One of the roles of Dons Trust Board member Matt Spriegel is to encourage membership among fans in the 16–35 age group. Here he has details of the upcoming membership survey.
In the coming days, the Dons Trust will be sending out our membership survey to all existing members, as well as posting it on the Trust’s Twitter feed and on the club’s Twitter feed, in order to make sure that as many Dons fans as possible – Trust members and non- members – have the opportunity to have their say. As a fans-owned club, our supporters are our lifeblood, and we want to make sure that we are providing as many of them as possible with the best experience we can.
In this survey, we will be asking a number of questions relating to the benefits of Trust membership. For example, are you happy with what is currently provided? Would you like to see an increase in benefits? Does membership cost too much, or would you be willing to pay more?
Once the results are collected and analysed, I and other members of the board will have a better idea of what our current members want, and what new members may be looking for, and we can then start to plan any changes we may need to make to our membership strategy or to the membership package.
The first thing to say about being a Dons Trust member is that, as a member, you are a part-owner of our football club, which above all other perceived benefits is by far the greatest motivation to become a member. As a part-owner you have a say in the running of the club and the direction it should take, by voting in Dons Trust elections and at general meetings. Another benefit is priority ticketing for big games – something which, as we have risen up the leagues, has become more and more important.
Is this enough, though? Can we do more to attract new members and engage with existing members? For some the answer is yes; for others, no. But this survey is an opportunity for you to have your say and help to make the Dons Trust membership package appeal to as many of our fans as possible.
Last year, in an effort to try to improve communication between the Dons Trust Board and the members, we introduced the Trust Webjam. Do you feel that this has worked? Do you feel more engaged and up to date with what is going on at the club? Feedback in this area would be greatly appreciated.
The Dons Trust kiosk has recently been branded up so that people know what it is, but how can we use it better on match days? Can we engage with more members, and indeed non-members, who all have the club’s best interests at heart? The kiosk could and perhaps should be a hive of activity on match days, with board members fielding questions and educating fans about the work that is done by the board.
It has been a fascinating eight months so far for me on the Dons Trust Board, and membership is an area I really feel I can add value to. However, I need your feedback to help me and the board provide the best possible service to our members.
The work we do should be driven by the members, and this survey is a great way for you to drive the membership in a direction you would like it to be driven. So please take the time over the next week or so to fill out the survey, openly and honestly. All your feedback is welcome – if there is something you want to say, please include it!
This article was originally published in the matchday programme for the game against Bristol Rovers, played on April 8, 2017.