What If: Imagining a New Association Business Model
Associations are no strangers to challenges. Recognizing, emphasizing, and working to overcome the common hurdles we face in our industry is a continuous and consistent feature of any associations’ efforts. The challenges we face, moreover, are further complicated when they are communal. Sometimes, systemic challenges are being tackled by a variety of professions (and, therefore, associations) […]
Try the less is more approach to non-dues revenue
All associations want to maximize revenue in order to better serve their members. Non-dues revenue channels can be a great opportunity for associations to broaden the range of services they offer and to build relationships with other bodies in their industry. But a deluge of products, conferences and publications aimed at increasing revenue can distract […]
Are we all just copying each other?
CAAAAW! CAAAAW! The crow’s “caw” sounded unnatural and abnormally human. Almost like he was reading a script written by another crow. He kind of was, in reality. A while back, I was at The National Aviary in Pittsburgh. I was in a foyer with three cages individually occupied by two parrots and a crow. The […]
How we jumped into Design Thinking
If you are launching into this article unsure about what Design Thinking is, you can make your way to part one. This second part covers my association’s plunge into the deepend, and what happens when empathy becomes your starting point. There is no roadmap for implementing Design Thinking into your strategic plan. Indeed, given that to employ […]
Solve problems by putting yourself in someone else’s shoes
Design Thinking is about a starting point. In the face of a problem, a challenge or a task to be completed, finding the most effective solution is not just a matter of choosing the route. It involves establishing the starting line. Design Thinking is a problem solving process that starts with adopting the position of […]