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How To Use Change To Grow Your Association

Written by: Leigh Farnell

Article Overview: Most Associations want to grow but they have limited resources to do it.. Here is an article to help with your next Association Planning meeting..

How To Use Change To Grow Your Association

You already know this to be true.. but I’ll say it anyway..
If your Association isn’t changing, then it will be changing anyway..


If a plant isn’t growing, its probably dying…and that’s also true for your association.

If your committee or Board do not have a strategy in place to adapt, take advantage of and thrive in these changing times, you can be guaranteed, your membership numbers, financial turnover and budget will be going down the plughole.

There is no such thing as security as we knew it..
The rules of the game have changed…

In the good old days the public service was bigger.
You could go to lunch all afternoon (if it was on ‘business’)
You belonged to an Association because it was the ‘thing to do.’
If you wore the Association tie, you were accepted in the inner circle.

Now, if you go to lunch it better be good for business…
If you’re in an Association you’d better be able to prove it will add value. If you put work time into Association projects you’d better be able to justify it..
And if you’re wearing the tie, you’d still better be able to deliver the goods..

Solution… formulate a strategy to be secure in insecure times.

The only security is the security of perceived value.. The value our employers, our members our customers perceive we add to their lives…

If your Association isn’t perceived to add real value to the bottom line of your members businesses, you’d better sit down and work out how it will..

Here are 4 keys to consider in your planning.

# 1. Ask better questions about change..

‘Nothing is constant except change.’ - The Kabala

The way to handle change is firstly Accept it…. Then to ask better questions.

The longer you allow people to complain and whinge about change instead of accepting it, the longer it will take to adapt to the change.

The keys to coming up with innovative strategy is to ask new questions, more innovative questions –

1. How can we turn these changes to our advantage…?
2. How can we increase our membership base by 30% - this year?
3. How can we give even more value to our members, for less cost to our members?

#2. TAP IN ON THE FEARS AND DREAMS OF YOUR MEMBERS

People are motivated to either move away from pain, or move toward pleasure.

You wear shoes to avoid the pain on walking over rocks, and gain the pleasure of shoes that match your suit… (bare feet just don’t look as good with the new suit do they?)

Your membership will grow when you step into the shoes of your prospective members.

Here’s how you go about it.

1. Work out your ideal member profile.
2. Who are the 20 percent of your members who give you 80 percent of the revenue and support?
3. Where do they come from?
4. What are some of their fears and problems?
5. How can you help them solve those problems?
6. Why do they join? How does joining your Association help make their lives easier, better, more enjoyable?

7. Then offer new solutions, new membership packages to attract more of them.

8. Once you have a clear package of solutions and benefits… Tell the world… No don’t tell the world.. Tell more people like your Ideal Members.



Use;

• telemarketing
• direct mail
• newsletter with offers.. tapes, books, seminars to help your members
• make contact every 60 to 90 days..
• manage their perception - how you are offering benefits

#3. OFFER SUPPORT

As part of your membership package, offer support to help your ideal members realise their goals.

Meetings and newsletters are not enough these days. You need to provide more.

• mentor groups - synergy
• tools, systems, packages and benefits they cant get anywhere else..
• what do I get when I join you..

You can use the same formula when attracting sponsors

TAP IN ON THE FEARS AND DREAMS OF YOUR SPONSORS..
• increased business
• exposure

#4. PLAN IT NOW… DO IT NOW

You’re reading this and asking .. ‘so what does this mean for me? What’s the next step?’

I believe the next step is getting your key executives, Board Members or committee members into the one room to
• clearly understand the issues facing your association
• get agreement a plan of action should be developed
• put a structure and strategy in place to make it happen

The big mistake most Associations make here is they get someone from within the industry to chair or facilitate.

The reality is, if you are to change your Association, you need outside thought to catalyse new thinking. In Nature its called genetic diversity. In business, its called intellectual diversity.

You cannot have the same 10 people sitting around a table for 10 years and expect a breakthrough idea to come from within the group.

A Plan to Breakthrough

We recommend the following options:

• A Breakthrough Vision Day: Catalysing Leaders in Action
• a one day workshop with your key players to set a new vision and strategic outline for your Association. This is a unique process based on Worlds Best Practice Business Growth Strategies.
• A Breakthrough Planning Team: Formulating the Strategy
• A team that is formed to flesh out the details based on the Breakthrough Vision Day.

• Breakthrough Coaching Journey - A 12 Month Plan of Transformation
• a unique 12 month process to ensure the ideas and strategies are implemented and delivering measurable, profitable outcomes.

LEADERSHIP

Change requires leadership.

If your Association is to change something has to happen. If your Association is to turn insecurity into security; someone must take the initiative.

If you’d like your Association to move to the next step, to break through from the past, to take advantage of the future, take action.

Pick up the phone and make a call to get the wheels in motion.

Either way, things will change….

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