Evaluating Advantages and Risks of Various Dues Schedules

There are basically three types of dues schedules:
  1. Dues based on full-time employees (FTEs);
  2. Dues based on an overall budget of the business; and
  3. Dues based on tiers.
The trend over the past ten years has been moving to a tiered dues system and I'm a fan of that trend.

The first two set you and your members up for an adversarial relationship!

With a tiered dues system your members can pay for exactly what they want based on your tiered dues structure and there is no going back and forth with the business leader on how many employees they have at any given time or what their current budget is for that given year.

Get out of that game!

Work with your members to give them what they want and what they are willing to pay for based on your tiered dues structure.

The key is to be transparent on what the different levels will deliver for their dues point.

That's a win win for both the chamber and your members or potential members.

For more on a tiered dues structure from Kyle Sexton go HERE.

Developing and Analyzing Data Through Surveys

Qualitative vs. quantitative.

You need both and you also need to do focus groups.

How often are you surveying your members?

In today's world with all the free or nominal fees associated with online surveys, you have no excuse not to do an annual survey and find out what your members want and expect from you.

Remember, you can't serve all members.  In fact, I did a previous blog post on that subject that can be found HERE.

The key, in my opinion, when conducting these surveys is to be consistent from year to year.  You need to be asking the same questions so you can get a benchmark to work from.

If you just change your questions each year, you have nothing to base your results on.

I'm reminded by the membership survey that Marketing General, Inc. has conducted over the past 7 years.  They ask the same questions so they can have a base and measure changes over time with the same audience.  That's data that's worth following.

If you want their latest benchmarking survey on membership go HERE.

In addition, do you have a process that all new programs need to go through before you add them to your program of work?

If not, you should create a document that is used for all potential new programs the chamber is considering getting into.  Don't go into any new program blind.  Find out if your membership wants it, is willing to support it, and that it is sustainable.

That's a recipe for success!