Moving from Service Providers to Game Changers

As this column is being prepared, the world is going through yet another of its seemingly endless times of conflict and turmoil. Yet there are many who still believe that what is going on in the Middle East, or in Latin America, or in Asia, will not have any impact on their ability as association managers to do their jobs effectively on a day-to-day basis. Those people are going to be in for a big shock in the coming months and years.

Author: Mark Levin, CAE, CSP

Whenever there is turmoil in the world, our jobs get a little harder until things settle down and we can get back to ‘normal’. Unfortunately for us, the old normal and the new normal are not the same. The new normal is calling for a fundamental change in what associations do and how they do it. Oh, and also by how well they do it!

For many years, trade and professional associations have focused on enhancing members’ internal environment, providing the tools for success on a day-to-day basis. We watched membership grow because of our ability to bring our members together, to encourage collegiality, to exchange ideas, and to achieve organisational goals. We did this through our meetings, our publications, and our member-engagement efforts (committees, leadership positions, etc.).

The challenge of today’s membership environment is that those activities are not delivering a compelling reason for prospective members to join or current members to stay. Interacting with others in their industry or field of practice is as close as their computer screen or even their smart phone. Increasing market share for your company is now as much a matter of data management and social media as it is sales and marketing. Earning recognition for contributions to your profession is as much a matter of podcasting and YouTube posting as it is attending far-away conferences.

Why would they go through the hassles and expense of supporting one (or more) association when all the resources necessary to be successful have become accessible to individual companies and professionals? So, if we cannot impact on their internal environment, we only have one choice left: to keep our relevance to our members, we have to provide and show value in doing things they cannot do on their own. We have to impact the external environment, the world outside of our members’ daily workday, more effectively.
 

Maybe it is Time to ‘Reverse Engineer’ Our Governance

This means moving to the next level by not only being recognised as SME’s (subject matter experts) but also as policy advocates. Not just government relations specialists but strategic partners in our industry or profession.

In many associations, our members are worried. Not about their ability to compete, or about their professional training or experience. They are worried about their markets shifting or even disappearing. They are worried about their jobs being wiped out, or their relevance being diminished in some way. They are worried about whether or not anyone is out there not just representing them, or even lobbying for them, but for actually fighting for them. And making a difference when they do.

Today’s members expect their associations to be part of the coalitions that determine the structure and standards that will change the business and regulatory environments in which they work. We need to show our ability to be recognised as trusted partners by other impactful organisations and governmental/standards-making entities; have access to key decision-makers in our members’ professions and industries; and exert leadership by providing information and data to support our association’s views and input.

All associations and, especially international organisations, need to reorganise their priorities. We can, collectively, initiate meaningful changes not just internally but externally, as well. Those changes can enhance the success of our own constituencies and the work towards a greater good on a global level.

There is an old saying in the association management profession: “If you do not have a seat at the table, you are probably on the menu.”
 

Mark Levin, CAE, CSP has more than 20 years of experience as an association executive and is also an internationally-known speaker and consultant to the non-profit and association community. He currently serves as Executive Vice President of the Chain Link Fence Manufacturers Institute, an international trade association, and as President of B.A.I., Inc., his speaking and consulting firm.

Published by Meeting Media Company, the publisher of Headquarters Magazine (HQ) – a leading international publication based in Brussels, serving the global MICE industry and association community.