USNA-AA Member Survey

USNA-AA Member Survey
High-Level Trends and Results
December 10, 2009
Purpose of Presentation
Review of Quantitative and Qualitative Data
• Demographic profile of survey participants
• Analysis overview
• Three key findings
• Qualitative overview
Next Steps
2
Research Objectives
Identify the service- and communicationsbased needs of the various segments that
comprise USNA-AA’s membership
Identify how alumni members currently
perceive the organization
3
Research Methodology
Secondary analysis
Focus groups with USNA leadership
(class and chapter presidents)
Survey (Web-based and paper)
Qualitative Data (open-ended questions)
4
Qualitative Data
• Three open-ended questions:
- Q.12: In your opinion, what can the Alumni Association do to improve its
services and offerings? (answered by 4,031 members)
- Q15: Why did you rank the service that you did number 1, or most
important service in the previous question? (number one answer,
Shipmate, answered by 2,796 members)
- Q.37: Please share with us any other suggestions or opinions you have
regarding the services and/or the communications efforts of the Alumni
Association. (answered by 2,313 members)
• Thorough assessment of qualitative data
- Coded
- Ranked
5
Qualitative Data Summary
•
•
•
Qualitative member feedback supports quantitative findings
Suggestions/opinions that stand out are (Q37):
- Three of the top 10 comments emphasize importance of
Shipmate
- Several of the top 10 highlight importance of being engaged, in
touch with members, through new technology, in particular
Same comments and themes emerged when asked what the Alumni
Association can do to improve (Q12)
6
Key Qualitative Data Findings
Coded comments
Percent*
Actual
Number
1. Don’t get rid of Shipmate/reduce number of issues/continue Shipmate/bring back monthly/10 copies per year
16%
414
2. The Alumni Association is doing a good job/doing a good job in keeping us informed/pleased with services/positive
(general)
14%
371
3. Alumni Association needs to think of what the members want/give us things we want to see/not thinking of the
alumni
10%
268
4. Don’t start charging for Shipmate/already contribute fees/was told lifetime membership includes Shipmate/free to
Life members
8%
160
5. Update technology/newer technology/need to be up-to-date
8%
153
6. Need to include important issues/important topics/big issues/hot topics in Association communications
7%
161
7. Make a social networking site/able to socialize with other alumni online
7%
106
8. Don’t like the way the Board is operating/displeased with the governance of the Alumni Association/too many power
struggles/power hungry
6%
168
9. Decrease fund raising/Association is always trying to raise funds/don’t guilt trip us into donating
6%
129
10. Make Shipmate available online/would read Shipmate online/go to an electronic Shipmate
5%
103
* Based on members who provided a response (n=2,313), not all members who were surveyed (n=11,324); weighted figure
Q.37 Please share with us, in the space below, any other suggestions or opinions you have regarding the
services and/or the communications efforts of the Alumni Association.
7
DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE
8
Demographic Profile of Survey Participants
(UNWEIGHTED)
Region
Gender
Sample size: n=11,324
22%
5%
3%
24%
44%
7%
95%
Male
Female
Northeast
West
Midwest
OCONUS
South
9
Demographic Profile of Survey Participants
(UNWEIGHTED)
Class Year
Membership Status
Sample size: n=11,324
7% 7%
7%
13%
1%
15%
18%
22%
93%
19%
20s-40s
50s
60s
70s
80s
90s
00s
Lifetime
Annual
Lapsed/Not Member
10
ANALYSIS OVERVIEW
11
Approach to Analysis
Strengths
•
•
•
What does USNA-AA do well?
What member services are perceived
as most important?
Which services are used the most?
Weaknesses
•
•
•
What negative perceptions exist
among members?
What member services are perceived
as less important?
Which services are not used much?
Opportunities
Challenges
Are there any member needs that
are not being met?
• What member services are perceived
as important but not used?
• What environmental changes are
impacting how we communicate?
•
•
How do we effectively use the survey
results to engage members and
prioritize services and programs?
12
Results of Analysis
Strengths
Weaknesses
•
Shipmate
•
Stuck in the past
•
Communications – primary function of
USNA-AA
•
Equal engagement of members
•
Programs perceived to be unimportant
or which are never used
•
Connectivity – through events, people
and digital applications
Opportunities
•
•
•
•
•
WaveTops
USNA.com and other online
applications
Career programs
Class and/or chapter support
Breadth of services
Challenges
•
Addressing generational needs:
• Importance and use of services
vary by class year
• Preferred forms of
communication vary by class
year
13
Shipmate
Memorial Affairs
Chapter Support
Career Programs
Events
HIGHER IMPORTANCE
Class Reunions
Class Support
Homecoming
USNA.com
HIGHER USAGE
LOWER USAGE
CLASSMAIL
Corp. Membership
Lucky Bag Another Link in the Chain
Distinguished
Locker
Award
Online Support
Parent
Alumni
Clubs Research
Store
Discount
Alumni House
Programs
Merchandise
Financial Services
Programs
Travel Programs
LOWER IMPORTANCE
Ring Program
WaveTops
Affinity Programs
14
KEY FINDINGS
15
Key Findings
1.
Communication is important; is viewed as the primary
role of the Association
2.
Service needs vary by class year
3.
Online opportunities exist, especially with younger
alumni
16
Key Findings
1.
Communication is important; is viewed as the primary
role of the Association
• Shipmate matters most
• USNA-AA provides current and helpful information
• Rely on USNA-AA to stay up-to-date
• Believe the primary role is to facilitate communications
• Believe Association is aware of member needs
17
Usefulness of Sources in Keeping
Informed
80%
Shipmate magazine
Word-of-mouth via classmates
Going to Alumni Association Website
Mail from Alumni Association or Foundation
Going to USNA class Web Site
E-mails from USNA-AA
Going to www.usna.edu
WaveTops electronic newsletter
Your USNA alumni chapter
Newspaper/news media (general)
Online Class Note
Annual report
Annual Fund solicitation
Donor report
From the Bridge newsletter
Parents' mailings
33%
32%
“Shipmate is my
27%
main source of
24%
continuing info with
USNA and alumni.”
23%
22%
22%
19%
15%
10%
(Percent “extremely” and “very useful”)
8%
6%
5%
3%
2%
Q.21 To what extent is each of the following sources useful in keeping you informed about the United States
Naval Academy?
18
Willingness to Pay for Shipmate
Lifetime Members
(n=10,455)
“Although Shipmate is probably
the most important venue for
informing alumni (in my opinion), I
think it should still, if possible,
come without cost to alumni. It
would be better to pay a nominal
fee than to have to shut it down
entirely, if it came to that, but I
think it should remain a funding
priority.”
2%
54%
44%
Willingness to pay
Not willing to pay
Q.24 How willing would you be to pay a nominal and separate annual fee for Shipmate?
Don't know/No answer
19
Primary Role of USNA-AA
Percent of members selecting the statement as the one
that best describes the primary role or purpose of the
Alumni Association
60%
26%
7%
Facilitate
communications
about the Naval
Academy and for
USNA members
4%
1%
(<0.5%)
To build and maintain Avenue of support Provide unique, one- All are important/all
a community of Naval
for the Naval
of-a-kind services
of the above
Academy members
Academy
available only to
USNA members
Other
Q.10 In your opinion, which one of the following statements best describes the primary role or purpose of
the Alumni Association?
20
Benefits of Membership
29%
13%
23%
23%
39%
34%
Stay connected to the Naval
Academy
Stay connected with
classmates, friends and
members of USNA-AA
Most important
23%
15%
16%
8%
29%
3%
18%
5%
13%
Support the Brigade of Access to tools that allow me Take advantage of member
Midshipman and the Naval to communicate with and
benefits
Academy
among other alumni
members
Second-most important
Third-most important
Q.11 In order of importance, please rank the following reasons why you think alumni become and continue to be members of
the Alumni Association? Rank the following from one to five where “1” represents the most important reason, and “5”
represents the least important reason.
21
Key Findings
2.
Service needs vary by class year
• Use of services and programs
22
Use of Member Services: By Class
Decade
(* Includes if used service/program just once)
Shipmate
www.usna.com online community
WaveTops
Homecoming and all related activities
Class reunions
Events
Alumni store
Class support
CLASSMAIL
Merchandise programs
Online support
Chapter support
Discount programs
Career programs
Research
Parent clubs
Travel programs
Financial services
USNA Ring program*
Another Link in the Chain*
Memorial Affairs and Assistance*
Alumni House/Ogle Hall*
Distinguished Graduate Award program*
Affinity programs*
Corporate membership*
Lucky Bag Locker*
%
Use1
1920’s
-40’s
1950’s
1960’s
1970’s
1980’s
1990’s
2000’s
94%
69%
52%
51%
48%
47%
41%
41%
32%
28%
26%
24%
22%
20%
11%
8%
3%
3%
16%
16%
14%
11%
11%
10%
5%
3%
90%
27%
20%
55%
66%
30%
36%
43%
12%
21%
12%
22%
20%
2%
5%
2%
11%
6%
13%
13%
31%
15%
16%
7%
7%
6%
94%
46%
41%
65%
73%
44%
47%
53%
17%
31%
28%
30%
22%
3%
6%
4%
8%
5%
11%
29%
32%
16%
21%
9%
7%
5%
97%
62%
53%
73%
75%
55%
52%
56%
21%
35%
31%
30%
26%
9%
8%
7%
5%
3%
10%
21%
20%
13%
15%
11%
6%
4%
97%
71%
59%
73%
72%
59%
52%
54%
30%
38%
31%
33%
27%
17%
10%
7%
2%
3%
12%
8%
15%
13%
9%
14%
7%
4%
97%
76%
59%
57%
56%
49%
44%
46%
32%
32%
31%
28%
24%
24%
11%
7%
1%
2%
14%
7%
11%
10%
6%
12%
4%
3%
95%
80%
54%
40%
33%
46%
38%
35%
38%
25%
28%
22%
21%
30%
13%
8%
1%
3%
20%
9%
9%
11%
6%
16%
4%
3%
88%
70%
51%
22%
11%
40%
26%
21%
46%
17%
17%
13%
14%
23%
16%
15%
1%
2%
22%
31%
4%
7%
12%
5%
3%
3%
1. Percentage of alumni that indicate they use or have used this service or program frequently or a few times (from Q.16)
23
Key Findings
3.
Online opportunities exist, especially with younger
alumni
• Use of basic online communication activities is high among most
classes
• Engage in online activities
• Interest in future alumni communications tools
24
Communication Activities Online
100%
(Those who “frequently” do these activities, e.g., several times a day or about once a day)
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
1920s-40s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
E-mail
Accessing Internet via wireless device
Watching videos on social networking sites
Q.35 At home, about how often do you use the Internet for each of the following personal activities?
25
Online Activities
90%
(Those who do the activities on a frequent basis)
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
1920s-40s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
Surfing the Internet for personal entertainment
Watching YouTube or videos on other social networking sites
Logging onto the Internet using a wireless device
Keeping up with the news
Search on Google
Q.35 At home, about how often do you use the Internet for each of the following personal activities?
26
Interest in Future Communication
Tools
70%
(Those who are “extremely interested”/“very interested”/”somewhat interested”)
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
1920s-40s
1950s
Alumni Association blog
1960s
1970s
User-generated content
1980s
1990s
Video
2000s
Podcasts
Q.22 Please rate the extent to which you are interested in each of the following ideas for possible future alumni
communications tools.
27
Survey Summary
1.
Communication is important; is viewed as the primary
role of the Association
2.
Service needs vary by class year
3.
Online opportunities exist, especially with younger
alumni
•
The qualitative data supports the quantitative data
28
Next Steps
1.
Share findings with membership Q1 2010
2.
Use data as a starting point to review and prioritize
member offerings
3.
Consider survey results in future strategic planning
efforts
29
USNA-AA Member Survey
Additional Analysis
Dec. 10,2009, Board Meeting Follow Up - Summary
January 15, 2010
Additional Insights Regarding Member Survey
Requested, Dec. 10, 2009
Four inquiries from Board:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Other than Shipmate, where else do members obtain information?
Where do the services offered by USNA-AA connect (i.e., intersect)?
What correlations exist between USNA-AA’s services and media used by
members?
What are the differences between households with “pass along” Shipmate
readership versus those with no “pass along” readership? In particular, if
USNA-AA transitions to digital methods of member communications, will it cut
out revenue sources by missing those who make purchasing decisions?
31
1. Where else do members obtain information?
Three-fifths of Lifetime members have at least one type of
social networking account (based on selecting “yes” to any
one item in Question 36)
• The types of USNA-AA-produced communications tools these
members are especially likely to perceive as “useful”
(Question 21 – either “extremely” or “very” useful) are:
•
Word-of-mouth via classmates (37% versus 34%, overall)
- Naval Academy Web site (27% versus 23%, overall)
- Alumni Association Web site (38% versus 34%, overall)
-
32
2. Where do USNA-AA services intersect?
•
34% of members, overall, use Online Support but among those
who use the Affinity Program (1,169 members), an even larger
proportion, 44%, use both Online Support and the Affinity
Program – suggesting that these two may be complementary
services
The patterns that emerge suggest the following:
• The relatively few members who use either Corporate
Membership or Financial Services (only 5%, each, of all
members) are higher-than-average users of almost all other
services (exception: usna.com online community)
• Those who use CLASSMAIL (45% overall) have a higher-thanaverage propensity to use on-line tools (e.g., usna.com online
community, WaveTops) and the Career Program – suggesting
they are early- to mid-career individuals actively networking
33
2. Where do USNA-AA services intersect?
(Cont.)
•
Those who attend Events actively stay in touch with their
classmates via the Alumni Association; they have a higherthan-average propensity to use Class Support, Chapter
Support, Homecoming, and Class Reunions
34
3. What correlations exist between services
and media consumed/used?
The patterns that emerge suggest the following:
• Those who use social media (who tend to be younger) are
more likely than other classmates to use USNA-AA’s
electronic services (e.g., online community, WaveTops)
• Those who use their class Web site are more likely than
others to stay in touch with classmates through classmaterelated services (e.g., Class Reunions, Class Support)
• Those who use From the Bridge and/or Class Notes have
a higher-than-average propensity to use many of the alumni
services, especially those services likely to be more relevant
to older alumni (e.g., Memorial Affairs)
• Overall, the communications tools and services alumni use
both appear to be correlated with age/class year
35
4. What differences exist between households
with “pass along” Shipmate readership versus
those with none?
Question 26 identified, at the household level, whether or not
others in the members’ household read Shipmate
(approximately half do and half do not)
• Those households with “pass along” readership tend to possess
the following characteristics (no meaningful differences by class
year or gender):
•
Visited the Academy within the past year
- Involved in various activities since leaving the Academy (e.g., class
reunions, local alumni chapter events, tailgates, USNA events
outside Annapolis)
- Currently on active or active reserve duty in the military or retired
from the military
- Currently live in a Southern state of the U.S.
-
•
These findings suggest that “pass along” readership may
correspond with one’s existing level of engagement with USNA,
the Alumni Association, and/or the military
36
4. (Cont.) Will transitioning to digital
communications cut out revenue sources?
Services offered by USNA-AA are positively correlated with
“pass along” readership of Shipmate
• In the alumni households where “pass along” readership
exists, use of USNA-AA’s services tends to be higher than
average
• No prediction can be made how using digital communications
tools will impact potential USNA-AA revenue sources, but the
survey reinforces Shipmate’s importance as a tool that
actively engages members in ways far beyond the
dissemination of information regarding the Alumni
Association
•
37