Thank you to all who completed our members survey. 1/3 of our membership responded, along with some past members and non-members, which is a fantastic result.
We would like to share some of the findings from this survey:
Supporting local theatre was the most popular response for what people value about being a member of COS/CO2; followed by
- friendship;
- the support from fellow members; and
- being able to audition for and perform in shows, particularly at the Mercury Theatre.
All members/past members that responded have read the newsletter, either occasionally or regularly, with most reading regularly. We received some great feedback about it including:
- Members like that it keeps them up to date with everything and is friendly and interesting to read
- It provides the information about the Society and its productions
- It values its members and congratulates them on their achievements
- It helps give a feeling of community and supporting each other
We had some great suggestions for things we can do to improve our newsletter:
- Include a section about Backstage regularly – we will be looking into this for future editions
- Reduce our contacts section at the end of the newsletter – this has been done for the most recent newsletter winging it’s way to members very soon!
- Use more photos and pictures within the text –we will include photos where possible
- Invite members to contribute to news and content – members are always welcome to contact us with things to include in the newsletter at anytime and we will note an open invitation in newsletters going forward
- 94% of respondents felt our membership fee was great value; with
- 72% giving it a 10/10 rating.
- 75% of members who responded would still pay the membership fee if it increased to £15.
The majority of respondents were happy with our membership and show fee costs.
60% of respondents use our website, although the members area is not always accessed. Any members who need help accessing the members area can get in touch with our webmaster, Katie via email (chair@colchesteroperaticsociety.co.uk), who is happy to help. Currently, it is mostly used for AGM documents as there is no production information to share at present. The website is in the process of being updated, which will include the members area. Check out our recently updated Join us page and CO2 page! More updates coming soon!
There were some lovely comments about the Society such as:
- I would like to just thank you for the opportunities you have given everyone, it’s a fabulous community to be a part of!
- Having been a member for many years I have always found it a friendly inviting Society
- COS is like a second family
We also had other great suggestions for improvements overall including:
- More regular social events and possibly an extra show/concert each year
- More for backstage crew/production team members to get involved with, as there is a heavy emphasis on cast and performers – this is particularly relevant whilst our productions are postponed and we have now organised a backstage crew catch up and will look for other ways to connect our backstage crew/production teams and our members more going forwards
All these responses have given us a good picture of our members, prospective members and supporters views so thank you once again to all who completed the survey. The winner of a year’s fee membership for completing the survey has been contacted.
If you didn’t get the chance to complete the survey, but would like to get in touch and share your views, please do.
