What is Active Member Rate?
Active Member Rate is the percentage of a defined community that has taken an action (for example completed a survey or submitted feedback) within a chosen time period. It measures how many members are actively participating rather than just registered or invited.
Active Member Rate (AMR) is a simple engagement metric used to understand how many people in a target group have actively engaged with your outreach during a defined period. For Hearo use cases, active
commonly means completing at least one survey, form or feedback submission. Calculate AMR by dividing the number of unique members who performed the target action by the total number of members in the group, then multiplying by 100 to get a percentage. Choose a consistent time window (e.g., last 30 days, current consultation period) and be explicit about what counts as activity (completing a survey, opening and submitting, or just opening a link). Segmenting AMR by language, location or cohort helps reveal gaps in participation across communities.
Usage example
A school has 500 enrolled families. During a consultation period 150 families completed the parent survey. Active Member Rate = (150 ÷ 500) × 100 = 30%. If 90 of those responses were in languages other than English, the school can calculate a separate AMR for non‑English households to check inclusion levels.
Practical application
AMR matters because it shows whether your outreach is reaching and engaging the community you intend to hear from. It helps you: - Identify underrepresented groups or languages (compare AMR by language). - Track whether changes (e.g., adding translated surveys, sending reminders) increase participation. - Prioritise follow-up outreach where AMR is low instead of assuming lack of interest. - Report simple, defensible participation figures for consultations or funding requirements. Using AMR alongside qualitative measures (response quality, open-text insights) gives a fuller picture of both reach and substance.
FAQ
What exactly counts as an "active" member?
Define this up front for each measurement. Common definitions include: a unique person who submitted at least one survey response, a person who opened and submitted a form, or someone who completed a minimum proportion of questions. For Hearo, the most useful default is a unique member who submits a response, since that ensures you’ve captured actual input rather than just a click.
How do I choose the right time period for AMR?
Pick a window that matches your engagement activity: use the consultation length for a single campaign (e.g., two weeks), 30 days for rolling programmes, or 12 months for annual engagement. Keep the window consistent when comparing campaigns or cohorts so the metric is comparable.
How is Active Member Rate different from response rate or participation rate?
These terms are often used interchangeably, but subtle differences matter. Response rate
typically refers to the proportion of invited individuals who responded. Active Member Rate
emphasises the share of the whole community (including those not explicitly invited or with unknown invitation status) that engaged. Be clear about the denominator you use (invited sample vs full membership) when reporting.
What is a "good" Active Member Rate?
Benchmarks vary by sector, channel and context. For broad community consultations, single‑digit AMRs are common without targeted outreach; 20–40% is strong for school or local consultations with active promotion. Rather than chase a universal target, compare AMR across cohorts (e.g., languages, neighbourhoods) and track improvement after interventions like adding translations or reminders.