GROUP 5 NEWS & INFORMATION |
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| Jan 23, 2010 |
| Part III - First Year Retention Rates In Group Five |
| By: Capt. Jeff Carlson, PAO, Group Five, FLWG |
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In Part I & II of this series, the Annual Retention Rate was examined for both senior and cadet members. In part III, we examine the retention rate for new members. In many ways, the first year is a critical time period for establishing a successful career in the Civil Air Patrol. During the first year, a member uncovers whether or not CAP can offer the personal benefits he or she expected to receive when joining. It is a time when new members are working to uncover the behavioral norms in order to fit in. It is also a formative period when many of the attitudes and habits that will guide the member take hold. |
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| The first graph shows the percentage of new senior members who renew their membership at the end of their first year. Only the Group Five trend line is shown on this graph because National only tracks this information for cadets. The graph displays the three year period from 2006-2008. if there is not a bar representing a particular year, then there were no renewals by first year members. |
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The second chart, shown below, represents the number of new members reaching the first renewal period for each unit during the three year time-frame. For example FL051 had sixteen new senior members up for renewal in 2008. Looking at the graph above you can see that 50% of them renewed their membership. Again looking at the chart below, you can see that each year FL051 has seen an increasing number of new members each year. By looking at the graph above, you can see the number of new members who renew at the end of the first year has fluctuated.
The graph below also reveals that some squadrons have achieved a growth rate at or approaching zero. This should be a wake-up call for recruitment efforts. |
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| The graph below displays the first-year retention statistic for cadets. You can see the average for Group Five is 37%. This is well above the national average of 26% and over twice the Florida Wing average of 17%. It is interesting to note that while there has been a downward trend on a national basis over this time period, some Group Five units show an upward trend in member retention. |
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The 37% first-year cadet retention rate is only slightly less than the 40% annual cadet retention rate. In comparison, FLWG has a 43% annual retention rate and only a 17% first-year rate, while national has a 48% annual retention rate and a 26% first-year rate. All of this is well below the Group Five senior member retention rate of 85%, with a first-year retention of 65%.
The graph below represents the total number of new cadet members for each unit that are eligible for membership renewal. |
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In general, first-year renewal rates are less than the annual rate for both senior members and cadets. The senior member first-year rate is 25% less than the annual rate, and the cadet first-year is only 8% less than the annual rate. Group Five appears to be doing a relatively good job with member retention as compared to averages for both Florida Wing and National. Of course it does not mean we are doing the best that we can do.
It also raises a secondary question of how effectively we are engaging the members who have elected to stick around. This is a question that may difficult to answer, though professional development and emergency services trends may give us some clue. A recent survey revealed that not all members feel that squadron activity is providing the sense of purpose the members desire. |
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| Part IV - The Survey Revealed. |
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