Wouldn’t it be great if you could share your association’s key performance indicators quickly and accurately with staff, board members and members?

Did you know that you can do that by using the built-in capabilities in your association management system (AMS)? Current products allow you to create dashboards to accurately report results in key areas – membership, revenue, event registrations and certification participation, just to name a few. When you take advantage of this reporting capability, you can easily communicate with your key constituents and staff about the status of each KPI.

One of the roadblocks to creating dashboards, however, is that many associations don’t trust the underlying data that populates their dashboards. If that’s you, read the first blog in our “Dealing with Data” series. We offer advice on standardizing your data and reports as the first steps to producing numbers that everyone can use.

Once you’re sure your dashboard is rooted in reliable data, you can determine what information you need to include in it. Because each association has its own unique priorities for a dashboard, we can’t provide  one list that will work for everyone. We can, however, share items that we see regularly. You are welcome to  use our list as foundation  and then add additional KPIs that are specific to your association’s needs and priorities. Here’s our top 10 list:

1. Membership Metrics

Display the total number of members, new sign-ups and any recent renewals. Include data on membership demographics, such as age, location and industry sectors. Here are some suggested metrics you could include:

• Renewal Rate
• Member Counts over Time
• Member Counts by Demographics and Member Type
• Membership Revenue
• Renewals over Time
• New Members over Time

2. Financial Overview

Present an overview of the association’s financial health, including revenue from membership dues, non-dues revenue sources and a breakdown of expenses. Here are some suggested metrics you could include:

3. Revenue Breakdown

Provide a breakdown of revenue streams, including non-dues revenue sources like sponsorships, advertising, grants and merchandise sales. Here are some suggested metrics you could include:

• Breakdown of Sales by Product, Product Type, Product Area
• Correlations between Product Sales – for example, is someone more likely to donate to fundraising campaigns if they come to events?  Is that correlation stronger for speakers/instructors?

4. Event Management

Provide a summary of upcoming and past events, along with attendance figures and revenue generated from these events. Here are some suggested metrics you could include:

• Registration Counts by Event
• Year over Year Registration Counts for the same Events
• Event Revenue over Time and by Event
• Registrant Demographic Breakdown – Industry, Age,Location, Business Type, etc
• Registrant Event History
  • Event Count and Frequency
• Recurring Event Statistics
  • Average Revenue by Session
  • Average Registrants per Session
  • Event Frequency as compared to Registrants
  • Total Revenue/Registrants per Year

5. Engagement Analytics

Track member engagement metrics, such as website visits, content downloads and participation in forums or committees. Here are some suggested metrics you could include: 

• Website Click Rate
• Market codes or Keywords Engagement Count
• Cart Abandonment Rate
• Subscription/Opt-In Rate

6. Member Retention

Show member retention rates over time and identify trends or areas of concern that might require attention. Here are some suggested metrics you could include:

• Renewal/Cancellation Rate across Different Demographics
• Correlation of Renewal Rate to Different Purchases and Interactions
• Member Count by Tenure
• Average/Median Tenure by Member Type and Demographics

7. Education and Training

If your association offers educational programs or certifications, track enrollment numbers, completion rates and revenue generated from these offerings. Here are some suggested metrics you could include:

• Certification Enrollment Counts
• Certification Completion Rates
• Most Popular Certifications
• Average Completion Time
• Attrition Rate

8. Membership Benefits Usage

Show how members are utilizing their benefits, such as discounts, access to resources or exclusive content. Here are some suggested metrics you could include:

• Discount Usage Percentage
• Web Analytics – Site Visit Rates

9. Community Engagement

Analyze engagement within online communities, discussion forums or social media groups associated with the association. Here are some suggested metrics you could include:

• Total Post Count
• Average Post Count
• Group Membership Registrant Count

10. Data Trends and Insights

Provide data-driven insights and trends that can inform strategic decisions and member engagement efforts. 

Some of these KPIs will require you to review your business rules and standardize the queries that populate your reports. The numbers in your reports and on the dashboard should agree if they were pulled at the same time. If they don’t, you will have an indication where the problem lies so that you can correct it. By correcting discrepancies and being transparent about them, you can build trust in the system. With time, you can convince staff members to rely on your data and dashboard and give up their private data sources.

Observe Best Practices

We think two best practices are keys to your continuing success with dashboards. The first is to be sure that your data is secure. You collect data about your members, prospective members, event attendees, vendors and anyone else who does business with your association. And the amount of data grows over time. Your association is responsible for keeping your data safe from hackers and other malicious actors.

Our second recommendation is to build user support into your dashboard. If a user has a problem or a question, make it easy for them to resolve the problem. Make sure someone is notified about questions and responds promptly. You might also link to an FAQ web page with answers to the most common questions you receive.

A dashboard can serve as a valuable tool for leaders in your association to make informed decisions, monitor progress toward organizational goals and communicate effectively. Technology can make presenting that information easier than ever, but effective dashboards require underlying data integrity. You can ensure that integrity, even if you don’t employ a full-time data analyst.

IntelliData is here to help. Please don’t hesitate to contact us at info@intellida.tech.