College Sports Information Directors of America

by Laurie Bollig, CoSIDA Director of Membership Engagement

Maybe it was that person you met who knew exactly what you were going through professionally. Or it could have been the first convention you attended when you got to rub elbows with Hall of Famers and rookies alike. It might have been the pride you felt in being able to nominate your student-athletes for Academic All-America status.
 
According to CoSIDA’s first Appreciative Inquiry, conducted last year as an undertaking of the 2013-14 Board of Directors, you enjoy the experiences and benefits of being a member of CoSIDA for many of the same reasons.
 
Through a series of five prompts, CoSIDA members were asked to detail what it was they value about their CoSIDA membership and what areas they see for growth within the association.
 
“We thought it was important to take a look at CoSIDA through the eyes of our members and get a sense for what the organization was doing right,” said CoSIDA president Eric McDowell of Union College (N.Y.). “You think you know what someone values in their membership, but until you ask them, you don’t truly know. I appreciate the committee's work and a special thanks to those who took the time in the inquiry to provide their comments that will be so beneficial for us now and in our future."
 
Several themes emerged from the responses.
 
When asked for the top two reasons communications professionals join CoSIDA, three topics surfaced – networking, being a member of a professional organization and the ability to participate in the Capital One Academic All-America® process.
 
Similarly, when asked what they most valued about being a member of CoSIDA, connection was the theme. Respondents used several words repeatedly, including “relationships,” which was the most-often cited word. People met and friendships made were mentioned frequently as well.
 
In describing a time when they felt most engaged and energized about the profession and being a member of CoSIDA, the convention experience, hands-down, was the most cited time. The social and educational interaction with fellow members and the networking opportunities left the membership feeling revived, refreshed and eager to give back to the profession.
 
Two prompts focused on CoSIDA’s future role.
 
When asked what opportunities would affect the organization’s future and what could it provide beyond what is currently offered, members listed raising the profile and image of the profession, continuing to stay ahead of the technology curve and being an advocate for the profession as most important.
 
In describing a vision for CoSIDA, answers ranged from day-to-day tasks to a 30,000-foot view of the profession. Advocacy, technology and engagement were recurring themes.
 
“We want to know both the positives and negatives of our members’ experiences, but human nature being what it is, we typically only hear the negatives,” CoSIDA executive director Doug Vance said. “While certainly not scientific in nature, this tool has provided some positive feedback that will allow us to build programs and extend benefits that meet the needs of our members.”
 
In compiling the Appreciative Inquiry, each board member was given the same set of prompts and a random list of member names that covered all divisions of membership, and asked to contact them by phone. The responses were then compiled in a 50-page document of verbatim comments. All of the comments were anonymous.
 
Current first vice president Judy Willson (Mountain West Conference) headed a subcommittee to review the responses and determine the themes they reflected. The subcommittee included Board of Director members Ira Thor (New Jersey City University), Bill Dyer (Virginia Tech) and Chevonne Mansfield (American Conference).

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See most recent previous COSIDA membership survey and analysis/results:

• December 6 2014: CoSIDA Social Media Survey Results & Analysis: Part 2    LINK

• December 4, 2014: CoSIDA Social Media Survey Results & Analysis: Part 1   LINK

• May 16, 2013: On-demand transcript and blog from CoSIDA Continuing Education Call: Our branding study - Where we are today and waht are our next steps  LINK