Clients

We wanted to identify more products and services that would appeal to the younger generation. Hiring Amanda, an external source, to speak directly with members added credibility, confirmed what we knew, and revealed a few surprises. Amanda used a process that got us the results we wanted. I felt like Amanda listened intently, and she really got us. This project helped the whole staff focus on member engagement, and we are picking through the results right now to identify the next big priority project.

– Kim Cannon, Department Head – Membership, Volunteerism & TMS Foundation, The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society

We worked with Amanda on three separate projects using phone interview-style research. It is the richness of the data that makes this such a useful methodology. The last time we did a survey I wasn’t happy with what we got back. I still had a whole lot of questions about what the numbers meant about member satisfaction and member needs. So I thought I’d talk to our members and thought we would get more objective feedback if the talking to members was done with a third party. And it did!

For each project, the results gave us actionable information regarding how we approach our work. We got back sound information to inform our strategy. We now can focus on what our members need at their different career stages. We’re learning how to tap into our most innovative members. Before we started our first project with Amanda, we had a general idea of what we wanted to do. She worked with us to frame the project in a way that gave us great results. She is a real partner in designing the research to help you ferret out what you need from the research. I would work with Amanda again and highly recommend her!

– Dorcas Colvin, Vice President, Leadership Development and Member Services, American Association of State Colleges and Universities

We wanted to know how NBAA measured up against other associations that had a formal process for innovation. We couldn’t find an existing association industry benchmarking study, so we decided to develop one ourselves. Since this was new territory, we needed a way to understand the range of practices, challenges, and goals innovative associations had before we launched a benchmarking survey. To do this upfront, open-ended qualitative work we turned to Amanda Kaiser.

The qualitative approach was new to us. We were starting from scratch, and Amanda helped us craft our goals to focus the research on the best possible outcome. During the entire 2-month project she updated us often. This relevant, constant conversation helped us to know exactly where the project was and gave us tons of confidence we were driving toward the end goal. In the report itself, we got tons of deep, insightful information and you could tell the respondents trusted her.

The results from Amanda’s qualitative report did indeed go on to inform the quantitative benchmarking study on association innovation that MGI fielded for us. Also, we are using the results directly from Amanda’s report here at NBAA to guide our next steps with innovation. These insights have been the foundation for productive conversations, and healthy debates among the staff and the results helped us focus our future goals for our association’s Innovation initiative.

We look forward to working with Amanda again very soon!

-Jo Damato, CAM, Director, Educational Development & Strategy, National Business Aviation Association

Too many new members were joining the association to get the reduced conference rate, and then not renewing the next year. I had been reading Amanda’s blog for a few years, so when we decided to commission a member engagement plan, I called her. We needed an objective expert to develop robust strategies that were unique for our international members. Amanda was the collaborative partner we were hoping for. She interviewed many of our members, and we were grateful that she created a comfortable environment for them to share their views. The plan Amanda provided had more supporting information, more ideas, and more detail than I ever expected. It was a wonderful experience working with Amanda; my board members think so too!

– Andrea Collins, Business Manager, International Association for Feminist Economics

The value in this type of research is we get balanced and accurate member feedback. It uncovered a few things we were unaware of and solidified and validated the things we do know. These results will inform our future innovations.

The best part of the process Amanda developed is providing the touchpoint in the middle that gave us the opportunity to dive deeper into issues that were emerging in the interviews. Additionally, the debrief at the end was very helpful.

-Nancy Holland, VP Marketing, DirectEmployers Association

We hired Amanda to identify the existence of association trigger points related to new member retention. We pursued the qualitative research approach in order to understand our new member experience in detail. Rather than conduct the research internally, we chose Amanda as a third party in order to elicit an objective view from members.

We found the process to be very collaborative and were able to create a process that adapted to WIFS’ specific needs. The three strategic outcomes were very beneficial for facilitating strategic planning. Amanda attended our board’s leadership summit to report findings, facilitate next step dialog, and create a roadmap. I am certain we are on the path to significantly improve our new member experience and retention. I recommend Amanda’s qualitative research approach to any association that is trying to identify and/or develop an association trigger point.

– Deborah Duffy, Executive Director, Women in Insurance and Financial Services

We had not done market research with one particular member segment. To get the most useful information, we wanted to conduct both qualitative and quantitative research—however, we didn’t have qualitative research experience in-house. Luckily, I had seen Amanda talk at the 2014 MASAE Conference and was very impressed with her passion for and experience with qualitative research. Amanda was very accommodating (especially with our very short turnaround time), easy to work with, and delivered exactly as promised. The “big picture” findings were put into action right away by our exec team at the conference, and conclusions were also pushed into our quantitative survey. The research will be invaluable in helping us to provide better service. I look forward to working with Amanda again in the future!

– Gzifa Akuji, Business Data Analyst, International Literacy Association

Kaiser Insights’ research complemented CFMA internal research findings and helped our association gain a more in-depth view of our member needs from their perspective. Amanda’s efforts to methodically find our association value trigger point provided useful insights that helped CFMA’s leadership develop more effective programs to meet the needs and expectations of both new and long-time members.

– Mike Verbanic, Director Member Experience, Construction Financial Management Association

Our goal was to understand who our perfect member is and to make sure we were providing them the best benefits possible. Reviewing the results of our member research, it became very clear who our target member is and what they want. With the insight Amanda provided, we can now develop strategies and tactics that appeal to them. Additionally, the insights brought to the forefront some perceived challenges that we have to fix. We were thrilled by the willingness of our members to speak to Amanda. This showed us they value the association and that the work we are doing has meaning to our members. Amanda clearly has expertise conducting member research; she elicited just the kind of information that we needed. She made the project easy for us and at every turn I had confidence that the project was going to be successful. I recommend Amanda to anyone that is trying to understand their perfect client, member, or customer. You won’t be disappointed.

– Marge King, Association of Fundraising Professionals – GPC, Marketing Committee Chair and President, InfoRich Group, Inc.

American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), Washington, DC
American Pet Products Association (APPA), Stamford, CT
Association of Fundraising Professionals – Greater Philadelphia Chapter (AFP-GPC)
Association of Medical Media – Moorestown, NJ (AMM)
Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA), Princeton, NJ
DirectEmployers Association, Indianapolis, IN
DOCSEducation, Seattle, WA
International Association for Feminist Economics (IAFFE), Houston, TX
International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE), San Diego, CA
International Literacy Association (ILA), Newark, DE
National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), Bethlehem, PA
National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), Washington, DC
New Jersey State Bar Association, New Brunswick, NJ (NJSBA)
Women in Insurance & Financial Services (WIFS), Albany, NY
Professional Retail Store Maintenance Association (PRSM), Dallas, TX
The Minerals, Metals, and Materials Society (TMS), Pittsburgh, PA