For any membership-based organization, retention is more than a metric. It is a measure of trust. When people keep coming back, it means they feel welcomed, valued, and served. When they don’t, the reasons why matter deeply.
The Pasadena Senior Center (PSC) understood this well. As one of the community’s most vital anchors, PSC provides older adults with programming, connection, and support that can be genuinely life-changing. But like many nonprofits, the Center faced a persistent question: why do some members stop coming, and what can be done about it? Good instincts weren’t enough. They needed data and a rigorous process for gathering it.
That’s when they turned to Jericho Road Pasadena.
JRP matched PSC with volunteer Catherine Perry, Founder of Inward Bound Programs, whose background in research methodology, survey design, and group facilitation made her an exceptional fit for the project. The scope of work was comprehensive: develop a tactical outreach plan for data collection, design a custom mail and phone survey, and deliver a Results Report with findings and next steps
The goal wasn’t just to collect data. It was to collect the right data, in the right way, from the right people.
Charmaine Nelson, Director of Marketing at PSC, described what made the collaboration so effective: “Catherine’s skills and specialty were just what we needed to fulfill a meaningful survey of our members. She made sure we stayed focused on our goals, ensuring the wording and survey modes used would tell us what we needed to know. She was very good at introducing methodology as well as directing for effective outcomes.”
That focus on methodology proved to be a cornerstone of the engagement. Designing surveys and interview scripts is deceptively difficult. The wrong wording can skew results; the wrong format can depress response rates; the wrong questions can leave an organization with plenty of data and no useful direction. Catherine’s expertise helped PSC avoid those pitfalls and build a research process they could trust.
For Catherine, the project offered both professional satisfaction and meaningful human connection. She found PSC’s team to be outstanding professional marketing partners, and brought a nuanced perspective to what the data would ultimately reveal: “By closely tracking the reasons members lapse and making improvements, retention rates can increase. It’s also worthwhile to acknowledge some reasons are beyond the Center’s control, like a member’s failing health, losing their ride or moving. And brand new member segments need to be closely attended to keep them in the community, for example, the new Altadena Senior Center members.”
That last point carries particular weight in the current moment. As Pasadena and Altadena communities continue to navigate the aftermath of the Eaton Fire, PSC has welcomed new members displaced from their neighborhoods and routines. Understanding what keeps them engaged and what risks losing them is not just an operational question. It is a matter of community care.
The partnership also reflected what Jericho Road Pasadena does best. As Charmaine put it, “Jericho Road is very effective in finding experts in their field and matching them with the needs of nonprofit organizations.”
With a Results Report in hand and a research process they can replicate, the Pasadena Senior Center is now better equipped to listen to its members, learn from them, and build a community where people want to stay.
To learn more about the Pasadena Senior Center, visit: www.pasadenaseniorcenter.org/
Want this kind of support for your nonprofit? Request a volunteer through our website.
Thanks to volunteer Wes Robinson for writing JRP Project Highlight posts!