Membership survey feedback

Last year many Microbiology Society (SGM) members took the time to complete our online membership survey. From this, we have gleaned a number of interesting insights into what you think about your membership. A continuous effort is now underway to incorporate many of your suggestions and comments, to help make your membership of the Society as enjoyable, worthwhile and productive as possible.

It is heartening that 93% of respondents are ‘very’ or ‘reasonably’ satisfied with their membership; however, this does not mean that we can afford to be complacent. One of the most important considerations going forward is the need to build a clearer understanding of peoples’ motivations for not only joining, but remaining, members of the Society. That is – what can we do differently to ensure members continue to express the same satisfaction levels one, two and three years on into their membership?

More than half the respondents to the survey indicated that they were particularly interested in the networking opportunities provided by the Society, and in staying abreast of cutting-edge  microbiological research. ‘I like being part of an organisation that can assist the growth of my career, and that enables contact with others in the relevant fields for networking and employment’, said one respondent. While our biannual conferences have provided a popular forum in the past for professional exchange and collaboration, we fully expect the new Annual Conference and more frequent Focused Meetings to further improve on networking opportunities. 

At the same time, we are aiming to make it easier for everyone to attend our conferences, including those who might find this more difficult. The new Inclusion Grants are aimed at anyone who might not otherwise be able to attend, be it due to a disability, responsibilities as a full-time carer or the impact of a career break.

While our conferences tend to have a strong academic focus, it was interesting to note the responses from some participants, who believe the Society should be appealing to a broader audience. Twenty per cent of respondents, for example, thought we should be offering more to industrial microbiologists in particular, in order to remain a truly representative society at the forefront of its field. This is clearly a topic for wider debate.

The importance of establishing networks and personal contacts is further highlighted by the fact that almost 90% of our survey respondents were recommended membership by a peer, supervisor or colleague. We see this being a particularly interesting driver for membership recruitment and we will be exploring the options this gives us as we introduce new initiatives to build the membership using more personal and one to one approaches.

Mentoring the next generation of microbiologists and attracting budding young scientists to the discipline is a key objective for the Society. Beyond the education and outreach programmes we already run, therefore, it is pleasing to see the enthusiastic response of members to the opportunity of organising or participating in local and regional outreach opportunities. ‘I have been a member of the Microbiology Society for many long years and would like to get more involved’, one member commented. Over three-quarters of respondents expressed interest in being involved with local outreach projects outside of their workplace, and with volunteering work more generally. We intend to take these comments on board by offering members greater involvement opportunities over the coming months.

PAUL EASTON

Membership Manager

JONATHAN FUHRMANN

Communications Administrator

We would like to thank everyone who took part in the survey. If you would like to know more about the Member Survey contact Paul Easton, Membership Manager at [email protected]. The winner of the Amazon gift voucher was A. Nobbs from Bristol.