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March 5, 2020 By Amanda Kaiser

Board Member Focus Groups Tend To Be Wildly Inaccurate

When it comes to member research, and maybe even feedback, your board is not a reliable source. Your board is supposed to represent the membership, right? In most cases, they don’t, and here’s why.

Board members may:

  • Remember the good old days and want to return the association to that time.
  • Tend to be much older than the young professionals you are trying to retain.
  • Come from a few enormous organizations with extensive resources.
  • Be much more advanced in their careers than the average member.
  • Be influenced by similarly-minded colleagues outside the board.
  • Have a difficult time moving away from a few core beliefs.
  • Have personal motives that color their comments.
  • Have a more robust network than most members.
  • Find themselves influenced by group-think.
  • Feel more connected than most members.

Board members usually are not representative of your core members, or average members, or new members. Board members add a ton of value to the organization, just not accurate member insights.

Related:

  • Qualitative research reveals what matters most to members
  • Announcing an entirely new research methodology
  • A member research study to consider

Filed Under: Member Insights, Member Research

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