2013 Honorable Mention: Points System

The Junior League of Northern Westchester won the 2013 Honorable Mention in Membership Development for its impactful new Points System.

Program Goal

The points system was developed in response to research showing that members were feeling overwhelmed and under-equipped to meet League requirements amidst the demands of their careers, their families, and their other volunteer commitments.

Program Description

Because the existing requirements model was perceived as too rigid and inflexible to meet the members’ needs, the League put into place a points tracking system that members could use to fulfill their requirements. The new system, which is easily managed by the League, went into effect in the 2010-2011 service year.

Evaluation

In addition to a more positive perception of the League by members, including new members, statistics show the change in members’ attitudes. Before implementation, a survey showed that 60 percent of members found their membership requirements to be “just right,” while 33 percent believed there were too many requirements. Following implementation, the “just right” crowd had grown to 73 percent and the “too many” crowd has shrunken to 22 percent.

Other improvements included growth in the percentage of members very satisfied with their overall League experience, which went from 38 percent in 2009 to 46 percent in 2011. On the flip side, in 2009, 13 percent reported being not very satisfied while in 2011, the percentage of those dissatisfied dropped to eight percent.