How to use a member satisfaction survey to boost member engagement and loyalty

Sending a member satisfaction survey shows members you’re listening and gives you valuable input on how to give members more value. Here are some tips on who to ask, what to ask, and how to use the feedback you gather.

You work hard to attract new members to your association. The last thing you want is for them to walk away when it’s time for them to renew their membership.

One powerful way to ensure your members stay engaged and stick around longer is to send a member satisfaction survey.

What is a member satisfaction survey?

A member satisfaction survey is simply a survey that presents questions to members. The questions are aimed at gaining member feedback that provides insights into what members want and how they view their experience with your association.

Why should associations send a member satisfaction survey?

There are multiple benefits to sending a member satisfaction survey. First, taking the time to reach out to members for their thoughts shows them you’re listening. Second, it helps to engage members. Third, it helps to ensure your association relies on meaningful input – rather than on guesses or unsolicited opinions from a handful of members – to gauge your members’ satisfaction with your organization. And fourth, it gives you valuable input to help you better engage with members, provide them with a better experience, and generally boost member loyalty.

Who to ask and what questions to ask in your member satisfaction survey

You could just send a periodic member survey to all of your members, asking them a few questions about how satisfied they are with their membership. That’s a basic way to get high-level feedback about how satisfied they are with their membership.

But consider taking it further by segmenting your member list and asking unique questions for each member audience. Doing so can help you send more targeted surveys and gain deeper insights into your membership.

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Here are four groups of members and some suggested questions to ask in your membership satisfaction survey:

• New members – You might not think about new members when you think about member loyalty and member retention. But keep in mind that your members’ entire experience with your organization sways their decisions to renew (or not!).

Around 60 to 90 days after you’ve onboarded new members, send them a short survey to ask about their experience so far. For example, ask things like:

• • How do you rate your member experience so far?
  • What have you found most helpful in your first months of membership with the organization?
  • How connected do you feel with the association?
  • What makes you feel most connected with the association? What makes you feel least connected with the association?
  • What would make your member experience better?

• Volunteers – A great way to get more members more engaged with volunteering, and to retain volunteers, is to get to know your volunteers better. Understanding their experience better helps you provide more personalized and relevant volunteer opportunities and a better overall volunteer experience.

Send your volunteers a survey that asks them about their recent volunteer experience with your association. Ideally, send the survey soon after they volunteer to get their thoughts while the experience is still fresh in their minds.

Some questions to ask:

• • What is the association doing well with the volunteer program? (You might prompt them to provide feedback about their entire volunteer experience – from sign-up and orientation to training and support.)
  • What were the most challenging aspects of volunteering?
  • What type of volunteer opportunity would you like to do, but have never been asked?
  • How important is volunteering to your member experience?
  • Would you recommend volunteering to a friend?

• Members – One of the best ways to determine member satisfaction is to get input directly from members. At least once within each year of a member’s membership, send a survey to determine their satisfaction with their membership. Some things to ask:
  • How do you rate your overall member experience?
  • What member benefits do you find most useful?
  • How do you typically learn about new member benefits?
  • Are there any additional benefits you would like to see offered?
  • What would make your member experience better?
  • Do you plan to renew your membership? If not, why?
  • Would you recommend joining the association to a friend or colleague?

• Lapsed members – It might seem odd to send a member satisfaction survey to lapsed members. But uncovering why members leave can give you great insights into how to improve the member experience (and maybe even win back lapsed members).

Create a short survey for lapsed members that asks as few questions as possible while still gathering the information you need. Some suggested questions to ask in your survey:

• • Why did you decide not to renew your membership?
  • At what point did you make the decision to discontinue your membership?
  • What would have made your membership more valuable?
  • Were there any aspects of your membership that you found valuable? If so, what were they?
  • Is there anything that would make you consider joining again in the future? If so, what?

Review and incorporate feedback from your member satisfaction surveys

Regularly review responses from your member satisfaction surveys. But don’t just review them. Be sure to incorporate what you learn into your member retention program so that you can be sure to provide greater member value. And as a bonus, let members know what changes you make based on their feedback.

Here are a few specific ways to put your member satisfaction survey responses to work:

• Schedule a regular (monthly or quarterly) meeting with your team to go over the member satisfaction survey data and make clear recommendations on how you can incorporate member feedback into your programs, processes, and marketing. At each meeting, review what you’ve accomplished since the last meeting.
• If you need more details about member feedback, follow up with select members. Just be mindful, based on their survey answers, if they’ll likely be open to additional contact from your organization.
• For members who suggest changes your organization might make, consider presenting them with your ideas for improvements and ask what they think. Then, let them know when you make changes that are a direct result of their feedback.