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January 16, 2020 By Amanda Kaiser

The False Promise of Metrics for the Association Community

Every year we wish to top the prior. Generally, the year is successful when revenues, memberships, renewals, registrations, and purchases grow.

To reach these goals, we devise metrics, usually a bump above the prior year.

Metrics are black and white. Either staff reached the goal, or they didn’t. Each unmet goal is a black mark.

The problem is the race to achieve short-term goals can have a negative impact on member engagement. Sure, in the short-term, we can always boost renewals, revenues, and attendees. We can give incentives, offer discounts, or bundle in a way that makes it hard for members to do anything but what we want. We can advertise, cajole, and sell. At the end of the year, it looks like members are more engaged on paper, but the engagement we saught based on metrics has actually eroded real engagement a bit in their hearts and minds.

Are your association’s metrics inadvertently hurting member engagement?

Related:

  • Creating a very engaging community
  • Many organizations accidentally ignore new members
  • The difference between duty and desire for association

Filed Under: Member Engagement Tagged With: association strategy, conference registration, goals, marketing, membership, metrics, promotions, purchase, renewals, revenue, strategic planning

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