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.
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