CSA Member Retention Strategies

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CSA Member Retention Strategies

• Jon Clark, Martin Lenihan, and Kathy Brasier
• Penn State Cooperative Extension
• Dept. of Ag Econ Rural Sociology
• Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Veggie Growers Conference
• January 31, 2006, in Hershey, PA

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• Knowing who your members are, why they join, and
  what they think about the CSA experience will
  help you develop effective strategies for
  retaining members

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Who Joins CSAs?

• National profile of CSA members
• White, College educated, Middle class
• Majority in 30-49 age group
• Women, especially those working less than full
  time
• Low income persons tend to be in transition
• What is the profile of your membership?
• Why is this important to know?
• Might influence the products you offer, drop-off
  options, membership options, events, communication

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Why Join a CSA?
(Source Oberholtzer 200423)
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Why Members Join

• Top reasons are value-based
• Individual values (health, environment)
• Values about community they want to live in
• Where is Community in CSA?
• Feeling sense of community ranks low,
  particularly among men
• Idea of community attractive, but actual
  development of community less important in
  retaining membership

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Why Leave their CSA?
(Source Oberholtzer 200429)
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Why Leave a CSA?

• Pick-up site convenience
• Value for money
• Contents of weekly share
• Variety (too much, too little)
• Quantity (too much, too little)
• Unfamiliar products
• Learning curve high

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Why Return to a CSA?

• Satisfaction with quality, quantity, variety,
  price, pick-up arrangements
• Previous experience with a CSA
• CSA share makes up higher proportion of veggie
  purchases
• Had less waste of produce
• Changed eating habits because of CSA

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Lessons

• Learn about your membership
• Reasons for joining, staying, leaving
• Evaluation of experience
• Use of produce
• Effect of CSA membership on their habits and
  attitudes
• Importance of community to them
• Effectiveness of communication and education
  strategies
• Match retention strategies to these needs and
  experiences
• Evaluate your strategies

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How Can I Learn About My Members?

• Create core group for advice, feedback,
  planning
• Create opportunities for feedback (during season,
  end of season)
• Talk to members at pick-up
• Comment Tree (paper, web, email)
• Discussion groups
• Email listserves
• Surveys (email, web, paper)
• Learn why members dont renew

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Member Issues ? Strategies

• Build on existing commitment
• Stress quality, freshness, locally-produced
  products
• Environmental benefits, health concerns
• Use existing members knowledge
• Dissatisfaction with produce quality, freshness
• Explain reason address if possible
• Work with neighboring farms to supplement

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Member Issues ? Strategies

• Concern over diversity unfamiliarity with
  produce lack of choice
• Communicate and educate!
• Share recipes explain health benefits give
  history of particular varieties
• Provide weekly suggestions for cooking, storing,
  preserving, and composting
• Suggest additional resources (cookbooks,
  websites)
• Provide schedule of produce
• Provide selection options (choice, yuck-yum
  box)
• Provide u-pick opportunities
• Provide some pre-processing of products, or offer
  processed foods

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Member Issues ? Strategies

• Concern over quantity
• Suggest sharing with friends
• Provide information about storing, preserving,
  composting
• Provide donation opportunities
• Offer half shares, or connect members who could
  split share
• Concern over lack of community
• On-farm events (tours, festivals, potlucks,
  harvest days)
• Provide regular farm information/updates
• Provide working share options
• Develop core group to plan events

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Member Issues ? Strategies

• Concern of inconvenience
• Learn your members limitations and preferences
• Provide multiple options for pick-up/drop-off
• Work with advisory/core group to develop network
  for drop-off
• Concern of cost
• Provide share price breakdown
• Offer payment options (working share,
  installments)
• Provide opportunities for donated shares

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Member Issues ? Strategies

• Explain contract, expectations
• Diversify membership
• Subsidize shares
• Accept vouchers and food stamps
• Allow/seek organizations to be members
  (churches, nonprofits, etc.)
• Join networks of other farmers and community
  members
• Share resources, ideas, strategies
• Become part of local networks to educate
  consumers, attract potential members

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Resources

• PSU Farm Business website http//FarmBusiness.psu
  .edu
• Robyn Van En Center for CSA resources
  http//www.csacenter.org
• Univ. of Wisconsin Center for Integrated
  Agriculture Systems http//www.cias.wisc.edu