Forward, Four
By Matt Crawford, RVC4
Now that we’ve turned the corner into 2025, are we resolved to resolve? Our new Marketing Officer, Greg Wright, has provided data from the last membership survey, which was sent to current members as of last winter, and to some lapsed and some potential members. The survey has been criticized on various grounds, but data are data and this is what we have this year.
24% of respondents had never been members of Mensa. The most-cited reasons of those who did qualify but did not join had to do with time or money. Of the other 76%, almost a third were no longer members.Of that third, 86% said they would consider joining again under some condition or another, so there’s an area for outreach.
Looking at the 52% of respondents who were current members, those who were “very satisfied” with their local group experience cited many activities and events offered and good communication keeping them up to date. The who were “satisfied” said they were not very active but that there were great activities offered. In the middle range of answers, these members do say they like the newsletter, so keep up the good work, Editors! The only two Mensa resources cited by a majority of members as being among the three they use most often were the Bulletin and the local newsletter. (In fairness to Webmasters, I must say that group websites were not offered as a choice.)
The next-less gruntled respondents, the “somewhat satisfied,” said they had not interacted with their local group or rarely attend events. This is not news. Members who do more are more satisfied, but the causality can be argued to run in both directions.
Among lapsed members, the rarest answer to what would make them consider rejoining was finding a better local group. That’s good news for all our groups. The commonest answers involved lower dues or more value for the money. Alas, that’s only marginally under local groups’ control. In the middle range of answers, though, are “more activities that interest me” and “if meetings were closer to home.” The response to this lament is well-known and well-tested. Members can start an event of exactly the sort they like, in exactly the place they want it. With a little publicity boost from your local group’s resources, be they the website, the newsletter, or social media, you’re off and running. The risk is pretty low; at worst you dine alone at one of your favorite places. Oh, and here’s a tip from the survey: Among all wished-for activities, dining was a close second behind other social outings like museums and concerts.
Those are highlights from the data pertaining to local groups. The satisfaction levels with the organization as a whole are very similar.
There’s a lot more in the report. I’m trying to get the data released; there’s an AMC culture of confidentiality-by-default to overcome. (Having a large group of new AMC members all at once is very conducive to reexamining existing practices.)
Bottom line: start some events you like, reach out to the lapsed or uninvolved, and be kind to your Editors and Webmasters.