a member receive from your  association in any given week?

Similar to 2016, associations send their members, on average, four emails a week.  39% of associations send two to three emails per week.  40% of IMOs and trade associations send two to three emails per week, while 40% of combination  associations send one to two emails per week. Associations with operating budgets under $5 million are significantly more likely to send one to two  emails per week, while those with operating budgets of $20 million or more are most likely to send five  emails per week.

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What is your average open rate (percentage) on the following types  of emails?

The average open rates are highest for membership renewal campaigns (39%). This is true for all types of  associations. One-third of recipients open meeting/conference marketing emails and association news/newsletter  emails (33% and 32%, respectively).  Associations with renewal rates at 80% or more are significantly more likely to report higher open rates for  all emails except for membership acquisition campaigns. Likewise, associations with at least 80% renewal  rates for new members have significantly higher open rates for all emails except association  news/newsletters.  Compared to associations reporting declines in one year membership and five year membership, those  reporting increases are significantly more likely to have higher open rates for membership renewal emails. Those associations indicating increases in new members and increases in renewals over the past year  tend to have significantly higher open rates on meeting/conference marketing emails. Associations with the smallest operating budgets (under $1 million) have significantly higher open rates on  meeting/conference emails and membership acquisition emails compared to

What is your average click-through rate (percentage) on the following  types of emails?

Click-through rates are highest for membership renewal campaign emails. All types of associations report  that at least 25% of recipients click through on membership renewal emails.  Overall, percentages for click-through rates are relatively similar for all association types.  Associations with renewal rates of 80% or higher are significantly more likely to have higher click-through  rates on all emails except member acquisition campaigns than associations with lower renewal rates.  Similarly, associations with new member renewal rates at 80% or more are also significantly more likely to  see a higher percentage of click-through on all emails except association news.  Those associations with the smallest operating budgets (up to $1 million) tend to have the highest click- through rates on meeting/conference marketing emails and membership acquisition emails.

Student memberships are offered by a majority of IMOs  (70%) and combination organizations (66%).

QUICK STAT

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Participant Comments Challenges and goals What are your organization's marketing strengths?

For trade organizations, the  biggest external  challenge is industry consolidation/shrinkage (36%),  followed by the cost of membership (30%).

QUICK STAT

We are increasing our online presence through Social Media and by developing a digital content strategy.  (Combination) We recently refreshed our brand and our materials are more relevant and have gained more attention. (IMO) We are now outsourcing to an association marketing partner. (Combination) We know our audience. (Combination) We're able to try new things and new approaches at the drop of a hat because we don't really have  separate departments and we all work on things together. (Combination) Good database management (no duplicates) and good understanding of the community. Targeted direct  mail campaigns. (IMO) We're good at segmenting our membership and customizing per group. (Combination) Lead nurturing and content marketing. (IMO) Collaboration between departments and increased presence on multiple social media outlets. (IMO) Knowledgeable and passionate staff with an understanding of the marketing strategy. (Combination) Dedicated marketing department with design capacity. Everything looks uniform, consistent. (IMO) Better tracking of marketing initiatives. Better targeting of prospects. (IMO) I believe we are good at providing an overall sense of the benefits of membership and the return on invest  as well as highlighting our efforts on behalf of the industry. (Trade) We are finally starting to figure out how to package & discuss our value. (IMO) Much is data driven. (IMO) We have a very strong understanding of analytics and an experienced communications department. (IMO) For membership marketing, a willingness to test and a dedication to continuous learning. Also a very large  market with our low penetration leaves a lot of room for growth. (IMO) Staff dedicated to marketing; good data; marketing system which allows for segmentation. (Trade)

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What are your organization's marketing weaknesses?

Too many emails and various departments not knowing what others are sending/doing. (Trade) Too little staff, no cohesive marketing plan, lack of a real marketing leader or manager. (Trade) Inefficiency of the marketing department in understanding and marketing the organization's value  proposition to members and non-members in an up-to-date manner in terms of technology, strategy and  techniques. (Combination) Very little expertise in-house; no promotion or development; lack of strategic focus or direction by board;  secretive and defensive management; suspicion of volunteers; absence of communication, and open and  frank relationship; very limited resources devoted. (IMO) Lack of specialized expertise in strictly digital marketing. Acute lack of bandwidth. I do it all from  Accounting to Web Site. (IMO) Analytics, we are not effectively improving our marketing efforts through analysis of the ROI/open rates.  (Trade) Lack of focus; too many messages across too many topics; volume of e-mail; insufficient financial and human  resources. (Combination) Lack of creativity/innovation - utilize the same tactics & largely the same messages that have been deployed  for quite some time. Also, a perception that we haven't changed/stayed current with the times. (IMO) We have too many products and no one is interested in sunsetting any. (Combination) Inadequate analytics and tracking. (IMO) Developing an elevator speech on who we are and why you should join. We use too many words. (IMO) No dedicated marketing team and lack of research. (IMO) Lack of technology, little/no marketing integration with CRM platform, no marketing automation.  (Combination) Our marketing department doesn't understand our members. (IMO) With more than 200 staff, our marketing team sometimes doesn't have capacity to turn around projects as  quickly as needed. (IMO) Totally fragmented with inconsistent and incomplete messaging. No clear goals or results assessed from our  efforts, and no budget to speak of. We have a great message but our internal structure is impeding our  ability to shine. (Trade) There is a hesitance to outright advertise for membership. We do a lot of content-based marketing, but we  do not do enough to promote simply joining the organization. (Trade) Our market is shrinking and certain leaders are averse to opening up our member categories to expand  opportunities. (Trade)

Small IMOs (under 5,000 members) struggle significantly more  with  insufficient staff and the lack of a strategy or  plan , compared to larger IMOs.

QUICK STAT
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What membership categories does your association offer? (Check all that apply.)

Dues and membership Structure

SECTION 7

7

The top membership categories are individual basic (58%), student (51%), and company/institutional/ organization (51%). 61% of IMOs offer retired memberships, a rate significantly higher than any other association type. Student memberships are offered by a majority of IMOs (70%) and combination organizations (66%). Those organizations experiencing an 80%+ renewal rate are significantly more likely to offer a  company/institutional/organization membership than those that do not (55% vs. 44%). Associations with budgets of $5 million+ are significantly more likely to offer student memberships than  those with lower budgets (59% vs. 45%). Associations with an 80%+ renewal rate are significantly more likely to offer associate memberships  (43% vs. 30%).

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What percentage of your members are students? If you are unsure, check not sure.

On average, 12% of all memberships are student memberships. Associations with an 80%+ renewal rate are significantly more likely to have 10% or less of their membership as  student members (68% vs. 55%). IMOs with 5,000 or fewer members are significantly more likely to have a smaller percentage (10% or less)  as student members than larger IMOs (65% vs. 48%).

What percentage of your student memberships ultimately convert to  full memberships?  Slide the bar to the appropriate percentage. If you are  unsure, check not sure.

On average, 29% of student memberships convert to full memberships. This remains unchanged from 2016. IMOs are more likely to convert more than 10% of student memberships to full memberships (67% vs. 57%). IMOs with 20,000+ members are significantly more likely to convert more than 10% of student memberships  to full memberships (83% vs. 59%)

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What percent of your members are international (outside your  country)?  If you are unsure, check not sure.

Approximately two-thirds of all associations, regardless of membership type, report that 10% or fewer  members are international.

On average, how much are your basic annual membership dues? Do  not put a range.  Please answer in USD. You do not need to include the "$"  sign.

Slightly more than two-thirds (68%) of associations use basic dues for their membership structure. Trade associations (63%) are significantly more likely than IMOs (12%) and combination associations (28%)  to use a sliding scale for membership dues. The median basic annual membership dues are $221, though for trade associations that figure nearly  triples to $605. Those associations that have an 80%+ renewal rate are significantly more likely to have a sliding scale  (39%) than those that have a lower renewal rate (16%).  Only 17% of associations with less than a 60% new member renewal rates have a sliding scale; among  associations with an 80% new member renewal rate, 43% have a sliding scale.

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How often does your association raise membership dues?

Half of all associations (51%) raise membership dues as necessary, with another 25% raising them on an  annual basis. Associations with an 80%+ renewal rate are significantly more likely to raise membership dues at some  point (94%) compared to those with lower renewal rates (90%).  At 29%, trade associations are significantly more likely to raise membership dues annually than IMOs or  combination associations (22% and 24%, respectively).  7% of associations never raise membership dues.

What was the average percentage of your last membership dues  increase across all membership categories?  If you are unsure, check not sure.

The mean percentage increase for all associations is 9%, while the median increase is 5%. The overwhelming majority of dues increases were less than 10%.  Associations with an 80%+ renewal rate are significantly more likely (82%) to have increases of 10% or less;  only 68% of those with lower renewal rates have increases of 10% or less.

What is your membership dues based on?

Nearly half of trade associations (45%) base membership dues on the annual revenue of the member  organizations. Trade associations with smaller budgets (Less than $1 million) are significantly more likely (34%) than  larger budget organizations (14%) to maintain the same dues for all members.

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How would you describe your membership dues structure?

Nearly half of associations have dues based on certain attributes, such as qualifications, experience, company  size, revenue, and geography.  Basing dues on certain attributes is significantly more likely for trade associations (70%) than for IMOs  (37%) or combination associations (44%).  Individual membership organizations are significantly more likely to have the same dues for everyone (35%  vs. 15% for trade organizations and 17% for combination organizations).  For individual membership organizations, there is a nearly even split between everyone paying the same  (35%) and a variable rate based on certain qualities (37%).  Associations with an 80%+ renewal rate are significantly more likely (57%) to base membership dues on  certain attributes; among those with renewal rates less than 80%, only 34% base membership dues on  certain attributes.

Does your association have chapters?

A majority of associations (56%) do not have chapters. Among trade associations, 77% do not  have chapters. Individual membership organizations are more likely (27%) to have mandatory chapter  membership than trade associations (8%) or combination associations (16%). 29% of IMOs and 25% of combination association have optional chapter membership; only 11% of  trade associations have the same. Associations with an 80%+ renewal rate are significantly more likely (59%) not to have chapters  than those with lower renewal rates (51%).

The median increase over the  past five years is 13%.

STAT
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What is your organization's annual operating budget?

Over the course of the past fiscal year, excluding staff costs, how much  did you spend on the following membership marketing programs? Do not put a range. Insert a number; do not abbreviate. For example, input 25,000  and not 25K. You do NOT need to include the "$". Please answer in USD.  Also, how did the amount of that budget change from last year?

8

Managing Your Association

SECTION 8

38% of associations have an annual operating budget of $1 million to $4.9 million. The median operating budget for IMOs is $2.6 million. Trade organizations and combination  associations have a median budget of $2.2 million each. IMOs are significantly more likely to have a budget of $20 million or more (16% vs. 9% for all other  associations). Operating budgets have no effect on new member renewal rates. Organizations with a less than  60% new member renewal rate have a median operating budget of $2.9 million; those with an 80%+  new member renewal rate have a smaller median budget of $2.3 million.

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Average spending on awareness and branding increased from $78K in 2016 to almost $117K in 2017. Average recruitment spending increased from $56K in 2016 to almost $83K in 2017. \- More IMOs and combination associations increased spending on recruitment (25% vs. 24% in 2016).  \-  Only 20% of trade associations increased their recruitment spending, down from 25% in 2016. Average renewal spending increased from $28K in 2016 to almost $51K in 2017.

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What types of analysis do you use to measure the effectiveness of  your membership marketing campaigns? (Check all that apply.)

Response rate analysis (50%) and return on investment (33%) are the two most popular ways to analyze  the effectiveness of membership marketing campaigns.  \- Response rate analysis is the most popular method for each membership type and ROI is the second  most popular for IMOs and combination associations, but 36% of trade associations say that none of  the methods are effective. IMOs and combination associations are more likely to use source code or keycode capture analysis. Cost of acquisition is another popular means of analysis used primarily by IMOs and combination  associations.

Do you divide your membership into different segments for marketing  purposes? If so, which of the following best describes your approach  to segmentation? (Check all that apply.)

59% of associations used membership level/type segmentation for marketing purposes.  \- It is the most widely used method for all membership models. 11% of associations use model-driven personas, driven mainly by IMOs and combination associations. 20% of associations do not use any type of segmentation.

51% of associations send a mailed welcome kit ;  this is down from 83% in 2009.

QUICK STAT

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What association management software (AMS) do you use?

Across all association types, iMIS (ASI-iMIS; 15%) and Abila (14%) are the most popular association  management software platforms. SalesForce is more popular among trade associations (11% vs. 3% for other membership.

Among trade and combination associations,  phone is the  second-most popular channel for reinstating  lapsed members (52% and 35% respectively).

QUICK STAT
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What best describes your primary job function?

n = 925

Demographics

SECTION 9

9

For 47% of the participants, their primary job function is in membership. After that, about one in ten reports  they work in marketing (11%), as the CEO/President of the organization (11%), or as a senior level executive (9%).

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What best describes your association's industry?

Similar to the previous year, the most represented industries include healthcare (18%), professional  services—white collar (16%), and education (11%). Compared to last year, however, both healthcare and  white collar professional services dropped from 20% of the sample, while education declined slightly  (12% in 2016).

n = 1005

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What type of membership offering best describes your organization?

Of the three main types of organizations, IMOs represent almost half of the sample (46%).  Three in ten participants represent trade organizations (31%), an increase over last year (25%), while just  under one-quarter of respondents are from combination associations (23%, down from 26% in 2016).

How many paid members are in your association?

Overall, 31% of IMOs and combination associations have between 5,000 and 20,000 individual members.  When examined separately, 34% of IMOs report individual membership between 5,000 and 20,000  members; however, combination associations are most likely to have up to 1,000 individual members (34%).

Half of all trade and combination associations report more than 500 company/group members (50%).  When separated, most of the trade organizations (52%) and combination associations (46%) have  company/group membership numbers of 500 or more.  Combination associations are twice as likely to have smaller numbers of company/group members  (up to 100 members) compared to trade organizations (24% vs. 12%).

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Words of WisDom: PARTICIPANT COMMENTS

SECTION 10

10

If you could freely say anything to your members, what would you say?

We can help you! Just let us know what you need. And tell your friends if you are happy - they will  probably join! (Trade) You can benefit from the membership only if you make use of it. (Combination) Your industry is facing many challenges and the continued prosperity depends on your support of the only  organization that lobbies and is an advocate for you. (Trade) Get outside of your four walls and take advantage of the education, networking and other community  engagement with the organization. (Trade) Together our voice becomes a shout, separately it is a whisper. (IMO) We value you. We're here to support you. We're not your enemies; we're not trying to take advantage of you. We  care about our work and the value we provide you; we don't want to do the least work possible for the biggest  gain. (Combination) Thank you for your support of our mission and your loyalty. (IMO) Thank you for your sticking with us during some times of poor leadership and bad communication. We are  different now and getting better each day, but in trying to improve, there are some growing pains. We can't  do everything at once, but we are trying to do everything that we currently do better and then figure out new  ways to offer you value as a member. (Combination)

With regard to your association, what keeps you up at night?

Not gaining new members. (Trade) We are in a period of rapid and total transformation and I'm not sure our leaders have the skills (or the time) to  guide us through. (IMO) Our members keep buying each other! (Trade) Monthly acquisition and renewal budgets that are not realistic. (Trade) Where to find members to replace those being lost to death/health. (IMO) Answering the amount of member contacts which come in—by phone, email, and through the website.  (Combination) Whether we should adjust our business model to focus more on services and less on membership dues.  (Trade) The inability to stop the "bleeding" (attrition outpacing acquisition). (IMO) Failure to invest in our technology and database platforms is crippling our ability to connect with and  engage members. (IMO) Concerns about staying in touch with the new generation of professionals coming into the marketplace.  (Trade) Right now, very tight budgeting. We are trying to use low- or no-cost membership benefits to retain our  current members and reach out to new ones. (IMO) Figuring out how and where to acquire new members. (IMO) A fear that, we're trying too hard to be everything to everyone and that our team members are too burned out  to do things properly. (Trade) Workload, absence of research and marketing strategy, absence of team working, not enough staff. (Trade) Membership Data Accuracy and its relation to acquisition goals and retention. (Trade) Staffing issues. Internal politics. (IMO) Unqualified, unmotivated staff and antiquated hiring/firing practices. (Combination)

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Make the barrier disappear between Chapters and Head Office as well as between different departments so  everyone is focused on going in the same direction and has a clear understanding of the organization's  goals. (Combination) Nationalize the chapters so that the member experience can be standardized and personnel specialized  to meet the changing needs of the member base. (IMO) A new AMS. Without accurate, timely information on our membership, it is so difficult to make smart  decisions. (IMO) Making the board more strategic and less tactical. (IMO) Our marketing department is only two people and needs to be at least 4. I would hire additional staff with  nonprofit backgrounds and who understand how to write for a membership program. (IMO) Too many people at the top and not enough people doing the actual work. (Trade) All of our member and customer data would be housed in one place. (IMO) I work for a trade association where dues are based on sales volume. Our biggest hurdle is determining  whether or not members are paying the correct rate. (Trade) Strong prospect database. (Trade) Volunteer leadership needs to have faith in their staff management. We were hired to do a certain job. Let  us do it without things being talked to death. (IMO) More telecommuting - better AMS system - better email system - more in-house marketing folks, including  a designer. (Combination) Control membership marketing through membership, not through the marketing department. (Trade) Monthly research reports on marketing efforts, email open and click-throughs, web analytics, etc.  (Combination) Our membership dues structure is too complicated and unbalanced. (Trade)

If there was one hurdle you could remove to make your association  run smoother, what would it be?

Approximately two-thirds of all associations, regardless of  membership type, report that  10% or fewer members  are international .

QUICK STAT

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At 29%, trade associations are significantly more likely to  raise membership dues annually than IMOs or  combination associations (22% and 24%, respectively).

QUICK STAT

In your own words, what are the most important or successful  lessons you have learned in the area of membership marketing?

The membership value proposition must be clear and the organization should make sure that members  understand it. (Combination) Multiple marketing channels are necessary because different people respond differently to each type of  marketing channel. (No one size fits all - some people like phone calls, some emails, some prefer social media,  etc.). (Trade) A plan, strategy, tools and measurement is needed to make progress. Every single employee must buy-in to a  culture of sales organization, not membership organization, and we all must sell who we are and what we do.  (IMO) Don't be afraid to ask for help or say you don't know. Additionally, the more we focus on using analytics to  target those areas and current individuals who have higher lifetime membership values, the better. The  approach to treat everyone worldwide the same is not a strategy to follow. (IMO) Take the time to get to know your members. (Trade) Print mailers still grabs attention. You need to diversify your marketing efforts to reach all audiences. (IMO) Effective content marketing can reduce marketing expense. (IMO) Don't give up. What might not have been successful last go around, may just work next time. Be persistent.  Laugh more. (Combination) Email direct marketing cannot rely on single initiatives and needs to be treated as a campaign - multiple  iterations combined with other digital initiatives are required in order to adequately communicate with  renewing members. (Combination) You have to invest resources in marketing, if you want a return of increased membership. (Trade) Retention the first year is important. (IMO) Membership recruitment in a trade association environment is about building a relationship with the prospect.  It requires a consultative selling approach. You cannot gain new members by emails alone. (Trade) Test, track and test some more. Discounts work. Sometimes it's ok to be cheesy, if you know your audience.  (IMO) Reaching multiple people at the same member organization is key. (Combination) Putting off aggressive marketing to create new value is not a good idea - must be done simultaneously. (IMO) Been doing this for 20+ years - many lessons - all relevant. Most important is to not be afraid to ask for more  $$$. (Combination) Membership marketing should be pervasive to the organization - all staff, all volunteers are responsible for  membership marketing all year long and in every encounter with a member or potential member. (IMO) Test, analyze and re-test. (IMO)

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In your professional opinion, how do you think associations will  change or evolve to maintain their relevance over the next decade?

More apps and ways to engage via mobile devices. (Trade) More focus on building community. (IMO) Advocacy will continue to be something that associations can provide that companies cannot do on their  own. Bringing together competitors and getting them to agree on a consensus direction for our sector of  the industry will continue to be a priority. (Trade) Place a high emphasis on the younger demographics to identify, develop, and maintain new sources of  value relevant to the demographic. (Trade) Many more online offerings, more creative in-person events. (IMO) There need to be mergers of associations to reflect the mergers within the industry. (IMO) They will continue to offer their members a chance to connect with others, but the connection methods will  change to include much more use of social media. (IMO) T o remain relevant, we will need greater investment in content development to distinguish ourselves from the  marketplace, more investment in member benefits, and perhaps an ala carte approach to membership. (IMO) I think education will get shorter in terms of length. No one wants to sit through an hour long presentation.  They want quick and they want to be part of the discussion. I think chapters will go the way of the dodo for  the most part. Our chapters are run entirely by volunteers, and that is a difficult model to maintain.  (Combination) I believe that membership will decrease over time due to limited time to participate and the penchant for  quick results and limited communications. (Trade) I worry that the younger generation does not feel the need to belong to associations like older generations.  That would impact us greatly as our membership ages. (Combination) The philosophical divide continues. For those that say "the future is not joiners or membership based", I say  why is there Amazon Prime, Sam's Club, Shaving Clubs, Hotel Membership, etc. I believe doing away with  that model will blur the lines between nonprofits and for-profits and will guarantee the demise of the sector  vs. have it survive. Association membership models (albeit changing and rightly so to review and look at),  are the great differentiator. Otherwise, we are simply think tanks or for profit operations with an association  moniker. (Trade) Members want the association to do whatever they can't or don't want to do for themselves. Find that pain  point, and you have relevancy. (Trade) Content  – real, in-depth content that can't be found elsewhere on the web. Associations need to hang their  hat on "nobody else can produce for you what we do" and "you absolutely need to be a member to find  success in this industry/profession." (Combination) Virtual reality's impact on the future of technology can have an effect on those associations that offer  training, career coaching, etc. A lot of these areas could offer sessions via VR and cut down on travel and  other associated costs, in addition to providing the service at mass scale. (Combination)

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About Marketing General Incorporated Marketing General Incorporated is the nation's largest marketing agency working exclusively  with membership associations. During the past 39 years, MGI has helped hundreds of  associations and relationship-based organizations increase their membership, improve  retention, enhance member engagement, grow revenue, and gain new insights through  market research and analysis. Additional information can be found at  www. MarketingGeneral .com or by contacting us at  703.739.1000 .

MGI

Tony Rossel l , Senior Vice President Tony Rossell is Senior Vice President of Marketing General Incorporated in Alexandria, VA. A frequent  writer and speaker on membership marketing topics, he is a contributing author to two books,  Membership  Marketing (ASAE 2000) and  Membership Essentials (ASAE 2016). He also writes the "Membership  Marketing Blog" and has over 30 years of experience in helping organizations grow their membership. Tony can be reached at 703.706.0360 or at Tony@MarketingGeneral.com. Adina W. Wasserman, P h D , Director of Research Adina W. Wasserman, PhD, is Director of Research at Marketing General Incorporated. Dr. Wasserman is  renowned for pioneering the concept of Indispensability Measurement for associations. In addition, she has  created engagement measurements including the Customer Relationship Index and the Communications  Effectiveness Index. She earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and  completed her Master's and PhD in social psychology at Florida State University. Adina can be reached at 703.706.0373 or at AWasserman@MarketingGeneral.com. Matt Kerr, MA , Market Research Analyst Matt Kerr is a Market Research Analyst at Marketing General Incorporated. He has 10 years' experience in  market research and analysis. Before joining MGI, he worked in the consumer and non-profit market  research sector, leading numerous research projects for Fortune 500 companies and globally-recognized  non-profit organizations. He earned his undergraduate degree at Kenyon College and his Master's degree  at the University of Arkansas. Matt can be reached at 703.706.0364 or at MKerr@MarketingGeneral.com.

A special thanks to Aleda Ahmed, Nicole Tomes Clark, Regina Shea, and Rebecca Turner for their help in the production of this report.

For more information: 703.739.1000  | 800.644.6646 www. marketinggeneral .com

© 2017 Marketing General Incorporated

# Contents

  1. Table of contents
  2. Executive Summary
  3. Section 1: Association Statistics
  4. Section 2: Member Recruitment (Acquisition)
  5. Section 3: Member Engagement 
  6. Section 4: Member Renewal and Reinstatement (Retention)
  7. Section 5: Social Media
  8. Section 6: Challenges and Goals
  9. Section 7: Dues and Membership Structure
  10. Section 8: Managing Your Association
  11. Section 9: The Demographics of Your Association
  12. Section 10: Words of Wisdom

