Introduction:
PAA Full members were recently asked to give feedback on subscription to the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies (JBMT), a benefit that has been included with full membership since January 2017.
One of the key findings of the survey was that some members were not aware of the JBMT subscription and therefore have not yet tried it. In this article we hope to rectify that, and also share more results from the survey.
Background: Why a subscription to the JBMT?
An online subscription to a journal was selected as a member benefit as it aligns with two pillars of the PAA Strategic Direction:
- Support learning and research
- Provide services to members
Highly respected as a scientific reference, the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies shares the latest therapeutic techniques, current professional research and debate. Published quarterly, it features articles on a wide range of subjects, including Pilates, which may be relevant and useful to members.
To subscribe to the JBMT as an individual currently costs $167USD, so it is a valuable addition to Full membership. However, it is also economical for the PAA to provide as we receive a generous discount for subscribing as an Association.
How to Access the JBMT
The first time you log in to the JBMT online you must claim your subscription. Thereafter you will be able to login anytime, providing your membership remains current.
This information, including the link on ‘how to claim’ instructions, can also be found on the Member Benefits page in your membership portal (under Resources) and is included each time we share a JBMT research article in your PAA enews email. Pre-COVID this was roughly one article per month.
Each quarter, JBMT are provided with a list of the current financial Full members.
More Survey Results
This aim of this short survey was to gauge how the JBMT is received by Full members, whether it is perceived as a useful resource and therefore does it continue to be a good place to allocate our budget.
Approximately 400 Full members were invited to take the survey, however only 60 responses were received and 22 of these had not been aware of the JBMT member benefit prior to the survey.
Despite this, 42% of respondents saw it as a benefit to their membership, 35% weren’t sure, 23% did not see it as a benefit. However, only 37% said it influenced their decision to be a PAA member.
Of those who had been aware of the journal:
- 5% never use it and the remainder were fairly evenly split between using rarely (39%), occasionally (26.5%) and frequently (29%)
- 60% said it assisted in their role as an instructor (and it assists 10% of those heavily!)
Respondents were also asked to suggest where the budget might be reallocated, should the journal be discontinued:
- 30% suggested an alternative subscription (e.g. a different journal, Pilates Anytime, Pilatesology)
- 28% suggested reduction in membership fees
- 17% suggested additional marketing to educate government and the public about Pilates
- 10% suggested increasing member support, advice and resources (e.g. for business, legal, marketing, HR, etc.)
- 10% suggested more live/virtual events – conference, webinars etc
Conclusions
Statistically speaking, this was quite a low sample to examine or base decisions upon. It was also concerning that some respondents were unaware of the JBMT benefit, despite the regular articles featured in the enews distribution and a section listing the subscription at the top of the member benefits page.
With this in mind, we intend to promote the JBMT subscription more fully to full members over the next few months and build better awareness. Then these questions will be revisited again later in 2020 to review the updated results.
Please email us if you have any comments or suggestions: support@pilates.org.au
Comments are closed.