A membership survey is a short questionnaire you send to members once a year to find out why they joined, what they use, what they’d change and whether they plan to renew. It’s the cheapest way to stop guessing. The answers tell you what to keep, what to cut and what to say in your marketing.
The trick is keeping it short. A survey that takes five minutes gets answered. One that takes twenty gets abandoned halfway, and you hear only from your most devoted members.
Below is a question bank sorted by section. Pick ten to twelve, not all of them.
Before you write a single question
Decide what you’ll do with the answers. If the board isn’t willing to change anything based on what members say, don’t ask. Members notice when a survey goes nowhere, and they stop answering the next one.
A few ground rules:
- Aim for 10 to 12 questions. Five minutes, start to finish.
- Mostly multiple choice. Easy to answer, easy to tally.
- Two or three open-ended questions. That’s where the best insight lives, but each one adds time.
- Same questions every year. At least the core ones, so you can compare year to year. Consistency is everything.
- Send it at the same point in your membership cycle. Ideally a few months before renewals, so you have time to act.
The core questions to ask every year
If you only ask five questions, ask these.
- How likely are you to renew your membership? (Very likely / Likely / Unsure / Unlikely)
- What was the main reason you joined? (List your top reasons, plus “Other”)
- Which of these have you used in the past year? (Events, newsletter, directory, education, member discounts, etc.)
- How would you rate the value of your membership for the dues you pay? (1–5)
- What’s one thing we could do that would make your membership more valuable? (Open-ended)
These five give you a renewal outlook, your real value proposition, what’s actually used and the single best idea for next year.
Question bank by section
Pull from these to fill out the rest of the survey.
About them
- How long have you been a member? (Less than 1 year / 1–3 / 4–10 / 10+)
- Which best describes your role or business? (Your categories)
- How did you first hear about us? (Colleague, event, search, social media, employer, other)
Keep this section short. You likely have most of it in your member records already.
Events
- How many of our events did you attend in the past year? (0 / 1–2 / 3–5 / 6+)
- What’s the main thing that keeps you from attending more? (Timing, location, topics, cost, work schedule, other)
- Which event formats do you prefer? (In person, virtual, hybrid, no preference)
- What time of day works best for you? (Breakfast, lunch, after work, varies)
- What topics would you like to see covered? (Open-ended)
If you want feedback on a specific event, ask right after it instead. Our post-event survey questions cover that.
Communication
- How often would you like to hear from us by email? (Weekly / Every two weeks / Monthly / Less often)
- How do you prefer to hear about events and news? (Email, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, website)
- How useful is our newsletter? (1–5)
Benefits and value
- Which benefit matters most to you? (Pick one)
- Which benefit do you use least? (Pick one)
- Is there a benefit you’d like that we don’t offer? (Open-ended)
- Would you be interested in a [membership level or option] if we offered it? (Yes / Maybe / No)
Involvement
- Would you be interested in volunteering in a small way? (Yes / Maybe / Not right now)
- Would you be willing to be featured in a member spotlight? (Yes / No)
- Would you recommend membership to a colleague? (Very likely to Not at all likely)
Website and tools
- How easy is it to renew, register for events or update your profile on our website? (1–5)
- Have you had trouble logging in or finding something on our website? (Yes / No, with a short “what?” if yes)
That last pair is worth asking. Login trouble is one of the quietest reasons members stop engaging, and they rarely tell you unless you ask.
A sample 12-question survey
Here’s one way to put it together:
- How likely are you to renew your membership?
- How long have you been a member?
- What was the main reason you joined?
- Which of these have you used in the past year?
- How many of our events did you attend in the past year?
- What’s the main thing that keeps you from attending more?
- How often would you like to hear from us by email?
- Which benefit matters most to you?
- How would you rate the value of your membership for the dues you pay?
- How easy is it to renew or register for events on our website?
- Would you be interested in volunteering in a small way?
- What’s one thing we could do that would make your membership more valuable?
Getting people to answer
- Send it from a person. An email from the president or chair gets more opens than one from “The Association.”
- Say how long it takes. “Five minutes, 12 questions” in the first line.
- Say what you’ll do with it. “We’ll share what we heard at the spring meeting.”
- Send one reminder about a week later, to people who haven’t answered.
- Keep it anonymous unless you have a reason not to. Members are more candid.
What to do with the answers
This is the part most associations skip. Within a month of closing the survey:
- Tally the results and pull out the three biggest themes.
- Share them with the board with one recommended change for each theme.
- Tell members what you heard and what you’re changing. A short newsletter item or a slide at your next event is enough.
- Follow up with “unlikely to renew” answers if the survey isn’t anonymous. A personal call can save a membership. If the survey is anonymous, watch your lapsed member win-back campaign closely that year.
- Update your messaging. The reasons people say they joined belong in your member value proposition.
Then check your membership retention rate the following year. If you acted on what you heard, it should show.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions should a membership survey have?
Around 10 to 12 questions, taking about five minutes. Longer surveys get abandoned partway through, and you end up hearing mostly from your most engaged members instead of the ones you’re at risk of losing.
How often should an association survey its members?
Once a year for the main membership survey, sent a few months before renewals so you have time to act. Use short separate surveys right after events for event-specific feedback.
Should a membership survey be anonymous?
Usually, yes. Members are more candid when their name isn’t attached. The trade-off is that you can’t follow up personally with someone who says they’re unlikely to renew, so decide which matters more for your group this year.
Want help running your annual member survey and turning the answers into changes members notice? We help associations, chapters and chambers with surveys, renewal campaigns and the member systems behind them. Request an introduction.