Boosting Member Engagement: How LION's Data-Driven Survey Transformed a DC Association's Strategy

LION Brand Consultancy was contracted by a client to ​e​nhance membership engagement. Our goal was to gain deeper insights into member needs, preferences, and optimal engagement strategies. This involved developing a survey instrument to assess member engagement levels, both individually and within their organizations, as well as the perceived value of association membership and overall member satisfaction.

To achieve this, LION designed a three-part survey encompassing Demographics, Engagement, and Satisfaction. We also drafted accompanying email communications, established a deployment timeline, and created a strategic plan for redeployment to maximize participation.

The survey emails achieved a near-40% open rate and a 22% click-through-rate. The response to the survey was overwhelmingly positive, with nearly 20% of respondents expressing interest in further involvement with the association.

Furthermore, the LION-driven survey resulted in a remarkable increase of over 450% in respondent participation compared to the association's previous, self-administered member survey.

Due to the survey responses, LION was able to deliver actionable insights to the association, including:

• Dispelling previous assumptions, we found that the vast majority of members join and remain members for reasons beyond the association's major trade show.
• Surprisingly, well over a third of member organizations' CEOs are unaware of their association membership.
• Nearly half of the members reported difficulty locating association resources when needed.