Blog
Advice to Associations: Six Consultants Weigh In
When a group of association consultants met via Zoom recently, they realized that what they are observing might be helpful to the association boards and staff charged with creating a way forward during an unexpected, turbulent time. Here’s their advice for 2021 and...
Recovery Indicators
Harrison Coerver, my Race for Relevance co-author, is tracking recovery COVID-19 economic indicators. Here are a few: According to the International Air Transport Association, revenue per kilometers will still be 10% below where they were projected to be in 2025 in...
The “Roughly Right” Strategy
Humans love certainty. And we love to plan and decide and strategize when we are certain about the facts, the future and our assumptions. But what about decision making in times of uncertainty? The reality is there is no such thing as 100% certainty. In order to make...
Guest Blog: Don’t Burn the Furniture, Please.
by Dave Bergeson, Ph.D., CAE Vice President of Client Relations Association Management Center It would be cliché and perhaps too obvious to say that for nonprofits and associations, this year is unlike any other. And yet, here we are. Most of our in-person conferences...
Guest Blog: Strategic Resilience
by Dave Coffaro President Franklin Roosevelt is credited with saying a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor. As optimistic as this tough times don’t last, but tough people do sentiment is, it doesn’t diminish the fact that many a sailor experiences acute queasiness...
Your North Star
What’s your North Star? It’s a question I’ve asked clients repeatedly over the last several months—and one I plan to continue asking. Polaris—the North Star—represents direction and purpose and finding one’s way. And finding a way is the work that so many association...
You Have a Choice
My friend, Joy Duling, Founder/CEO of The Joy of Membership, writes with clarity about the choices organizations have today as a result of COVID-19. Joy’s company helps membership-based organizations reach goals faster through membership experience design, process...
Your “Next Normal” – What I’m suggesting right now …
It’s day 64 of sheltering in place for me. During this time, I’ve talked to many association professionals, presented several webinars to help develop solid go-forward strategies, and collected a variety of resources (which is available here). As a result of this...
Let’s Talk About Grief
My first association job was working for an international organization of funeral homes. My job included producing materials that members could buy for the families they served. “After the Loss” was a booklet I wrote about grief. I found a copy recently when I was...