member needs & satisfaction survey - society of...
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1
Member Needs &
Satisfaction Survey
Spring 2012
2 Table of Contents
Topic Page Topic Page
Key Takeaways
Methodology
Demographics of Respondents
Needs Assessment – Individual
Needs Assessment – Institutional
Member Loyalty Assessment
Captive Members
Components of Loyalty
Membership Value Analysis
Member Benefits Analysis
Membership Dues Analysis
3
4
9
29
50
73
102
107
112
117
126
Continuing Education
Publications
The American Archivist
Archival Outlook
Website
SAA Staff
SAA Council
Strategic Initiatives
Annual Meeting
Problem Analysis
Conclusions / Recommendations
130
139
144
149
155
165
170
175
182
201
204
3
1. The top three reasons why individual members belong to SAA are (1) to stay current on
information about the profession, (2) to network and build professional relationships, and
(3) to receive SAA’s journal and newsletter.
2. The top three reasons why institutional members belong are (1) to stay current on
information about the profession, (2) to receive SAA’s journal and newsletter, and (3) to
get the member benefits for their employees.
3. The loyalty profile for SAA is similar to other professional membership associations. The
loyalty profile of individual members is 54% loyal, 37% neutral and 9% vulnerable. For
institutional members, their profile is 59% loyal, 31% neutral and 10% vulnerable.
4. The value of an SAA membership for individual members is driven by member benefits,
membership dues, the SAA Council, the Annual Meeting, publications, and continuing
education.
5. The value of an SAA institutional membership is driven by member benefits, membership
dues, strategic initiatives, publications, and the Annual Meeting.
6. Only 3% of individual members and 2% of institutional members have experienced a
significant problem with SAA in the past six months.
Key Takeaways
4
Methodology
5
1. The purpose of the Member Loyalty study is to better understand which benefits and
programs members value, and how well they believe SAA is doing in delivering those
experiences.
2. The primary objectives of this study are to: understand why major segments of members
belong to SAA, determine SAA’s mix of loyal, neutral and vulnerable members,
determine which member benefits are being underutilized, and measure the
performance of SAA’s programs (e.g. continuing education, publications, Annual
Meeting, website, staff, SAA Council).
3. Recommendations are presented to show where SAA can get the greatest increase in
retention and non-dues revenue for its efforts.
Objectives
6 Methodology – Data Collection
1. On January 17, 2012, SAA emailed a survey invitation to its 6,134 eligible members.
2. Reminder emails were sent to institutional member primary contacts and dual members
who had not completed the survey on January 27. On February 3rd a reminder email was
sent to all individual and dual nonrespondents. On February 6th a final email reminder was
sent to all individual nonrespondents.
3. The survey was also promoted in SAA’s Archival Outlook, In The Loop, on SAA’s Facebook
page, and SAA’s Twitter feed. A direct mail piece was sent to institutional and dual member
nonrespondents on January 20.
4. When the survey was closed on February 7, there were 2,151 total respondents out of
6,134 eligible participants (35.1% *).
5. The response rate for individual members is 35.3% (2,013 out of 5,705 eligible
participants). The response rate for institutional members is 36.3% (166 respondents out
of 457 eligible participants.
6. With this response rate, the level of precision for performance ratings in this study where all
members are included as a single group is +/- 1.69% at the 95% confidence level.
* Total respondents includes 28 individual members who were also designated as
institutional-member primary contacts. These respondents received a special version
of the survey that included questions for both member categories.
7
597
319
85
48 24 23
50 38 27 29 41 11 9
33 27 30 25
331
52
234
116
3 0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
Methodology – Data Collection
• The surveys for individual members, institutional member primary contacts, and dual
members were launched on January 17, 2012.
• Reminder emails were sent to institutional member primary contacts on January 27, and to
individual members on February 3 and February 6.
This graph shows the number of surveys completed each day.
8 8
Response Grade Rating
Value
Member
Benefits
Continuing
Education Staff Website
Excellent A 1 20 50
Very good B 2 20 10
Good C 3 20 80 100
Fair D 4 20 10
Poor F 5 20 50
Total Responses 100 100 100 100
Average Rating 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0
Top 2 Score 40% 50% 10% 0%
Methodology – Top 2 Scores
• All performance ratings in this report are shown as top 2 scores, rather than as average ratings. As the
table below with hypothetical results shows, factors can vary in the distribution of responses received
and still have the same average rating. In the table below, all four factors have exactly the same average
(mean) rating. Top 2 scores have the sensitivity to show differences in response distributions where
differences exist.
• Conceptually, a top 2 score can be thought of as the percentage of respondents who gave an A or B
rating for a particular factor’s performance (e.g. member benefits, website, newsletter, etc.). Factors that
do not achieve a minimum performance rating of 70% should be considered for improvement efforts.
9
Demographics of
Respondents
10 Age – Individual Members
Q49. What is your age?
5%16%
16%
12%10%
9%
9%
9%
8% 5%
Under 25 25-29
30-34 35-39
40-44 45-49
50-54 55-59
60-64 65 and over
• The pie chart below shows the distribution of individual member respondents’ ages.
• All of the age categories are represented in this study.
11 Age – Institutional Member
Q49. What is your age?
0% 4% 7%
10%
10%
8%
19%
19%
15%
8%
Under 25 25-29
30-34 35-39
40-44 45-49
50-54 55-59
60-64 65 and over
• No institutional member respondents are under the age of 25.
12
25%
75%
Male Female
31%
69%
Male Female
Individual Members Institutional Members
• The majority of individual member respondents and institutional member respondents are
female.
Q50. What is your sex?
Sex
13
2% 0% 3% 3% 1% 0%
89%
2% 5%0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
84%
4%8%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
African -
American
Alaska
Native
Asian Latino /
Hispanic
Native
American
Pacific
Islander
White /
Caucasian
Other Rather not
say
Individual members
Institutional members
Race / Ethnicity – All Respondents
Q51. Please indicate the group(s) that best describe your race/ethnicity.
(Select all that apply)
• Individuals were invited to check all that apply to them. Because some individuals made
multiple selections, and other individuals did not provide an answer, the percentages below
do not total to 100%.
• A 0% in the graph below indicates that there were fewer than 1% of respondents who chose
that selection.
14
67%
14%
4% 2% 3%
16%
6%1%
87%
7%0% 0% 2% 0% 1% 3%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Employed,
full-time
Employed,
part-time
Unemployed,
seeking full-
time
Unemployed,
seeking part-
time
Retired Student Other Rather not
say
Individual members
Institutional members
Employment Status – All Respondents
Q51. Please indicate the group(s) that best describe your race/ethnicity.
(Select all that apply)
• Individuals were invited to check all that apply to them. Because some individuals made
multiple selections, and other individuals did not provide an answer, the percentages below
do not total to 100%.
• A 0% in the graph below indicates that there were fewer than 1% of respondents who chose
that selection.
15 Annual Salary For 2011 – Individual Members
Q53. Please indicate your total annual salary for 2011.
20%
9%
14%
17%
14%
10%
6%3% 3% 5%
< $20K $20K-$29K
$30K-$39K $40K-$49K
$50K-$59K $60K-$69K
$70K-$79K $80K-$89K
$90K-$99K $100K +
• Eighty-five percent (85%) of individual member respondents provided their 2011 annual
salary (not shown). The distribution of their responses is provided in the pie chart below.
16 Annual Salary For 2011 – Institutional Members
Q53. Please indicate your total annual salary for 2011.
1% 6%9%
13%
21%8%
14%
11%
6%
12%
< $20K $20K-$29K
$30K-$39K $40K-$49K
$50K-$59K $60K-$69K
$70K-$79K $80K-$89K
$90K-$99K $100K +
• Eighty percent (80%) of institutional member respondents provided their 2011 annual salary
(not shown). The distribution of their responses is provided in the pie chart below.
17
99%
8%
85%
46%
57%
1%6%
1%
96%
5%
76%
58%
51%
1%
10%
2%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
High school Associate BA/BS/BFA MA/MS/MFA MLS/MLIS MBA PhD JD
Individual members
Institutional members
Education – All Respondents
Q54. Please indicate ALL of the degrees you hold.
• Individuals were invited to check all that apply to them. Because some individuals made
multiple selections, and other individuals did not provide an answer, the percentages below
do not total to 100%.
18 Years a Member – Individual Members
20%
19%
12%14%
11%
9%
5%4% 7% 0-1 years
2-3 years
4-5 years
6-7 years
8-10 years
11-15 years
16-20 years
21-25 years
26 + years
• From the join date that was taken from internal member data, the years of membership
were calculated.
• All of the tenure categories for individual members are represented in this study.
19 Years a Member – Institutional Members
8%8%
14%
11%
11%16%
8%
11%
12% 0-1 years
2-3 years
4-5 years
6-7 years
8-10 years
11-15 years
16-20 years
21-25 years
26 + years
• There is a fairly even representation of institutional member respondents by tenure
category.
• This information was gathered from their join date which is part of their internal SAA record,
rather than from a survey response.
20 Individual Member Type – Individual Members
3%
76%
21%
Associate
Individual
Student
• The pie chart below shows the distribution of individual members by individual member
type.
21
2%
2%
1%
0%
15%
5%
10%
13%12%
9%
8%
21% 2%
Bridge
Domestic Associate
International Associate
Lifetime
Retired
Salary less than $20K
Salary $20K-$29K
Salary $30K-$39K
Salary $40K-$49K
Salary $50K-$59K
Salary $60K-$75K
Salary more than $75K
Student
Individual Member Sub Type – Individual Members
• The pie chart below shows the distribution of individual members by individual member sub
type.
• There were no lifetime members who responded to the survey.
22
41%
23%
23%
6%7%
Academic institution
Government agency
Nonprofit organization
For-profit organization
Other
Type of Institution – Institutional Members
• The largest category of institutional members are those who work in academic institutions.
23
95%
2% 3%
College or university
Elementary or secondary
Other academic institution
Type of Academic Institution – Institutional Members
• Most academic institution member respondents work at colleges and universities.
24
23%
48%
9%
20%
Federal or national
State
County or parish
Municipal
Type of Government Institution – Institutional Members
• Roughly half (48%) of institutional member respondents who work for a governmental
agency work for a state agency.
25
32%
3%
3%11%24%
8%
3%8%
8% Historical society
Library
Museum, history
Museum, other
Religious
Foundation
Professional association
Medical institution
Other
• The two largest categories of nonprofit organization respondents work for historical
societies and religious organizations.
Type of Nonprofit Organization – Institutional Members
26
11%
11%
78%
Archival consulting firm
Manufacturer, vendor, supplier
Other, not related to archives
• Most institutional member respondents who work for a for-profit organization work for a
company that is not related to archives.
Type of For-profit Organization – Institutional Members
27
8%8%
7%
24%
15%
10%8%
21%
1-4
5-9
10-19
20-99
100-499
500-2,499
2,500-9,999
10,000 +
Total Number of Employees – Institutional Members
• The pie chart below shows the distribution of the number of employees at each
respondent’s organization.
28
10%
62%
15%
8%
1%
1%
4%None
1-4
5-9
10-19
20-99
100-499
500-2,499
2,500-9,999
10,000 +
Number of Archivists – Institutional Members
• Most institutional member respondents work for an organization with 1-4 archivists.
29
Member Needs Assessment
Individual Membership
30 Member Needs Assessment – Individual Members
1. The Member Needs Assessment is an analysis that identifies the personal needs that
members seek to fulfill with an SAA membership. The results of this assessment will
enable SAA to develop benefits and programs to meet the needs of its members.
2. This section examines the responses given by individual members, as well as dual
members responding as individual members.
3. Currently, the number one reason why individual members join SAA is to stay current on
information about the profession. When members were asked to allocate 100 points to
the various reasons why they belong to SAA, roughly 24% of all points were allocated to
this reason.
4. The second most popular reason for joining, which received 17% of the allocated points,
was to network and build professional relationships.
5. Other reasons that received 5% of the points or more, (ranked in order of importance),
are: to receive the journal and newsletter (11.0%), to support the profession (9.4%), to
show that they are professionals (9.3%), to advance their careers (9.0%), and to get
SAA’s member benefits (7.4%).
6. This section of the report examines these top seven reasons for belonging to SAA and
how their priorities vary by member segments.
31
0.8%
0.6%
1.1%
1.3%
1.5%
2.9%
4.5%
7.4%
9.0%
9.3%
9.4%
11.0%
17.0%
24.3%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%
Other
SAA membership is a job requirement
My supervisor/mentor suggested I join
Prestige of being an SAA member
My dues are reimbursed
My professor/advisor suggested I join
To support SAA
To receive SAA's member benefits
To advance my career
To show that I am a professional
To support the profession
Subscriptions to the journal and newsletter
To network and build relationships
Stay current on information about profession
Percentage of Points Allocated
Reasons For Belonging to SAA - Individual Membership
• The chart below shows the distribution of points by all individual and dual respondents.
Respondents were asked to allocate more points to the more important reasons for having
an SAA individual membership.
Q10. Individuals belong to associations for a variety of reasons. Please tell us the
reasons why you belong to SAA. Please allocate a total of 100 points among the
following reasons, assigning more points to the more important reasons .
32
26%
17%
11% 10%8% 8% 8%
23%
17%
12%
9% 10% 9% 8%
19%
15%
10%8%
14%
11%
7%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Stay current on
information about
profession
To network and
build relationships
Subscriptions to
the journal and
newsletter
To support the
profession
To show that I am
a professional
To advance my
career
To receive SAA's
member benefits
Loyal
Neutral
Vulnerable
• Individual members who are loyal place a higher priority on belonging to SAA to stay current
on information. This could be explained as those individuals who have a higher priority on
staying current in their profession are having their needs met better by their SAA
membership.
• Vulnerable members place a higher priority on using the membership to show they are a
professional and to advance their career. This could be explained as those individuals who
are not loyal to SAA are more interested in self-promotion rather than self-improvement.
Q10. Individuals belong to associations for a variety of reasons. Please tell us the
reasons why you belong to SAA. Please allocate a total of 100 points among the
following reasons, assigning more points to the more important reasons .
Top Reasons For Individual Membership – Loyalty
33
33%
10%
17%
11%
6% 5%
8%
26%
18%
11% 11% 10%8% 7%
18%16%
9%
6%8%
14%
10%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Stay current on
information about
profession
To network and
build relationships
Subscriptions to
the journal and
newsletter
To support the
profession
To show that I am
a professional
To advance my
career
To receive SAA's
member benefits
Associate
Individual
Student
• Individual members want to stay current, to network, to receive subscriptions and to support
the profession.
• Students place a higher priority on advancing their career as a reason for belonging to SAA,
while associate members have a higher priority on staying current and receiving SAA’s
publications.
Q10. Individuals belong to associations for a variety of reasons. Please tell us the
reasons why you belong to SAA. Please allocate a total of 100 points among the
following reasons, assigning more points to the more important reasons .
Top Reasons For Individual Membership – Member Type
34
27%
16%
10%8% 8% 7% 8%
24%
17%
11% 10% 10% 10%
7%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Stay current on
information about
profession
To network and
build relationships
Subscriptions to
the journal and
newsletter
To support the
profession
To show that I am
a professional
To advance my
career
To receive SAA's
member benefits
Reimbursed dues
No reimbursement
• Individual members who pay their own dues have slightly higher priorities on belonging to
SAA to support the profession, to show that they are a professional and to advance their
career.
Q10. Individuals belong to associations for a variety of reasons. Please tell us the
reasons why you belong to SAA. Please allocate a total of 100 points among the
following reasons, assigning more points to the more important reasons .
Top Reasons For Individual Membership – Dues Reimbursement
35
24%
17%
11%9% 9% 9%
7%
23%
16%14%
12%
8%6% 5%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Stay current on
information about
profession
To network and
build relationships
Subscriptions to
the journal and
newsletter
To support the
profession
To show that I am
a professional
To advance my
career
To receive SAA's
member benefits
Individual membership
Dual membership
• Not shown in the graph below, is that for dual members, their fifth most important reason for
belonging to SAA is to support SAA. As a group, dual members allocated 11% of their points
to this reason.
Q10. Individuals belong to associations for a variety of reasons. Please tell us the
reasons why you belong to SAA. Please allocate a total of 100 points among the
following reasons, assigning more points to the more important reasons .
Top Reasons For Individual Membership – Individual vs. Dual
36
22%
16%
12% 12%
9% 9%
6%
25%
17%
11%
8%10% 9% 8%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Stay current on
information about
profession
To network and
build relationships
Subscriptions to
the journal and
newsletter
To support the
profession
To show that I am
a professional
To advance my
career
To receive SAA's
member benefits
Male Female
• Female individual members place a higher priority on staying current on information about
their profession as a reason for belonging to SAA, while male individual members place a
slightly higher priority on supporting the profession.
Q10. Individuals belong to associations for a variety of reasons. Please tell us the
reasons why you belong to SAA. Please allocate a total of 100 points among the
following reasons, assigning more points to the more important reasons .
Top Reasons For Individual Membership – Sex
37
18%16%
11%
8%
16%
12%
6%
25%
17%
11%9% 9% 9% 8%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Stay current on
information about
profession
To network and
build relationships
Subscriptions to
the journal and
newsletter
To support the
profession
To show that I am
a professional
To advance my
career
To receive SAA's
member benefits
Captive member
Not captive
• Captive members are individuals who give a very low rating to the value they receive from
their SAA membership, but still plan to renew their membership. Typically, association
members renew their membership because they believe their membership is a good value
i.e. the benefits of being a member outweigh the cost of being a member. Captive members
belong for reasons other than having a valued membership.
• Captive members, similar to other vulnerable members, are more interested in self-
promotion.
Q10. Individuals belong to associations for a variety of reasons. Please tell us the
reasons why you belong to SAA. Please allocate a total of 100 points among the
following reasons, assigning more points to the more important reasons .
Top Reasons For Individual Membership – Captive Members
38
25%
18%
11% 10% 9% 8% 7%
22%
15%
11%
8% 9%
12%
9%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Stay current on
information about
profession
To network and
build relationships
Subscriptions to
the journal and
newsletter
To support the
profession
To show that I am
a professional
To advance my
career
To receive SAA's
member benefits
Used SAA continuing education
Did not use continuing education
• Individual members who used SAA’s continuing education programs place a higher priority
on belonging to SAA in order to stay current, to build relationships through networking, and
to support the profession.
• Individual members who did not participate in continuing education through SAA are more
interested in advancing their career and receiving SAA’s member benefits.
Q10. Individuals belong to associations for a variety of reasons. Please tell us the
reasons why you belong to SAA. Please allocate a total of 100 points among the
following reasons, assigning more points to the more important reasons .
Top Reasons For Individual Membership – Continuing Education
39
25%
20%
11% 10% 10%8%
6%
24%
12% 12%
8% 9% 10% 10%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Stay current on
information about
profession
To network and
build relationships
Subscriptions to
the journal and
newsletter
To support the
profession
To show that I am
a professional
To advance my
career
To receive SAA's
member benefits
Attended SAA Annual Meeting
Did not attend Annual Meeting
• Not surprisingly, individual members who attend the Annual Meeting are more interested in
networking and building professional relationships.
Q10. Individuals belong to associations for a variety of reasons. Please tell us the
reasons why you belong to SAA. Please allocate a total of 100 points among the
following reasons, assigning more points to the more important reasons .
Top Reasons For Individual Membership – Annual Meeting Attendance
40
17%
13%
6%7%
19%
17%
10%
6%
22%
17%
10%
8%
22%
20%
10%9%
27%
20%
11%10%
27%
18%
11% 11%
29%
17%
12%11%
29%
15%
12% 12%
28%
16%
13% 13%
27%
14%
16%
13%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Stay current on information
about profession
To network and build
relationships
Subscriptions to the journal and
newsletter
To support the profession
< 25 25-29
30-34 35-39
40-44 45-49
50-54 55-59
60-64 65 and over
Q10. Individuals belong to associations for a variety of reasons. Please tell us the
reasons why you belong to SAA. Please allocate a total of 100 points among the
following reasons, assigning more points to the more important reasons .
Top Reasons For Individual Membership – Age (pg. 1)
• Older members are more interested in staying current on information about the profession
and supporting the profession.
41
8%
16%
9%10%
14%
9%11%
13%
7%
11% 11%
7%
10%8%
5%
9%8%
6%
9%
4%
7%8%
5%
8%6%
4%
8%8%
1%
8%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
To show that I am a professional To advance my career To receive SAA's member benefits
< 25 25-29
30-34 35-39
40-44 45-49
50-54 55-59
60-64 65 and over
Q10. Individuals belong to associations for a variety of reasons. Please tell us the
reasons why you belong to SAA. Please allocate a total of 100 points among the
following reasons, assigning more points to the more important reasons .
Top Reasons For Individual Membership – Age (pg. 2)
• Younger members are more interested in advancing their careers.
42
20%
16%
8%
6%
24%
17%
11%
8%
24%
17%
13%
8%
24%
18%
13%
10%
28%
17%
12%
9%
28%
17%
10%11%
27%
19%
11%
13%
26%
19%
11%
13%
25%
18%
13%
16%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Stay current on information
about profession
To network and build
relationships
Subscriptions to the journal and
newsletter
To support the profession
0-1 Years 2-3 Years
4-5 Years 6-7 Years
8-10 Years 11-15 Years
16-20 Years 21-25 Years
26 + Years
Q10. Individuals belong to associations for a variety of reasons. Please tell us the
reasons why you belong to SAA. Please allocate a total of 100 points among the
following reasons, assigning more points to the more important reasons .
Top Reasons For Individual Membership – Years a Member (pg. 1)
• Individuals who have been members for a longer period of time place a higher priority on
supporting the profession as a reason for belonging.
43
7%
13%
10%10%12%
8%9%
11%
8%
11%
8%
5%
11%
6%7%
10%
6% 6%
9%
5%
7%9%
4%
6%8%
2%
7%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
To show that I am a professional To advance my career To receive SAA's member benefits
0-1 Years 2-3 Years
4-5 Years 6-7 Years
8-10 Years 11-15 Years
16-20 Years 21-25 Years
26 + Years
Q10. Individuals belong to associations for a variety of reasons. Please tell us the
reasons why you belong to SAA. Please allocate a total of 100 points among the
following reasons, assigning more points to the more important reasons .
Top Reasons For Individual Membership – Years a Member (pg. 2)
• Individuals who have been members for a shorter period of time place a higher priority on
advancing their careers as a reason for belonging.
44
22%
15%
9%
6%
23%
17%
12%
7%
24%
16%
12%
8%
25%
17%
11%
9%
27%
18%
11%
9%
27%
17%
12%
10%
25%
20%
11% 11%
26%
21%
13%14%
23%
19%
14%
18%
23%
19%
11%
18%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Stay current on information
about profession
To network and build
relationships
Subscriptions to the journal and
newsletter
To support the profession
< $20K $20K-$29K
$30K-$39K $40K-$49K
$50K-$59K $60K-$69K
$70K-$79K $80K-$89K
$90K-$99K $100K +
Q10. Individuals belong to associations for a variety of reasons. Please tell us the
reasons why you belong to SAA. Please allocate a total of 100 points among the
following reasons, assigning more points to the more important reasons .
Top Reasons For Individual Membership – Salary (pg. 1)
• There is a positive correlation between salary and the relative priority given for belonging in
order to support the profession.
45
9%
12%
9%7%
9%10%10%
11%
7%
10%9%
8%10%
9%
6%
9%
6% 6%
9%
5%
7%6%
4%5%
9%
3%4%
6%5%
6%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
To show that I am a professional To advance my career To receive SAA's member benefits
< $20K $20K-$29K
$30K-$39K $40K-$49K
$50K-$59K $60K-$69K
$70K-$79K $80K-$89K
$90K-$99K $100K +
Q10. Individuals belong to associations for a variety of reasons. Please tell us the
reasons why you belong to SAA. Please allocate a total of 100 points among the
following reasons, assigning more points to the more important reasons .
Top Reasons For Individual Membership – Salary (pg. 2)
• Consistent with younger age and less time being a member, individuals who have lower
salaries are more interested in belonging to SAA in order to advance their careers.
46
20%19%
8%
11%10% 10%
4%
23%
18%
10%
7%9%
7%8%
23%
19%
7%
10%
7%
11%
6%
25%
17%
11%9% 9% 9%
8%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Stay current on
information about
profession
To network and
build relationships
Subscriptions to
the journal and
newsletter
To support the
profession
To show that I am
a professional
To advance my
career
To receive SAA's
member benefits
African American Asian
Hispanic Caucasian
• The chart below shows the relative priorities given to the top seven reasons for belonging to
SAA by race/ethnicity.
• Only those races/ethnicities that had more than two respondents were included in this
analysis.
Q10. Individuals belong to associations for a variety of reasons. Please tell us the
reasons why you belong to SAA. Please allocate a total of 100 points among the
following reasons, assigning more points to the more important reasons.
Top Reasons For Individual Membership – Race/Ethnicity
47
19%
22%
9%11%
2%4%
9%
20%
16%
8%6%
7%
12%10%
25%
17%
11%10% 10% 9%
7%
24%
17%
14%13%
8%
4%
7%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Stay current on
information about
profession
To network and
build relationships
Subscriptions to
the journal and
newsletter
To support the
profession
To show that I am
a professional
To advance my
career
To receive SAA's
member benefits
High School Bachelor's degree
Master's degree Ph.D.
• Not shown in the chart below is that 14% of high school educated members’ points and 11%
of bachelor’s degreed members’ points were given to joining SAA because of their
professor’s suggestion.
• In this analysis, respondents in the high school category are those who did not check any
completed education higher than high school.
• Individuals were placed into the bachelor’s degree category if they did not check any
education beyond a bachelor’s degree.
Q10. Individuals belong to associations for a variety of reasons. Please tell us the
reasons why you belong to SAA. Please allocate a total of 100 points among the
following reasons, assigning more points to the more important reasons.
Top Reasons For Individual Membership – Education
48
25%
18%
11%10%
23%
15%
11%
6%
24%
16%
9%
5%
24%
16%
9%
5%
25%
14%13%
17%18%
16%
8%6%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Stay current on information
about profession
To network and build
relationships
Subscriptions to the journal and
newsletter
To support the profession
Employed full time
Employed part time
Unemployed, seeking full time
Unemployed, seeking part time
Retired
Student
Q10. Individuals belong to associations for a variety of reasons. Please tell us the
reasons why you belong to SAA. Please allocate a total of 100 points among the
following reasons, assigning more points to the more important reasons .
Top Reasons For Individual Membership – Employment Status (pg. 1)
• Not shown in the chart below, respondents who are retired allocated 12% of their points to
supporting SAA.
49
10%8%
7%9%
11%
8%
12%
16%
9%10%
13%
8%7%
2%
6%7%
14%
10%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
To show that I am a professional To advance my career To receive SAA's member benefits
Employed full time
Employed part time
Unemployed, seeking full time
Unemployed, seeking part time
Retired
Student
Q10. Individuals belong to associations for a variety of reasons. Please tell us the
reasons why you belong to SAA. Please allocate a total of 100 points among the
following reasons, assigning more points to the more important reasons.
Top Reasons For Individual Membership – Employment Status (pg. 2)
• Unemployed members and student members place a higher priority on belonging to SAA in
order to advance their careers.
50
Member Needs Assessment
Institutional Membership
51 Member Needs Assessment – Institutional Members
1. The Member Needs Assessment is an analysis that identifies the needs that members
seek to fulfill with an SAA institutional membership. The results of this assessment will
enable SAA to develop benefits and programs to meet the needs of its institutional
members.
2. This section examines the responses given by institutional members, as well as dual
members responding as institutional members.
3. Currently, the number one reason why institutional members join SAA is to stay current
on information about the profession. When members were asked to allocate 100 points
to the various reasons why they belong to SAA, 25% of all points were allocated to this
reason. This is statistically identical to the responses given by SAA’s individual members.
4. The second most popular reason for joining, which received 15.7% of the allocated
points, was to receive the journal and the newsletter.
5. Other reasons that received 5% of the points or more (ranked in order of importance) are:
to receive member benefits for employees (11.0%), to network and build relationships
(9.0%), to support the profession (8.6%), to show they are reputable archival institutions
(7.3%), and to advance their institution’s mission (5.5%).
6. This section of the report examines these top seven reasons for having an SAA
institutional membership and how their priorities vary by member segments.
52
1.8%
0.8%
1.4%
1.7%
3.1%
4.4%
4.7%
5.5%
7.3%
8.6%
9.0%
11.0%
15.7%
25.0%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%
Other
Prestige of being an SAA member
To promote our business
My supervisor suggested we join
To receive individual benefits
To support SAA
To establish institutional partnerships
To advance our institution's mission
To show we are a reputable institution
To support the profession
To network and build relationships
To receive member benefits for employees
Subscriptions to the journal and newsletter
Stay current on information about profession
Percentage of Points Allocated
Reasons For Belonging to SAA – Institutional Membership
• The chart below shows the distribution of points by all institutional member respondents and
dual member respondents. More points were given to the more important reasons for
having an SAA institutional membership.
Q9Z. Institutions belong to associations for a variety of reasons. Please tell us the reasons
why your institution belongs to SAA. Please allocate a total of 100 points among the
following reasons, assigning more points to the more important reasons .
53
30%
14%
10% 11%
7% 6% 6%
22%
19%
14%
7%9%
7% 6%
9%
14%
11%
6%
12%
16%
4%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Stay current on
information about
profession
Subscriptions to
the journal and
newsletter
Member benefits
for employees
To network and
build relationships
To support the
profession
To show we are a
reputable
institution
To advance our
institution's
mission
Loyal
Neutral
Vulnerable
Top Reasons For Institutional Membership – Loyalty
Q9Z. Institutions belong to associations for a variety of reasons. Please tell us the reasons
why your institution belongs to SAA. Please allocate a total of 100 points among the
following reasons, assigning more points to the more important reasons .
• It is generally accepted that loyal members are loyal because they find value in their
membership and because the needs for which they joined the association and continue to
renew their membership are being satisfied.
• Not shown in the graph below is that vulnerable members allocated 6% of their points to
belonging because of a supervisor suggestion, 6% to supporting SAA, and 8% for “other”
reasons.
54
27%
16%
11% 10%
7% 7%5%
28%
13%
5%
12%
9%
1%
7%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Stay current on
information about
profession
Subscriptions to
the journal and
newsletter
Member benefits
for employees
To network and
build relationships
To support the
profession
To show we are a
reputable
institution
To advance our
institution's
mission
Regular institutional
Sustaining institutional
Top Reasons For Institutional Membership – Individual Sub Type
Q9Z. Institutions belong to associations for a variety of reasons. Please tell us the reasons
why your institution belongs to SAA. Please allocate a total of 100 points among the
following reasons, assigning more points to the more important reasons .
• Compared to sustaining institutional members, regular institutional members allocated more
of their points to member benefits for employees and satisfying their need to show that they
are a reputable archival institution.
• Not shown is that sustaining institutional members gave 10% of their points to supporting
SAA.
55
26%
16%
12%
9% 8% 7%5%
22%
13%
8% 8%
12%
7% 6%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Stay current on
information about
profession
Subscriptions to
the journal and
newsletter
Member benefits
for employees
To network and
build relationships
To support the
profession
To show we are a
reputable
institution
To advance our
institution's
mission
Regular institutional
Sustaining institutional
Top Reasons For Institutional Membership – Company Sub Type
Q9Z. Institutions belong to associations for a variety of reasons. Please tell us the reasons
why your institution belongs to SAA. Please allocate a total of 100 points among the
following reasons, assigning more points to the more important reasons .
• Regular institutional members are more interested in staying current, receiving SAA’s
publications, and receiving member benefits for their employees.
• Sustaining institutional members are more interested in supporting the profession.
56
28%
15%
10% 10%8%
6% 6%
13%
18%
15%
3%
13% 12%
5%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Stay current on
information about
profession
Subscriptions to
the journal and
newsletter
Member benefits
for employees
To network and
build relationships
To support the
profession
To show we are a
reputable
institution
To advance our
institution's
mission
Institutional membership
Dual membership
• Not shown in the chart below is that dual members allocated 8% of their points to supporting
SAA as a reason for belonging.
Top Reasons For Institutional Membership – Institutional vs. Dual
Q9Z. Institutions belong to associations for a variety of reasons. Please tell us the reasons
why your institution belongs to SAA. Please allocate a total of 100 points among the
following reasons, assigning more points to the more important reasons .
57
20%
16%
11%
8% 9% 9% 10%
26%
16%
12%
9% 9%
6% 6%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Stay current on
information about
profession
Subscriptions to
the journal and
newsletter
Member benefits
for employees
To network and
build relationships
To support the
profession
To show we are a
reputable
institution
To advance our
institution's
mission
Male Female
Top Reasons For Institutional Membership – Sex
Q9Z. Institutions belong to associations for a variety of reasons. Please tell us the reasons
why your institution belongs to SAA. Please allocate a total of 100 points among the
following reasons, assigning more points to the more important reasons .
• Not shown in the chart below is that male members gave 7% of their points to supporting
SAA while female members gave 4%.
58
11%
20%
12%10%
5%
20%
3%
26%
15%
11%9% 9%
6% 6%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Stay current on
information about
profession
Subscriptions to
the journal and
newsletter
Member benefits
for employees
To network and
build relationships
To support the
profession
To show we are a
reputable
institution
To advance our
institution's
mission
Captive
Not captive
Top Reasons For Institutional Membership – Captive Membership
Q9Z. Institutions belong to associations for a variety of reasons. Please tell us the reasons
why your institution belongs to SAA. Please allocate a total of 100 points among the
following reasons, assigning more points to the more important reasons .
• Institutional members who have been identified as captive (i.e. rate the value of their
membership low but plan to renew their membership), have a higher priority on belonging to
SAA in order to show that they are a reputable archival institution, and place a lower priority
on staying current on information about the profession.
59
26%
16%
12%
8% 9%7%
5%
18%
15%
6%
12%
6%8% 9%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Stay current on
information about
profession
Subscriptions to
the journal and
newsletter
Member benefits
for employees
To network and
build relationships
To support the
profession
To show we are a
reputable
institution
To advance our
institution's
mission
Used SAA continuing education
Did not use continuing education
Top Reasons For Institutional Membership – Continuing Education
Q9Z. Institutions belong to associations for a variety of reasons. Please tell us the reasons
why your institution belongs to SAA. Please allocate a total of 100 points among the
following reasons, assigning more points to the more important reasons .
• Institutional members who have used SAA’s continuing education programs place a higher
priority on staying current, getting member benefits for their employees, and supporting the
profession.
60
24%
16%
13%
10% 10%
5% 4%
26%
16%
9% 8% 7%
10%8%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Stay current on
information about
profession
Subscriptions to
the journal and
newsletter
Member benefits
for employees
To network and
build relationships
To support the
profession
To show we are a
reputable
institution
To advance our
institution's
mission
Attended SAA Annual Meeting
Did not attend Annual Meeting
Top Reasons For Institutional Membership – Annual Meeting Attendance
Q9Z. Institutions belong to associations for a variety of reasons. Please tell us the reasons
why your institution belongs to SAA. Please allocate a total of 100 points among the
following reasons, assigning more points to the more important reasons .
• Those who have attended an Annual Meeting in the past five years are more interested in
belonging to SAA in order to stay current, to show they are a reputable archival institution,
and to advance their institution’s mission.
61
26%
10%
15%
10%8%
11%
4%
15% 15%16%
9% 9%8%
6%
25%
18%
9% 9%7%
6%8%
31%
16%
10%
5%
10%
6%4%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Stay current on
information about
profession
Subscriptions to
the journal and
newsletter
Member benefits
for employees
To network and
build relationships
To support the
profession
To show we are a
reputable
institution
To advance our
institution's
mission
30-39 40-49
50-59 60 +
Top Reasons For Institutional Membership – Age
Q9Z. Institutions belong to associations for a variety of reasons. Please tell us the reasons
why your institution belongs to SAA. Please allocate a total of 100 points among the
following reasons, assigning more points to the more important reasons .
• Younger members are more interested in showing that their institution is reputable, while
older members are more interested in staying current and receiving SAA’s publications.
62
36%
9%
6%
10%
34%
15%
9%
13%
28%
12%
8%9%
33%
10% 10%
8%
18%
16%
18%
10%
24%
13%
9%8%
19%
25%
7%
11%
16%
23%
17%
9%
21% 21%
13%
6%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Stay current on information
about profession
Subscriptions to the journal
and newsletter
Member benefits for
employees
To network and build
relationships
0-1 Years 2-3 Years
4-5 Years 6-7 Years
8-10 Years 11-15 Years
16-20 Years 21-25 Years
26 + Years
Top Reasons For Institutional Membership – Years a Member (pg. 1)
Q9Z. Institutions belong to associations for a variety of reasons. Please tell us the reasons
why your institution belongs to SAA. Please allocate a total of 100 points among the
following reasons, assigning more points to the more important reasons .
• In general, newer institutional members are more interested in an SAA membership to satisfy
their need for staying current on information about the profession.
63
7%8% 8%
5%
2%3%
8%
12%
4%4%6%
7%
10%
5% 5%
10%9%
7%8%
10%
7%
14%
3%4%
9%8%
4%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
To support the profession To show we are a reputable institution To advance our institution's mission
0-1 Years 2-3 Years
4-5 Years 6-7 Years
8-10 Years 11-15 Years
16-20 Years 21-25 Years
26 + Years
Q9Z. Institutions belong to associations for a variety of reasons. Please tell us the reasons
why your institution belongs to SAA. Please allocate a total of 100 points among the
following reasons, assigning more points to the more important reasons .
Top Reasons For Institutional Membership – Years a Member (pg. 2)
• In general, longer tenured members are more interested in supporting the profession than
newer members.
64
30%
13%
15%
7%
33%
10%
6%
15%
27%
18%
10%
5%
22%
15%
9%10%
19%
23%
6%
8%
28%
13%
17%
11%
14%
20%
6%
11%
21%
25%
10%
13%
22%
18%
16%
4%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Stay current on information
about profession
Subscriptions to the journal
and newsletter
Member benefits for
employees
To network and build
relationships
$20K-$29K $30K-$39K
$40K-$49K $50K-$59K
$60K-$69K $70K-$79K
$80K-$89K $90K-$99K
$100K +
Top Reasons For Institutional Membership – Salary (pg. 1)
Q9Z. Institutions belong to associations for a variety of reasons. Please tell us the reasons
why your institution belongs to SAA. Please allocate a total of 100 points among the
following reasons, assigning more points to the more important reasons .
• The only pattern below is that individuals with higher incomes tend to need an SAA
membership less for staying current on information about the profession.
65
5%
1%
7%9%
8%10%
7%8%
4%
8%10%
9%10% 10%
7%7%
3%2%
16%
1%
4%
12%
5%4%
10%8%
7%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
To support the profession To show we are a reputable institution To advance our institution's mission
$20K-$29K $30K-$39K
$40K-$49K $50K-$59K
$60K-$69K $70K-$79K
$80K-$89K $90K-$99K
$100K +
Q9Z. Institutions belong to associations for a variety of reasons. Please tell us the reasons
why your institution belongs to SAA. Please allocate a total of 100 points among the
following reasons, assigning more points to the more important reasons .
Top Reasons For Institutional Membership – Salary (pg. 2)
• Members with higher incomes tend to rely more on an SAA membership in order to satisfy
their need to support the profession.
66
33%
13%
18%
5%
11%
4% 5%
24%
17%
11% 10%8% 7% 6%
26%
15%
6% 7%9% 10%
6%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Stay current on
information about
profession
Subscriptions to
the journal and
newsletter
Member benefits
for employees
To network and
build relationships
To support the
profession
To show we are a
reputable
institution
To advance our
institution's
mission
Bachelor's degree
Master's degree
Ph.D.
Top Reasons For Institutional Membership – Education
Q9Z. Institutions belong to associations for a variety of reasons. Please tell us the reasons
why your institution belongs to SAA. Please allocate a total of 100 points among the
following reasons, assigning more points to the more important reasons .
• Not shown in the chart below is that PhDs gave 11% of their points to supporting SAA.
67
23%
8%7%
8%
34%
11% 11%
15%
28%
17%
13%
11%
27%
16% 16%
6%
23%
21%
8%9%
23%22%
7% 7%
22%
17%
14%
8%
27%
7%6%
12%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Stay current on information
about profession
Subscriptions to the journal
and newsletter
Member benefits for
employees
To network and build
relationships
1-4 5-9
10-19 20-99
100-499 500-2,499
2,500-9,999 10,000 or more
Top Reasons For Institutional Membership – Employees (pg. 1)
Q9Z. Institutions belong to associations for a variety of reasons. Please tell us the reasons
why your institution belongs to SAA. Please allocate a total of 100 points among the
following reasons, assigning more points to the more important reasons .
• In general, smaller firms have a lower priority on belonging the SAA for its publications.
68
9% 9%
5%7%
5%
2%3%
9% 9%11%
6% 6%7%
10%
7%7%8%
7%
11%
2%3%
8%
5% 5%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
To support the profession To show we are a reputable institution To advance our institution's mission
1-4 5-9
10-19 20-99
100-499 500-2,499
2,500-9,999 10,000 or more
Q9Z. Institutions belong to associations for a variety of reasons. Please tell us the reasons
why your institution belongs to SAA. Please allocate a total of 100 points among the
following reasons, assigning more points to the more important reasons .
Top Reasons For Institutional Membership – Employees (pg. 2)
• There are no generalizations that can be drawn from the information below.
69
33%
18%
5%7% 7%
4%
7%
27%
15%
10% 10%
6%
9%
6%
24%
19%
12%
8%10%
6%4%
15%17%
15%
8%
14%
7%
4%
9%
14%
20%
10%
14%
5%4%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Stay current on
information about
profession
Subscriptions to
the journal and
newsletter
Member benefits
for employees
To network and
build relationships
To support the
profession
To show we are a
reputable
institution
To advance our
institution's
mission
None 1-4
5-9 10-19
20-99
Top Reasons For Institutional Membership – Number of Archivists
Q9Z. Institutions belong to associations for a variety of reasons. Please tell us the reasons
why your institution belongs to SAA. Please allocate a total of 100 points among the
following reasons, assigning more points to the more important reasons .
• Smaller firms rely on SAA more for staying current, while larger firms are more interested in
SAA’s member benefits for their employees and supporting the profession.
• Not shown below is that respondents in the largest category (20-99) allocated 13% of their
points to supporting SAA.
70
22%
18%
10%8%
9%11%
6%
25%
18%17%
8%10%
5%3%
24%
15%13%
11%
8%
4%
7%
29%
9%
3%
13%
4%2% 2%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Stay current on
information about
profession
Subscriptions to
the journal and
newsletter
Member benefits
for employees
To network and
build relationships
To support the
profession
To show we are a
reputable
institution
To advance our
institution's
mission
Academic Government
Nonprofit For-profit
Top Reasons For Institutional Membership – Type of Institution
Q9Z. Institutions belong to associations for a variety of reasons. Please tell us the reasons
why your institution belongs to SAA. Please allocate a total of 100 points among the
following reasons, assigning more points to the more important reasons .
• For-profits gave 12% of points to belonging because of a supervisor’s suggestion and 16%
of their points were allocated to promoting their business (not shown).
71
24%
20%
25%
5%
13%
4%
1%
25%
18% 19%
9%7%
3%5%
23%
19%
7%
16%
12%
3% 3%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Stay current on
information about
profession
Subscriptions to
the journal and
newsletter
Member benefits
for employees
To network and
build relationships
To support the
profession
To show we are a
reputable
institution
To advance our
institution's
mission
Federal
State
Municipal
Top Reasons For Institutional Membership – Government Agency
Q9Z. Institutions belong to associations for a variety of reasons. Please tell us the reasons
why your institution belongs to SAA. Please allocate a total of 100 points among the
following reasons, assigning more points to the more important reasons .
• Federal agencies are more likely than other governmental agencies to belong to SAA for
member benefits, while municipal agencies are more likely than other governmental
agencies to satisfy their need for networking with an SAA membership.
72
10%
23%
26%
4%
13%
5% 4%
34%
19%
2%
12%
5%3%
0%0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Stay current on
information about
profession
Subscriptions to
the journal and
newsletter
Member benefits
for employees
To network and
build relationships
To support the
profession
To show we are a
reputable
institution
To advance our
institution's
mission
Historical society
Religious
Top Reasons For Institutional Membership – Type of Nonprofit
Q9Z. Institutions belong to associations for a variety of reasons. Please tell us the reasons
why your institution belongs to SAA. Please allocate a total of 100 points among the
following reasons, assigning more points to the more important reasons .
• Religious institutions allocated more than half of their total points (53%) to staying current on
information and receiving SAA’s periodicals.
73
Member Loyalty
Assessment
74 Member Loyalty Assessment
1. The purpose of the Member Loyalty Assessment is to determine the mix of SAA members
whose relationship with the association can be classified as loyal, neutral, or vulnerable.
2. In addition, this analysis will identify member characteristics that can be used to identify
which non-responding members are more likely (or less likely) to be loyal to SAA.
3. This information will enable SAA to target its recruiting efforts to individuals who possess
the same characteristics as current loyal members, improve the association in ways that
will strengthen its relationship with neutral members, and develop intervention programs to
retain more vulnerable (at-risk) members.
4. Members are classified as either loyal, neutral, or vulnerable based on their responses to
three questions – likelihood to recommend an SAA membership to others, likelihood to
renew their SAA membership, and how they perceive the value of their SAA membership.
5. An illustration of the rules for defining an individual’s loyalty classification appears on the
following page.
75
Likely to recommend an SAA
membership Extremely likely Very likely
Somewhat
likely Not very likely
Not at all
likely
Likely to renew their SAA
membership Extremely likely Very likely
Somewhat
likely Not very likely
Not at all
likely
Value of an SAA membership Excellent Very good Good Marginal Poor
Loyal Neutral Vulnerable
Loyalty Classification
• To be loyal, members must give responses to all three questions in the green region (all
top 2 responses).
• Neutral members’ responses fall into the yellow region, or a combination of the yellow
and green regions.
• Vulnerable members are those who gave at least one response in the red region (bottom
2).
76 Loyalty Profile – Overall
9%14% 10%
25%
37%
43%
31%
39%
54%43%
59%
36%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Individual Dual Institutional Dual
Loyal
Neutral
Vulnerable
N=28 N=138 N=28 N=1985
• Overall, the loyalty profile for SAA members is in the range of a typical professional
membership association (i.e. percentage of loyal members over 50% and the percentage of
vulnerable members below 15%.)
• Institutional members are more likely to be loyal and less likely to be vulnerable than dual
members. Individual Membership Institutional Membership
77 Loyalty Profile – Participated in Continuing Education
9% 10% 10%
24%
36%42%
30%
44%
55%48%
60%
32%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Participated in CE Did not participate in CE Participated in CE Did not participate in CE
Loyal
Neutral
Vulnerable
N=25 N=141 N=551 N=1462
• Individual members who participate in SAA’s continuing education programs are more
likely to be loyal and less likely to be neutral than other individual members.
• Institutional members who participate in SAA’s continuing education programs are more
likely to be loyal and less likely to be vulnerable than other institutional members.
Individual Membership Institutional Membership
78 Loyalty Profile – Experienced Significant Problems With SAA
12% 9%
75%
11%
50%
37%
25%
32%
38%
54%
0%
57%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Experienced a problem Did not experience a
problem
Experienced a problem Did not experience a
problem
Loyal
Neutral
Vulnerable
N=162 N=4 N=1953 N=60
• Individual members who have experienced a significant problem with SAA are less likely
to be loyal and more likely to be neutral than those who have had no problems.
• Institutional members who have had a problem with SAA are more likely to be vulnerable
and less likely to be loyal.
Individual Membership Institutional Membership
79 Loyalty Profile – Annual Meeting Attendance
10% 9% 12% 13%
38% 36% 32% 32%
52% 55% 56% 55%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Attended Annual Meeting Did not attend Annual
Meeting
Attended Annual Meeting Did not attend Annual
Meeting
Loyal
Neutral
Vulnerable
N=62 N=104 N=834 N=1179
• There are no significant differences in the loyalty profiles between individuals who have
attended an Annual Meeting in the past five years and those who have not.
Individual Membership Institutional Membership
80 Loyalty Profile – Sex
11% 9%17%
10%
35% 38%33%
33%
54% 53% 50%57%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Male Female Male Female
Loyal
Neutral
Vulnerable
N=108 N=48 N=1454 N=499
• There are no significant differences in the loyalty of SAA members by sex.
Individual Membership Institutional Membership
81 Loyalty Profile – Education
0%8% 9% 10% 6% 5%
0%
25%
35% 36%39%
6%
35%
26%
75%
57% 55% 51%
88%
60%
74%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
High School Bachelor's
Degree
MA/MS/MFA MLS/MLIS MBA PhD JD
Loyal
Neutral
Vulnerable
N=8 N=304 N=937 N=1145 N=17 N=119 N=19
Individual Members
• None of the differences below are statistically significant at the 95% confidence level.
• Those segments that appear to have a large difference are not statistically significant due
to the small number of respondents in the segment.
82 Loyalty Profile – Education
33%
8%13% 13%
50%
18%
0%
67%
42% 31% 29%
0%
35%
33%
0%
50%56% 58%
50% 47%
67%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
High School Bachelor's
Degree
MA/MS/MFA MLS/MLIS MBA PhD JD
Loyal
Neutral
Vulnerable
N=3 N=12 N=96 N=84 N=2 N=17 N=3
Institutional Members
• Similar to individual members, none of the loyalty differences by education segment of
institutional members are statistically significant.
83 Loyalty Profile – Age
11% 9%14% 11% 9% 9% 6% 9% 6% 4%
38%46%
44%40%
35% 31% 39% 30%26% 27%
51%44% 42%
49%56% 60%
55%61%
68% 69%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Under 25 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 65 and over
Loyal
Neutral
Vulnerable
N=103 N=298 N=301 N=233 N=204 N=179 N=183 N=176 N=164 N=97
Individual Members
• Older member segments of individual members have a higher percentage of loyal
members and a lower percentage of neutral members.
84 Loyalty Profile – Age
0%
33%
9%0%
20%25%
7%14%
4%8%
0%
17%
27%
33%
40%25%
39%
38%
35%17%
0%
50%
64% 67%
40%50%
54%48%
61%
75%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Under 25 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 65 and over
Loyal
Neutral
Vulnerable
N=0 N=6 N=11 N=15 N=15 N=12 N=28 N=29 N=23 N=12
Institutional Members
• Although the segment sizes of institutional members’ ages are too small for statistically
significant differences, it appears that they are similar to individual members in that older
member segments tend to have a higher percentage of loyal members.
85 Loyalty Profile – Annual Salary
9% 8% 12% 8% 8% 10% 11% 7%
21%
8%
40%34%
42%
34%39% 33%
43%
38%
21%
30%
51%58%
46%
58%53% 57%
46%55% 58% 62%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
< $20K $20K-$29K $30K-$39K $40K-$49K $50K-$59K $60K-$69K $70K-$79K $80K-$89K $90K-$99K $100K and
over
Loyal
Neutral
Vulnerable
N=333 N=144 N=231 N=295 N=244 N=168 N=111 N=55 N=44 N=81
Individual Members
• Individual members whose income is in the $30K’s or $70K’s are the least loyal and the
most neutral. All other salary segments have loyalty percentages that are statistically the
same.
86 Loyalty Profile – Annual Salary
0%
13%
0%
12% 14%20% 16%
0% 0%
13%
100%
25%42%
29% 29% 20%
16%57%
13%
31%
0%
62% 58% 59% 57% 60%68%
43%
87%
56%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
< $20K $20K-$29K $30K-$39K $40K-$49K $50K-$59K $60K-$69K $70K-$79K $80K-$89K $90K-$99K $100K and
over
Loyal
Neutral
Vulnerable
N=1 N=8 N=12 N=17 N=28 N=10 N=19 N=14 N=8 N=16
Institutional Members
• The segment sizes of institutional members’ annual salaries are too small to find
statistically significant differences.
87 Loyalty Profile – Race/Ethnicity
9% 8% 9%18%
9%
30% 34%37%
35% 57%
61% 58% 54%47%
34%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
African American Latino / Hispanic White / Caucasian Native American Asian
Loyal
Neutral
Vulnerable
• Asian member respondents are less likely to be loyal and more likely to be neutral than
African American member respondents or White/Caucasian member respondents.
• This analysis was not conducted for institutional members due to the small number of
respondents in each category.
N=43 N=59 N=1748 N=17 N=68
Individual Members
88 Loyalty Profile – Type of Institution
0%
25% 25%29%
25%
42%
71%
50%
33%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Government agency Nonprofit organization Academic Institution
Loyal
Neutral
Vulnerable
N=12 N=4 N=7
• The numbers of respondents are too few for the differences below to be statistically
significant.
• The respondents in this analysis are dual members, i.e. members who have been
assigned an individual member loyalty classification, and who also have institutional
member classifications.
Individual Members
89 Loyalty Profile – Type of Institution
5% 8%20% 22%
38% 35%
27%33%
57% 57% 53%45%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Nonprofit Government Academic For-profit
Loyal
Neutral
Vulnerable
N=9 N=66 N=37 N=37
• None of the differences below are statistically significant at the 95% confidence level.
Institutional Members
90 Loyalty Profile – Employment Status
9%3% 6% 9% 13% 10%
23%42% 39% 36%
34% 38%
68%
55% 55% 55% 53% 52%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Retired Unemployed,
seeking part
time work
Student Employed, part
time
Unemployed,
seeking full
time work
Employed, full
time
Loyal
Neutral
Vulnerable
N=57 N=326 N=83 N=1351 N=287 N=38
• Individual members who are retired are more likely to be loyal and less likely to be
neutral than members in other employment classifications.
• The only categories of employment for institutional members that were large enough for
this analysis are employed full time and employed part time. There are no significant
differences in loyalty between these two categories of employment for institutional
members.
Individual Members
91 Loyalty Profile – Years a Member
9% 10% 12% 13%7% 8% 8% 6% 4%
35%41% 40% 40%
39%32%
42%
34%
26%
56%49% 48% 47%
54%60%
50%60%
70%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
0-1 Years 2-3 Years 4-5 Years 6-7 Years 8-10 Years 11-15 Years 16-20 Years 21-25 Years 26 + Years
Loyal
Neutral
Vulnerable
N=13 N=14 N=23 N=19 N=19 N=26 N=14 N=18 N=20
Individual Members
• Brand new members tend to be more loyal or sometimes more neutral in the beginning as they have
had relatively few experiences with the association and tend to still be in their honeymoon period.
• Older member groups also tend to have a higher percentage of loyal members as those who are in
their cohort but are not loyal usually drop their membership in their earlier years.
92 Loyalty Profile – Years a Member
8%14%
9%0%
21%15%
29%
6%15%
31%
29%35%
21%
21%27%
14%
50%
55%
61%57% 57%
79%
58% 58% 57%
44%
30%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
0-1 Years 2-3 Years 4-5 Years 6-7 Years 8-10 Years 11-15 Years 16-20 Years 21-25 Years 26 + Years
Loyal
Neutral
Vulnerable
N=13 N=14 N=23 N=19 N=19 N=26 N=14 N=18 N=20
Institutional Members
• The small group sizes makes it difficult to draw statistical comparisons among groups.
93 Loyalty Profile – Type of Government Agency
0%
12%
0%
14%
50%35%
33%
29%
50% 53%
67%57%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Federal / National State County / Parish Municipal
Loyal
Neutral
Vulnerable
N=7 N=3 N=17 N=8
• The cell sizes below prevent any of the differences from being statistically significant.
Institutional Members
94 Loyalty Profile – Type of Nonprofit Organization
0% 0% 0% 0%
17%
0% 0%
22%
50%
66%100% 100%
78%
50%
17%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Foundation Medical institution Religious Museum (not
history)
Historical society
Loyal
Neutral
Vulnerable
• It appears that historical society members are the least loyal of all nonprofit
organizations, but there are only twelve respondents in this segment.
N=3 N=3 N=9 N=4 N=12
Institutional Members
95 Loyalty Profile – Total Employees
25%15%
10% 8% 9%13%
7%
17%
33%
15%
40%
32%
41%39%
33%17%
42%
70%
50%60%
50% 48%
60%66%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
1-4 5-9 10-19 20-99 100-499 500-2,499 2,500-9,999 10,000 or more
Loyal
Neutral
Vulnerable
N=12 N=13 N=10 N=37 N=32 N=23 N=15 N=12
Institutional Members
• The differences below are not statistically significant.
96 Loyalty Profile – Number of Archivists
13% 12%17%
0%
29%
31% 31%29%
46%
42%
56% 57% 54% 54%
29%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
None 1-4 5-9 10-19 20-99
Loyal
Neutral
Vulnerable
N=16 N=101 N=24 N=13 N=7
Institutional Members
• The differences below are not statistically significant.
97 Loyalty Profile – Company Member Sub Type
13% 12%
34%
20%
53%
68%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Regular
institutional
Sustaining
institutional
Loyal
Neutral
Vulnerable
N=141 N=25
Institutional Members
• The differences below are not statistically significant due to the small cell sizes.
98 Loyalty Profile – Dues Reimbursement
7% 10%
33%38%
60%52%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Receives dues
reimbursement
Receives no
reimbursement
Loyal
Neutral
Vulnerable
N=414 N=1580
Individual Members
• Individual members whose dues are reimbursed are more likely to be loyal and less likely
to be neutral or vulnerable.
99 Member Loyalty Assessment – Summary
1. As shown on the previous pages in this section, the following types of individual members
have a higher percentage of loyal members:
a) participate in SAA’s continuing education programs
b) have experienced no problems with SAA in the past six months
c) dues are reimbursed
d) older members
e) retired
f) new members or long time members
2. The following types of individual members have a lower percentage of loyal members:
a) Asian
b) annual income is in the $30Ks or $70Ks
Individual Members
100 Member Loyalty Assessment – Summary
3. The following types of members have a higher percentage of neutral members:
a) experienced a significant problem with SAA recently
b) annual income is in the $30Ks or $70Ks
c) Asian
4. The following types of members have a lower percentage of neutral members:
a) participate in SAA’s continuing education programs
b) dues are reimbursed
c) older members
d) retired
e) long time members
5. Individual members whose dues are reimbursed are less likely to be vulnerable.
Individual Members
101 Member Loyalty Assessment – Summary
1. As shown on the previous pages in this section, the following types of institutional
members have a higher percentage of loyal members:
a) institutional member (compared to dual members)
b) participate in SAA’s continuing education programs
c) have experienced no problems with SAA in the past six months
2. The following types of institutional members have a higher percentage of vulnerable
members:
a) dual members
b) did not participate in SAA’s continuing education programs
c) experienced a significant problem with SAA in the past six months
Institutional Members
102
Captive Members • Captive members are individuals who plan to renew their membership for the next renewal
period, but rate the value of their SAA membership as marginal or poor.
• The analysis in this section reports the incidence of captive membership among individual
and institutional members, examines the differences between captive members and non-
captive members on the reasons why they belong to SAA, and uncovers the characteristics
that differentiate captive members from non-captive members.
103
6%
94%
Captive
Not captive
7%
93%
Captive
Not captive
Individual Members Institutional Members
• Six percent (6%) of individual members and 7% of institutional members are classified as
being captive. Because these members are extremely likely or very likely to renew their
membership, while giving the lowest ratings for the value of their membership, it is
hypothesized that value is not the driving force for their decision to remain a member.
• In studies with other professional associations, the typical incidence of captive membership
ranges from less than one percent to five percent. High rates of captive membership are
usually found in associations that have a certification or other type of benefit that is needed
to practice in the profession and usually cannot easily be found in other organizations.
Captive Membership
104
18%16%
11%
8%
16%
12%
6%
25%
17%
11%9% 9% 9% 8%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Stay current on
information about
profession
To network and
build relationships
Subscriptions to
the journal and
newsletter
To support the
profession
To show that I am
a professional
To advance my
career
To receive SAA's
member benefits
Captive member
Not captive
• Individual members who are captive differ somewhat from other members in their reasons
for belonging to SAA.
• Captive members are more interested in self-promotion - placing a higher priority on
belonging to SAA to show that they are a professional and to advance their career.
• Conversely, non-captive members are more interested in self-improvement - placing a higher
priority on staying current on information about the profession.
Q10. Individuals belong to associations for a variety of reasons. Please tell us the
reasons why you belong to SAA. Please allocate a total of 100 points among the
following reasons, assigning more points to the more important reasons .
Top Reasons For Individual Membership – Captive Members
105
11%
20%
12%10%
5%
20%
3%
26%
15%
11%9% 9%
6% 6%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Stay current on
information about
profession
Subscriptions to
the journal and
newsletter
Member benefits
for employees
To network and
build relationships
To support the
profession
To show we are a
reputable
institution
To advance our
institution's
mission
Captive
Not captive
Top Reasons For Institutional Membership – Captive Membership
Q9Z. Institutions belong to associations for a variety of reasons. Please tell us the reasons
why your institution belongs to SAA. Please allocate a total of 100 points among the
following reasons, assigning more points to the more important reasons .
• Institutional members who are captive also differ slightly from other members in their reasons
for belonging to SAA.
• Captive members are more interested in promoting their institution - placing a higher priority
on belonging to SAA to show that they are a reputable institution and getting periodical
subscriptions.
• Conversely, non-captive members are more interested in self-improvement (placing a higher
priority on staying current on information about the profession) and supporting the profession.
106 Characteristics of Captive Members
• The following types of individual members have a higher incidence of captive members:
a) under age 25 or ages 30-49
b) male
c) has an MLS degree
d) unemployed, seeking full-time work
e) makes $30K-$40K per year, or $90K-$100K per year
f) has been an SAA member for 4-7 years
• The following types of institutional members have a higher incidence of captive members:
a) ages 40-49
b) male
c) has an MA/MS or a PhD
d) earns $40,000 to $80,000
e) works at a university or a historical society
f) has fewer than 20 employees in their organization
g) has fewer than 10 archivists in their organization
h) has been an SAA member for 7-20 years
107
Components of Loyalty • There are three components of loyalty – likelihood to recommend an SAA membership to
others, likelihood of renewing an SAA membership, and the value of an SAA membership.
• This section examines each of these three components in detail to uncover which areas
need to be improved in order to improve the overall loyalty of SAA members.
108
90% 89%
81%
64%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Individual - Individual Individual - Dual Institutional - Institutional Institutional - Dual
Extremely likely / Very likely
Likely to Recommend
Q2. If a colleague who is an archivist, or is studying to be one, asked your advice
on joining a professional association, how likely would you be to recommend SAA?
• In a typical professional membership loyalty study, the top 2 percentage for the likelihood to
recommend the association’s membership ranges from 85% to 95%.
• The takeaway from the bar graph below is not the actual percentages, but rather that
institutional members are less likely to recommend an SAA institutional membership than
individual members are likely to recommend an SAA individual membership.
109
92% 93% 92% 93%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Individual - Individual Individual - Dual Institutional - Institutional Institutional - Dual
Extremely likely / Very likely
Likely to Renew
Q4. How likely are you to renew your SAA membership in the coming year?
• The top 2 scores for the likelihood to renew their membership is in the range of what is
typically found among professional membership associations.
• It is typical for the top 2 scores for the likelihood to renew their membership to be higher
than for the likelihood to recommend a membership because a recommendation requires
that the individual risk his/her personal reputation on the outcome of the recommendation.
110
92%
40%
93%
25%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
With reimbursement Without reimbursement With reimbursement Without reimbursement
Extremely likely / Very likely
Likely to Renew Without Reimbursement
Q9. If you personally had to pay 100% of your SAA dues, how likely would you be
to renew your membership?
• Respondents who indicated that their dues were reimbursed were asked to indicate their
likelihood of renewing their membership if their dues were no longer reimbursed.
• The results below are typical.
Individual Members Dual Members
111
56%50%
64%
36%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Individual - Individual Individual - Dual Institutional - Institutional Institutional - Dual
Excellent / Very good
Value of an SAA Membership
Q6. Considering the benefits, products, and services you receive from SAA in
relation to the price of membership, how would you rate the overall value of your
membership?
• In a typical professional membership association study, the percentage of respondents who
rate the value of their membership as excellent or very good ranges from 50% to 75%.
• It is also typical that the value of the membership receives the lowest rating of all three
loyalty components (i.e. recommend, renew, value).
112
Membership Value
• Membership value is a primary focus for this study because it receives the lowest ratings of
the three loyalty components, and because research has shown that membership value is
the primary driver of member retention.
• For individual members, the key drivers of value are member benefits, dues, SAA Council,
Annual Meeting, publications, and continuing education.
• For institutional members, the key drivers of the value of an SAA membership are member
benefits, dues, strategic initiatives, publications, and the Annual Meeting.
• Underperforming strong drivers, those that appear in the upper left (yellow) quadrant, should
be considered for improvement. Items that appear in the upper right (green) quadrant are
strong drivers of value and are currently performing adequately. Those items that appear in
the bottom half of the matrix (white region) do not have a strong impact on value at this time.
Improving any item in the lower half is not expected to have the same impact on
membership value as improving any item in the yellow region.
113 113
Imp
act
Performance
Low Performance High Performance
Str
ong
Weak
70% Top 2
Modera
te
• Dues
• Member benefits
• Website
Items in the yellow quadrant should be improved, and items in the green
quadrant should be maintained.
Maintain Improve
• SAA Staff
• Problems
• Annual Meeting
• SAA Council
Membership Value Drivers – Individual
• Continuing education
• Publications
• Strategic initiatives
114 114
Imp
act
Performance
Low Performance High Performance
Str
ong
Weak
70% Top 2
Modera
te
• Dues
• Member benefits
• Website
Items in the yellow quadrant should be improved, and items in the green
quadrant should be maintained.
Maintain Improve
• SAA Staff • Problems
• Annual Meeting
• SAA Council
Membership Value Drivers – Institutional
• Continuing education
• Publications
• Strategic initiatives
115
80% 78%
68% 66%60%
53%50%
45%
38%
3%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
SAA Staff Publications Annual
Meeting
Continuing
Education
SAA Council Strategic
Initiatives
Member
benefits
Website Dues * Problems *
Excellent / Very good
• The top 2 scores (percentage of excellent and very good responses) for the drivers of
membership value for individual members are shown below.
• There are two exceptions. Dues is measured as a top 3 (low, somewhat low, just right), and
problems are reported below as the percentage of members who have experienced a
problem. For problems, a low number is a positive sign.
Value Drivers – Individual Members
* For dues, the percentage shown is the percentage of respondents who rate dues as
low, somewhat low, or just right. Three percent of individual member respondents
have experienced a problem in the past six months.
116
81%78%
71%
64% 63% 61%
54% 54%48%
2%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Publications SAA Staff Continuing
Education
Annual
Meeting
SAA Council Strategic
Initiatives
Member
benefits
Website Dues * Problems *
Excellent / Very good
Value Drivers – Institutional Members
* For dues, the percentage shown is the percentage of respondents who rate dues as
low, somewhat low, or just right. Two percent of institutional member respondents
have experienced a problem in the past six months.
• The top 2 scores (percentage of excellent and very good responses) for the drivers of
membership value for institutional members are shown below.
• There are two exceptions. Dues is measured as a top 3 (low, somewhat low, just right), and
problems are reported below as the percentage of members who have experienced a
problem. For problems, a low number is a positive sign.
117
Member Benefits
• Member benefits are the strongest drivers of membership value for both individual and
institutional members.
• For individual members, the overall quality of SAA’s benefits package is driven by five key
benefits: (1) bookstore discounts, (2) workshop/webinar discounts, (3) Annual Meeting
discounts, (4) the eligibility to vote, and (5) email discussion lists.
• For institutional members, the quality of their benefits is driven by eight key benefits: (1) full
Annual Meeting discount, (2) partial workshop/webinar discounts, (3) partial Annual Meeting
discount, (4) complimentary copies of SAA books, (5) Bookstore discounts, (6) full
workshop/webinar discounts, (7) eligibility to serve, and (8) roundtable membership.
• This section of the report provides matrices to enable SAA to prioritize the improvement
efforts of its member benefits, bar charts that show the performance of each benefit, and bar
charts that show the level of awareness and usage of each member benefit.
118 118
Imp
act
Performance
Low Performance High Performance
Str
ong
Weak
70% Top 2
Modera
te
• Workshop / Webinar discounts • Bookstore discounts
• Section membership
Items in the yellow quadrant should be improved, and items in the green
quadrant should be maintained.
Maintain Improve
• Roundtable membership
• Online member directory
• Annual Meeting discounts
• Eligibility to vote
Membership Benefits Drivers – Individual Members
• Eligibility to serve
• Email discussion lists
• Mentoring program
• Career Center job posting discounts
119 119
Imp
act
Performance
Low Performance High Performance
Str
ong
Weak
70% Top 2
Modera
te
• Partial Workshop / Webinar discounts
• Bookstore discounts
• Section membership
Items in the yellow quadrant should be improved, and items in the green
quadrant should be maintained.
Maintain Improve
• Group access to American Archivist Online
• Online member directory
• Full Annual Meeting discount
• Eligibility to serve
Membership Benefits Drivers – Institutional Members
• Eligibility to vote
• Roundtable membership
• Mentoring program
• Career Center job posting discounts
• Partial Annual Meeting discount
• Complimentary copies of SAA books
• Full Workshop / Webinar discounts
• Email discussion lists
120
56% 54% 54% 53% 52%47% 47% 46%
43%40%
35%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Online
member
directory
discussion
lists
Roundtable
membership
Section
membership
Eligibility to
vote
Bookstore
discounts
Career
Center
discounts
Workshop
discounts
Eligibility to
serve
Annual
Meeting
discounts
Mentoring
Program
Excellent / Very good
• The bar chart below shows the percentages of individual member respondents who rated each
benefit as excellent or very good.
• Only respondents who had used a particular benefit were permitted to provide a performance
rating for that benefit.
Member Benefits Performance – Individual Member Benefits
Q12. More specifically, how would you rate the performance of each of the
following member benefits?
121
2% 4% 2% 4% 3% 3% 6% 8% 4%
24%18%11% 14% 13% 16% 19% 16%
23% 29%
37% 50%
88% 85% 84% 83% 81% 78% 78%69% 67%
39%32%
10%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
discussion
lists
Section
membership
Roundtable
membership
Bookstore
discounts
Eligibility to
vote
Workshop
discounts
Annual
Meeting
discounts
Online
member
directory
Eligibility to
serve
Career
Center
discounts
Mentoring
Program
Experienced
Aware, but do not use
Was unaware
• Not all benefits are used equally by all members, nor do they have the same level of
awareness among members. The top portion of each bar represents the percentage of
members who used the benefit and provided a performance rating. Other members either
chose not to use the benefit, or were unaware of the benefit prior to taking the survey.
Member Benefits Awareness – Individual Member Benefits
122
64%58% 55% 54%
50% 50% 50%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Access to
American
Archivist Online
Complimentary
copies of books
Full workshop
discounts
Email discussion
lists
Partial workshop
discounts
Full Annual
Meeting discounts
Online member
directory
Excellent / Very good
• Because of the number of institutional member benefits tested, the performance ratings are
split into two pages.
• This page contains the benefits that were rated highest (top half of benefits) by institutional
member respondents.
Member Benefits Performance – Institutional Member Benefits (pg. 1)
Q12. More specifically, how would you rate the performance of each of the
following institutional member benefits?
123
48% 48% 48% 47% 46%42%
33%29%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Partial Annual
Meeting
discounts
Bookstore
discounts
Section
membership
Roundtable
membership
Eligibility to
vote
Eligibility to
serve
Career Center
discounts
Mentoring
program
Excellent / Very good
• The bar graph below presents the institutional member benefits whose performance places
them in the lower half of benefits based on members’ evaluations.
Member Benefits Performance – Institutional Member Benefits (pg. 2)
Q12. More specifically, how would you rate the performance of each of the
following member benefits?
124
3% 3%9% 10% 11% 14% 11%
15%
14% 15% 14%14% 17%
87%82%
77% 75% 75% 72% 72%
10%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Bookstore
discounts
Email discussion
lists
Full workshop
discounts
Section
membership
Partial workshop
discounts
Full Annual
Meeting discounts
Online member
directory
Experienced
Aware, but do not use
Was unaware
• This page presents the institutional member benefits that are in the upper half for the
percentage of members who have used the benefit.
• Roughly three-quarters of institutional member respondents have used the benefits on this
page.
Member Benefits Awareness – Institutional Member Benefits (pg. 1)
125
10% 7%16% 18%
13%18%
36%
21%
22%14%
17%23%
27%
17%40%
71% 71% 70%65% 64%
55%47%
39%
19%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Roundtable
membership
Eligibility to vote Partial Annual
Meeting
discounts
Access to
American
Archivist Online
Eligibility to serve Career Center
discounts
Complimentary
copies of books
Mentoring
program
Experienced
Aware, but do not use
Was unaware
• This page contains the institutional member benefits that are used by fewer members and for
which fewer members are aware.
• The middle portion of each bar (bright green) represents the percentage of members who are
aware of the benefit but choose not to use it.
Member Benefits Awareness – Institutional Member Benefits (pg. 2)
126
Membership Dues • Membership dues is the second strongest driver of membership value for both the individual
and institutional member segments.
• The following pages show how various member segments perceive the cost of their dues,
and how dues reimbursement affects the perception of individual member dues.
127 Membership Dues
Q7. Would you say the price of your SAA dues is…?
4%
34%
62%
4%
19%
77%
2%
44%
54%
4%
56%
40%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Low/Somewhat low Just right Somewhat high/High
Individual Dues - Individual
Individual Dues - Dual
Institutional Dues - Institutional
Institutional Dues - Dual
• Most respondents believe that the cost of individual dues is high or somewhat high.
• Sixty percent (60%) of dual members believe the cost of institutional dues is low or just
right, compared to 46% of institutional members who believe their dues are low or just
right.
128 Membership Dues
Q7. Would you say the price of your SAA dues is…?
4%
39%
57%
5%
31%
64%
0%
10%
90%
5%
35%
60%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Low/Somewhat low Just right Somewhat high/High
Dues are reimbursed
Not reimbursed
Captive member
Not Captive
• Individual members whose dues are reimbursed rate their dues about the same as
members who pay their own dues. Typically, members who pay their own dues have a
more positive perception of their dues compared to those whose dues are reimbursed.
• As to be expected, captive members have a more negative perception of their dues than
individuals who are not captive. By definition, captive members rate the value of their
membership as marginal or poor.
129
79%
0% 0% 1% 1%
19%
86%
0% 0% 3% 0%
11%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
0% - I pay all of
my own dues
1%-25% 26%-50% 51%-75% 76%-99% 100% - fully
reimbursed
Individual members
Dual members
Dues Reimbursement – Individual Members
Q8. What percentage of your SAA membership dues is reimbursed or paid by
your employer?
• Only 21% of individual members and 14% of dual members receive any dues
reimbursement.
130
Continuing Education • Continuing education is a strong driver of membership value for individual members, but not
for institutional members.
• For individual members, the overall quality of SAA’s continuing education programs is driven
by six factors: (1) being a good value for the cost, (2) quality of materials, (3) content that is
relevant, (4) content that covers current topics, (5) having a broad range of topics, and (6)
the teaching ability of the instructor.
• For institutional members, the quality of SAA’s continuing education programs is driven by
four factors: (1) the expertise of the instructor, (2) content that is relevant, (3) the teaching
ability of the instructor, and (4) quality of materials.
131 131
Imp
act
Performance
Low Performance High Performance
Str
ong
Weak
70% Top 2
Modera
te
• Relevant content
• Expertise of instructor
Items in the yellow quadrant should be improved, and items in the green
quadrant should be maintained.
Maintain Improve
• Offered when you want it
• Teaching ability of instructor
• Good value for the cost
• Current content
Continuing Education Drivers – Individual Members
• Broad range of topics
• Offered in convenient locations
• Quality of materials
132 132
Imp
act
Performance
Low Performance High Performance
Str
ong
Weak
70% Top 2
Modera
te
• Relevant content
• Expertise of instructor
Items in the yellow quadrant should be improved, and items in the green
quadrant should be maintained.
Maintain Improve
• Offered when you want it
• Teaching ability of instructor
• Good value for the cost • Current content
Continuing Education Drivers – Institutional Members
• Broad range of topics
• Offered in convenient locations
• Quality of materials
133
69%65%
59%62%
58% 56%
42%
31%27%
71% 71% 69% 67%
55% 56%50%
35%29%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Expertise of
instructor
Current
content
Quality of
materials
Ability of
instructor
Relevant
content
Range of
topics
Good value Offered when
you want it
Convenient
locations
Individual members
Institutional members
Continuing Education Attributes
Q16. How would you rate the quality of SAA’s courses, workshops, live
webinars, and on-demand offerings in each of the following areas?
• In general, the percentage of institutional members who rate the attributes of SAA’s
continuing education programs as excellent or very good was as high or higher than the
percentage of individual members who gave the same ratings.
Excellent / Very good
134
1% 1% 2% 3%8% 8%
29% 29%
14%
48%
35%
53%47%
80%85%
50%
62%
37%
49%
18%24%
43%55%
19%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Face-to-face
courses - Indiv.
Face-to-face
courses - Inst.
Live webinars -
Indiv.
Live webinars -
Inst.
Online, on-
demand -
Indiv.
Online, on-
demand - Inst.
Audio CDs -
Indiv.
Audio CDs -
Inst.
Have used
Have not used but am aware of
Was not aware of
• The graph below shows the levels of use and awareness of each of the various formats for
delivering educational programs by individual members and institutional members.
• The formats are presented below in pairs (individual and institutional) for ease of comparison.
Continuing Education – Awareness and Use of Various Formats
Q15. More specifically, how would you rate the overall quality of SAA’s continuing
education offerings according to each of the following delivery formats?
135
72%
48% 45%
34%
74%
58%
50%
31%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Face-to-face courses Online, on-demand
offerings
Live webinars Audio CDs
Individual members
Institutional members
• Respondents who have experienced each of the following educational delivery formats
provided a value rating. The percentages below represent the percentage of individuals who
rated each format as excellent or very good.
Excellent / Very good
Continuing Education – Quality of Various Formats
Q15. More specifically, how would you rate the overall quality of SAA’s continuing
education offerings according to each of the following delivery formats?
136
70%
48%42%
36% 36% 34% 33%
26% 24%
74%
58%
43% 41%36% 37% 38% 36%
27%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Digital
records
Preservation
and
protection
Managing
archival
programs
Arrangement
and
description
Ethical and
legal
Outreach,
advocacy,
promotion
Selection,
appraisal,
acquisition
Reference
services
General
archival
knowledge
Individual members
Institutional members
Course/Workshop Topics – Likelihood of Pursuing From SAA
Q17. For each of the following course/workshop/webinar topics, what is the
likelihood of your pursuing this type of education from SAA?
• Individual and institutional members were asked their likelihood of pursuing various topics of
instruction from SAA.
• Digital records received the highest percentage of individual and institutional member
respondents who indicated that they would be extremely likely or very likely of pursing this
type of education from SAA.
Extremely likely / Very likely
137
49%43%
32%26%
44%39% 41%
38%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Tools and services Foundational Tactical and Strategic Transformational
Individual members
Institutional members
Types of Courses – Likelihood of Pursuing From SAA
Q18. For each of the following types of courses, what is the likelihood of your
pursuing this type of education from SAA?
• Four types of courses were also tested for members’ likelihood of pursuing these from SAA.
• Tools and services received the highest percentage of extremely likely or very likely
responses.
Extremely likely / Very likely
138
71%
29%
Yes No
81%
19%
Yes No
Individual Members Institutional Members
• Seventy-one percent (71%) of individual member respondents and 81% of institutional
member respondents have participated in an SAA workshop, webinar, or on-demand course
and were able to provide a quality rating.
Q14. How would you rate the overall quality of SAA’s continuing education
courses, workshops, webinars, and on-demand offerings?
Participated in an SAA Workshop, Webinar, or On-demand Course
139
Publications • The matrices on the following pages show that all of SAA’s publications are key drivers of the
overall perception of publications for individual members, while the key drivers of
publications for institutional members are The American Archivist, SAA’s published books,
and In The Loop.
• All of the attributes tested for The American Archivist are key drivers of the overall perception
of the journal for individual members. For institutional members, the key drivers of the
journal are (1) the expertise of the authors, (2) having content that reflects current theory and
practice, and (3) content that is relevant to their needs.
• Similarly, all of the attributes tested for Archival Outlook are key drivers of the overall quality
of the newsletter for individual members. For institutional members, the key drivers of the
newsletter are (1) expertise of the authors, (2) covers a broad range of topics, (3) the quality
of the writing, and (4) content that is relevant to their needs.
• All underperforming key drivers (in the yellow quadrant), should be considered for
improvement. Those in the green region are performing adequately at this time, and those in
the white region do not have a strong impact on overall quality perceptions at this time.
140 140
Imp
act
Performance
Low Performance High Performance
Str
ong
Weak
70% Top 2
Modera
te
• Archival Outlook
• The American Archivist
• The American Archivist Online
Items in the yellow quadrant should be improved, and items in the green
quadrant should be maintained.
Maintain Improve
• SAA published books
• In The Loop
Publications Drivers – Individual Members
141 141
Imp
act
Performance
Low Performance High Performance
Str
ong
Weak
70% Top 2
Modera
te
• Archival Outlook
• The American Archivist
• The American Archivist Online
Items in the yellow quadrant should be improved, and items in the green
quadrant should be maintained.
Maintain Improve
• SAA published books
• In The Loop
Publications Drivers – Institutional Members
142
1% 0% 2% 2% 2% 1%7%
13%6%
12%2%
4% 2%
10%
11%33%
33%
92%98% 94% 96%
88%93%
83%75%
61%55%
6%10%7%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
TheAmericanArchivist -
Indiv.
TheAmericanArchivist -
Inst.
ArchivalOutlook -
Indiv.
ArchivalOutlook -
Inst.
SAA books -Indiv.
SAA books -Inst.
In The Loop- Indiv.
In The Loop- Inst.
TheAmericanArchivistOnline -Indiv.
TheAmericanArchivist
Online - Inst.
Have read
Have not read, but am aware of
Was not aware of
• The graph below shows the level of awareness and readership for each publication for
individual members and institutional members.
• The publications are arranged from left to right (in pairs) from those most read by individual
members to those least read by individual members.
Publications – Awareness and Level of Readership
Q21. More specifically, how would you rate the overall quality of the following
SAA publications?
143
25%
36%
26%
37%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
The AmericanArchivist
Archival Outlook
Individual members
Institutional members
Switching From Print Copies to Online Exclusively
Q26. If SAA members could opt out from receiving print copies of The American
Archivist and access the journal exclusively online, assuming no financial incentive
(e.g., lower dues), how likely would you be to exercise this option?
• When respondents were given the choice of opting out of print copies of the journal and the
newsletter and switching to online copies exclusively, about one quarter of all respondents
indicated that they would be extremely likely or very likely to exercise that option for the
journal.
• Slightly more than one-third of all respondents indicated that they would be extremely likely
or very likely to exercise that option for the newsletter.
Extremely likely / Very likely
144 144
Imp
act
Performance
Low Performance High Performance
Str
ong
Weak
70% Top 2
Modera
te
• Broad range of topics
• Current content
• Relevant content
Items in the yellow quadrant should be improved, and items in the green
quadrant should be maintained.
Maintain Improve
• Expertise of authors
• Quality of writing
The American Archivist Drivers – Individual Members
• Visually appealing design
145 145
Imp
act
Performance
Low Performance High Performance
Str
ong
Weak
70% Top 2
Modera
te
• Broad range of topics
• Current content
• Relevant content
Items in the yellow quadrant should be improved, and items in the green
quadrant should be maintained.
Maintain Improve
• Expertise of authors
• Quality of writing
The American Archivist Drivers – Institutional Members
• Visually appealing design
146
66%60%
54% 52% 50% 49%
38%
67%60%
53%48% 47% 47%
33%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Research
Articles
Case Studies Reviews and
Review Essays
Perspectives Presidential
Address
Front Matter International
Scene
Individual members
Institutional members
The American Archivist – Content Areas
Q23. How would you rate the quality of The American Archivist (print and
electronic journal) in each of the following content areas?
• The graph below shows the top 2 scores (percentage who reported excellent or very good)
for each of The American Archivist’s content areas.
• Research articles received the highest quality rating by both types of members, and the
International Scene received the lowest ratings by both member segments.
Excellent / Very good
147
3% 4% 5% 7% 5% 7%13%
8% 6%
13%
96% 94%87% 87% 83% 79%
74%
2%
14%12%
1%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Research
Articles
Case Studies Reviews and
Review Essays
Perspectives Front Matter Presidential
Address
International
Scene
Have read
Don't read
Don't know
• The graph below shows the percentage of individual members who reported reading each of
The American Archivist’s content areas. They are arranged from left to right from those most
read to those least read.
• The middle (bright green) section of each bar shows the percentage of respondents who have
not read the content area.
The American Archivist – Level of Readership – Individual Members
Q22. How would you rate the quality of The American Archivist (print and
electronic journal) in each of the following areas?
148
4% 6% 6% 8% 7% 8% 11%7% 6%
10%
94% 91% 87% 86% 84%79% 79%
3%
13%9%
2%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Research
Articles
Case Studies Reviews and
Review Essays
Perspectives Front Matter Presidential
Address
International
Scene
Have read
Don't read
Don't know
• At least 79% of all institutional respondents have read the various areas within The American
Archivist and have an opinion of the quality of the content.
The American Archivist – Awareness and Level of Readership – Inst.
Q22. How would you rate the quality of The American Archivist (print and
electronic journal) in each of the following areas?
149 149
Imp
act
Performance
Low Performance High Performance
Str
ong
Weak
70% Top 2
Modera
te • Broad range of topics
• Current content
• Relevant content
Items in the yellow quadrant should be improved, and items in the green
quadrant should be maintained.
Maintain Improve
• Expertise of authors
• Quality of writing
Archival Outlook Drivers – Individual Members
• Visually appealing design
150 150
Imp
act
Performance
Low Performance High Performance
Str
ong
Weak
70% Top 2
Modera
te
• Broad range of topics
• Current content
• Relevant content
Items in the yellow quadrant should be improved, and items in the green
quadrant should be maintained.
Maintain Improve
• Expertise of authors
• Quality of writing
Archival Outlook Drivers – Institutional Members
• Visually appealing design
151
62%
52% 51% 50% 49% 47% 46% 46% 45% 45% 44%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Feature
Articles
News
Briefs
From the
U.S.
Archivist
Advocating
for
Archives
From the
Executive
Director
President's
Message
Around
SAA
Photo Op Kudos and
In
Memoriam
Someone
You Should
Know
Council
Update
Excellent / Very good
Archival Outlook – Content Areas – Individual Members
Q25. How would you rate Archival Outlook (member newsletter) in each of the
following areas?
• This graph provides the quality ratings given by individual member respondents of the
content areas of Archival Outlook.
• Individual members give the highest quality rating to Archival Outlook’s feature articles and
the lowest rating to Council Update.
152
58%54%
47% 46% 44% 44% 44% 44%39% 38% 38%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Feature
Articles
From the
U.S.
Archivist
From the
Executive
Director
News
Briefs
Advocating
for
Archives
President's
Message
Around
SAA
Photo Op Someone
You Should
Know
Kudos and
In
Memoriam
Council
Update
Excellent / Very good
Archival Outlook – Content Areas – Institutional Members
Q25. How would you rate Archival Outlook (member newsletter) in each of the
following areas?
• This graph provides the quality ratings given by institutional member respondents of the
content areas of Archival Outlook.
• Institutional members also give their highest quality ratings to Archival Outlook’s feature
articles and the lowest ratings to Council Update, although individual members tend to give
higher ratings across the board than do institutional members.
153
4% 6% 7% 8% 9% 6% 10% 9% 8% 8% 9%
9% 8%9% 11% 13% 13% 15%
94% 90%84% 84% 84% 82% 81% 80% 79% 79% 76%
4%12%7%
2%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Feature
Articles
News Briefs From the
U.S.
Archivist
Around SAA Advocating
for Archives
President's
Message
Photo Op Someone
You Should
Know
From the
Executive
Director
Kudos and
In
Memoriam
Council
Update
Have read
Don't read
Don't know
• For five of the eleven content areas listed below, the percentage of individual members who
report not reading that area is in the double digits.
Archival Outlook – Level of Readership – Individual Members
Q25. How would you rate Archival Outlook (member newsletter) in each of the
following areas?
154
5% 5% 7% 7% 7% 6% 6% 6% 6% 7% 8%
8%13% 14% 15% 16% 15%
20%
90% 88% 85%81% 81% 80% 80% 79% 78% 78%
72%
7%14%12%
5%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Feature
Articles
News Briefs Advocating
for Archives
Photo Op Kudos and
In
Memoriam
From the
U.S.
Archivist
Around SAA Someone
You Should
Know
President's
Message
From the
Executive
Director
Council
Update
Have read
Don't read
Don't know
Archival Outlook – Level of Readership – Institutional Members
Q25. How would you rate Archival Outlook (member newsletter) in each of the
following areas?
• For institutional member respondents, eight of the eleven content areas of Archival Outlook
listed below have double digit percentages of “non-readership”.
155
SAA Website • The matrices on the two following pages show which of the website’s attributes are the key
drivers of members’ overall perception of the website. Improving the underperforming key
drivers (those in the yellow quadrant) should improve the overall perception of the website.
• The key drivers for individual members are (1) being visually appealing, (2) ease of
navigation, (3) providing relevant information, (4) ease of finding information, and (5) ease of
using the online store.
• For institutional members, the key website drivers are (1) providing relevant information, (2)
ease of providing feedback, (3) ease of finding information, and (4) ease of navigation.
• The key drivers of the website that are common to both member types are (1) ease of
navigation, (2) providing relevant information, and (3) ease of finding information.
• The top 2 ratings (percentage of excellent and very good ratings) for all of the website’s key
drivers are currently below 70%.
156 156
Imp
act
Performance
Low Performance High Performance
Str
ong
Weak
70% Top 2
Modera
te
• Ease of navigation
• Ease of using the online store
• Providing relevant information
Items in the yellow quadrant should be improved, and items in the green
quadrant should be maintained.
Maintain Improve
• Being visually appealing
• Ease of finding information
Website Drivers – Individual Members
• Ease of providing feedback
• Having sufficient information
• Ease of registering for events online
• Ease of paying dues
• Page load speed
157 157
Imp
act
Performance
Low Performance High Performance
Str
ong
Weak
70% Top 2
Modera
te
• Ease of navigation
• Ease of using the online store
• Providing relevant information
Items in the yellow quadrant should be improved, and items in the green
quadrant should be maintained.
Maintain Improve
• Being visually appealing
• Ease of finding information
Website Drivers – Institutional Members
• Ease of providing feedback
• Having sufficient information
• Ease of registering for events online
• Ease of paying dues
• Page load speed
158
58% 58% 58% 55%50% 49%
38% 38% 37%33%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Ease of
registering
for events
Ease of
paying dues
Page load
speed
Providing
relevant
information
Ease of
using online
store
Having
sufficient
information
Ease of
navigation
Ease of
providing
feedback
Ease of
finding
information
Being
visually
appealing
Excellent / Very good
Website Attributes – Individual Members
Q39. More specifically, how would you rate SAA’s website in each of the
following areas?
• The graph below provides the top 2 performance ratings of all website attributes given by
individual member respondents.
• This graph, along with the preceding website matrix for individual members, can be used to
prioritize areas for improving the overall performance of the website, from the perspective of
individual members.
159
59% 59%55% 55% 53%
49% 46% 46%42% 39%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Page load
speed
Ease of
registering
for events
Providing
relevant
information
Ease of
paying dues
Having
sufficient
information
Ease of
using online
store
Ease of
navigation
Ease of
providing
feedback
Being
visually
appealing
Ease of
finding
information
Excellent / Very good
Website Attributes – Institutional Members
Q39. More specifically, how would you rate SAA’s website in each of the
following areas?
• The graph below provides the top 2 performance ratings of all website attributes given by
institutional member respondents.
• The ratings given by institutional members do not differ significantly from those ratings given
by individual members.
160
85%
65%
55% 54% 54%
18% 18%13%
86%
64%
42%49%
45%
16%10% 10%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
SAA website Archives &
Archivists list
Student
discussion list
Section
discussion
lists
Roundtable
discussion
lists
SAA on
SAA on
SAA on
Individual members
Institutional members
Areas For Improvement – Importance
Q40. How important is it that SAA devote resources and effort to improving
each of the following?
• Individual and institutional members agree that the SAA website is the most important area
where SAA should devote its improvement efforts.
• Both member segments also agree that it is less important to devote resources to improving
SAA’s social networking among the big three networking sites at this time. This could signal
that members are satisfied with the work that SAA has already done in these three areas.
Extremely important / Very important
161
87%
30%24% 24%
19%
9%4%6%
14%
7% 7%
20%
3%6%4%
40%
58%54%
37%
80% 80%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Laptop iPhone Android
smartphone
Kindle iPad Nook Android tablet
Currently own
Extremely / Very likely to own
Not very / Not at all likely to own
Ownership of Internet Devices – Individual Members
Q41. Which of the following Internet devices do you currently own or are likely
to own in the next three years?
• Most individual member respondents have a laptop and most do not expect to purchase an
Android smartphone or Android tablet, a Kindle or a Nook in the next three years.
• Twenty percent (20%) of individual member respondents indicate that they are extremely
likely or very likely to purchase an iPad within the next three years.
162
79%
31%
17%
24%21%
10%6%6%
11% 12%7%
21%
2%5%
8%
44%
58%61%
32%
80% 80%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Laptop iPhone Android
smartphone
Kindle iPad Nook Android tablet
Currently own
Extremely / Very likely to own
Not very / Not at all likely to own
Ownership of Internet Devices – Institutional Members
Q41. Which of the following Internet devices do you currently own or are likely
to own in the next three years?
• The majority of institutional member respondents have the same ownership and
expectations of ownership as the individual member respondents, i.e. the majority own
laptops and the majority do not expect to purchase an Android smartphone or Android tablet,
or a Kindle or Nook within the next three years.
• Additionally, 21% of institutional member respondents expect to purchase an iPad within the
next three years.
163 Frequency of Website Visits – Individual Members
Q37. On average, how often do you visit the SAA website
(www.archivists.org)?
7%
19%
27%25%
21%1%
More than once per week
About once per week
2-3 times per month
About once per month
A few times a year
Never
• Seventy-eight percent (78%) of individual member respondents report visiting the SAA
website at least once per month.
• Twenty-six percent (26%) of these respondents report visiting the website at least once per
week.
• Only 1% of individual member respondents never visit the website.
164 Frequency of Website Visits – Institutional Members
Q37. On average, how often do you visit the SAA website
(www.archivists.org)?
5%15%
26%
24%
27%
4%
More than once per week
About once per week
2-3 times per month
About once per month
A few times a year
Never
• Sixty-nine percent (69%) of institutional member respondents report visiting the SAA
website at least once per month. This percentage is significantly lower than the 78% of
individual members who visit the site with the same frequency.
• The 20% of institutional members who visit the SAA website at least once per week is not
significantly different from the 26% of individual member respondents who visit the site
weekly.
165
SAA Staff • The SAA staff is not a key driver of membership value for either individual members or
institutional members. Both types of members give vey high performance ratings to the SAA
staff.
• For individual members, the overall quality of the SAA staff is driven by six factors: (1) being
knowledgeable, (2) being patient, (3) caring about them as members, (4) handling issues in
one call, (5) follow-up, and (6) being responsive to their questions. All of these attributes are
performing at a very high level.
• For institutional members, the overall quality of the SAA staff is driven by only three factors:
(1) being responsive to questions, (2) being professional, and (3) being patient. As with
individual members, all of these key drivers receive very high ratings from institutional
members.
166 166
Imp
act
Performance
Low Performance High Performance
Str
ong
Weak
70% Top 2
Modera
te
• Patient
• Follow-up
• Care about you as a member
Items in the yellow quadrant should be improved, and items in the green
quadrant should be maintained.
Maintain Improve
• Knowledgeable
• Handle issues in one call
SAA Staff Drivers – Individual Members
• Responsive to questions
• Professional
• Understand your needs
• Time spent on hold
• Ease of reaching a staff member
• Time waiting for a reply
167 167
Imp
act
Performance
Low Performance High Performance
Str
ong
Weak
70% Top 2
Modera
te
• Patient
• Follow-up
• Care about you as a member
Items in the yellow quadrant should be improved, and items in the green
quadrant should be maintained.
Maintain Improve
• Knowledgeable
• Handle issues in one call
SAA Staff Drivers – Institutional Members
• Responsive to questions
• Professional
• Understand your needs
• Time spent on hold
• Ease of reaching a staff member
• Time waiting for a reply
168
72%
73%
73%
73%
74%
74%
76%
78%
79%
79%
83%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Handle issues in one call
Care about you
Ease of reaching staff
Follow-up
Understand your needs
Time waiting for email reply
Hold time
Responsive to your questions
Knowledgeable
Patient
Professional
Excellent / Very good
SAA Staff Attributes – Individual Members
Q34. More specifically, how would you rate the SAA staff in each of the
following areas?
• The graph below provides the performance ratings given by individual members for the
attributes of the SAA staff.
• All of the staff attributes receive top 2 ratings in excess of 70%.
169
68%
70%
71%
73%
75%
75%
78%
78%
79%
81%
84%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Time waiting for email reply
Ease of reaching staff
Hold time
Follow-up
Understand your needs
Handle issues in one call
Care about you
Responsive to your questions
Professional
Knowledgeable
Patient
Excellent / Very good
SAA Staff Attributes – Institutional Members
Q34. More specifically, how would you rate the SAA staff in each of the
following areas?
• The graph below shows the performance ratings for staff attributes given by institutional
members.
• As with individual members, institutional members give the SAA staff very high evaluations.
170
SAA Council • The SAA Council is the third strongest driver of the value of an SAA membership for
individual members, but is not a key driver at this time for institutional members.
• For individual members, the seven key attributes that drive the overall quality perception of
the SAA council are: (1) being responsive to member concerns, (2) understanding the needs
of members, (3) being fiscally responsible, (4) being knowledgeable, (5) being socially
responsible, (6) effectively communicating with members, and (7) being accessible to
members.
• For institutional members, the four key attributes of the SAA Council are: (1) effectively
communicating with members, (2) understanding the needs of members, (3) being
responsive to member concerns, and (4) being accessible to members.
171 171
Imp
act
Performance
Low Performance High Performance
Str
ong
Weak
70% Top 2
Modera
te
• Understand needs of members
• Socially responsible
• Fiscally responsible
Items in the yellow quadrant should be improved, and items in the green
quadrant should be maintained.
Maintain Improve
• Responsive to member concerns
• Knowledgeable
SAA Council Drivers – Individual Members
• Effectively communicate with members
• Understand needs of the profession
• Accessible to members
• Transparency of decision making
• Professional
172 172
Imp
act
Performance
Low Performance High Performance
Str
ong
Weak
70% Top 2
Modera
te
• Understand needs of members
• Socially responsible
• Fiscally responsible
Items in the yellow quadrant should be improved, and items in the green
quadrant should be maintained.
Maintain Improve
• Responsive to member concerns
• Knowledgeable
SAA Council Drivers – Institutional Members
• Effectively communicate with members
• Understand needs of the profession
• Accessible to members
• Transparency of decision making
• Professional
173
46%
48%
51%
51%
52%
56%
60%
64%
72%
73%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
Transparency of decision making
Effecitively communicates
Responsive to questions
Understand needs of members
Accessible to members
Socially responsible
Fiscally responsible
Understand needs of profession
Knowledgeable
Professional
Excellent / Very good
SAA Council Attributes – Individual Members
Q36. More specifically, how would you rate the SAA Council (board of
directors) in each of the following areas?
• The graph below shows the percentage of individual member respondents who gave an
excellent or very good rating for each of the SAA Council’s attributes.
• Being professional and being knowledgeable received the largest percentage of excellent or
very good responses.
174
38%
41%
42%
44%
45%
51%
61%
63%
66%
71%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
Effecitively communicates
Understand needs of members
Accessible to members
Transparency of decision making
Responsive to questions
Socially responsible
Understand needs of profession
Fiscally responsible
Knowledgeable
Professional
Excellent / Very good
SAA Council Attributes – Institutional Members
Q36. More specifically, how would you rate the SAA Council (board of
directors) in each of the following areas?
• Institutional members’ evaluations of the various Council attributes is slightly lower than
those given by individual members. This could be the result of institutional members’ actual
experiences with Council members or perhaps they have higher expectations than individual
members have.
175
SAA’s Strategic Initiatives • SAA’s strategic initiatives is not a key driver of membership value for individual members, but
it is the third strongest driver for institutional members, trailing only member benefits and
membership dues in impact on the value of an SAA institutional membership.
• There are six initiatives that drive individual members’ overall perception of SAA’s strategic
initiatives: (1) adaptation to changes in information technology, (2) diversity of the profession,
(3) diversity of the archival record, (4) National Historical Publications and Records
Commission, (5) privacy and confidentiality, and (6) access to public record.
• For institutional members, the overall perception of SAA’s strategic initiatives is driven by
only four factors: (1) diversity of the profession, (2) I Found It In the Archives, (3) Preserving
the American Historical Record, and (4) privacy and confidentiality.
176 176
Imp
act
Performance
Low Performance High Performance
Str
ong
Weak
70% Top 2
Modera
te
• Diversity of the profession
• Privacy and confidentiality
• Diversity of the archival record
Items in the yellow quadrant should be improved, and items in the green
quadrant should be maintained.
Maintain Improve
• Adaptation to changes in IT
• National Historical Publications and Records
SAA’s Strategic Initiatives Drivers – Individual Members
• Access to public record
• Copyright and intellectual property law
• MayDay
• I Found It In the Archives
• Preserving the American Historical Record
• American Archives Month
177 177
Imp
act
Performance
Low Performance High Performance
Str
ong
Weak
70% Top 2
Modera
te
• Diversity of the profession
• Privacy and confidentiality
• Diversity of the archival record
Items in the yellow quadrant should be improved, and items in the green
quadrant should be maintained.
Maintain Improve
• Adaptation to changes in IT
• National Historical Publications and Records
SAA’s Strategic Initiatives Drivers – Institutional Members
• Access to public record
• Copyright and intellectual property law
• MayDay
• I Found It In the Archives
• Preserving the American Historical Record
• American Archives Month
178
34%
42%
48%
49%
49%
49%
50%
52%
54%
54%
59%
0% 20% 40% 60%
Diversity of the profession
Diversity of the archival record
MayDay
Privacy and confidentiality
Access to public record
Adaptation to changes in IT
Copyright and intellectual property law
I Found It In the Archives
Preserving the American Historical Record
American Archives Month
National Historical Publications and Records Commission
Extremely effective / Very effective
Effectiveness of SAA’s Strategic Initiatives – Individual Members
• The graph below shows the percentages of individual member respondents who rated SAA’s
efforts in the area as being extremely effective or very effective.
Q43. More specifically, how would you rate the effectiveness of SAA’s strategic
initiatives in each of the following areas?
179
39%
42%
42%
46%
47%
47%
48%
49%
52%
55%
57%
0% 20% 40% 60%
Diversity of the profession
Diversity of the archival record
Access to public record
I Found It In the Archives
Copyright and intellectual property law
Adaptation to changes in IT
Preserving the American Historical Record
MayDay
Privacy and confidentiality
American Archives Month
National Historical Publications and Records Commission
Extremely effective / Very effective
Effectiveness of SAA’s Strategic Initiatives – Institutional Members
• The graph below
Q43. More specifically, how would you rate the effectiveness of SAA’s strategic
initiatives in each of the following areas?
• The graph below shows the percentages of institutional member respondents who rated
SAA’s efforts in the area as being extremely effective or very effective.
180
80%
81%
83%
83%
84%
85%
87%
90%
90%
93%
94%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Diversity of the archival record
MayDay
Privacy and confidentiality
Access to public record
Preserving the American Historical Record
National Historical Publications and Records Commission
Copyright and intellectual property law
Adaptation to changes in IT
Diversity of the profession
I Found It In the Archives
American Archives Month
Am aware of efforts in this area
Awareness of SAA’s Strategic Initiatives – Individual Members
• The graph below shows the percentages of individual member respondents who were aware
of SAA’s work in these areas prior to taking the survey.
• Only individuals who were aware of the initiative prior to taking the survey provided an
effectiveness rating.
Q43. More specifically, how would you rate the effectiveness of SAA’s strategic
initiatives in each of the following areas?
181
80%
82%
83%
84%
84%
85%
86%
86%
87%
87%
89%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Preserving the American Historical Record
Access to public record
MayDay
National Historical Publications and Records Commission
Copyright and intellectual property law
Diversity of the archival record
Privacy and confidentiality
Diversity of the profession
I Found It In the Archives
American Archives Month
Adaptation to changes in IT
Am aware of efforts in this area
Awareness of SAA’s Strategic Initiatives – Institutional Members
Q43. More specifically, how would you rate the effectiveness of SAA’s strategic
initiatives in each of the following areas?
• The graph below shows the percentages of institutional member respondents who were
aware of SAA’s work in these areas prior to taking the survey.
• Only individuals who were aware of the initiative prior to taking the survey provided an
effectiveness rating.
182
SAA’s Annual Meeting • The SAA Annual Meeting is a key driver for both individual and institutional members.
• Because of the relatively small number of institutional members who have attended an SAA
Annual Meeting in the past five years, the institutional members who have attended were
combined with the individual members in the driver analysis. The matrix on the following
page is the result of the driver analysis of the combined member types.
• For all SAA member respondents, the overall perception of the quality of an SAA Annual
Meeting is driven by eight factors at this time: (1) education sessions, (2) committee
meetings, (3) Research Forum, (4) plenary sessions, (5) awards ceremony, (6) exhibit hall,
(7) preconference workshops, and (8) all-attendee reception.
183 183
Imp
act
Performance
Low Performance High Performance
Str
ong
Weak
70% Top 2
Modera
te
• Committee meetings
• Awards Ceremony
• Research Forum
Items in the yellow quadrant should be improved, and items in the green
quadrant should be maintained.
Maintain Improve
• Education sessions
• Plenary sessions
SAA’s Annual Meeting – All Respondents
• Exhibit Hall
• All-attendee reception
• Roundtable meetings
• Section meetings
• Informal networking opportunities
• Bookstore
• Preconference workshops
• Career Center
• Tours of local repositories
• Poster sessions
184
65%62%
59% 57% 55% 55% 53% 53%
79%
68%
59%62% 61% 60%
55% 54%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Preconference
workshops
Tours of
repositories
Education
sessions
All-attendee
reception
Informal
networking
Plenary
sessions
Roundtable
meetings
Section
meetings
Individual members
Institutional members
Annual Meeting Attributes – Page 1
Q30. Thinking about the most recent SAA Annual Meeting you attended, how
would you rate the conference in each of the following areas?
• Even though there were too few institutional respondents to conduct a driver analysis for this
member segment, there are enough respondents to conduct the performance analysis.
• Because of the large number of Annual Meeting attributes that were tested, the performance
analysis is split into two pages.
• This page shows the performance ratings of the Annual Meeting attributes in the top half.
Excellent / Very good
185
52%48% 46% 45% 42%
37% 34%
42%49%
41%
52%
42%
26%
42%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Research
Forum
Bookstore Committee
meetings
Exhibit hall Poster sessions Awards
Ceremony
Career Center
Individual members
Institutional members
Annual Meeting Attributes – Page 2
Q30. Thinking about the most recent SAA Annual Meeting you attended, how
would you rate the conference in each of the following areas?
• The Annual Meeting attributes presented on this page represent the bottom half of
respondents based on respondents’ evaluations.
Excellent / Very good
186
0% 1% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
15%23% 22%
94% 93%88% 85% 82% 81% 77% 78%
12%6%19%
18%6%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Exhibit Hall Informal
networking
Plenary
sessions
Bookstore Section
meetings
All-attendee
reception
Poster
sessions
Roundtable
meetings
Participated
Didn't participate, but was aware of
Was not aware of
• This page and the following page shows the level of awareness and participation of various
areas of the Annual Meeting by individual members.
• This page presents the areas that are in the top half based on members’ level of participation.
Annual Meeting – Participation and Awareness – Individual (Pg. 1)
Q30. Thinking about the most recent SAA Annual Meeting you attended, how
would you rate the conference in each of the following areas?
187
6%0% 1% 1%
7%1% 2%
55% 56%64%
63%
48% 44% 43%34% 34% 34%
52%
65%59%
31%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Education
sessions
Committee
meetings
Awards
ceremony
Tours of
repositories
Research
Forum
Preconference
workshops
Career Center
Participated
Didn't participate, but was aware of
Was not aware of
Annual Meeting – Participation and Awareness – Individual (Pg. 2)
Q30. Thinking about the most recent SAA Annual Meeting you attended, how
would you rate the conference in each of the following areas?
• This page presents the areas that are in the bottom half based on individual members’ level of
participation.
• Even though roughly half of the individual respondents did not participate in these areas,
virtually every respondent was aware of the area prior to taking the survey.
188
0% 0% 0% 0% 1% 1% 5%0%
15%
19% 25%
99%93%
88% 85% 84%78% 76% 75%
12%7%
21%15%
1%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Exhibit Hall Informal
networking
Plenary
sessions
Bookstore All-attendee
reception
Section
meetings
Education
sessions
Roundtable
meetings
Participated
Didn't participate, but was aware of
Was not aware of
Annual Meeting – Participation and Awareness – Institutional (Pg. 1)
Q30. Thinking about the most recent SAA Annual Meeting you attended, how
would you rate the conference in each of the following areas?
• This page and the following page shows the level of awareness and participation of various
areas of the Annual Meeting by institutional members.
• This page presents the areas that are in the top half based on members’ level of participation.
189
0% 1% 1% 0% 1% 4% 1%
42% 48%57%
66%58% 57%
52% 50% 47%42%
41%
49%49%
34%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Poster sessions Tours of
repositories
Awards
ceremony
Preconference
workshops
Committee
meetings
Research
Forum
Career Center
Participated
Didn't participate, but was aware of
Was not aware of
Annual Meeting – Participation and Awareness – Institutional (Pg. 2)
Q30. Thinking about the most recent SAA Annual Meeting you attended, how
would you rate the conference in each of the following areas?
• This page presents the areas that are in the bottom half based on institutional members’ level
of participation.
190
25%
20%
15%12% 11%
6% 5% 4%
25%
21%
15% 14%
9%7%
3% 4%
0%
20%
40%
Affordable
conference
registration
Affordable
hotel rooms
Affordable
travel costs
Variety of
locations
Wi-Fi access All-attendee
reception
Social
responsibility
clause
Audiovisual
support
Individual members
Institutional members
Annual Meeting Changes / Enhancements
Q31. The Society is considering a variety of changes and/or enhancements to
the programs and services included as part of the Annual Meeting. Please
allocate a total of 100 points among the following options.
• Individual members allocated 60% of all points to keeping costs down.
• Institutional members allocated 61% of their points to keeping the Annual Meeting affordable
as well.
191
100%
58%
35%
10%
1% 0% 0%
100%
55%
34%
11%
2% 1% 0%0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
$0 $5 $10 $25 $50 $75 $100
Individual members
Institutional members
Amount Willing to Pay – Wi-Fi Access Throughout Conference Hotel
Q32. The Society is considering various ways of delivering Annual Meeting
content. For each of the following items, please indicate the maximum dollar
amount that you would be willing to pay.
• Members were asked to provide the maximum price they would pay for Wi-Fi access
throughout the conference hotel during an Annual Meeting.
• The percentage at each price point represents the percentage of respondents who would be
willing to pay that price or more, thereby producing a rough demand curve.
192
100%
68%
57%
41%
16%
5% 2%
100%
70%
60%
40%
16%
6%2%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
$0 $5 $10 $25 $50 $75 $100
Individual members
Institutional members
Amount Willing to Pay – Virtual Participation in an Education Session
Q32. The Society is considering various ways of delivering Annual Meeting
content. For each of the following items, please indicate the maximum dollar
amount that you would be willing to pay.
• The graph below provides a rudimentary demand curve for virtual participation in an
education session of the Annual Meeting.
193
100%
66%
55%
39%
16%
5% 2%
100%
66%
57%
42%
14%
5% 2%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
$0 $5 $10 $25 $50 $75 $100
Individual members
Institutional members
Amount Willing to Pay – Participation in an Online Education Session
Q32. The Society is considering various ways of delivering Annual Meeting
content. For each of the following items, please indicate the maximum dollar
amount that you would be willing to pay.
• Roughly the same percentage of individual and institutional members are willing to pay at the
various price points for the participation in an online education session as they are for the
virtual participation on the previous page.
194
100%
69%
48%
22%
5%1% 0%
100%
66%
51%
30%
7%1% 1%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
$0 $5 $10 $25 $50 $75 $100
Individual members
Institutional members
Amount Willing to Pay – Download a Recorded Education Session
Q32. The Society is considering various ways of delivering Annual Meeting
content. For each of the following items, please indicate the maximum dollar
amount that you would be willing to pay.
• Individuals are not willing to pay as much to download a recorded session as they are willing
to pay to participate online in an education session.
195
100%
46%
34%
17%
5%1% 1%
100%
44%37%
22%
6%2% 1%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
$0 $5 $10 $25 $50 $75 $100
Individual members
Institutional members
Amount Willing to Pay – Virtual Participation in a Live Plenary Session
Q32. The Society is considering various ways of delivering Annual Meeting
content. For each of the following items, please indicate the maximum dollar
amount that you would be willing to pay.
• Fewer than half of the respondents would be willing to pay $5 for virtual participation in a live
plenary session.
196
100%
48%
27%
9%2% 0% 0%
100%
42%
29%
14%
2% 0% 0%0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
$0 $5 $10 $25 $50 $75 $100
Individual members
Institutional members
Amount Willing to Pay – Download a Recorded Plenary Session
Q32. The Society is considering various ways of delivering Annual Meeting
content. For each of the following items, please indicate the maximum dollar
amount that you would be willing to pay.
• Fewer than half of the respondents would be willing to pay $5 to download a recorded
plenary session.
197
100%
58%
44%
21%
6%1% 1%
100%
53%
44%
28%
9%3% 1%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
$0 $5 $10 $25 $50 $75 $100
Individual members
Institutional members
Amount Willing to Pay – Virtual Participation in Section/Roundtable Mtg.
Q32. The Society is considering various ways of delivering Annual Meeting
content. For each of the following items, please indicate the maximum dollar
amount that you would be willing to pay.
• The bar graph below shows the percentage of individuals who would be willing to pay each
given price, or more, for virtual participation in a section/roundtable meeting.
198
100%
49%
35%
15%
4%1% 0%
100%
47%
35%
17%
4%0% 0%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
$0 $5 $10 $25 $50 $75 $100
Individual members
Institutional members
Amount Willing to Pay – Participation in Online Section/Roundtable Mtg.
Q32. The Society is considering various ways of delivering Annual Meeting
content. For each of the following items, please indicate the maximum dollar
amount that you would be willing to pay.
• Roughly half of the respondents would be willing to pay $5 for online participation in a
section/roundtable meeting.
199
100%
49%
29%
9%2% 0% 0%
100%
41%
26%
13%
2% 0% 0%0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
$0 $5 $10 $25 $50 $75 $100
Individual members
Institutional members
Amount Willing to Pay – Download a Recorded Section/Roundtable Mtg.
Q32. The Society is considering various ways of delivering Annual Meeting
content. For each of the following items, please indicate the maximum dollar
amount that you would be willing to pay.
• Roughly 25% of respondents would be willing to pay as much as $10 to download a
recording of a section/roundtable meeting.
200
58%
42%
Yes No
63%
37%
Yes No
Individual Members Institutional Members
• The majority of survey respondents (individual members as well as institutional members),
have attended an SAA Annual Meeting in the past five years.
Q28. If you have attended an SAA Annual Meeting in the past 5 years, how
would you rate the conference overall?
Attended an SAA Annual Meeting in the Past Five Years
201
Problems With SAA
202 Problem Experience/Solution – Individual Members
Q44. Have you experienced any problems with SAA in the past 6 months?
Q47. Was the problem resolved to your satisfaction?
3%
97%
Yes No
50%
50%
Yes No
Experienced Problem in the Past 6
Months
Problem Resolved Satisfactorily
• Of the fifty-nine individual member respondents (3%) who experienced a problem during the
past six months, 32 individuals (63%) reported their problem to SAA (not shown).
• Of the 32 individual members who reported their problem to someone at SAA, half have
experienced a satisfactory resolution to their problem.
n=1982 n=32
203 Problem Experience/Solution – Institutional Members
Q44. Have you experienced any problems with SAA in the past 6 months?
Q47. Was the problem resolved to your satisfaction?
2%
98%
Yes No
67%
33%
Yes No
Experienced Problem in the Past 6
Months
Problem Resolved Satisfactorily
• Of the four institutional member respondents (2%) who experienced a problem during the
past six months, all four individuals (100%) reported their problem to SAA (not shown).
• Two of the three institutional member respondents who provided a response to Q47 –
satisfactory problem resolution, indicated that their problem was satisfactorily resolved.
n=166 n=3
204
Conclusions and
Recommendations
205
1. The Member Needs Assessment uncovers the reasons why members join and belong to
SAA, i.e. which needs they hope to satisfy with an SAA membership. By focusing on the
differences among member segments, SAA can more effectively develop benefits and
programs for specific member segments, realizing that different types of members have
different needs.
2. Fewer than 2% of the respondents assigned all of their points to a single reason for
belonging to SAA, which means that more than 98% of respondents belong to SAA for
multiple reasons. Therefore, SAA cannot satisfy its members’ needs by focusing on only
one aspect of the association. It is also important to remember that members’ needs
change over time as they progress through various stages in their careers. Our
recommendation is to target specific member segments with programs designed to satisfy
their stated needs at this time. Because older members are more likely to belong to SAA
to satisfy their need to support the profession and support SAA, we recommend that SAA
consider its older population as potential mentors for younger members who are interested
in advancing their careers.
Conclusions and Recommendations
206
3. SAA is similar to other professional membership associations in its mix of loyal, neutral,
and vulnerable members. We recommend that SAA use the profile of loyal members as a
guide for recruiting new members, and the profile of vulnerable members to target
members who are at-risk of leaving the association with intervention programs.
4. We recommend that SAA identifies which member segments are neutral or vulnerable,
and match those segments with their needs that were uncovered in the Member Needs
Assessment. Often we find that members are neutral or vulnerable because the needs for
which they belong to the association are not currently being satisfied.
5. Nine percent (9%) of individual member respondents are considered vulnerable and 6% of
individual members are labeled as captive. A captive member is a vulnerable member
who intends to renew his/her membership. Therefore, there are only 3% of vulnerable
members who are not extremely likely or very likely to renew their membership in the next
year.
6. Respondents’ intentions to recommend SAA and to renew their memberships are
encouraging. The third component of loyalty – membership value – is an area in which to
focus improvement because it receives the lowest evaluations. Improving the value of an
SAA membership will migrate some vulnerable members to the neutral category and move
some neutral members to the loyal category.
Conclusions and Recommendations
207
7. The most effective way to improve member loyalty is to improve the key drivers of value,
those areas that appear in the “Improve” quadrant of the value driver matrix for each
member type. Even though the relative impact of each driver is different (as illustrated by
its vertical position in the matrix), improving any of the areas in this quadrant should have
a positive effect on the perception of membership value.
8. The vertical positioning of each item in its matrix is determined by members’ responses. In
prioritizing which areas to improve, SAA should also consider which areas are easier to
improve (i.e. low hanging fruit), which areas would generate more support for
improvement, and which areas have available resources for improvement. Stated
differently, SAA should not feel compelled to improve the underperforming key driver with
the greatest impact on value, solely because it has the greatest impact on value.
9. For those key drivers of value for which SAA would like to improve, the matrix for each
driver provides a guide of which attributes can most effectively bring about improving the
entire process. Once the key attributes have been improved, the overall perception of the
process should be improved.
10. Membership dues is a key driver of value for both types of members, and is in the
“Improve” quadrant. Our recommendation for improving the perception of dues is to
improve the key drivers of value, which should improve the perception of dues, and remind
members at every opportunity what they are getting for their dues.
Conclusions and Recommendations
208
11. For areas that are currently not key drivers of membership value (e.g. website), they can
still be improved based on the detailed matrix of that area. However, we recommend that
any improvements of non-drivers should not take resources away from improving those
areas that are the key drivers of membership value. Improving the key drivers will have a
greater impact on improving the overall value of an SAA membership than will improving
non-drivers.
12. For those areas in which use and awareness were tested (e.g. member benefits,
continuing education, publications, strategic initiatives, Annual Meeting) we recommend
that SAA should consider modifying those areas that have a relatively high percentage of
awareness but non-use. A high percentage of awareness coupled with non-use usually
indicates a poor fit for members. For those items that have a high percentage of
“unawareness”, we recommend that SAA focus on raising the level of awareness of its
members through promotion. Some members have indicated in their verbatim comments
that their level of awareness of SAA’s offerings has been raised through this survey.
13. Based on member evaluations, the SAA staff does an outstanding job of servicing
members and should be commended for their work. We often find through staff surveys
that their self-evaluations are usually much lower than the evaluations they get from
members because they are continually taking care of problems and are inundated with
negative comments from members. By letting staff know that their work is appreciated by
members, it will encourage them to continue providing high quality service.
Conclusions and Recommendations
209
14. The level of problem incidence found among individual members (3%) and by institutional
members (2%) is very good. Our only recommendation is that if there is a problem
mentioned in the verbatim comments that can easily be fixed, then fix it. But overall, the
level of problems is very good.
15. An integral part of any improvement plan is to communicate those changes to all
members. Communication informs members that improvements have been put into place
even when members have not personally experienced any changes. Without
communication, members who experience a higher level of service are left to wonder if the
improvements are a permanent result of process changes or simply a temporary variation
in the customary service level.
Conclusions and Recommendations