
On behalf of the Association Resource Centre, I’d like to wish you all a very Happy New Year! We sincerely wish you all the best in 2010 and in the new decade.
Your not-for-profit is probably doing a lot of things right...but, in the spirit of New Year's resolutions, I thought I’d share with you three things I think might help your organization on the road to greatness!
1. Start Planning for the Future...Because it’s Already Arrived
I think Bob Dylan said it best when he sang "The Times They are a-Changin." It was true in the 60's and its still true today.
While there are many important trends and issues that are going to impact the not-for-profit sector over the next ten years, here just a few of the Big Issues that are probably already on your radar and that will continue to have a significant impact on your organization into the coming decade:
- Social media is revolutionizing communication. It is a medium that is evolving at a pace almost too fast to keep up with. If things continue along their current path, use of this medium will continue to explode, applications and tools will continue to converge and the ability to do more and more things from smaller and more mobile devices will become the norm.
- Particularly in North America, people are struggling to cram more work, information and other daily activities than ever before into a typical day. Competing for attention and time in a world where staff, volunteers and members are busier than ever will continue to become more and more of a challenge.
- The demographic makeup of your organization has likely been evolving – a trend that will become even more pronounced over the next several years. In addition to the staff and volunteer shortages that will continue to occur across a number of different industries as the boomer generation continues to retire, association staff, members and volunteers are about to get a lot younger.
These issues are no longer things that will happen sometime in the future - They are happening now.
This year: If you haven’t already been doing so, It’s time to bring together stakeholders from different levels of your organization to really start thinking outside of the box about how you can position all aspects of your organization to face these extremely challenging issues head on.
2. Start realising that your members are your greatest asset
Social media, the information explosion, the time crunch, the economy...the world we live in today is changing the way people associate. Not-for-profit organizations are really going to have to stand apart from the crowd in the way they deliver value and meaning if they are to thrive into the next decade.
Association members are the ones on the ground who know the most about their industry, profession, trade or cause. I really think that the key differentiator between those that thrive and those that do not will be in the capacity of not-for-profits to understand that their members are their greatest asset.
This year: Start thinking of ways to use your members to not only help dictate the direction and priorities of your association but to dig into their knowledge, expertise and passion to co-create meaning and value that will help your organization succeed well into the future.
3. Create a strategy based on the needs and priorities of your members
Too many associations operate like private sector companies. Once every year or two (or three, or five...or not at all) the board will hunker down for a day or two inside a stuffy boardroom and hammer out a strategic plan they think will serve the best interests of their members.
Despite their good intentions, all too often they overlook a critical piece of the puzzle: they haven’t asked the members for input. They forget that their members are the owners of the association and are then are confused when member apathy and dissatisfaction levels are on the rise.
Time after time, we’ve seen that the most significant reasons behind member apathy and dissatisfaction in associations is an overwhelming sense by members that they have no influence over the direction and priorities of the association and that their voices are not being heard.
This year: Make it a priority to change the way you look at the planning process. As a first step, ask for member input before you sit down and update your strategic plan. Make sure you use this member input to drive the strategic planning process. Most importantly, communicate back to your members that you are listening and explain what you are doing to turn their input in to a reality. You may be surprised at what a deeper sense of engagement can do to revitalise and strengthen your organization.
It’s your turn: What are your not-for-profit New Year’s resolutions for 2010 and the coming decade? What is Your organization going to do differently?