Re: CSA-L and Outreach and Turnover Questions
Sarah Milstein (milstein@nyc.pipeline.com)
Sat, 13 Jul 1996 23:00:21 GMT
Hi, John.
A few months ago, you wrote:
>We've just finished signing up members for our third year at Prairieland
>CSA in Champaign, IL. Over three years we've grown from 30 (1994) to 70
>(1995) to 110 (1996) members, but have had high turnover and a trend
>toward more people purchasing the smaller of the two size shares we
>offer...
>Approximately 2/3 of last years 70 shareholders left and many more new
>members joined this year.
Most CSAs with whom I've discussed this issue report that they find the
same trend in buying patterns: every year, more people opt for the smaller
of two sizes. But a 66% turnover rate sounds high to me. The Roxbury NYC
retention rate was about 75% from last year to this year (with a slight
increase in membership, from 225 to 230 shares -- small size), and other
CSAs have told me that after a few years -- barring a major upheaval in the
garden or a change of staff or distribution site -- they stabilize at a
similar level.
Everyone seems to find that non-renewing members don't return surveys. I
wonder, though, if they'd be willing to talk on the phone for five minutes.
Next year, I'm planning to initiate a little phone campaign to discover
why people don't renew with us, and I'll report back my findings.
I'll be quite curious to learn why you find people aren't renewing with
Prairieland.
Sarah