Fraternal Organization Membership Challenge

Immediate pain point: a shrinking, aging membership that threatened the organization’s future viability.

A large fraternal organization (confidential) faced an urgent membership crisis: declining numbers and an increasingly older membership base. This put volunteer capacity, chapter sustainability, and long‑term relevance at risk.

Leadership commissioned research to answer a single, high‑stakes question: how can the organization grow and diversify membership while preserving core traditions and value? The challenge required clear, actionable insight for recruitment, retention, and engagement across generations in the fraternal sector.

Methodology: One-on-one interviews were combined with an online survey to capture members’ and prospective members’ perspectives.

Process (in sequence):

1. First, Springboard worked closely with the client to co-design the research approach and instruments.
2. Then we conducted one-on-one interviews with members and prospective members to gather in-depth qualitative insights.
3. Next we deployed an online survey to validate and quantify themes across a larger sample of members and prospects.
4. Finally, we combined interview and survey findings to produce a consolidated view of member needs and opportunities.

Engagement details:

1. Our involvement vs. client’s: Springboard led design, execution, analysis and interpretation; the client collaborated closely in design and review.
2. Steps involved: co-design, interviews, survey deployment, synthesis of findings.
3. Implementation speed: Several months

Outcome: Membership growth that enhanced youth and racial/ethnic diversity.

1. Membership impact: Growth with broader youth and racial/ethnic representation
2. Client action: The organization commissioned a follow-up study to support its next strategic planning initiative