Update on the WFWA Member Survey and Strategic Planning Initiative

Thank you to the 652 WFWA members who completed the membership survey! This number represents one-third of the membership at the time. The information you provided gives the organization an extensive treasure trove of data that is informing the strategic planning initiative undertaken by the Board of Directors.. 

Member Survey Overview

As stated above, there were 652 members who completed the member survey. Our first survey of this breadth and depth provided us with the following overall stats about membership.

• 279 (43%) are published

• 156 are self-published/indie published

• 78 are published with Big 5 publishers

• 45 are hybrid published

• A significant number of published WFWA authors have used more than one method of publication

• 373 (57%) are unpublished

While the overwhelming majority of respondents have been members for one to three years, WFWA has a significant number of respondents that have been members for seven or more years. Membership renewals drop off sharply after the third year, however, and this sends a message to leadership that programming and benefits need to include more for experienced writers. We will be addressing this with a number of new initiatives. 

About the WFWA Strategic Plan

WFWA’s Board of Directors and senior leadership have been hard at work since February developing the organization’s strategic plan. In order to keep ourselves focused and ensure success, we hired strategic planning consultant Sue Kindred (SK Consulting) to help guide us through the process. 

We have been able to utilize the member survey results, as well as feedback from dozens of WFWA volunteers, to help ensure that the plan is aligned to WFWA’s most pressing needs. The initial strategic direction set by the Board has been to identify six high-level goals for WFWA. Each of these areas will serve to inform and prioritize our efforts over the coming months and years. 

Goal 1. Communications: Ensure effective communication systems that engage all stakeholders.

Based on the survey results, members value a variety of channels to interact with both WFWA as an organization as well as with other members. We will continue to expand these and also focus on areas for improvement. The three most highly rated channels according to the survey are: 

• The WFWA Website (75% of respondents) 

• The Facebook Members Only Group (51% of respondents) 

• The Facebook Public Page (34% of respondents)

Our Online Community, introduced in 2023, is gaining traction but is not yet a primary channel for information and interaction. If you haven’t already explored the Online Community, please spend some time clicking through the main menu, located on the far left of the screen. You’ll find a treasure trove of information and resources, and those resources grow weekly.

Our email communications are an area in which WFWA excels. We have a high “open” rate for publications distributed by email sent from the organization. The numbers below represent the most recent distributions and open rates for each:

• “Inside WFWA” open rate: 75%

• “President’s Newsletter” open rate: 83%

• “Write ON!” open rate: 80%

In addition to internal communication, we will be implementing more robust external communications to enhance the promotion of readership of the women’s fiction genre and representing genre concerns and interests with the publishing industry. Our external communications will also encompass advocacy for our members, both unpublished and published. 

Goal 2. Technology: Develop and maintain stable technology systems that integrate internal and external organizational needs.

WFWA currently utilizes a portfolio of technology solutions to provide administrative and content delivery services to the organization. We are reviewing these tools in the context of developing a streamlined approach to improving member and organizational technology-related experiences. According to the survey, this is a high priority area for improvement.

Goal 3. Membership: Identify and implement ways to best serve our members.

This is what it’s all about! According to the survey, respondents rate WFWA’s success in this area highly overall and also compared to other writing organizations. In particular, the value of a WFWA membership is rated substantially higher than membership in other writing organizations by members who belong to multiple organizations.

While this is great news, we will be working even harder to ensure WFWA continues to enable valuable opportunities for its members to connect, learn, and grow. Stay tuned for a number of exciting announcements over the coming months.

Goal 4. Volunteer Systems: Recruit, retain, and support volunteers to fulfill the dynamic needs of the organization.

WFWA’s current volunteer roster boasts over 120 roles.  As an organization, we are incredibly fortunate to enjoy so many volunteers who generously give to the organization with both hands. In order to keep member costs low while continuing to provide outstanding membership experiences and opportunities, our investment in volunteers will continue to expand and improve. The Board has been working to streamline volunteer roles, and we are implementing new structures to improve volunteer experiences in relation to the strategic plan.

Goal 5. Financial Health: Increase and stabilize revenue and seek investments that support the goals of the organization.

WFWA enjoys robust financial health and strong fiscal governance. Just like any not-for-profit organization, however, we need to balance fiscal prudence with investment in our infrastructure, programming, and member engagement. We will, therefore, be leveraging our financial resources to expand and improve those investments going forward.  

Goal 6. Governance: Build organizational structures that provide continuity and ensure a diverse, inclusive leadership that reflects the mission and guiding principles in all its work.

Before we discuss what our leadership is doing to prioritize governance, let’s ensure that we are all working from the same definition of the term. Governance is the action, manner, or power of governing. It is the exercise of authority and control, and it is the essential underpinning of any successful organization.

Governance improvement and adherence helps ensure stability and also enables periodic pivots that help organizations meet corporate challenges as seamlessly as possible. The Board of Directors has placed special focus on governance over the past year and will continue to make improvements to prioritize WFWA’s long-term succession planning, fiscal health, and member satisfaction. Strong governance plays a key role in ensuring that we have the best foundation possible to meet these evolving and dynamic objectives.

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There are many moving parts to the identification of strategic goals and the implementation of the resulting objectives, and the improvement journey is never-ending. WFWA leadership commits to a follow-up survey as well as other formalized member check-ins as we roll out the initiatives supporting the strategic planning goals.We will keep you updated on our progress.

WFWA exists because of and in service to its members. We are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive community of writers. Our mission is to create community among writers to deepen connections and craft. 

As our guiding principles state, at WFWA we believe: 

• Women’s fiction stories are transformative

• As a community, we come together to share diverse experiences, deepen our connections, and hone our craft

• In uplifting all writers

• Every member adds value and strength to our community

Thank you to each of you for your membership and for being part of the strong and evolving Women’s Fiction Writers Association community.