Membership Discussion:

Confronting the Market Reality and Where Do We Go From Here

Presented by Adam Finkel and Dave WenholdSunday, April 12, 2015

Membership• Membership numbers are the

backbone of any association. • Higher membership numbers have

benefits beyond the association’s bottom line. – Strength in numbers for legislative

campaigns, public relations campaigns, and fundraising.

– Increase in the volunteer base for an association creating more vibrant committees.

– Allowing the association to hire an AMC or paid staff.

Membership Drives• When developing membership strategies,

there are two distinct components that must be considered. Different strategies are required for each.– Member renewals– New member recruitment

Member Renewals• Calculate your retention rate:– Percentage of members from the previous year

who have renewed their membership with an association.

• ASAE Statistics: – Mean retention rate: 83%– Median retention rate: 87%

• NCRA has a retention rate of 88%.

NCRA’s Retention Rate

2011 2012 2013 2014 201550%

55%

60%

65%

70%

75%

80%

85%

90%

95%

100%

NCRA retention rateStudent retentionParticipating retentionRegistered retention

NCRA Membership Numbers

• Since 1998 years, there has been a decline in NCRA’s membership numbers with the total membership declining by approximately 2-4% per year.

Reporter Membership10-Year Trend

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 201213,000

14,000

15,000

16,000

17,000

18,000

19,000

18,35017,973

17,26716,849

16,29915,837

15,418

14,47014,147

13,591

NCRA Student Membership20-Year Trend

1992 1997 2002 2007 20121,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

9,000

10,000

11,000

12,000 11,728

7,110

4,0003,444

2,062

In Response• In 2014, NCRA launched the

Court Reporting Take Note campaign.

• This is a massive PR campaign predicated on a study that shows there will be 5,500 new court reporting and captioning jobs in the next five years.– If you graduate CR school, you

will have a job.

Results• Recent recruitment and retention tactics over

the past few years have given NCRA a 0% change over the past year perhaps showing the decline has stopped.

• Too early to tell if this is a trend or just a blip.

New Member Recruitment• Critical to ensure the newest generation of

court reporters are involved in your association for years to come.

• Important to reengage with court reporters who may have previously been a member or who may never have joined for various reasons to get them back in the fold.

Age of Court Reporter Population

2002 2007 201219-29 6% 4% 3%30-39 35% 24% 10%40-49 39% 41% 35%50-59 16% 25% 40%60 & older 4% 6% 13%

Generational Shift• Baby Boomers– Born between 1946 and roughly 1964

• Gen X– Born between 1964-1980

• Gen Y or the Millennials: – Born between 1980 and 2001

Baby Boomers• PROS: – A productive part of their organization– “Hardworking”– “Team player”– Mentoring others

• CONS:– Not Adaptable– Not Collaborative

Source: Ernst and Young study of 1200 working professionals

Gen X• PROS: – Most effective managers– “Revenue generator"– “Adaptability"– “Problem-solving"– "collaboration"

• CONS: – Not an Executive presence – Not being cost effective

Source: Ernst and Young study of 1200 working professionals

Gen Y/ Millenials• PROS: – Tech-savvy – Know how to use social media to leverage

opportunities– Most "enthusiastic“ about their jobs

• CONS: – “Team player"– “Hardworking"– “A productive part of my organization"

Source: Ernst and Young study of 1200 working professionals

More on Millenials• Millennials have fewer attachments to

traditional political and religious institutions. This includes membership associations.

• Millennials are less trusting of others than older Americans are.

• Millennials are more burdened by financial hardships than previous generations.

Source: Pew Charitable Trusts, “Millennials in Adulthood”

New Tactics to Reach out to Young Professionals

• What do you offer that can benefit them?

• What different types of tactics are important to reach them?

Membership Discussion• Taking a global view of your association’s

membership strategy, brainstorm tactics to increase membership in your state. – Retention strategies for current members– Recruitment strategies for previously engaged

members– Recruitment strategies for students and young

professionals– Other strategies that will benefit your association