Membership survey shows high degree of satisfaction.

Earlier this year, TEI conducted a membership satisfaction survey. Reprising a survey conducted three years ago, the 2006 survey was designed to help the Institute better understand members' perceptions, preferences, and involvement, as well as to solicit suggestions for improving performance in the key areas of education, networking, and advocacy. The earlier survey confirmed a high degree of satisfaction among the Institute's members, and the results of 2006 survey are wholly consistent: TEI appears to be doing a superior job of balancing the diverse needs and interests of its membership.

To enhance the reliability and credibility of the results as well as ensure the confidentiality of individual response, TEI contracted with an independent research firm, MemberSurvey.com (a division of Readex Research), to administered, analyzed, and reported the results. (MemberSurvey. com also assisted the Institute in developing the survey instrument.)

Methodology and Design

TEI invited all current members of the Institute to participate in the survey. Members were initially invited by email to complete an Internet-based survey. Reminders were sent periodically to those who had not yet responded. Members with undeliverable emails or members for whom no email address was available were invited by mail to complete either an enclosed paper survey or the Internet-based survey.

Data were collected between January 3 and February 20, 2006. The response rate was 27 percent, less than the response rate three years ago, but typical for surveys of this type.

The survey questions focused on three broad areas:

* The members themselves and their views of TEI membership in general.

* The ways members are involved, and the importance of (and level of satisfaction with) the various offerings and services provided by TEI.

* What TEI might do differently or better in the future to satisfy the members' needs?

About Ourselves

Several survey questions centered on members' own circumstances, such as their level of experience, and how long they had been a TEI member. Additionally, MemberSurvey. com was able to compare demographic data for respondents against the Institute's full membership data. The high degree of correlation between the two bolsters confidence that the survey results are representative of all TEI members.

The typical respondent had been a member of TEI for 8 years (up 1 year from 2002), with 13 percent having been members for 20 years or more. A third were in their first five years of membership (see Figure 1). Geographically, 88 percent of survey respondents are located in the United States, with 8 percent in Canada, and 4 percent in other countries. This is very similar to results from TEI's 2002-2003 survey.

The typical respondent had been a member of TEI for 8 years (up 1 year from 2002), with 13 percent having been members for 20 years or more.

The typical TEI member has worked in the tax field for 22 years, with 14 percent indicating 30 years or more, and only 5 percent fewer than 10 years (See Figure 2). Also, as in 2002-2003, about half of survey respondents indicated that they are the senior tax executive for their company.

The survey asked members what, in their view, was the biggest challenge facing corporate tax professionals. Figure 3 identifies the top 10 challenges identified in the comments. According to the comments, the best way for TEI to assist its members in meeting these challenges is to continue to offer quality educational programs and increase the frequency and types of opportunities for members to become, and remain, informed. Those commenting often encouraged the Institute to continue its advocacy efforts aimed at reducing the compliance burden. And many suggested that TEI develop or funnel "best practices" or benchmarking information for its members, particularly as a way of addressing the added burdens of financial reporting and Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404 compliance.

The survey asked whether TEI members belonged to other tax-related organizations. Of those responding, 43 percent indicated that they are members of one or more tax-related organizations; this is up from 38 percent in the 2002-2003 survey. Those who indicated they were members of other organizations were asked how TEI compares with these other...