Small, but Mighty: The Associations of the Future

As associations consider new pathways to the future, they should consider the present-day realities of unequal, and inequitable, outcomes, how markets grow, and how fortunes are made (and lost).

For years, associations longed for the conditions of the past, of homogenous markets, consisting of broadly similar demographics and, in particular, income distributions. The days of a broad and deep swath of middle class families and households, with fairly common objectives, and, as a result, not-so-hidden persuaders that could be leveraged and manipulated to achieve profitable results.

The days when belonging, mattered.

The days when joining, impressed.

The days when value was assumed, not evaluated.

The days of Mad Men and Grey Flannel Suits. Days of long, long ago. Days of yore.

The truth is that our contemporary reality is consistent only in its inconsistencies.

Financial Inequity is the Rule. The distribution of income is increasingly narrow, focused on fewer and fewer, who not only have the most money, but also the most time, to consider themselves, and their places in the world they own.

The Middle Class, such as it is, is largely aspirational. Striving, wishing, hoping, willing, consuming, to signal success.

People are stressed, and lacking, in time, attention, and means, working harder and harder, with little energy left for other pursuits.

Our communities are inward-focussed, almost tribal, aligned along deeply important lines of identity, of culture, of religion, of language.

Our societies are multi-cultural, and no longer hold, nor are they held by, any one common idea or shared concept.

In other words, where, once upon a time, you could shoot an arrow at a target, and not help but hit some profitable area, today, you must be incredibly precise, almost surgical, in your approach and aim.

The days of large, well-funded, broadly inclusive, homogenous associations are gone, when memberships were passed from generation to generation, renewed without thought.
Today, associations must be incredibly precise, as to whom they intend to serve, how, and why, and prepared for constant evaluation and churn.

Identities drive associations.

Specific identities, missions, mandates and purposes.

But with such specificity, associations can also become precise, in their programming, their services, their benefits.

Clearly, they can say, this is who we are, this is who we serve, this is why we exist.

And, while they may be smaller in size, they can be mighty and grow with modern membership management software.

Mighty, in their ability to attract like-minded people to join, to take advantage of programs and services so clearly tailored to their particular wants and needs, and to advocate for clearly identifiable causes and concerns.

As if to facilitate our entry Into this new age of Small, but Mighty associations, we are fortunate to live in a day and age, when the programs, the applications, the infrastructure, modern membership management software, that we need to start-up and develop these new age associations, do not require large membership bases, with deep, broad sources of funding and administration, to equip and empower them.

The future for associations is clear, and specific, niched, not generalized, but nevertheless significant, and promising.

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Paul McKay CAE is senior consultant with McKay Associates. Feel free to get in touch with Paul through LinkedIn