Understanding your members

Overview

Using insights regularly is becoming more and more important in the sport sector. Insights can give your club an understanding of where it is at, where it is heading and the opportunities that are available by identifying who is involved and where the gaps are. In many instances we look towards and focus our energy on groups who are not in our clubs and as a result some people may feel neglected. Taking an insights approach allows you to take stock of what you have. Therefore, you are likely to create a more engaging and inclusive environment for current and prospective members.

How do I capture insights?

Fortunately, in the New Zealand cricket system we have multiple ways that we can capture insights as it relates to your club. Below are three simple ways that you can get started.

Database Analysis – Across both PlayHQ and Friendly Manager we can get a strong understanding of those who are registered to our clubs as players, coaches, team managers, officials, administrators, or volunteers. Both these platforms can provide reports with lots of information about each registered individual. Some key data to analyse could include Age, Gender, Ethnicity, Country of Birth, whether they are new to the club or association, and Locality. Follow the links at the bottom of the page for more information on downloading reports on PlayHQ and Friendly Manager.

Voice of the Participant (VoP) – VoP is a joint initiative between Sport New Zealand and New Zealand Cricket to understand the experiences of those participating in Cricket. Clubs who have more than 25 survey participants each year receive their own personalised two-page insights report for their clubs. The more your club members engage with this survey, the more value your club will receive. If you are unsure if you club met the threshold, please reach out to your MA.

Member Feedback – It is important that you gain member feedback in multiple ways. Consider methods to gain feedback which complement the VoP and your membership database. Potential ideas include drop-in sessions with the board (or a representative), a suggestions box, focus groups or other ways. It is also important to consider that some people and communities may not engage with traditional feedback systems. Therefore, using various methods is likely to give your best results.

I have my insights, now what?

Too often when we look at insights, we look for the gaps, the negatives or what we could improve. But first, celebrate your successes! What is making your club inclusive? What is contributing towards the diversity of your membership? How are you ensuring that you use an equity-based approach? Share these stories widely in as many ways possible as it could attract new members to your club!

As we mentioned insights help us also to understand the gaps or the opportunities that may exist in your system. Because you did the hard work to gather insights any improvements or changes that you propose to make your club more inclusive is backed by an evidenced based approach. If the data suggests a certain group of people are not feeling included, encourage them to work together with you to co-design a solution that works best for them and the rest of your club.