What's a Good Net Promoter Score for Associations?

Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a simple metric for gauging member loyalty and satisfaction. It is derived from one survey question: “How likely is it that you would recommend [Organisation X] to a friend or colleague?” Responses are given on a 0 to 10 scale, where 0 means “not at all likely” and 10 means “extremely likely.” Based on their rating, respondents fall into three groups:

• Promoters (9–10): loyal enthusiasts who are very likely to recommend.
• Passives (7–8): satisfied but unenthusiastic; they might not actively recommend.
• Detractors (0–6): unhappy members who could discourage others from joining.
  

To calculate NPS, you take the percentage of respondents who are Promoters and subtract the percentage who are Detractors. Passives count only toward the total number of respondents and do not directly affect the score. This yields an NPS between –100 and +100 (if everyone is a Detractor or everyone is a Promoter, respectively). For example, if 50% of respondents are Promoters and 20% are Detractors, NPS = 50% – 20% = +30. An NPS above 0 means you have more promoters than detractors, which is generally positive.

NPS Benchmarks in Associations

What is a “good” NPS for an association? NPS benchmarks can vary by industry and context, but membership-based associations tend to see moderate NPS values. Several surveys and studies offer reference points:

Global/General Associations: A broad study of 46 associations (across sectors like science, healthcare, education) found an average NPS around +21. This score, while positive, is relatively low – it fell into the bottom quartile of all industries, comparable to sectors like cable and health insurance which are known for poor customer sentiment. This suggests many associations have significant room to improve member loyalty.

Professional Associations (Individual Membership): A Institution of Environmental Sciences paper referenced a UK benchmarking study reported an average NPS of ~+32 for individual membership organisations. In other words, many professional bodies hover around the low 30s. Some associations significantly exceed this: for example, the Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES) achieved an NPS of +53 in 2024 (up from +46 in 2021), far above that sector average. .

Industry Associations (Organisational Membership): Industry and trade associations (where companies are members) often report similar or slightly lower NPS figures. In the U.S.-based study noted above, an average around +20 suggests that many trade/industry associations struggle to inspire strong recommendation. Their members (often businesses or representatives) may view membership as necessary but not strongly recommendable, echoing the challenges seen in professional bodies with “captive” membership.

Generational Differences: It’s worth noting that NPS can differ within the same association by member demographics. For example, older members often give higher recommendation scores than younger members. For example, one international association survey found members over 60 had an average NPS of +42, while members under 40 averaged only +30. This suggests younger professionals may be harder to impress or less inclined to recommend, a useful insight when interpreting your association’s NPS.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – Interpreting NPS

How do we know if an association’s NPS is good or poor?

In general, any positive NPS is a good sign – it means promoters outnumber detractors. According to Bain & Company (the originators of NPS), a rough scoring framework is: above 0 is “good,” above +20 is favourable, above +50 is excellent, and +80 or above is world-class. Very few organisations ever hit the top of that range (an NPS of +100 is almost impossible). For associations, which often land in the +20 to +40 range, an NPS in the high double-digits would be outstanding.

On the flip side, an NPS below 0 (meaning you have more detractors than promoters) is generally considered “bad” or poor. It’s a warning sign that members are unhappy on balance. Many commercial industries never want to see a negative NPS; for membership organisations, a negative score suggests serious member discontent.

The “ugly” end of NPS would be a strongly negative score (for instance, –20 or below), indicating widespread dissatisfaction. In practice, most associations fortunately avoid deeply negative scores – but even being near zero is cause for concern. In the earlier example, an average NPS of +21 placed associations among the lowest-ranked industries. Thus, as an association you should ideally target a positive NPS (the higher the better), and view anything substantially negative as a prompt for urgent improvement.

As a rule of thumb in Australia/NZ, NPS results can be interpreted as: 0–29 = “Good,” 30–69 = “Great,” 70+ = “Excellent,” whereas any negative score indicates a need for improvement.

Caveats and Considerations When Interpreting NPS

While NPS is a handy snapshot metric, it comes with important caveats:

Context Matters

NPS measures willingness to recommend, which for associations doesn’t always equate perfectly to loyalty or satisfaction. In some associations (e.g. professional bodies or colleges), membership is almost a requirement for certain careers. Members might stay enrolled regardless of satisfaction, and may not recommend the association simply because their peers are already members or because it’s not applicable to recommend in a small field. In other words, a low recommendation score might not mean a member will quit – it might mean they feel membership is mandatory or assumed. This “locked-in membership” effect can make NPS less predictive of actual retention in such contexts. It also means associations shouldn’t be complacent if NPS is just average; “captive” members might be tolerating the status quo rather than enthusiastically supporting the organisation.

Cultural Differences

Be mindful of where your respondents are from. Cultural norms can significantly influence NPS ratings. For example, customers in some countries (such as Japan or South Korea) tend to give much lower scores on average, as they are culturally less inclined to rate anything a 9 or 10 – even if they’re satisfied. Americans, Brazilians, and Indians, on the other hand, often give higher scores on the same experience. This means an NPS considered good in one country might be above average or below average in another. If your association spans countries or if you compare scores internationally, adjust expectations for these biases. (In fact, some researchers suggest tweaking the promoter/detractor cut-offs for certain regions.) The key is to benchmark against organisations in the same country or cultural context for a fair comparison.

Response and Survey Bias

NPS results can be influenced by who responds and how you ask. Usually, members with strong opinions (very happy or very unhappy) are the most likely to respond to surveys, which can skew results. Low response rates might over-represent a vocal minority. Additionally, the survey method can introduce bias – for instance, phone surveys or face-to-face interviews might prompt more polite (higher) ratings, whereas anonymous online surveys might yield more critical feedback. Offering incentives for responses can also skew scores (sometimes boosting positivity artificially). Always consider your sample size and methodology: a larger, well-balanced sample will give more reliable NPS data.

It’s One Metric, Not the Full Story

Perhaps most importantly, NPS alone doesn’t tell you why members are promoters or detractors. It’s a starting point. As one membership professional noted, “No CX KPI is useful without understanding the ‘why’” behind the score. For meaningful insight, you should pair the NPS question with follow-ups (e.g. an open-ended “What is the reason for your score?”) and other satisfaction measures. In an association context, a moderate NPS could hide specific pain points – maybe your events are well-liked, but your communication is frustrating members, or new members are happy but long-term members feel neglected. Follow-up feedback and segmentation (by member type, tenure, etc.) will help interpret the NPS correctly. Use NPS as a flag or “temperature check”, but look deeper into the comments and other data to diagnose issues and decide on actions.