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- Social changes can channel through any of the three sectors: governmental, business, and the third sector, which is neither governmental nor business. Institutions governing the third sector are associations: the NGOs and non-profits.
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Associations that endure do so because they are successful in attracting new members to join them. Retailers that endure – similarly – do so in part because they are successful in attracting new customers to shop with them.
Successful retailing executives have a good idea about what is attractive about them – Price! Selection! Service! – The dimensions of retail brands. Successful association executives also have a good idea about what is attractive about them, the dimensions of association brands.
The LJS Association Survey finds association executives give the highest rating – in terms of importance in attracting members – to the benefit “communication with professional peers or colleagues” (44%).
Other benefits that attract members to join, ranked in descending order of importance, are: “friendship with other members” (43%); “conferences” (41%); “publications” (38%); “advocacy of values” (34%); “training” (33%); and research (22%).
Ranked in eighth place (18%) on the list of benefits that attracts members to join is the association’s ability to “represent members’ opinions before government agencies or legislative bodies.”
Ranking in ninth to sixteenth place are eight additional benefits that relate largely to being associated with persons of their own kind.
There are marked differences between associations of different types in the ranking of benefits that attract members. Professional association executives give higher importance ratings to “communication with professional peers” (61%) than executives of civic associations (29%).
“Friendship with other members” is rated higher in importance in attracting members by executives of civic associations (48%) than by executives of business associations (31%).
Rankings of the 16 benefits covered in the survey
| “There
may be a variety of benefits that attract members to join an
organization. Please rate..(benefit) in terms of its
importance in
attracting members to your association." Base: 1,121 membership associations (excludes associations of organizations) |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Association Types (Based on SIC Codes) | ||||||
| ALL | Professional | Business | Civic | Religious | Other | |
| BENEFIT(Top Box – “9”) | (1,121) 100% |
(374) 100% |
(180) 100% |
(162) 100% |
(43) 100% |
(362) 100% |
| Communication with professional peers or colleges | 44% | 61% | 48% | 29% | 30% | 37% |
| Friendship with other members | 43 | 44 | 31 | 48 | 42 | 46 |
| Conferences and meetings | 41 | 52 | 36 | 36 | 33 | 38 |
| Publications or other informational services | 38 | 42 | 25 | 34 | 42 | 41 |
| Advocacy of important values, idea or policies | 34 | 33 | 36 | 35 | 44 | 33 |
| Training, education, or technical assistance | 33 | 45 | 31 | 23 | 21 | 29 |
| Research | 22 | 27 | 14 | 20 | 14 | 25 |
| Representation of members' opinions before government agencies or legislative bodies | 18 | 15 | 30 | 19 | 14 | 16 |
| Coordination of activities of organizations in this field | 18 | 17 | 14 | 17 | 14 | 22 |
| Opportunity for participation
in the public affairs |
10 | 9 | 9 | 14 | 9 | 10 |
| Licensing, accreditation, or code development | 10 | 18 | 11 | 4 | 12 | 5 |
| Organized tours or trips | 6 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 11 |
| Legal assistance | 3 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 |
| Collective bargaining | 3 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Low-cost insurance | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Discounts on consumer goods | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
In the course of enjoying these benefits, members of an association come together as a unified force, better able to use their First Amendments to defend their shared interest by acting collectively to influence public opinion and government policy.
Associations give every group within the population, even those too small to influence the choice of government officials by exercising their rights to vote, a way to represent their views to government officials.
To be kept informed about further findings from ongoing research on this topic, 8SAGES.com
ALSO SEE PREVIOUS BACKGROUND ARTICLE
Associations Make Democratic Government Work March 27, 2008