LETTERS.

The Value of Volunteering

On behalf of the Association for Volunteer Administration (and myself an ASAE member), I want to thank you for the two articles, "Applauding Helping Hands" and "Committing to Community Outreach," that appeared in the April 2001 issue of ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT magazine. It was exciting and gratifying to see volunteerism and community involvement given this attention, especially in light of the United Nations declaration of International Year of Volunteers 2001.

The Association for Volunteer Administration is committed to supporting professional competency in volunteer resources management. We firmly believe that, without skilled leadership and adequate support, volunteers stop volunteering. So we continue to develop tools and provide skill development opportunities to ensure the future of this vital part of democratic society.

Kudos to ASAE for encouraging your members to connect with the world of volunteerism. We all know that associations wouldn't exist without the volunteer efforts of their members, and yet they are often not viewed as having anything in common with those volunteers who work in soup kitchens or mentor kids. Indeed, there are many similarities, and it all rests on the fundamental power of individuals to make a difference.

Katie Campbell, Executive Director, Association for Volunteer Administration, Richmond, Virginia 

Maximizing Marketing Tools

At the risk of being labeled a Luddite, I feel compelled to make this comment on the content of the June 2001 issue of ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT. Your lead story paints an overzealous picture of the role of the Internet in surveying the needs of today's association members.

In "Using Market Research to Make Strategic Decisions," INFORMS relied almost exclusively on a Web-delivered survey to compile their data. In fact, the organization noted that only one paper survey was returned out of 945 total responses: One tenth of 1 percent responded by traditional means. Relying too heavily on a Web survey to collect survey data necessarily skews the findings in favor of those members who are technology. savvy. This is not a rep. representative sample.

What about members who don't have Web access or e-mail? Although they don't exist in our offices, remember that your organization probably still has members who say to their secretaries, "Print out my e-mail for me," and boast that they "don't even know how to turn on a computer!"

INFORMS could have employed a more comprehensive, yet cost-effective method: Send the Web survey first, then a fax survey, and lastly a paper survey through the U.S. Postal Service. The results therefore would have been based on a more representative sample.

This is part of a larger trend in association management-the Internet as panacea. I urge all association professionals to consider that the Internet is not the answer to all of your membership questions, but just another (although very powerful) tool to take out of your tool belt when developing your member services strategy.

Benjamin K. Martin, Membership Manager, Health Industry Distributors Association, Alexandria, Virginia