Eastern Airlines. Westinghouse Electric. Royal Typewriter.
All were once viable and successful companies. Today, they no longer exist. Why? Because
they didn't read the road signs ahead, asserts the American Society of Association
Executives (ASAE) Foundation in its "Facing the Future: Preparing Your Association to
Thrive," a recently released report summarizing one of the Foundation's ongoing
research projects.
These multimillion-dollar corporations were run off the road by competitors and
an ever-changing market, says the Foundation. If it can happen to them, it can happen to
any organization.
Associations are no exception. "For decades, the American Medical
Association was the voice of medicine in Washington," says a recent headline on the
cover of the National Journal. The headline continues with an assertion no association
executive wants to see--"Now its voice is one among many, and it's getting lost in
the din." Whether or not the story is true is almost irrelevant from a public and
member relations standpoint. The damage is done.
Associations need a road map to navigate the future and head off unfavorable
public perceptions. Providing such a road map is the purpose of the Foundation's research,
which reveals 14 interrelated trends that will affect the way associations conduct
business.
ASAE's 14 trends is required reading for all association executives. To obtain
your free copy, call ASAE's fax-on-demand, (800) 622-ASAE, and request document #10203, or
send an email request to: foundation@asaenet.org. It is also available on the ASAE
Foundation web site: www.asaenet.org/foundation/. Also now available is the ASAE
Foundation is the Association Futures Toolkit, containing presentation materials,
exercises, and much more.
"14 Trends Affecting Associations Summarized From Facing the Future:
Preparing Your Association to Survive By The ASAE Foundation"
Key Findings
- All trends directly related to each other
- Taking place simultaneously
- All Associations affected
- Continuous examination required
- Associations must plan for future
1. Leadership's Role: Board, Chief Staff Officer (CSO)
- Willingness to live with risks and uncertainty
- Anticipate member's future needs
- Engaging a diverse membership
- Commitment to shared vision
2. Value-Return on Investment
- Increasing member expectations
- Demonstrate ongoing value
- Clearly defined programs and services to excel
3. Responsiveness
- Internally focused on member needs
- Externally focused to quickly response to changes
4. Technology Use
- Don't underestimate Internet's impact
- Building relationships; sharing knowledge
- All sizes and types can benefit
- Online education & publications
5. Change Cannot Be Scheduled
6. Revenue Sources
- Reassessing revenue formulas
- "A la carte" on a for-fee basis
- Creating new membership categories
7. Generational Issues-Three Distinct Generations
- "Matures" (Born before 1946)
- Affects content & delivery preferences for programs & services
- Perception of and loyalty to the association
- Degree of volunteer involvement
8. Work Force
- Conflicts: Today's work force v. Tomorrow's
- Career development expectations
- Loyalty to the job and organization
- Communication and problem-solving styles
9. Outsourcing and Co-Sourcing
- Need for greater expertise
- Need to better leverage existing resources
10. Governance
- Current model slow and cumbersome
- Organizing for responsiveness, flexibility
- Key role for technology in communications
- Diversity essential to future direction
11. Competition and Alliances
- Associations more vulnerable to competition
- Information technology & Internet
- Diversity-more niche markets to target
- Competition from unexpected sources
- Both non-profit and for profit
- Associations forming alliances with old competitors
- Associations forming alliances with nontraditional partners
12. Consolidation and Mergers
- Chain reaction affecting revenues, services & membership categories
- Proactively seeking out mergers?
- What audience is being represented by associations?
- Will the overlap diminish our association?
- What is the purpose vis a vis other industry associations?
- What is the advantage of combining missions and visions?
13. Globalization
- Businesses & professions no longer bound by:
- International associations seek knowledge from U.S. associations
- Any association capable of international presence
- Domestic members looking for global opportunities
14. Image Building
- Members seek association help due to increased competition
- Establishing unique value of their services or activities
- Increased public and government scrutiny of trades & professions
- Establish professional credentials
- Associations must evaluate their own credibility with:
Five Key Assessment Characteristics for Associations
- The business, profession or cause being served
- The organization's resources
- The life stage of the association
- The culture of the association
- The members' career development and life stage
Key Point
"We must challenge what we think and how we think it - - -taking nothing
for granted."
Five Year Organizational Influencers
- How will your goals be affected?
- Which communications will be useful and relevant to your constituency?
- How will your leadership determine its direction?
- What staff will be needed to fulfil your organization's future?
- How will your program partners be selected to sustain your future?
Measuring the Association Resources
- The relationships and loyalty built between members and the impact they have.
- The intellectual capital of your members and staff.
- Informational sources such as publications, research, industry statistics, etc.
Valuable lessons learned by staff and volunteers (what works best and what
doesn't).
