Member Survey Results: More Local CMs, More Collaboration with Community Partners, and More Information Sharing!

By Patti Shea

The results are in for the 2023 APA Florida Member Survey.  Thank you to the 408 members who responded and told us how we can improve your membership value. The APA Florida Executive Committee reviewed these results at its recent retreat and is creating the chapter’s Strategic Operating Plan (SOP) based on the results. The 2024-25 SOP will be ready for membership approval in September.

What we heard: Seventy percent of respondents say more local CM opportunities outside the annual conference is a top-value item, with 46 percent wanting better avenues for information sharing and 40 percent asking for more chapter integration with other professional organizations. Refer to pp. 5 in the survey pdf.

Most of our participants are satisfied with their local sections but want more in-person educational events as we emerge from the pandemic. Many of you want an array of networking, mentoring, and socializing opportunities that are closer to you. (Results not made public due to our promise not to share any comments, even though they are anonymous.)

Regarding how we communicate with you, 67 percent of participants ranked chapter emails as their top preference in receiving news, followed by section emails (35%), and then our publications, including Florida Planning Magazine and eNews & Notes (29%). Participants consistently ranked social media platforms lower than emails and publications, with the most popular platform being LinkedIn, then Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter respectively. Refer to pp. 14 on the survey.

When asked how the chapter can improve its communications efforts, some participants said they wanted more frequent emails, while others suggested the “less is more” approach is best. Some recommend increasing social media presence, while others want more information from sections. (Again, data not made public.)

We encourage you to review the survey and see how your colleagues responded.  The Executive Committee takes seriously your input on how we can change with the times and adapt to the growing needs of our members. Please note there were more questions on the survey, but the responses were all open-ended questions, so we will not show those results.

If you have a question, comment, or idea on how we can improve your membership value, it’s not too late! Fill out this short contact form and we will be in touch!