Management expert Peter Drucker said, "What gets measured, gets managed."

It's the reason internal teams are given quarterly key performance indicators (KPIs) and the reason that we keep score during sporting events; we need to track progress toward an outcome. That outcome then needs to be determined as successful or unsuccessful so we can take the necessary action to move in a positive trajectory. Understanding what chapters are doing well and where they could use some support puts your association in a position to make better decisions.

A chapter dashboard helps associations and their components track their success by reporting information in a manner that is easy to read and digest. It is the outcome of a standardized process for gathering and analyzing critical chapter and overall association data to gain visibility into the health of the organization as a whole. In addition, chapter dashboards can act as a facilitator to build stronger, more collaborative relationships between national organizations and their chapters since conversations can be data-driven and more constructive.

Identifying Metrics

In an ideal world, what's measured at both the national and chapter level would be very similar. This would show strategic alignment between the two. But if that isn't the case and national and chapter leaders have different ideas as to what metrics matter, you'll want to strike a balance by including ones that leadership at all levels finds important. Note that if it appears national and chapter leadership are on two completely separate pages, there may be a larger challenge to tackle at hand.

Understanding what chapters are doing well and where they could use some support puts your association in a position to make better decisions.

So what should be measured? The metrics that matter to an association will vary greatly, and you need to determine what is right for your own goals and objectives. If you're looking to develop a chapter dashboard for the first time or are simply looking at revamping your current one, here are seven common KPIs to consider.

1. Total percentage of chapter revenue vs. overall revenue. Understand how much weight each chapter is pulling in terms of revenue. This can be a good gauge to identify chapters that are doing well and provide a strong value proposition to their members. To provide a fair view across all chapters, break them into size categories.


2. Average age of your members year-over-year. This data will tell you if your membership is skewing older or younger, and will help you rework your strategy accordingly.


3. New member turnover. Are first-time members renewing? If not, you can slice and dice this data by chapter to help identify why—or if some geographic areas aren't as engaged as others. You'll also be able to pinpoint chapters that need assistance bringing membership value to life or better administrative processes to prevent first-time renewals from falling through the cracks.


4. Member satisfaction. Gathering feedback from members regarding where they perceive the most value can help identify areas where more support is needed and helps align national and the chapters if they're both working towards a common goal.


5. Total membership count. Divide these numbers by category or type to see if membership is increasing or decreasing, and if certain membership types are more popular than others.


6. Reasons for contact. Look into why and how your members are engaging with your chapters. Whether through publications, networking and events, advocacy, or just for support logging into the member portal, this information can tell a powerful story.


7. Revenue by product category. Determine where the bulk of chapter revenue is coming from to see how you can provide more value in the areas that make you the most money. For example, even if members are loving your publications, they may not be driving revenue. How can you address this discrepancy?

Selecting a few of these metrics to start can be a good way to test which ones are right for your association and chapters and to determine if the data is meaningful.

Another good rule of thumb: Once you have metrics in hand, focus on the top 10 percent and the bottom 10 percent of chapters to identify both what the high performers are doing differently and what the underperformers may need help with.

Measuring Success

Whether your association has a chapter dashboard, or it's simply a phrase that's been mentioned during a staff meeting, it could be key to getting your national organization and chapters on the same page.

If you're starting the process of developing a dashboard, get component leaders involved when determining which metrics to include. Ask them what success looks like and what metrics are important to their growth, whether that's increasing attendance at networking events or just simply trying to keep their membership numbers up.

But information is only as good as the data. Asking your components what success looks like also helps you get a closer look into how they measure their success, where they have been focusing their time and resources, how they operate, what tools they're using, and if those tools will suffice in tracking the data you need to create and maintain accurate chapter dashboards. If the tools don't support the data the national organization needs, you may want to identify other important KPIs for which data is already available or find ways to provide those measuring tools to chapters.

Remember, each association is unique, so metrics that work for one may be very different from what works for another.