For most associations, the key to a dynamic and viable enterprise is the active participation of members -whether the member sits on the Board, or on Committees.

Each year, I work with a host of non-profit associations. Over the past couple of years, I have discerned a transcendent issue which promises to affect any and all associations that rely to varying degrees upon member participation – and that means the vast majority. The issue of activism levels has surfaced while I have conducted strategic planning work, member/non-member perception studies, and other projects that put me in touch with the concerns of client association executives and their boards.

A core component of the issue is this: The most active members in many associations are at or nearing retirement age. Not only have many associations lagged in cultivating a new generation of leadership and activism with which to replace these long-time active members, they may also be making the unsafe assumption that younger members will either be inclined or able to participate in the same manner or to the same degree as their predecessors.

Strategic Futures helps associations deal with the first issue – planning for member succession and developing those leaders through expanded committee structures, purposeful mentoring, and other strategic initiatives.

We also help with the second issue which is the inclination or ability of new and/or younger members to participate actively. This issue takes most of us into uncharted territory. Formulaic answers often don’t work. This is where new challenges await and where decidedly new thinking will be required to achieve success.

Let’s address inclination first. Is it safe to assume that the new generation of association members, with a larger proportion of female and minority participation, will participate at the same levels and in the same ways as their largely white male predecessors? As do our clients, we find the new diversity of association membership to be an exciting and positive development, but different demographics often portend different psychographics. For example, one state association of optometrists posed member activism as an issue that is integral to their strategic planning process. Why? They have already witnessed reductions in new membership among young people entering the profession. When prospective members actually join, they aren’t jumping into active participation as new or recent optometrists once did in years gone by.

We hasten to note once again that these associations aren’t making careless gender, age or ethnic generalizations, but they are observing trends that are unfamiliar and difficult to interpret. Indeed, new employment arrangements for optometrists have reshaped the environment. This causes thoughtful association executives understandable concern. Recent trends prompt the conclusion that it is not safe to conclude cavalierly that the patterns of the past will repeat themselves with the new generation. Important opportunities are presented by these new members but these opportunities are not necessarily familiar ones. Bottom line, member inclination to participate actively is a strategic issue that needs to be investigated so that future membership recruitment and participation strategies will be based on facts rather than on sheer faith that predictable patterns of the past will prevail in the future. Fresh thinking is required, not optional.

So what about the raw ability to participate? I separate this from inclination, because a younger member may be inclined to participate, but may be faced with constraining issues in his or her employing organization that effectively handcuff the member to the home front. Take for example, today’s public utility executives. These leaders are facing aging infrastructures nearing breakdown; they also face ultra-lean workforces with critical skill shortages, draconian budget constraints where they are often forced to borrow money to cover daily operating expenses, and increasingly demanding elected officials who demand instantaneous responsiveness, thus gluing them to their Blackberries7. Their ability to find the time to participate in national associations can be overwhelmed easily by their primary professional duties, as well as a potentially reduced ability to participate based on family responsibilities, or other personal constraints or preferences.

Yet another aspect of association participation arises from a mix of concerns, related to both inclination and ability factors, as well as the association environment itself. Many association marketspaces are somewhat crowded, meaning that a plethora of specialized associations abounds; any given member is not just a member of your association, s/he is often a member of multiple associations in what is essentially the same industry. The upshot? A smorgasbord of organizations is competing for arguably shrinking amounts of time allocated and/or available to members for active participation.

To the extent that you believe this scenario applies to your association, you should be preparing for these developments now -- if you haven’t already done so. There are significant implications for strategic planning, dues structure, the correct balance between compensated staff and volunteer member effort, committee structure, succession planning and mentoring, joint ventures among associations, and the list goes on.

If active member participation is a cornerstone of your association’s success, we offer a range of services to analyze this issue as it applies to you. We then work with you to formulate a comprehensive strategy for creating a tomorrow in which your organization will continue to thrive. If you believe that your association should confront this impending challenge in association member participation before it becomes a crisis, Strategic Futures wants to help you forge creative solutions.

Please contact us for more information.

Ron Gunn, management consultant, specializes in strategic management issues related to matrix management, business competition, business process reengineering and human resources. His work has been published by the American Management Association, The Futurist magazine, and in several trade association magazines and newsletters. He is a frequent speaker and trainer who consults to both business and government. Strategic Futures® is located in Alexandria, Virginia (voice: 703/836-8383; fax: 703/836-9192).