Association Alignment Can Drive Growth

Strategic Member Engagement

Engaging boards in strategy development is powerful; the strategic member engagement survey (see results http://bit.ly/1g8g1J2) reports that those Associations who have this capability more often report upward 3 Year business trends. However, when actionable member data (through impact surveys) is discussed with boards, it helps Association’s create great conversations on how to align with their member’s business outcomes.

Member “Up at Night” Issues

As part of a broader realignment process, CTAM www.ctam.com, the Cable and Telecommunications Association for Marketing makes a concerted effort through annual impact surveys, member meetings, and ongoing board conversations to understand their impact on member “up at night” issues.

ROI and Member Impact Statements

The CTAM Mission, vision, strategy, objectives, culture, and implementation reinforce their commitment to help members grow their business. Zell Murphy, Senior Vice President, Finance & Administration says his team view learning about member alignment and reporting on how they deliver on member outcomes as the Association’s mantra.

Murphy outlines a focused process whereby annual survey data is augmented with member visits, and where open ended conversations on “up at night” issues take place. Staff also shares individualized “Member Impact Statements” linking the association to key member business outcomes.


Ongoing Focus on Member Business Outcomes

CTAM continually re engineers its strategies and focuses their efforts on affecting membership business performance. How can Association’s replicate these strategies?

  1. Focus volunteer leaders on the members’ success
  2. Facilitate Board strategic discussions about member objectives
  3. Help members achieve their business “outcomes”

Association Alignment Can Drive Growth

What drives growth? Association alignment with member business outcomes. How should Associations develop and implement this strategy? By creating collaborative solutions, and then affecting member business outcomes in ways that members could not do on their own.

association alignmentFree eBook “Accelerating Strategic Member Engagement” is available for all Association Executives at www.potomaccore.com, www.icimo.com, and www.verticalleapconsulting.com.

 

By Dan Varroney

3 decades of experience working with multiple Industries and understanding different Association challenges by helping build strategies that add long term value. Comprehensive understanding of Associations, as Senior Vice President for the National Association of Manufacturers’ National Membership & Grass Roots operation, as President of the American Solutions Advocacy organization, & as President and CEO of the Association for Corporate Growth. Considerable background on impact of legislative and regulatory policy on Industries, has provided analysis on economic performance and M&A trends in outlets that include CNBC, CNBC Europe, Fox News, Fox Business, Dow Jones Marketwatch, Bloomberg, and the BBC. Strategic perspectives are frequently sought out by CEO Update, a leading source for Association news and information. Authored over 145 blog articles on Strategic Planning & Member Engagement. Facilitates knowledge sharing among forty -five Association CEO’s at the Growth Strategies & Member Engagement Forum.  Served as a member of the Prince William County, Virginia Strategic Business Planning Team. District Three Councilman in the Village of Palatine, Cook County, Illinois, twenty one years. B.A. in American History from the Catholic University of America, Washington D.C. and earned a Certificate from the Yale School of Management, New Haven, Connecticut in Leadership and Team Effectiveness. Member of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE).