2014 - Communications Survey Results The following reflect the responses from the 37 chapter leaders who participated in the 2014 Communications Survey. Of the 37, 23 were from English-speaking chapters, 9 were from Portuguese-speaking chapters and 5 were from Spanish-speaking chapters. How do you describe Partners to someone unfamiliar with the org?
What has been your biggest disappointment or frustration with Partners International Office? Lack of personalized support from International Office, less emphasis on “people-to-people,� last-minute notice for projects/grants, inability to fundraise On a scale of 1-10, how satisfied are you with the level of support your chapter receives from Partners' International Office? 1 being least satisfied, 10 being most. AVERAGE: 6.5 How do you feel you benefit from being part of the Partners of the Americas network?
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2014 - Communications Survey Results
How many active members does your chapter have? 1-10: 23% 10-20: 34% 20-30: 31% 30-50: 9% 50+: 3% Are you actively recruiting new members?
If so, how do you currently recruit members? Word of mouth-59% Public events-31% Recruiting someone to participate in projects-10% How many younger chapter members (30 years of age or younger) do you have in your chapter? None-10% 3
2014 - Communications Survey Results 1-2: 48% 3-6: 28% 7-10: 14% Do you have a current updated chapter list with email addresses? Yes and I have shared it with Partners International-39% Yes but I have not shared it with Partners International-58% No-3% How do you communicate with your membership? By email: 100% Annual/monthly Meetings: 77% By phone: 65% Regular newsletters: 26% Facebook/website: 26% How often do you message your membership? At least once a week: 36% Once every few weeks: 21% Once a month: 27% Rarely: 15% On a scale of 1-10, how connected do chapter members feel to a hemispheric network of volunteers and development programs? 1 being least connected (only an understanding of the chapter at a local level) and 10 being the most: 4 What are the core activities of your chapter? Arts & Culture-79% Education-79% Youth-62% Professional Leadership Exchanges-56% Agriculture-41% Sport-32% Health-32% Women-29% Language-27% Climate Change/Energy-18% How would you assess the strength of your chapter?
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2014 - Communications Survey Results
What are the biggest challenges facing your chapter?
What are your current membership options and fees? Individuals--$25-$30-100% Families--$30-$50-61% Organizations--$50-$100-54% HEIs-25% Unpaid memberships-29% If your chapter has been successful in increasing membership, what are some of the strategies that have worked?
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2014 - Communications Survey Results
In what specific areas would your chapter benefit from training provided by the International Office? Fundraising-68% Engaging youth-58% Recruitment-55% Chapter management-45% Branding and communications-42% Digital marketing-42% Organization leadership-39% Volunteer management-32% Proposal writing-32% Project design-29% Press support-26% Event planning-19% Finance/budget management-19% Understanding Partners’ international programs-19% M&E-16% PartnersMarket-10% How often are you currently contacted by Partners? Once per week-43% Twice per month-17% More than once per week-10% Once per month-17% Once per quarter-10% Rarely-3% How often do you want to be contacted by Partners? Once per week-59% Twice per month-24% More than once per week-3% Once per month-3% Once per quarter-0
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2014 - Communications Survey Results What messages are most interesting to you? Future grant and partnership opps: 90% Program updates and opps: 81% Major news and announcements: 61% Fundraising campaigns: 45% How would you rate the quality of messages you receive: Excellent: 27% Good: 60% Poor: 13% How frequently do you communicate with a chapter in another region/country? Never: 3% 1-2 times per year: 30% Once per quarter: 23% 1-2 times per month: 30% 1-2 times per week: 20% How do you collaborate with your counterpart chapter? Designing and implementing development projects: 69% Youth exchange: 54% Professional exchange: 69% Cultural exchange (music/art): 61% Sharing best practices: 18% Strategic planning as a partnership: 50% We do not collaborate with our counterpart chapter: 7% Do you collaborate with other chapters outside your partnership? No-60% Yes-40% If you are on social media, do you interact with Partners? Yes: 28% No: 56% I didn’t realize Partners was on social media: 16% How often do you visit the Partners’ blog? Once per week: 17% A couple times per month: 42% Once per month: 25% A few times a year: 8% Never: 8% What accounts does your chapter have? Facebook: 50% Twitter: 4% Blogger/Word Press/Blog: 25% Website: 36% Instagram: 0%
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2014 - Communications Survey Results YouTube: 7% LinkedIn: 4% Chapter email address: 29% Are you active on social media? Yes- 63% No- 27% No, but I’d like to learn- 10% Does your chapter wish to become more active on social media? Yes— 100% How often do you visit the Partners website? Once per week-3% A few times per month-24% Once a month-34% A few times per year-34% Never-3% On a scale of 1-10, how helpful of a resources is Partners website for your chapter? Average: 5.33 What could make the Partners website a better resource for chapters? Sufficient; updated forms; more history of past programs; difficult to maneuver and find our what programs are active/have funding; difficult to know what to look for and where; redesign to focus on connecting people/chapters; more interactive; ability to directly publish news; larger promotion of the chapters; better translation (especially in Portuguese) Are you aware that Partners provides a network events calendar where your chapter can post upcoming and past events to share with the network? Yes and I have contributed event information: 7% Yes but I have not yet contributed event information: 32% No but I would like to contribute: 43% No and I don’t understand the importance of this calendar: 18% Are you aware that Partners is building a WHAT WORKS! Learning Center where your chapter can share success stories and lessons learned? Yes: 7% No but I look forward to the launch of WHAT WORKS!: 89% No and I don’t understand the reason for a Learning Center: 4% Do you feel the need to have a centralized online space to share news, information, photos, event details, etc? Yes: 93% No: 7% Do you have a brochure/flyer designed about your chapter? Yes-45% No-55%
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2014 - Communications Survey Results Do you have promotional materials like t-shirts, business cards, banners, etc.? No-62% Yes-38% Does your chapter have a need for additional online and print materials: Yes-89% No-11% Does your chapter have a standard presentation in PowerPoint or another program that explains what the chapter does? Yes: 26% No: 74% Is your chapter aware of PartnersMarket, our online store? Yes and I have logged in to view the online store: 4% Yes but I have not tried to order any products: 14% No but I am glad to know about it: 79% No and I don’t see a use for it within my chapter: 4% Are you interested in submitting a story to Partners’ 50th storyboard? Yes: 65% No: 35% Does your local community recognize your chapter brand?
Does your chapter use its new partnership logos? Yes: 52% No: 26% I have not received new partnership logos: 22%
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2014 - Communications Survey Results Do chapter members like their new partnership logos? Yes, very helpful: 70% No: 30% Does your chapter implement fundraisers throughout the year? No, too much work-14% No, but we would like to in the future-50% Yes-36% Are you interested in Partners providing services to help your chapter produce communications and manage email lists for your members? Yes: 85% No: 15% Is the chapter willing to spend a little money to increase communications efforts? Yes: 67% No: 33% Are you in favor of opening up our network to allow us to engage new types of volunteers and organizations and expand our reach and impact? Yes: 100% No: 0% How much do you know about PartnersConnect? A lot: 7% Some: 55% Very little: 31% Nothing: 7% What is your understanding of PartnersConnect? Deepen ties/opportunities within chapters; online database with members and chapter information; online exchange of information; current project news; connecting chapters; count volunteer hours; expanding connections; not sure/no function/no benefits Have you ever tried to create an account or log into PartnersConnect through the Partners website? Yes, successfully: 21% Yes, unsuccessfully: 18% No: 61% If you were able to successfully login to PartnersConnect, did you find helpful information? Yes: 23% No: 77% Themes: Built a profile but didn’t know what else to do; difficult to maneuver/understand; not enough information What is your most important goal for building your chapter’s visibility?
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2014 - Communications Survey Results
Does your chapter have any special interest or expertise in language programs for either Spanish, English or Portuguese? No: 37% Yes: 63% What makes you passionate about service in the Western Hemisphere? Being able to change lives/help others; helping youth; strengthening the region; interconnectedness; hearing about past programs/exchanges; personal contacts/friends in Latin American countries; creating friendships; professional/personal work experience in LAC Where do you typically volunteer? Religious institution: 33% K-12 School: 20% University: 33% Community Center: 20% Local charity/nonprofit: 73% On a scale of 1-10, how do you feel about the length of this survey? 6.5
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