What’s the biggest challenge facing clubs today?
Since clubs are in the dues business, it would seem the answer to this question should always be membership retention and attraction. Clearly, without an adequate supply of dues paying members, everything else is vying for second place. But if we leave that aside for a moment and assume membership is a by-product of offering a relevant membership experience and having the right members involved in outreach, effective communications is the issue that tops most lists of challenges today. It is a big, broad subject that impacts nearly every aspect of the club governance and operations.
If we segment communications into two buckets, awareness and governance, we find that clubs are pretty good at the former and not so effective in the latter category. From the feedback we gather in surveys, most members tell us their club does a fairly good job of keeping them informed of day-to-day happenings. Where clubs tend to score low, however, is communications about the club’s strategy and business.
In regard to governance communication, your aim is not simply to increase it, but work toward a goal of communications to build alignment. While boards are often reticent to share what happens in the board room, the reality is that when this information is broadcast in a proper manner and forum, more members than not will agree with the message and start to act in ways that support it.
In regard to governance communication, your aim is not simply to increase it, but work toward a goal of communications to build alignment. While boards are often reticent to share what happens in the board room, the reality is that when this information is broadcast in a proper manner and forum, more members than not will agree with the message and start to act in ways that support it.
Frank Vain is president of McMahon Group, Inc., a premier full-service, private club consulting firm serving more than 1,900 private clubs around the world. He also serves as a director of NCA and chairs the Communications Committee. He can be reached at [email protected]. For more information, visit www.mcmahongroup.com.