Theory of Relativity

This statement came across the membership section listserv this week and just about floored me:

"We decided last year that benchmarking other associations for member satisfaction wouldn't really be a good measure for us. How other members feel about their associations is irrelevant to how our members feel about us."

Irrelevant!?!? Houston, we have a problem. I wonder if this person has the same opinion about salary information:

"What other associations pay their staffs is irrelevant to what we pay ours."

Certainly all membership organizations are unique, but all associations have sisters out there that are roughly comparable and should be benchmarked against. Kevin Whorton even chimed in about a multi-association benchmarking study that he performed last year (it was also highlighted in a recent edition of the Component Relations newsletter).

How do you know how well you're really doing unless you look at your stature and performance relative to others? Blissfully ignoring how you stack up relative to other associations is akin to burying your head in the sand like an ostrich.

Tagged: Association Management Associations benchmarking CAE Certified Association Executive surveys