--- title: "Daily Buzz: Do’s and Don’ts to Keep Members Happy" id: "44789" type: "post" slug: "daily-buzz-dos-and-donts-to-keep-members-happy" published_at: "2018-11-16T20:17:15+00:00" modified_at: "2018-11-16T20:17:15+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2018/11/16/daily-buzz-dos-and-donts-to-keep-members-happy/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2018/11/16/daily-buzz-dos-and-donts-to-keep-members-happy.md" excerpt: "Satisfied members are vital to the success of your association. Here’s how to keep them happy. Also: asking attendees the right kinds of questions." taxonomy_category: - "Membership" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Member Engagement" - "member satisfaction" - "Membership" 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/) » Daily Buzz: Do’s and Don’ts to Keep Members Happy Keeping members happy is a top priority for every association, but knowing what they want can sometimes be a mystery. [The Web Scribble blog outlines key do’s and don’ts (opens in a new tab)](https://www.webscribble.com/blog/dos-donts-association-member-satisfaction) that can be the difference between a satisfied and an unsatisfied member: **Do ask members what they want.** “If your association is trying to enhance your member satisfaction, but you’re unsure where to start, asking the right questions is always a great way to get the answers you’re looking for,” says Audra Hopkins in the post. **Don’t make member surveys irrelevant or time-consuming.** A lengthy questionnaire won’t incentivize people to answer. **Do encourage year-round communication.** “Not only does open communication show members that you care about their needs, it also gives you a direct connection to engage and connect with members any time you’d like,” Hopkins says. **Don’t speak and not listen.** Communication with members should never be one-sided. “Take their thoughts into consideration, keep track of what they’re saying, and assure them your association is working its best to make sure everything is taken care of,” Hopkins says. ### Formulate Your Attendee Survey Carefully > Make sure to pick the right type of [#survey (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/survey?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > question in order to gather the most relevant attendee [#data (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/data?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > ! [https://t.co/zzeRaIDamX (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/zzeRaIDamX) > > — Cvent (@cvent) [November 16, 2018 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/cvent/status/1063444839394680832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **Attendee feedback is an important part** of the meeting-planning cycle, but if you’re not asking the right questions, you won’t get the kinds of answers that can help improve future events. Every word matters when developing a survey—as does the type of question asked. “If you don’t pick carefully, you could create either a biased or meaningless survey,” [says Caroline Howard in a post on the Cvent blog (opens in a new tab)](https://blog.cvent.com/events/guide-five-types-survey-questions-2/) . Be it an open-ended, multiple-choice, or scaled question, take time to shape how you ask guests for feedback to get data that can make future meetings better. ### Other Links of Note **Need more time?** The Eventsforce blog highlights [eight time-management practices that every planner should use (opens in a new tab)](https://www.eventsforce.com/us/blog-us/infographic-8-time-management-tips-for-event-planners/) . **LinkedIn relaunched Company Pages** with features that make it easier for brands to engage with new audiences. [The HubSpot blog explains (opens in a new tab)](https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/linkedin-company-pages-relaunch) . **Keep essential team members** feeling valued [with these three strategies (opens in a new tab)](https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/320536) , from *Entrepreneur*. (marchmeena29/iStock/Getty Images Plus) [Jeff Hsin](https://associationsnow.com/author/jeff-hsin/) [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/jeff-hsin/) Tags: [#Member Engagement](https://associationsnow.com/tag/member-engagement/) [#member satisfaction](https://associationsnow.com/tag/member-satisfaction/) [#Membership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/membership/) **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 - [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/) - [TemplateMembers onlySample ASAE Member Satisfaction SurveyMarch 31, 2015](https://associationsnow.com/2015/03/31/sample-asae-member-satisfaction-survey/) - [TemplateMembers onlyMember Onboarding ToolkitNovember 5, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/11/05/member-onboarding-toolkit/) - [TemplateMembers onlyVSCPA Communications SurveyMarch 5, 2007](https://associationsnow.com/2007/03/05/vscpa-communications-survey/) ## 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%2F2018%2F11%2F16%2Fdaily-buzz-dos-and-donts-to-keep-members-happy%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !