--- title: "Membership Research: Quantitative Needs Qualitative" id: "40491" type: "post" slug: "membership-research-quantitative-needs-qualitative" published_at: "2017-11-14T00:06:45+00:00" modified_at: "2017-11-14T00:06:45+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/11/14/membership-research-quantitative-needs-qualitative/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/11/14/membership-research-quantitative-needs-qualitative.md" excerpt: "Why your membership research needs to go beyond the survey. Also: CarMax’s clever response to a viral video." taxonomy_category: - "Membership" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "member insights" - "Membership" - "qualitative data" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "Director" - "Manager" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Membership Research: Quantitative Needs Qualitative Surveys remain a powerful tool for gathering information about your members. They provide demographic data, direction for new program initiatives, and insight into membership behaviors. But survey data alone can only reveal so much. In a recent blog post, UK-based [Ashridge Communications argues (opens in a new tab)](http://www.ashridgecommunications.com/index.php?r=63) that if you really want to understand your members, quantitative data sources like surveys must be paired with qualitative approaches. “Qualitative insight is essential to help you understand the detail of how and the reasons why audiences exhibit the observed behaviours and attitudes,” writes Emma Thompson. Focus groups and telephone interviews are great examples of qualitative methodologies. “By taking the right approach to gathering more detailed insight, you’re not only obtaining a richer understanding of motivations and reasons why, you’re also actively demonstrating the organisation’s interest in its members’ points of view and working more collaboratively—which in itself brings huge benefits,” Thompson writes. This strategy applies beyond membership: A Facebook executive [recently suggested a similar approach](https://associationsnow.com/2017/11/thursday-buzz-diversity-beyond-numbers/) for handling diversity issues. ### Get Creative **Here’s a little out-of-the-box marketing inspiration** to start off your week. A California man created a funny, professional-quality video to help sell his fiancée’s 1996 Honda Accord on eBay, and it became a huge hit on social media. CarMax, an online used-car retailer, saw an opportunity to hitch a wagon to that star, *[SFGate (opens in a new tab)](http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/California-man-who-made-car-commercial-for-12348820.php)*[reports (opens in a new tab)](http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/California-man-who-made-car-commercial-for-12348820.php) . CarMax responded with its own humorous video offering $20,000 for the car (including $5,000 for the cat that appears in the ad), generating positive press and a lot of social media goodwill (and proving that even a used car can benefit from good marketing). If you find creative work that’s relevant to your association, consider how you might respond in inventive ways. ### Other Links of Note **After your fundraising campaign is finished,**what’s next? The agency Achieve recommends five things [you definitely should not do (opens in a new tab)](http://www.achieveagency.com/5-things-not-to-do-after-a-fundraising-campaign/) . **With remote work on the rise,** organizations are challenged to develop the right internal culture. *CMSWire* shares a few [ways to think about the digital workplace (opens in a new tab)](https://www.cmswire.com/digital-workplace/the-dual-rise-of-the-digital-workplace-and-remote-work/) . **Overhead isn’t the most glamorous motivation for fundraising,** but it’s still necessary. *Get Fully Funded* [shares a few best practices (opens in a new tab)](http://getfullyfunded.com/heres-get-overhead-funded/) for raising money for these fundamental costs. (weily10/iStock/Getty Images Plus) [Raegan Johnson](https://associationsnow.com/author/raegan-johnson/) Raegan Johnson is a contributor to Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/raegan-johnson/) Tags: [#member insights](https://associationsnow.com/tag/member-insights/) [#Membership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/membership/) [#qualitative data](https://associationsnow.com/tag/qualitative-data/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [TemplateMembers onlyMember Onboarding ToolkitNovember 5, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/11/05/member-onboarding-toolkit/) - [PodcastAssociations Now Presents: Beyond the Tech Stack: How AI Is Changing the Association PlaybookOctober 29, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/10/29/associations-now-presents-beyond-the-tech-stack-how-ai-is-changing-the-association-playbook/) - [VideoThe Career Moves Every Association Leader Needs Right NowSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/the-career-moves-every-association-leader-needs-right-now/) - [VideoNCRA: Safeguarding Cancer Surveillance: An Advocacy Response to FY26 Budget ThreatsSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/ncra-safeguarding-cancer-surveillance-an-advocacy-response-to-fy26-budget-threats/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2017%2F11%2F14%2Fmembership-research-quantitative-needs-qualitative%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !