McMahon Group conducted their Annual Pulse Survey late last year to gather feedback about topics related to private clubs, ranging from membership trends to human resources to operational issues. Following is a summary of the results from the 445 managers and executives who responded
MEMBERSHIP
Retaining & Attracting Members: Seventy-seven percent stated that they would be using specific strategies for retaining their members with the most popular being:
· Improving communications (53%)
· Monitoring member satisfaction more closely (48%)
· Improving facilities (47%)
For attracting new members, 52 percent will be using some type of program in 2017. The most popular strategies include offering:
· Incentives to existing members (27%)
· A time payment plan (21%)
· Trial memberships (19%)
Improving Member Satisfaction: The chart below shows how clubs will be dealing with improving member satisfaction at their clubs. It highlights the top five listed areas and compares the results to the Pulse Survey done for the Club Trends 2016 Outlook issue.
GOVERNANCE & OPERATIONS
Strategic Plans: Sixty percent of respondents stated they have a formal, written strategic plan that had been developed within the last five years (up from 53 percent in 2011). It is a positive sign that 83 percent of those who have a strategic plan update it at least annually.
Club Presidents: The chart below shows the normal term for club presidents:
Financial Stability: Eighty-seven percent stated their club is in good to excellent financial condition.
| Pulse Survey |
Excellent |
Good |
Fair |
Poor |
| 2017 Outlook |
52% |
35% |
11% |
1% |
| 2016 Outlook |
50% |
34% |
13% |
3% |
| 2015 Outlook |
47% |
36% |
15% |
3% |
| 2014 Outlook |
50% |
32% |
15% |
3% |
| 2013 Outlook |
52% |
35% |
12% |
1% |
| 2012 Outlook |
44% |
38% |
15% |
3% |
Human Resource Department: Forty-one percent stated they have a full-time person in charge of human resources.
COMMUNICATION
Communications Staff: Eighty percent of clubs responding have a paid staff person in charge of communications. Of this group, only 31 percent are full-time and the other 69 percent have dual responsibilities or are part-time employees.
Most Important Communication Methods: Email remains the most important communications tool. The methods that are continuing to gain more traction are mobile apps, social networking and text messaging.
| Outlook for 2017 | Outlook for 2016 | Outlook for 2015 | Outlook for 2014 |
|
1. Email (99%) 2. Website (86%) 3. Digital newsletter (83%) 4. Newsletter-both (83%) 5. Mobile APPs (59%) 6. Print newsletter (58%) 7. Town hall meetings (49%) 8. Private social networking (46%) 9. Public social networking (39%) 10. Quarterly financials (39%) 11. Text messaging (35%) |
1. Email (99%) 2. Website (86%) 3. Digital newsletter (83%) 4. Newsletter-both (79%) 5. Print newsletter (58%) 6. Mobile APPs (53%) 7. Town hall meetings (45%) 8. Private social networking (40%) 9. Public social networking (37%) 10. Quarterly financials (37%) 11. Text Messaging (26%) |
1. Email (100%) 2. Website (89%) 3. Digital newsletter (82%) 4. Newsletter-both (80%) 5. Print newsletter (61%) 6. Mobile APPs (51%) 7. Town hall meetings (47%) 8. Quarterly financials (42%) 9. Private social networking (39%) 10. Public social networking (34%) 11. Text Messaging (29%) |
1. Email (99%) 2. Website (90%) 3. Digital newsletter (84%) 4. Newsletter-both (83%) 5. Print newsletter (64%) 6. Town hall meetings (44%) 7. Mobile APPs (43%) 8. Quarterly financials (40%) 9. Private social networking (35%) 10. Public social networking (33%) 11. Text Messaging (27%)
|
Social Networking: Seventy-three percent of respondents stated they use some type of public social networking platform for their club. This is up from 65 percent in 2016. Of those using public social media platforms, 66 percent say it is effective and only 9 percent say it is ineffective.
The most popular platforms are:
| Outlook for 2017 | Outlook for 2016 | Outlook for 2015 | Outlook for 2014 |
|
1. Facebook (56%) 2. Twitter (33%) 3. Instagram (20%) 4. LinkedIn (16%) 5. YouTube (14%) |
1. Facebook (55%) 2. Twitter (34%) 3. LinkedIn (17%) 4. YouTube (13%) 5. Instagram (12%) |
1. Facebook (51%) 2. Twitter (31%) 3. LinkedIn (17%) 4. YouTube (13%) 5. Instagram (7%) |
1. Facebook (53%) 2. Twitter (28%) 3. LinkedIn (16%) 4. YouTube (11%) 5. Google+ (5%) |
CLUB ACTIVITIES, PROGRAMS & SERVICES
Fitness: Fifty-nine percent of respondents stated they have a fitness center with 41 percent of this group saying their fitness center is not large enough to accommodate the demand from their membership.
Denim: The chart below shows the percentage of clubs allowing jeans from year to year:
|
Allow Jeans |
|
| 2017 Outlook |
86% |
| 2016 Outlook |
82% |
| 2015 Outlook |
84% |
| 2014 Outlook |
79% |
| 2013 Outlook |
69% |
What is interesting is that from those who do not allow denim/jeans at their club, 21 percent are considering a policy change in 2017. This is up considerably from 2016’s Annual Pulse Survey where only 9 percent were considering a policy change.
Dining: Ninety-two percent of respondents stated they believe their members want the club to be one of their favorite places to dine. In addition, 75 percent of respondents think their members consider their club to be one of their favorite places to dine.
What is striking is that we ask the similar two questions to club members in membership surveys, 90 percent of members want their club to be one of their favorite places; however, only 43 percent of members say their club is one of their favorite places to dine.
Pulse Survey Reports are complimentary to those who complete the survey. If you have any questions about the results or would like a copy of the report, please contact Bill McMahon, Jr. at [email protected].
Be on the lookout for future Pulse Surveys from McMahon Group throughout 2017.