‘What’s happening to STLE membership?’
Edward P. Salek, CAE, Executive Director | TLT Headquarters Report April 2012
The answer might surprise you.
STLE was among the 57% of associations posting a membership gain in 2011, according to a new report.
WHEN I VISIT WITH STLE MEMBERS, EITHER INDIVIDUALLY OR AT LOCAL SECTION MEETINGS, people always ask about the trend in STLE’s overall membership. That question often comes with an assumption that the number is down and continuing to drop due to factors such as industry consolidation or lack of management support for involvement in professional societies.
I am happy to report that this bit of conventional wisdom about the state of STLE membership is not correct. Let’s review some of the key membership statistics, explore how our experience compares to that of similar organizations and take a look at what might keep the trend positive.
Total membership grew at about a 3% rate in the past year, from 3,258 in May 2011 to 3,351 currently. Corporate membership also grew in that period, increasing from 150 to 160 companies for a 6% rate of growth.
Looking at longer terms trends (see chart), the current total reflects a gradual recovery after the economic shocks of late 2008 had a negative impact on membership in 2009.
Membership growth is supported through an existing membership retention rate of about 85%, coupled with an influx of 526 new members for the January 2011 to February 2012 period.
When we look more closely at the new-member acquisitions, two positive trends are worth noting. One is the expanding global interest in STLE activities. The second is an influx of individuals preparing for or in the early stages of a career related to tribology and lubricants.
Here is what the data show:
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36% of new members added in the past year reside outside of the U.S. STLE’s traditional percentage of international members is 25%. This continues a pattern evident in the prior year, when more than a third of new members were international.
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18% of the members added are students. Students have traditionally comprised about 5% of STLE’s membership.
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The 2011 new-member total of 526 individuals represents an increase of nearly 11% from the new-member count in 2010.
So how does STLE’s experience compare to similar organizations? Key statistics in the 2011 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report, compiled by Marketing General, Inc., of Alexandria, Va., put our membership numbers in perspective. The Marketing General study was based on extensive reporting on membership trends from 650 participating associations, including STLE.
Among the noteworthy comparisons:
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STLE’s member-renewal rate of 85% is typical or slightly better than most scientific and engineering associations.
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Fewer than 50% of the associations surveyed report a net membership increase in the past year, with the average growth at 2%. STLE’s figure was 3%.
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STLE was among the 57% of associations reporting an increase in new-member acquisitions. This metric is one of the major indicators of organizational health.
What can we as an organization do to keep this trend positive in the coming months? The most effective recruitment marketing channel, according to the Marketing General report, is word-of-mouth referrals from existing members.
To support and reward our current members who are inclined to tell someone about the benefits of STLE, the second annual Member-Get-A-Member campaign launches at the 2012 STLE Annual Meeting in St. Louis. Watch STLE’s Update newsletter and
www.stle.org for details on how to support STLE’s growth and get in the running for some great prizes.
If you are a potential member looking to get a sense of the STLE experience, we are offering an expanded variety of simple and inexpensive ways to engage with the organization. Examples include the featured member portion of
www.stle.org, which includes testimonials from nearly 50 members representing all facets of the profession. Another is the mix of podcast interviews with prominent individuals involved in the field, also accessible at
www.stle.org.
With your support, STLE can continue to expand its membership and better pursue our mission to advance the science of tribology and best practices in lubrication engineering.
You can reach Certified Association Executive Ed Salek at esalek@stle.org.