04/26/2024

A New Age for Associations

The rules of engagement have changed

Professional associating has changed as nonprofit organizations face struggles of sustainability and significance within a shifting workforce. In 2022, 47 percent of associations reported a decline in total membership. Recruitment results have been trying at best, with membership retention an even tougher sell for many leading professional associations. In some industries, conference and event attendance have not fully recovered from pandemic-level lows. The rules of engagement have changed, but with a modern multigenerational workforce in place, how can nonprofit leaders ensure the viability of the organizations they serve into the future?

Coming Together—Yesterday and Today

There was a time when you didn’t miss the conference. As a professional, it was the proverbially right thing to do: joining your professional organization and perhaps assuming a leadership role on the board of directors. It added relevance and trusted authority in one’s chosen field. Multi-day conferences were an opportunity to spend time with professional friends from across the miles in the hotel lobby bar. But things have changed. We have much to unpack in the way many professional associations still choose to assemble.

As we attended meetings and conferences, the opportunity was availed to engage with our peers and glean updates on tools and techniques, in addition to meetings with industry representatives offering products and services that would provide administrative benefit. We needed to attend the meeting, otherwise these opportunities would be missed. Much has changed since this era, as nearly all elements of the annual conference have been replaced by a remote or virtual option.

Please select this link to read the complete article from ASAE’s Center for Association Leadership.