NTS Report 4 Aug 2010 - National Trust for Scotland

40
Collecting the Voices
What You Said about NTS
96% – Core NTS
purpose is
Conservation
89% – Key issue is
financial
sustainability
82% – Property
Portfolio should be
reviewed
80% – More
Partnerships with
other Heritage
organisations
77% – Reform
Agenda needed
[98% with some
qualifications]
64% - Governance
should be slimmed
[97% with some
qualifications]
Nine thousand and sixty one members of the National Trust for Scotland responded to
the Questionnaire issued by the Review.
In overwhelming numbers they said:
• The core purpose of the charity is the conservation of Scotland’s natural and
built heritage
• The principal challenge to NTS is its financial security and stability
• There should be a review of the present portfolio of properties
• There should be greater cooperation across Scotland’s heritage sector
• The governance of the Trust should be simplified
The survey is the biggest into the attitudes and motivation of members ever carried out
by NTS. By charity standards the response rate was high, particularly as those who
completed the 5-page questionnaire were asked to pay the postage as a contribution to
the work of the Review.
The team processing the data agree that the returns are likely to come from people who
take a keen interest in the affairs of the charity, who vote in its elections and who may
wish to attend the AGM. The analysis does not claim, therefore, to be representative of
every single member of the Trust. That information is simply not known.
What the survey does provide – taken together with responses from the 1800 people
who attended consultative meetings or who made submissions in writing and interviews
– is an identified pool of around 12,000 NTS supporters with a strong commitment to
conservation and the future of the charity.
Reason for Membership
Members
generally
expressed
satisfaction with
the state of NTS
properties,
though a small
Two out of five respondents said they
had joined NTS because of their
“commitment to the conservation of
Scotland’s natural and cultural heritage”.
The second reason was “love of historic
properties”.
Around one in ten expressed a specific
interest in exploring the country’s open
spaces. The same number wanted to
visit gardens.
One quarter replied that they were
primarily interested in a “pleasant day
out” and valued free entry not just to the
NTS estate but also, in other parts of the
UK, to properties in the ownership of the
National Trust.
Expectation of Visits—————–————–——————————————–
Asked what they expected of a visit to
an NTS property, two-thirds of
respondents focused on “learning the
significance of the place” and finding
“conservation of the highest standard”.
Most expressed high satisfaction on both
points.
Around one in ten particularly valued
the warmth of welcome from Trust staff.
The importance of a cafe, shop and
facilities for children scored low —
again, perhaps, indicating that most
respondents were core conservationists.