#association40

Are sharks circling your member base, eyeing bites for their next meal? Even if your association is trapped in a sea of competition, you can change course and sail toward possibility. Sharon Rice, .orgSource Managing Director of Business Strategy, is our expert for guiding associations through tough markets. At .orgCommunity’s Innovation Summit, Sharon explored how Blue Ocean Strategy can help…

Associations need change capacity.  Most association leaders are not struggling because they fail to see the need for change.  They see it clearly.  They know member expectations are shifting. They know AI is changing how work gets done. They know legacy technology is slowing them down. They know staff teams are stretched. They know boards are asking harder questions. They know revenue models…

What 20 years of helping associations navigate change has taught us about strategy, technology, growth, and leadership.  Most association leaders know their organizations need to change.  They know member expectations are different. They know technology is moving faster. They know AI will affect how work gets done. They know legacy revenue models are under pressure. They know younger…

A practical framework for helping associations lead through disruption with strategy, speed, and heart.  Association leaders are being asked to do more than manage change. They are being asked to lead through disruption.  That requires more than a strategic plan. It requires more than a technology roadmap. It requires more than a leadership retreat, a new initiative, or a conversation about…

Strategy. Mindset. Self. That is the work of leadership now.  Association leaders are not navigating a temporary period of change. They are operating in an era of continuous disruption.  Member expectations are shifting. Technology is accelerating. Business models are under pressure. Boards are asking harder questions. Staff teams are stretched. AI is changing the nature of work. And the pace…

The question is not whether work will change. The question is whether associations are ready to change with it. For many associations, the conversation about the future of work still sounds like a conversation about remote work. Should staff be in the office three days a week?How do we manage hybrid meetings?Are employees as productive at home?What does flexibility really mean? Those questions…

The associations that thrive will be the ones that stop asking what members should value and start understanding what they actually need.  For decades, associations had a fairly reliable value equation.  Members joined for access. Access to information. Access to professional networks. Access to credentials, conferences, publications, advocacy, and expertise they could not easily find…

Because AI success requires more than a polished pitch deck.  Every association leader I speak with is hearing some version of the same message right now: “We can help you with AI.”  The pitch decks are polished. The framework looks impressive. Pricing is often significant. And in many cases, the consultants delivering those presentations only began using the word “AI” in a serious way sometime…