Very basic article on retention

[Ned]

The one common thread I saw in every person that left was FRUSTRATION.....

That can't really be surprising, can it?

Members don't leave if they are deliriously happy and actively engaged.  But they will if they are ticked off for whatever reason.

Seriously, every one of us leaves CAP at some point.  From the exit survey data I've seen, some leave because of competing priorities (family matters, financial, etc.); some move to an area without a convenient unit; some lose interest, and some members leave because they have become unhappy with CAP.

We can and do try to try to capture the information and use it to inform our policies.  But exit interviews are inevitably skewed toward negative feedback.

Which is still useful to the leadership.

[Garibaldi]

Just guesing,

That's just it. You're guessing. NHQ is only guessing also because they have never made any effort to find out WHY people quit.

A second point is that with Seniors, we are talking about adults here. The Cadet dropout rate is closer to 50%. To me, a high dropout rate for Cadets makes more sense. Teenagers have lots of demands on their time and they're impulsive.

My experience with Seniors is that the drop-outs come from ALL experience levels: some are newer members, some have several years in, some 10 or more.

My experience is the same as yours.
The one common thread I saw in every person that left was FRUSTRATION.....

That's what it boiled down to with me. Frustration with the system, with spinning my wheels, never seeing anything change yet hearing members whine about the need to change but not being able to implement change for whatever reason...frustration.

[RNOfficer]

Just guesing,

That's just it. You're guessing. NHQ is only guessing also because they have never made any effort to find out WHY people quit.

A second point is that with Seniors, we are talking about adults here. The Cadet dropout rate is closer to 50%. To me, a high dropout rate for Cadets makes more sense. Teenagers have lots of demands on their time and they're impulsive.

My experience with Seniors is that the drop-outs come from ALL experience levels: some are newer members, some have several years in, some 10 or more.

My experience is the same as yours.
The one common thread I saw in every person that left was FRUSTRATION.....

In addition to frustration, I would add unfairness. Leaders awarding themselves promotions and ribbons. Those that actually doing the work on the squadron level getting little recognition for their efforts. In my Wing, the Wing staff is enormous, with literally a dozen legal officers for example. Most of the promotions and awards seem to go Wing staff.

[Garibaldi]

The one common thread I saw in every person that left was FRUSTRATION.....

That can't really be surprising, can it?

Members don't leave if they are deliriously happy and actively engaged.  But they will if they are ticked off for whatever reason.

Seriously, every one of us leaves CAP at some point.  From the exit survey data I've seen, some leave because of competing priorities (family matters, financial, etc.); some move to an area without a convenient unit; some lose interest, and some members leave because they have become unhappy with CAP.

We can and do try to try to capture the information and use it to inform our policies.  But exit interviews are inevitably skewed toward negative feedback.

Which is still useful to the leadership.

I'll agree with you, Colonel. Life gets in the way most of the time. Work, family, school, church, other organizations, lack of nearby units, all those I would wager are in the top 50% of reasons to leave.

Frustration and dissatisfaction would be about 40%, and the remaining 10% would be medical, in my opinion.

Is there a demographic on what the percentages are?

[Eclipse]

"Life gets in the way..." is code for "It isn't worth the hassle of getting off the couch."

People make time for the things which are a worthwhile investment, and find excuses for things which aren't.

No one enjoying their CAP time will let "life get in the way", and no "life thing" is too small >not< to get in the
way when people are fed up.

Further to this, is CAP units were even close to being properly staffed and manned, the average member
could do one job for a few hours a month instead having four full time CAP jobs and carrying the weight
of a whole unit/wing/activity on his shoulders.

[Panache]

In many cases, the professionals we so sorely need and seek-out
are losing billable hours while they sit listening to people with 10 years experience who know less about a topic then
everyone else in the room because that "training" is "mandatory".

Nothing screams "engaging" like spending 30 minutes a month during a Tuesday evening listening to our Safety Officer slowly read, word-for-word, an article from the Region safety newsletter.  And then asking "Um, any questions?"

You can literally see the membership, both cadets and seniors, trying to stay awake.

[Flying Pig]

Thanks for the thread. As a new guy, this helps me sort of see what politics to avoid and what parts I should focus on in the long term. I'm so new CAP is still processing my registration. With how I interpret the thread, the best thing I can do is find a niche interest I enjoy in the specialty tracks and focus down on that? I'm pretty introverted when it comes to personality, so most politics is noise to me.

You have found the key to happiness my friend.