The Association Race For and Beyond Relevance
Wednesday, October 5, 2011 by Deirdre Reid
Why would a table of hungry association professionals get so wound up in conversation that they almost miss lunch? Blame it on Harrison Coerver.
Coerver’s new book, co-authored with Mary Byers, Race for Relevance, is out so he’s been visiting state SAEs to talk about rethinking the way we manage and govern our associations. I heard him last week at the Association Executives of North Carolina. If he comes to your SAE, I recommend going, but wait until you sit down for lunch to have the intense conversations his presentation will spark.
He says the traditional association model is a mismatch for our new environment.
Change at the top
If you’re like me, you read “five-member board” and said, “yeah right, that will never happen.” Coerver says this provocative idea is intended to spark a discussion about how and why board members are selected. A small competent board is the key to making his other four changes work.
These changes require CEOs who use their political and interpersonal skills to be change agents for their associations. The CEO must have the board’s trust, confidence and acknowledgement that the CEO’s the expert in the boardroom. Members don’t have the time or expertise to run an association, that’s the CEO’s and staff’s job, but too many boards think they know what’s best. Often, they don’t; it’s the CEO’s job to guide them in the right direction.
Take the lead in the middle lane
While the CEO is busy being a superhero, what about the rest of staff? What can you do to help your association win the race for and beyond relevance?
Win the time battle. Take a hard look at how you and your volunteers spend time on association work.
Become a market expert. Talk to members so you understand their needs, challenges and wishes and know how to provide them value they can’t get elsewhere. Start with the goal of calling one member per week. You can handle that. Members will not keep paying dues just to support the industry, that’s no longer enough.
Be a technology advocate. Coerver told us that only 4.1% of association revenue on average is spent on technology. Can that possibly be true? Yikes. He said most associations spend more on hotel bills and on printing and postage than they do on technology. Does your association spend more on your annual meeting’s closing party for a small percentage of members than they spend on virtual education for all your members?
Coerver’s message is a wake-up call for those who have their head in the sand, ignoring the world changing around them and continuing to do the same old things in the same old way. Relevance will be a challenging goal for them. The rest of us should aim well beyond relevance. Coerver gives us several ideas to start the difficult and necessary conversations we need to do that.
Deirdre Reid, CAE is a freelance writer who’d like to see associations and sponsors partner on more valuable membership services.
Coerver’s new book, co-authored with Mary Byers, Race for Relevance, is out so he’s been visiting state SAEs to talk about rethinking the way we manage and govern our associations. I heard him last week at the Association Executives of North Carolina. If he comes to your SAE, I recommend going, but wait until you sit down for lunch to have the intense conversations his presentation will spark.
He says the traditional association model is a mismatch for our new environment.
- The complexity of our lives makes too many demands on our time, yet association membership, especially board service, requires a big time investment.
- Change is accelerating, yet association decision-making is slow and tradition-bound.
- Associations were designed for a homogenous membership, not a membership splitting into specializations, like the medical profession, or undergoing consolidation, like the homebuilding industry.
- The world is going digital while many associations (and their budgets) rely on face-to-face events and printed publications.
- Associations offer a package of services for one price in a marketplace where a menu of “what, when and how I want it” is the prevailing standard.
- Switch to a five-member competency-based board.
- Empower the CEO and develop new staff skill sets.
- Rigorously define and keep up with your member market.
- Rationalize and limit programs and services.
- Build a robust technology framework that will deliver membership value.
Change at the top
If you’re like me, you read “five-member board” and said, “yeah right, that will never happen.” Coerver says this provocative idea is intended to spark a discussion about how and why board members are selected. A small competent board is the key to making his other four changes work.
These changes require CEOs who use their political and interpersonal skills to be change agents for their associations. The CEO must have the board’s trust, confidence and acknowledgement that the CEO’s the expert in the boardroom. Members don’t have the time or expertise to run an association, that’s the CEO’s and staff’s job, but too many boards think they know what’s best. Often, they don’t; it’s the CEO’s job to guide them in the right direction.
Take the lead in the middle lane
While the CEO is busy being a superhero, what about the rest of staff? What can you do to help your association win the race for and beyond relevance?
Win the time battle. Take a hard look at how you and your volunteers spend time on association work.
- What time-wasting things are committees doing out of habit?
- What can be done virtually to save member travel time?
- How many ad-hoc or microvolunteering opportunities do you offer your members? Can some jobs be broken down into less time-consuming tasks so many volunteers can share the work?
Become a market expert. Talk to members so you understand their needs, challenges and wishes and know how to provide them value they can’t get elsewhere. Start with the goal of calling one member per week. You can handle that. Members will not keep paying dues just to support the industry, that’s no longer enough.
- How can your association solve their problems and help them be successful and make more money?
- Where is your association spread too thin? Which programs and services don’t serve your primary market?
Be a technology advocate. Coerver told us that only 4.1% of association revenue on average is spent on technology. Can that possibly be true? Yikes. He said most associations spend more on hotel bills and on printing and postage than they do on technology. Does your association spend more on your annual meeting’s closing party for a small percentage of members than they spend on virtual education for all your members?
Coerver’s message is a wake-up call for those who have their head in the sand, ignoring the world changing around them and continuing to do the same old things in the same old way. Relevance will be a challenging goal for them. The rest of us should aim well beyond relevance. Coerver gives us several ideas to start the difficult and necessary conversations we need to do that.
Deirdre Reid, CAE is a freelance writer who’d like to see associations and sponsors partner on more valuable membership services.
Comments for The Association Race For and Beyond Relevance
Trackback from your site.
Deirdre Reid
Deirdre is a freelance writer, blogger and copywriter. The association community remains her professional home after spending ten years at national and state associations overseeing membership, vendor programs, marketing, publications, chapter relations and more. Away from her laptop, you can find her hiking, doing yoga, cooking new recipes, volunteering at the history museum, or relaxing in a comfy chair with a good book and glass of wine or craft beer.
To comment, click below to log in:
I wonder if one day we’ll see a wave of CEO firings because new boards will realize that failure and irrelevance could have been prevented with stronger CEO leadership and guidance