AASV Posts Findings of Membership Survey

November 19, 2014 — 

MarketSense, Inc. recently conducted a survey of the AASV membership at the request of the association’s Board of Directors to gauge members’ satisfaction with the activities and direction of the association. Dave Soorholtz, company president, presented the results of the survey to the board during the AASV’s recent strategic planning session. We have posted the results of the survey and MarketSense’s interpretation of the findings on the AASV website for your review.

The objectives of the survey were to:

• Assess AASV members’ perceptions of the organization and the services/programs that it provides.
• Assess member attitudes toward proposed changes/enhancements in AASV programming.
• Identify opportunities for new programming/services that members feel AASV should offer in the future.
• Establish AASV members’ key issues & needs in their businesses.

A total of 236 members responded to the survey and appeared to be fairly representative of the membership demographics of the association as a whole. The AASV resources/services rated most beneficial included the Journal of Swine Health and Production, AASV e-Letter, AASV Annual Meeting, and the AASV Membership Directory. JSHAP and the e-Letter were used by 96% of the respondents.

The respondents rated the association’s performance on key programs as quite high. All of the advocacy areas except “Trade” and “Practice/Business Management” were rated highly for both importance and AASV’s performance. AASV performs highest on “Animal Health,” “Antimicrobial Use,” “Pork Safety,” “Education of Colleagues” and “Animal Welfare.”

The association has been considering adding an additional staff person and posed a series of survey questions designed to gauge the level of membership support for such a move. Over half of respondents highly agree that additional programming/staffing is needed to address emerging diseases. Additionally, over 60% of respondents highly agree that the additional programming/staffing will benefit the swine industry. However, only 39% of respondents agree that the additional programming/staffing will help prevent or mitigate future outbreaks. Members requested more information regarding the overall strategy and objectives, funding, the responsibilities of the position.

Thanks to MarketSense, Inc. for conducting the survey and to everyone who took the time to respond. Your feedback is vital as we continually strive to improve the association’s benefits and services for the betterment of our membership. If you would like to review the complete survey, please click here.