Community Brands Digital Member Study Finds Professional Membership Organizations Struggling to Meet Member Expectations
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Community Brands, a technology-driven company that delivers purpose-built solutions for the world's leading associations and nonprofits, announced today findings from its Digital Member Study: Examining the Gap Between Member Expectations and Association Technology. This study explores current member experiences and the technology used by their professional membership organization, as well as the importance of emerging technologies and how members want to engage.
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"In our study, we discovered technology and personalization play pivotal roles in driving member loyalty, but there is a growing disconnect between where members believe their organization is delivering the best experiences and what they value," said Sig VanDamme, Membership Software Evangelist at Community Brands. "The experience gap is especially pronounced with personalization. Members who believe they are receiving personalized content feel significantly more satisfied and connected with their organization. However, less than a third of surveyed members believe their organization currently delivers personalized content based on member-provided data."
VanDamme added: "Organizations need to take these technology experience gaps seriously and progress to more seamless experiences that align with evolving digital behavior, and meet increasing member expectations for flexibility and personalization in everything they do."
Key findings include:
-- Technology drives member loyalty. There is a strong correlation between
loyalty and technology. Members who see their organization as an early
technology adopter are significantly more satisfied with their
membership and feel more connected to their organization.
-- Members are ahead of the technology adoption curve. Sixty-three percent
of members say technology plays a big role in their life. Most members
describe themselves as ahead of the curve or early adopters of
technology.
-- There's a growing member experience disconnect. Gaps exist between what
members value and where they believe their organization delivers the
best experiences. Members give lower technology experience ratings for
many of the key benefits that drive retention, such as certifications,
training and advocacy.
-- Professional membership organizations don't leverage personalization.
Most organizations believe personalization makes members feel more
engaged. However, the majority today do not put enough emphasis on
creating a personalized experience with recommended content members
value.
-- The future is analytical, predictive and personalized. Organizations
which consider themselves early adopters are more likely to use data
science and predictive intelligence. Most organizations are also
interested in providing more personalized content based on past
activity.
-- Professional membership organizations do NOT feel prepared to meet
member expectations. Few see their organization as technologically
advanced or even technologically prepared for the future and able to
meet members' expectations. Thirty percent of surveyed staff describe
their organization as laggards when it comes to technology adoption.
-- Only a quarter of professional membership organizations say they will
increase their technology investments in the future. The main barriers
are cost, questions about return on investment (ROI), and the ability to
impact the member experience, as well as concerns about integrations and
member usage.
The entire report can be downloaded at communitybrands.com/DigitalMemberStudy.
About the Study
Commissioned by Community Brands, Edge Research fielded parallel surveys to 1,032 U.S. members who self-reported they belong to a professional membership organization and 400 staff representatives who work at these organizations. Survey respondents were recruited through an online non-probability sample, and quotas were set so the survey was representative by key demographics. The survey, which was fielded October 18 - 30, 2017, examined attitudes, values and behaviors about technology from both member and staff perspectives.
About Community Brands
Community Brands is a technology-driven company that delivers purpose-built solutions to more than 13,000 of the world's leading associations, nonprofits and government entities to help them thrive and succeed in today's fast-paced, evolving world. The company's focus on accelerating innovation and bringing to market modern technology solutions helps power social impact, effect positive change and create opportunity. With Community Brands software and services, organizations better engage their members, donors and volunteers; raise more money; effectively manage revenue; and provide professional development and insights to power their missions. To learn more, visit www.communitybrands.com. Get social with Community Brands on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Media Contact
Michael Piotrowski
michael.piotrowski@communitybrands.com
727.497.5975
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