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SCB TO POLL MEMBERSHIP: BE READY TO RESPOND!

As discussed by Reed Noss (see article), it is a thrilling time for SCB. Membership appears to be growing, and the Board of Governors has voted to undertake some fresh, exciting projects. Yet while SCB pursues these positive new initiatives, we lack quantitative data on the strength and range of opinion of our members about those activities and about SCB in general. To better understand the attitudes and desires of members, the Board is commissioning a poll of the membership.

Unlike previous "passive" surveys distributed through the newsletter, this will be an active poll in which members will be randomly contacted and interviewed using a standardized set of questions. The poll will be conducted by the professional firm Kitchens & Kitchens of Orlando, Florida, well-respected in the polling industry for its creativity and skill. The firm is headed by Jim Kitchens, who holds a Ph.D. in statistics and has considerable experience polling on environmental issues as well as with membership surveys.

The poll will be conducted in early September. About 450 randomly selected SCB members, stratified according to relevant criteria such as membership category and geographic location, will be surveyed via telephone, email, or both. The poll will generate quantitative data on member attitudes and opinions accurate to 4.4% with 95% confidence. It will provide crucial baseline information SCB needs to accurately represent its membership as it continues to grow.

Poll questions will come from a range of topics, designed to learn more about what members think about SCB and its work. Some possible questions include Why do people become members? Are they satisfied with SCB? What kinds of activities should SCB pursue? Would members be willing to pay more in dues for a society that is more active? Do members lean toward activism or research? What about internationalizing SCB?

Most important of all, members must be willing to participate when called by the polling firm. If you are contacted, remember that your response is vital to help SCB represent your views and desires. Without your help, SCB will be unable to learn what it needs to expand and become even more effective in the future. Please take the time to participate if you are contacted! A summary of the results will be published in the November newsletter.

Michael O'Connell

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