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Under Pressure: Navigating Extreme Association Trends
The document discusses trends in association membership, highlighting that while traditional membership models are evolving, many associations report membership growth and increased renewals by adapting their strategies. It addresses the decline of face-to-face meetings in favor of technology-based learning methods and emphasizes the critical role of social media in enhancing member engagement. The wrap-up section presents ten recommendations for associations before rolling out new initiatives.
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Under Pressure: Navigating Extreme Association Trends
- 1. Under Pressure: Navigating ExtremeAssociation Trends Sunday, March 9, 2014 2:45 â 4 PM Hashtag: #ideas14 LO1 Scott Oser, Scott Oser Associates Aaron Wolowiec, Event Garde
- 2. Aaron Wolowiec MSA, CAE,CMP, CTA The Meetings Coach @aaronwolowiec
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- 8. Membership is Dead! Theera when associations could count on members joining and renewing has passed. --Sarah Sladek, XYZuniversity.com
- 9. Membership is Dead! Over52% of the 690+ associations participating in this study report a growth in membership, versus only 31% reporting a decline in their membership. And the reported growth is vigorous, with nearly 24% of associations reporting a gain in membership of 6% or more. --2013 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report, Marketing General, Inc.
- 10. Membership is Dead! Whileassociations boasting 80% renewal rates or higher are signiïŹcantly more likely to indicate they have not made changes to their membership model (70%), ïŹndings show that associations reporting increases in new members and increases in overall renewals are signiïŹcantly more likely to have made such changes compared to associations with no change or declines in new members and renewals. --2013 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report, Marketing General, Inc.
- 11. Membership is Dead! Themembership model will continue to be a viable option for associations. At the same time, associations need to be open to new audiences and ways of doing things that will enhance their membersâ experience. --Lori Gusdorf, CAE, Point-Counterpoint: Is Membership Dead? ASSOCIATIONS NOW, February 2009
- 12. Membership is Dead! Fivereasons why membership is killing association business models: 1. Organize all value around the membership relationship. 2. Tend to focus on association outputs instead of stakeholder outcomes. 3. Often depend on cross-subsidies that create unintended consequences. 4. Ask members to make the most important decisions about new value creation. 5. Require a significant investment of human effort for an insufficient return. --Jeff DeCagna, Principled Innovation Blog, July 2012
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- 18. The Demise ofFace-to-Face Meetings Face-to-face experiences serve a comparatively small minority of stakeholders in most associations, and no matter how financially successful these events have been in the past, there is good reason for concern about their long-term sustainability. --Associations Unorthodox: Six Really Radical Shifts Toward the Future, Jeff De Cagna
- 19. The Demise ofFace-to-Face Meetings Across all demographic segments, respondents reported a strong preference for in-person education programs over distance formats. --The Decision to Learn, Lillie R. Albert, Ph.D. and Monica Dignam
- 20. The Demise ofFace-to-Face Meetings A range of factorsâfrom the economy to technology advances to younger generations entering the workforceâpoint to growth in the use of technology for learning and to a clear opportunity for technology to transition into a more significant, more strategic part of the mix of education and professional development associations provide to members. --Association Learning + Technology 2014, Jeff Cobb and Celisa Steele
- 21. The Demise ofFace-to-Face Meetings In a global survey of 2,300 Harvard Business Review subscribers, 95% said that face-to-face meetings are both key to successful long-term relationships and to building strong relationships. --Harvard Business Review Report âManaging Across Distance in Todayâs Economic Climateâ
- 22. The Demise ofFace-to-Face Meetings Adults in online conditions performed modestly better, on average, than those learning the same material through traditional face-to-face instruction. --U.S. Department of Education, Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning: A Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies
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- 28. No Social Media?Are You Crazy?!? Among our panel of association executives (several dozen), 58 percent indicated they would invest at some level in social media in the next (2013) budget cycle. --Social Media Use By Associations, One Orange Feather Inc., 2012
- 29. No Social Media?Are You Crazy?!? The direct effect of social media on your audience can be difficult to determine. --The Why and How of Social Media: An Introduction for Associations, Association Management Center
- 30. No Social Media?Are You Crazy?!? Social media has the potential to revolutionize your associationâs impact with member communications, event marketing, advocacy and networking. It also promises to make outreach less expensive. --associationtrends.com
- 31. No Social Media?Are You Crazy?!? Many organizations launch their online community without conducting needs assessment interviews or customer surveys to help align their community with their target audienceâs core problems. --Paul Schneider, Socious Online Community Blog, April 12, 2012
- 32. No Social Media?Are You Crazy?!? If you havenât started to implement social media into your marketing mix, now is the time to start. --Sarah Sladek, The State of Social Media in Associations and What to Do About It
- 33. No Social Media?Are You Crazy?!? Only 10% of respondents said that social media is the single most exciting opportunity for your organization (or for your client) in 2014? -- Quarterly Digital Intelligence Briefing: 2014 Digital Trends, Econsultancy in conjunction with Adobe
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- 39. 10 Things toDo Before Implementing Something New 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Co-workers Colleagues Member benefit Squirrel! Constituents 6. Pilot program 7. Bottom line 8. Research 9. Sleep on it 10.Consultants
- 41. Contact Us Scott Oser President ScottOser Associates scott@scottoserassociates.com @scottoser 301.279.0468 Aaron Wolowiec, MSA, CAE, CMP, CTA The Meetings Coach Event Garde aaron@eventgarde.com @aaronwolowiec 616.710.1891
Editor's Notes
- #2Â SCOTT: Welcome attendees; thank them for coming
- #3Â SCOTT: My partner today is Aaron Wolowiec. He's the founder and president of Event Garde, a consulting firm quickly gaining recognition in the association community for its creativity and leadership in both instructional design and meeting management. Aaronâs interest in this session stems from his curiosity of extreme association trends and their applicability to the organizations he advises.
- #4Â AARON: My partner today is ScottOser. He's the president of Scott Oser Associates a boutique consulting firm that has been helping associations increase revenues by improving their membership, marketing and sales activities for over 8 years. Scottâs interest in this session stems from the fact that he believes that there can be a âme tooâ mentality in the association space and he really wants association professionals to hear both sides of current trends so they can make the right decision for their unique situation.
- #5Â âLike Meâ activity â AARON will facilitate PROCESSParticipants move chairs back from tables so it will be easy to stand if appropriate. Name categories like:My current role is in education/learning.My current role is in marketing/PR/communications.My current role is in membership.My current role is in meetings/expositions.My current role is in technology/social media.My current role is association CEO/executive director.As people stand, remind them to look around and see who else is also in that group. Finally make the category âotherâ for roles. (In other words, if your role has not been called, please stand.) The facilitator asks standing members to state their roles.TIPSBecause this strategy is done as an inclusion activity when you do not yet have a relationship with the group, it is important to state the multiple purposes of inclusion activities like this. They include setting norms of participation, focusing mental energy inside the room, answering the question âwho am I in relation to others in the roomâ and beginning the journey from an aggregate of individuals to a group.The category âotherâ is essential. People feel left out if their role is not acknowledged.
- #6Â AARON will review the handouts posted to the ASAE Great Ideas website
- #7Â AARON will review the session road map and 50,000 overview. SCOTT to discuss the origin of session.
- #8Â SCOTT will facilitate this section of the learning lab. Twenty minutes has been designated as follows:Background information (e.g., quotes, facts, data) â 5 minutePersonal reflection worksheet â 3 minutesReview your notes; place a âplusâ next to points in support of this trend; place a âminusâ next to points in opposition to this trend â 1 minuteShare your most salient âproâ and âconâ points in groups of three or four â 4 minutesVolunteers report out either for or against this trend â 6 minutes Identify action/no action for this trend â 1 minute
- #14Â Personal reflection worksheet â 3 minutesInstructions: Donât worry about whether or not theyâre âgreatâ/complete responses. For now, just write down anything that comes to mind.Whatâs your immediate reaction to this?What resonated the most with you?What concerns you about this information?How does this trend apply to your organization?After three minutes has passed:Now review your notes; place a âplusâ next to points in support of this trend; place a âminusâ next to points in opposition to this trend â 1 minute
- #15Â Share your most salient âproâ and âconâ points in groups of three or four at your table â 4 minutes
- #16Â Volunteers report out either for or against this trend â 6 minutesAaron records pro responses on a flipchartScott records con responses on a flipchart
- #17Â Identify personal action/no action for this trend â 1 minute
- #18Â AARON will facilitate this section of the learning lab. Twenty minutes has been designated as follows:Background information (e.g., quotes, facts, data) â 5 minutePersonal reflection worksheet â 3 minutesReview your notes; place a âplusâ next to points in support of this trend; place a âminusâ next to points in opposition to this trend â 1 minuteShare your most salient âproâ and âconâ points in groups of three or four â 4 minutesVolunteers report out either for or against this trend â 6 minutes Identify action/no action for this trend â 1 minute
- #24Â Personal reflection worksheet â 3 minutesInstructions: Donât worry about whether or not theyâre âgreatâ/complete responses. For now, just write down anything that comes to mind.Whatâs your immediate reaction to this?What resonated the most with you?What concerns you about this information?How does this trend apply to your organization?After three minutes has passed:Now review your notes; place a âplusâ next to points in support of this trend; place a âminusâ next to points in opposition to this trend â 1 minute
- #25Â Share your most salient âproâ and âconâ points in groups of three or four at your table â 4 minutes
- #26Â Volunteers report out either for or against this trend â 6 minutesAaron records pro responses on a flipchartScott records con responses on a flipchart
- #27Â Identify personal action/no action for this trend â 1 minute
- #28Â SCOTT will facilitate this section of the learning lab. Twenty minutes has been designated as follows:Background information (e.g., quotes, facts, data) â 5 minutePersonal reflection worksheet â 3 minutesReview your notes; place a âplusâ next to points in support of this trend; place a âminusâ next to points in opposition to this trend â 1 minuteShare your most salient âproâ and âconâ points in groups of three or four â 4 minutesVolunteers report out either for or against this trend â 6 minutes Identify action/no action for this trend â 1 minute
- #34Â Over 2,500 respondents.
- #35Â Personal reflection worksheet â 3 minutesInstructions: Donât worry about whether or not theyâre âgreatâ/complete responses. For now, just write down anything that comes to mind.Whatâs your immediate reaction to this?What resonated the most with you?What concerns you about this information?How does this trend apply to your organization?After three minutes has passed:Now review your notes; place a âplusâ next to points in support of this trend; place a âminusâ next to points in opposition to this trend â 1 minute
- #36Â Share your most salient âproâ and âconâ points in groups of three or four at your table â 4 minutes
- #37Â Volunteers report out either for or against this trend â 6 minutesAaron records pro responses on a flipchartScott records con responses on a flipchart
- #38Â Identify personal action/no action for this trend â 1 minute
- #40 SCOTT to lead discussion:Don't do it just to do it. (Don't chase the next shiny object. Squirrel!)Test or develop a pilot program for the idea to see how it will play out in real life.Talk to your co-workers across all departments early in the process to get their thoughts and perspectives on how something new might impact their areas of responsibility.Talk to your association network (e.g., Collaborate). Learn how product/program implementation has impacted your colleaguesâ associations.Ensure that your next big idea helps either you or your staff better serve your members. At the very least, it should make your efforts more effective or efficient.Don't do it just to do it. (Don't chase the next shiny object. Squirrel!)Talk to your constituents (e.g., board of directors, members, industry partners) to help ensure what you are considering is right for them/the association.Test or develop a pilot program for the idea to see how it will play out in real life.Run the numbers to see how following the "trend" will impact your bottom line and your association's business. Does it even align with your mission?Do your research (i.e., books, white papers, blogs, articles). Don't rush into implementation too quickly; allow for a cooling down period. âSleep on itâ for a pre-determined period of time (e.g., two weeks). If working with a consultant, determine how both the consultant and the association will take responsibility for implementation/outcomes.
- #41Â AARON to lead discussion
- #42Â AARON to wrap-up the session:ResourcesWhite paper to be created following the program (i.e., opinion piece/what we saw/facts) Contact information â make business cards available at the door; collect business cards for a copy of the work product/PowerPoint presentationThank you