Create value on two levels
Design the programme around what the association needs to know and what members should receive in return for their data.
Turn member data into member value
Trade Associations
Help members understand their own performance while building valuable insight into the industry as a whole.
From benchmarking and market monitoring to remuneration research and member studies, trade associations can transform recurring research into a valuable member service.
Typical objectives
- Understand industry developments
- Support member decision-making
- Strengthen member services
- Improve member engagement
- Create evidence for advocacy and communication
What makes a successful trade association programme?
Built around your organisation
The research design should reflect your objectives, participant value, confidentiality requirements and available capacity.
Give members confidence in the research
Members may be asked to provide commercially sensitive information.
Participation therefore depends on:
- Clear definitions
- Transparent methodology
- Appropriate confidentiality safeguards
- Meaningful reporting
Trust is not a technical feature. It is a design requirement.
Choose how much you operate yourself
Run the research independently, divide tasks with C2C or ask us to operate more of the recurring process.
Give your members something valuable back
Associations need information about their industry. Members need a reason to participate.
The most successful research programmes deliver value to both.
The association gains insight into developments, trends and member needs.
Members receive information that helps them understand their own organisation.
The stronger the participant value, the easier it becomes to build long-term participation.
Build industry insight without starting again every year
Recurring research becomes more valuable when the methodology remains consistent over time.
Instead of rebuilding questionnaires, calculations and reports for every cycle, the programme can evolve while retaining comparability.
This creates reliable trend information for both the association and participating members.
Solutions for you
What can a trade association research?
The right programme starts with the question the association and its members need answered. These are common applications.
Performance Benchmarking
Compare member performance using relevant peer groups and provide participating organisations with meaningful benchmarks.
Typical outputs
- Benchmark reports
- Peer-group comparisons
- Performance dashboards
Market & Turnover Monitoring
Track market developments and provide members with context for their own performance.
Typical outputs
- Market reports
- Trend dashboards
- Industry indicators
Salary & Remuneration Benchmarking
Help members benchmark salaries, benefits and employment conditions.
Typical outputs
- Salary reports
- Remuneration benchmarks
- Labour-market insights
Member Research
Understand member satisfaction, needs and priorities.
Typical outputs
- Satisfaction reports
- Segmentation analyses
- Strategic member insights
Our technology supports you
From member participation to actionable insight
A successful programme involves more than collecting responses.
The value is created by validating, analysing, comparing and reporting information in a way that is useful to both the association and participating members.
The Compare to Compete Survey Tool supports that complete process:
CollectRun structured, reusable and multilingual surveys or incorporate existing data where appropriate.
ValidateUse automated rules and, where needed, manual review to identify incomplete, inconsistent or unusual data.
CompareCreate relevant reference groups based on characteristics such as organisation size, type, region or other research variables.
AnalyseCalculate KPIs, ratios, scores and trends consistently across participants and periods.
ReportGive the association overall insight while returning individual dashboards or reports to participants.
EngageSupport invitations, reminders, feedback and recurring participant workflows.
Your research. Your brand.
The programme should strengthen your relationship with members.
Questionnaires, dashboards and reports can be fully aligned with your branding, terminology and communication style.
Your association remains the visible owner of the programme.
Choose how much you want to do yourself
Not every association has the same research expertise, capacity or internal resources. The collaboration can therefore be organised at different levels.
Use the platform yourself
Your team manages the research programme and uses the platform for data collection, validation, benchmarking, dashboards, reporting and participant workflows.
Work together with C2C
Combine your association's knowledge of the industry and members with our experience in benchmarking, research design and the Survey Tool.
Let C2C manage more of the recurring process
Where required, Compare to Compete can support more of the process, such as research setup, configuration, analysis and reporting. The exact division of responsibilities is agreed for the programme.
Testimonial
Customer evidence
NOAB & Fiscount — Benchmark Kantoorcijfers
Annual benchmarking programme providing participating firms with individual performance insight and sector-wide benchmarking.
SRA
Portfolio of recurring benchmarking and research programmes covering performance, remuneration, IT, culture and employee satisfaction.
VEMW
Purchasing benchmarks that help members compare energy procurement results while supporting advocacy and communication activities.
A helping hand
Frequently asked questions
What can participating members receive in return?
Members can receive different types of feedback depending on the research programme. This may include benchmark reports, peer-group comparisons, salary comparisons, market insights, trend analyses or other participant-specific results.
How do we encourage members to participate?
Participation increases when members receive information they can use themselves. Benchmark reports, market comparisons and other relevant feedback often provide a stronger reason to participate than contributing to an industry report alone.
Can confidential business information be protected?
Yes. Access rights, reporting rules and confidentiality arrangements can be configured for each programme. Individual participant information can remain confidential while aggregated results are used for association reporting and industry insight.
Do we need to run the research ourselves?
No. Some associations manage the programme independently, others share responsibilities with Compare to Compete, and some choose broader operational support. The division of responsibilities can be adapted to your expertise, capacity and preferences.
What types of research can trade associations conduct?
Common programmes include:
- Performance Benchmarking
- Market & Turnover Monitoring
- Salary & Remuneration Benchmarking
- Member Research
- Culture Research
- Assessments & Personalised Reports
The right approach depends on the question the association wants to answer.
Can the same programme be repeated every year?
Yes. Most benchmarking and research programmes become more valuable over time because trends and developments can be tracked consistently. The Survey Tool supports recurring data collection, reporting and historical comparisons.
We know benchmarking
Considering a benchmark or research programme?
Tell us:
- what you want to learn about the industry
- what members should receive in return
- how often information should be collected
- what level of support you need
We'll help identify the right research approach.
Discuss your research question