Member Insights, Member Research and Survey

Announcing an Entirely New Methodology for Member Research

Smooth The Path

JANUARY 28, 2020

Do staff regularly conduct member research? Are listening tours, welcome calls, or member interviews on your list of to-dos? When testing new benefits, do you ask for member feedback? But member insights are hard to come by. Because survey fatigue is real. What do you do? A virtual conference!

Member Research

Member Research Member Insights Survey Member Engagement

When is it Time to Turn to Qualitative Member Research?

Smooth The Path

JUNE 7, 2018

When surveys stop working but you still need to learn more about member’s challenges, problems, opinion, needs, wants, and goals. You analyzed member data and conducted surveys, here’s what is next. Helping members answer the questions that matter most. appeared first on Smooth The Path.

Member Research

Member Research Survey Member Insights

Before You Go To Your Go-To Member Insight Methodology

Smooth The Path

MARCH 8, 2016

Match your business goals, your project’s goals, your members’ goals with the right member research methodology. Related posts: Why Survey Monkey is dangerous. Beware of one question surveys for associations. Why no member survey may be better than one member survey.

Member Insights

Member Insights Member Research Survey Project

A Member Research Strategy to Consider

Smooth The Path

JANUARY 24, 2019

Qualitative is not statistically significant, and unless your membership is very small, we cannot capture every member’s voice. Many quantitative surveys can be statistically significant, and they are usually open to every member. Quantitative, like surveys, is statistically significant.

Member Research

Member Research Strategy Sample Survey

Learn About Members’ Why

Smooth The Path

AUGUST 30, 2016

Just like – what doesn’t make for a very compelling story but, why does – what doesn’t make for very actionable member insights but why does. Think of all the member research you have done whether it is analyzing the data or conducting surveys. What -type insights are a great first step.

Las Vegas

Las Vegas Member Insights Member Research Newsletter

Members Who Share Their Opinions Expect Action (here is what we are going to do!)

Smooth The Path

APRIL 7, 2016

Members want to be heard. Implicit in our ask to take an online survey, respond to a member interview, attend a focus group or even when we ask off-handed informal questions like what did you think of the conference? How does this apply to member insights? Related posts: The members we should focus on.

Member Insights

Member Insights Member Research Survey Report

Please Ask Members

Smooth The Path

DECEMBER 21, 2015

As a member researcher I see some validity to this statement. Research, particularly qualitative research is very good at naming member problems but members themselves are often hard pressed to articulate the right solution. Data and surveys are both limited. With this I wholeheartedly disagree.

Member Research

Member Research Survey Marketing Products

Helping Members Answer the Questions that Matter Most

Smooth The Path

JUNE 19, 2016

There’s an interesting dance that happens with member research. We ask the questions we think we want to know the answers to but members see those questions and find they would rather answer some other more important questions. Qualitative member research methods do. Related: Please ask members.

Member Research

Member Research Survey Project Education

Associations are Leaving Data on the Table

Smooth The Path

JULY 30, 2020

What member feedback to keep and what to toss. Announcing an entirely new methodology of member research. Likely there is a mountain of rich qualitative data that is just waiting for you. Related: Board focus groups tend to be wildly inaccurate.

Member Research

Member Research Video Report Technology

How Often are We Out of Sync with Members?

Smooth The Path

AUGUST 2, 2016

Likely members think the value of their membership is more than or less than we think they think it is. Likely members have better or worse experiences with the association than we guess they do. Likely members like the conference more or less than we assume they do. Surveys like this illustrate the point [h/t Velvet Chainsaw].

Member Research

Member Research Survey Conference Strategy

Slow Data vs. Fast Data

Smooth The Path

APRIL 3, 2016

When you have seemingly unanswerable questions about members it is slow data that holds the answer. Related posts: Please ask members. Before you go to your go-to member insight methodology. Data and association decision making. The post Slow Data vs. Fast Data appeared first on Smooth The Path.

Member Insights

Member Insights Conference Member Research Survey

Case Study: In-depth Member Interviews Feed Association’s Strategic Plan

Smooth The Path

NOVEMBER 6, 2016

In preparation for other strategic planning processes the association conducted quantitative member surveys but found the results were not all that actionable because there continued to be so many unanswered questions. The board also has the research results and they are currently developing the strategic plan based on these insights.

Case Study

Case Study Project Member Insights Association Value

Why We Might Be Interpreting Our Association’s Data All Wrong

Smooth The Path

FEBRUARY 28, 2017

It is time to discover your members’ stories. Related: You analyzed member data and conducted surveys, here’s what to do next. Do you know that member surveys can be risky? Member surveys miss context.

Survey

Survey Analysis Content Member Research

Don’t Ask for Feedback from Members Who Are Too New

Smooth The Path

APRIL 21, 2016

Beware of one question surveys for associations. Should we look outside the association to talk to prospective young members? The post Don’t Ask for Feedback from Members Who Are Too New appeared first on Smooth The Path. Related: Data and association decision-making.

Survey

Survey Member Research Member Insights

One Thing We can do to Prepare for Change

Smooth The Path

JUNE 30, 2016

Related: Members need association help when they face change or start something new. Did you know that member surveys can be risky? The award-winning process for association innovation. The post One Thing We can do to Prepare for Change appeared first on Smooth The Path.

Innovation

Innovation Survey Process Member Insights

Data and Association Decision-Making

Smooth The Path

FEBRUARY 21, 2016

When making a strategic decision on the basis of qualitative data (a member survey, our own data or third party data) ask these questions: Who responded and are these the members we most need insight from? But sometimes they are not. How did we ask the question? Are we interpreting the answer correctly ?

Survey

Survey Member Research Member Insights Strategy

There are Important Things We May Not Know About the Association

Smooth The Path

APRIL 19, 2016

When you are ready to ask members all of the questions you are so curious about, let’s talk. You analyzed member data and conducted surveys, here’s what is next. It is easy to misinterpret members’ opinions when observing their behavior. Related articles: Slow data vs. fast data.

Survey

Survey Member Research Member Insights Member Experience

Our Members Are Not Crazy

Smooth The Path

FEBRUARY 9, 2017

Hearing member’s stories is such a valuable thing, but these stories can be tricky to hear. Quick heat-of-the-moment online, email or phone feedback from members can be laden with emotion making the creator’s words convoluted or inaccurate. Surveys assume that we know all the possible answers, but we don’t.

Survey

Survey Project Conference Content

Members Leave Associations Without a Sound

Smooth The Path

MAY 12, 2016

Related: Don’t ask for feedback from members who are too new. Asking members to opt in after a bad member experience. The post Members Leave Associations Without a Sound appeared first on Smooth The Path. There are important things we may not know about the association.

Member Experience

Member Experience Member Research Member Insights Survey

Association Universe

Announcing an Entirely New Methodology for Member Research

When is it Time to Turn to Qualitative Member Research?

Trending Sources

Before You Go To Your Go-To Member Insight Methodology

A Member Research Strategy to Consider

Learn About Members’ Why

Members Who Share Their Opinions Expect Action (here is what we are going to do!)

Please Ask Members

Helping Members Answer the Questions that Matter Most

Associations are Leaving Data on the Table

How Often are We Out of Sync with Members?

Slow Data vs. Fast Data

Case Study: In-depth Member Interviews Feed Association’s Strategic Plan

Why We Might Be Interpreting Our Association’s Data All Wrong

Don’t Ask for Feedback from Members Who Are Too New

One Thing We can do to Prepare for Change

Data and Association Decision-Making

There are Important Things We May Not Know About the Association

Our Members Are Not Crazy

Members Leave Associations Without a Sound

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