Association Membership and Services Survey 2023 Findings Released
Associations Forum is the leading organisation assisting associations and charities in governance, membership, operations, and finances.
193 associations and charities participated in the Association Membership and Services Survey 2023. Membership and member services are fundamental to associations and charities, and the main challenge for these organisations is to provide services that members deem essential or highly valuable.
The survey report explores trends in the association sector and how associations have adapted to meet the changing needs of their members.
General overview:
■ Professional Associations and Industry Associations experienced smaller fluctuations in retention rates compared to Charities. Charities experienced a significant decline in retention rates from 90.6% in 2021 to 71.9% in 2022, which is the largest decrease among the three organisation types.
■ Budget restraints continue to be the most common reason given as to why members do not renew their membership. Changed industry/role is the next most common reason.
■ Electronic newsletter continues to be the most common core benefit offered to members. Conferences are seen as the most popular service provided at an additional cost and is also considered the service most valued by members.
■ Virtual meetings have become more common in recent years, many organisations still value the benefits of face-to-face meetings and continue to prioritize them when possible.
■ Membership numbers fluctuated across all three types of organisations over the past four years (2019-2022). The highest percentage change was seen across industry associations followed by professional associations and charities, respectively.
■ Across all association types, the most common method of communication for membership renewals is email, followed by phone calls and social media.
Associations Forum has been conducting the Association Membership and Services Survey for 14 years to develop an understanding of the services offered by a wide range of associations and charities and establish a benchmark for the sector.
About Associations Forum
Associations Forum is Australia’s largest broad-based network of associations with over 500 members. Its mission of “bringing associations together to boost performance” is achieved through delivering information, training and advice. Visit https://www.associations.net.au/
For further media information, contact the team at info@associations.net.au or +61 2 9904 8200
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