Daily Dispatch - Friday, June 20, 2008
In March, 2007, ARRM disseminated our third-annual Member Satisfaction Survey to 700 members.
The survey was distributed to ARRM’s Bulletin Board list. One hundred ninety-two members participated in this year’s survey, and the response rate of 27% is identical to last year’s response rate.
Member Satisfaction Continues to Grow
The overall satisfaction rating continued to increase this year, with 55.2% of the respondents indicating they were “very satisfied” with ARRM benefits compared with 54.4% in the 2006 survey. In 2006 and 2007 the strongest satisfaction among ARRM members was with the following benefits:
• Legislative Advocacy,
• Publications, and
• Conferences.
Encouraging Trends
- In 2007, a majority of the respondents strongly agreed to the statement "ARRM understands the service needs of my organization." In 2005 and 2006, the majority agreed to this statement.
- The question of whether the member would “recommend ARRM’s services or events” has shown a steady increase over the years, from 87% reporting Yes in 2005 to 93% in 2007. In 2007, there was no difference found between members and their rating of Government Relations. In 2006, new members (e.g. less than 5 years) rated Government Relations higher than members of more than 5 years.
- The 2006 finding of upper-level management rating Education and Training lower than Program and other positions was not replicated in 2007.
Continued Improvements
1. Streamlining committees and committee work.
This is an area of continued improvement that was noted in last year’s survey. ARRM has begun using technology, such as the First Friday Phone-In, to disseminate critical news and information to members so that working committees may be more focused on meeting goal and objectives.
2. Provide more training in Greater Minnesota and offer more online/web-based training.
In response to the 2006 Satisfaction Survey, ARRM introduced an online training on grassroots advocacy in February, 2008. Based on the positive response to this training, ARRM staff and committees will continue to develop ideas for additional online training modules, with plans to create more web-based resources in 2009.
3. Provide better technical assistance and member support.
In 2007, new members (less than 5 years) rated committees, task forces and publications higher than long-standing members (greater than 5 years). Additionally, several members expressed an interest in cultivating a more meaningful, personal relationship with ARRM. Recognizing the need for additional outreach, the Member Services Committee is developing a recruitment and retention plan to implement in late 2008, which includes connecting with members on a regular basis.
Next Steps
Going forward, ARRM will conduct the Member-Satisfaction Survey biannually, with the next survey coming out in the early part of 2010 to evaluate ARRM’s 2009 services. In the alternate years, the Member Services Committee will conduct interviews and focus groups with particular membership segments, which will help us better understand the results of the Satisfaction Survey.