Transcript Twin Cities Bicycle Club - University of St. Thomas

Evaluating Non-Profit
E-Communications:
One Organization’s Experience
Julie VanMersbergen
University of St. Thomas
May 2003
Twin Cities Bicycle Club  www.biketcbc.org
Communications: An
Organizational Challenge

Non-profit membership organizations




Communications major factor
Minimize cost
Maximize impact
Impact of the Web


Much cheaper
How to encourage Web use?
Twin Cities Bicycle Club  www.biketcbc.org
TCBC & The Web


Largest cycling club in Minnesota
Issues with monthly printed newsletter





Financial
Timeliness
Club also uses e-mail, telephone hotline
Cyclists highly likely to have traits of
computer/Internet users
Increase in traffic on TCBC Web site since
2000
Twin Cities Bicycle Club  www.biketcbc.org
Research Question

Can TCBC use e-communications to
effectively communicate with members?



Current use and desirability
Impact on member recruitment
Willingness to shift to more online focus
Twin Cities Bicycle Club  www.biketcbc.org
Survey Methods

Member survey sent by postal mail to
1,018 households in February, 2003

Topics covered:
 Recruitment source
 Involvement level
 Importance of communications vehicles
 Openness to further e-communications
activity
Twin Cities Bicycle Club  www.biketcbc.org
Survey Response

By March 15, 2003, received 592
responses


58% of total population/survey recipients
Most respondents recent members


52% members of 3 years or less
20% members of 10 years
Twin Cities Bicycle Club  www.biketcbc.org
Web as Recruitment Tool
Source
Community Event
30.6%
Friend
29.0%
Bike Shop
15.5%
Other
11.9%
Web Site
9.3%
Newsletter
3.7%
Twin Cities Bicycle Club  www.biketcbc.org
Frequency of Web Use
Among Members

43% of members use Web site regularly



No relationship to length of membership
Generally most active members
Somewhat more likely to be members
under age 40
Twin Cities Bicycle Club  www.biketcbc.org
Importance of TCBC
Communication Options
All Members (Scale of 1-5)


Newsletter
4.57
Web Site
3.81
E-Mail
2.45
Hotline
2.13
When only the 43% who use Web site
viewed, ranking of Web site rises to 4.54
Web users not likely to rank newsletter,
hotline lower
Twin Cities Bicycle Club  www.biketcbc.org
Importance of Content on
Web Site

Among members who use site more than
twice a month, most important content:




Online schedule
Online access to Newsletter
Ride maps
Ride cancellations
Twin Cities Bicycle Club  www.biketcbc.org
Use of TCBC E-Mail By Members


Only 25% of respondents report using any
of TCBC’s opt-in e-mail communications
53% of members report interest in
receiving newsletter by e-mail

Only 23% of these members participate in
existing e-mail newsletter list
Twin Cities Bicycle Club  www.biketcbc.org
Openness to Online
Ride Scheduling

Members asked if they would be open to
scheduling rides ‘last minute’ online



80% say yes!
No skew created by infrequent participants
Popular among non-users of Web
Twin Cities Bicycle Club  www.biketcbc.org
Recommendations for
E-Communication Growth

Newsletter remains most valued way to
communicate among all members


Use newsletter to promote Web, e-mail
communications mechanisms
Web works well -- with those who use it



Opportunity for significant cost savings
Use incremental improvements to make
Web site, e-mail more attractive to
members
Explore use of Web, e-mail to schedule
events
Twin Cities Bicycle Club  www.biketcbc.org
Questions?
Twin Cities Bicycle Club  www.biketcbc.org