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In 1770s France, the potato had an image problem.It had been banned in several regions. Blamed for leprosy. Dismissed as peasant food - something you fed to pigs, not people. The Parisian bourgeoisie wanted nothing to do with it.Antoine-Augustin Parmentier knew this was wrong. He'd survived Prussian captivity largely on potatoes and understood their nutritional value better than almost anyone in France. He had the evidence. He had the argument. He could have published pamphlets, held public information sessions, appealed to common sense.He did none of that.Instead, he planted a field of potatoes outside Paris and posted royal guards around it during the day - then quietly withdrew them at night. He persuaded King Louis XVI to wear a potato flower in his lapel. Marie Antoinette wore them in her hair. He hosted lavish dinner parties for scientists, philosophers, and the influential thinkers of the day, serving potato dishes to people who would carry the conversation far beyond his table.Within a generation, the potato was a French staple.Parmentier didn't inform people into change. He engineered conditions for it.That distinction is worth sitting with - because it has real implications for associations.<h3>The Instinct Most Organisations Share</h3>When associations face a perception challenge - whether it's members reconsidering the value of renewing, a profession navigating a public image shift, or a policy position that isn't gaining traction - the instinct is almost always the same.Communicate it clearly.Publish the research. Send the email. Update the website. Restate the case with more precision, more frequency, more supporting evidence.It's a reasonable instinct. Associations are built on expertise, and sharing that expertise is genuinely part of the job.&nbsp;But Parmentier's story offers a useful additional lens: sometimes the most powerful move isn't a better argument. It's a better-designed experience of discovery.&nbsp;People don't always change their perceptions because they've received better information. They change because they've had a different experience, because people they trust have modelled a different view, or because something shifted in how they see themselves in relation to the issue.That's not a criticism of how associations communicate. It's an invitation to add another tool to the kit.<h3>The Parmentier Playbook</h3>Parmentier's approach wasn't accidental - it was a masterclass in perception change. And it maps directly onto the challenges associations face.Make it desirable before you make it available. The guards on the potato field created perceived scarcity and value before a single argument was made. Associations often do the reverse - making everything available to everyone, then wondering why it feels undervalued. Selective access, invitation-only pilots, and early access for engaged members can create the kind of desire that open access rarely does.Use the right messengers - not the loudest ones. Parmentier didn't convince farmers. He convinced the King - and let the King's lapel do the talking. In associations, peer influence almost always outweighs organisational communication. A respected member telling their network "this is worth your time" will land harder than any email from the CEO. Identify your equivalent of the King's lapel, and invest there.Engineer discovery rather than announce arrival. People who find something feel differently about it than people who are told about it. The potato theft was never accidental - it was designed. Associations can create similar conditions: content that surfaces at the right moment, events that introduce an idea through a side door, partnerships that expose your work to new audiences who weren't actively looking for you.Let the dinner party do the work. Parmentier's gatherings weren't about convincing guests - they were about creating advocates. Every sector has its equivalent: the roundtable, the advisory group, the invited contributor. Bring the right people inside the tent, give them a genuine role, and let them carry the story out. People advocate far more effectively for things they feel ownership of.Be patient with the timeline. Perception change doesn't happen in a campaign. It happens over seasons. Parmentier worked this problem for years. Associations with a genuine perception challenge need a strategy that runs across a sustained period - not a communications push tied to the next annual conference.<h3>What This Looks Like in Practice</h3>The Parmentier principles apply whether you're trying to shift how members experience your value, or how an external audience understands your profession.If the challenge is member perception, the question to ask isn't "how do we communicate our benefits better?" It's "what would make a member feel like they'd be missing something important if they left?" That's a design question, not a communications one. It's about what members experience in their first 30 days, which peers they see endorsing your work, and what they can access that non-members simply can't.If the challenge is public or sector perception, the question isn't "what do we need people to understand?" It's "who do we need to influence first, and who will they influence next?" Find your equivalent of the King. Make it worth their while to carry the message. Build the conditions for advocacy rather than waiting for comprehension.In both cases, the work happens upstream of the communication. The communication is the multiplier - but only once you've built something worth multiplying.<h3>A Question to Consider</h3>Parmentier had the evidence. He had the facts. He had a perfectly rational argument for why France should be eating potatoes.He set it aside and built desire instead.What perception is your association trying to shift right now - and are you writing pamphlets, or planting fields?<h3>Coming Up: Associations Unleashed - 26-27 May, Sydney</h3>If you enjoy reading my articles, you'll love Associations Unleashed. It's a two-day, in-person event for association professionals ready to move past business as usual. No expo floor. No polite panels. Instead: two days of inspiration, case studies, and fresh thinking from corporates, associations, and subject matter experts who are doing things differently. I'll be speaking alongside some brilliant people in what promises to be a very different kind of event - one built for association leaders who want to drive real innovation, not just talk about it. <a data-mce-href="https://answers.glueup.com/event/associations-unleashed-164344/" href="https://answers.glueup.com/event/associations-unleashed-164344/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Register here&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;

What Associations Can Learn from Potatoes

When people tell me their “membership is declining” what they usually mean is: people are hesitating to commit - and we don’t like what that might say about us.&nbsp;Fair enough. No one enjoys watching a once-loyal base become a bit … non-committal.But the truth is that membership doesn’t decline first. Relevance does. And when relevance slips, membership follows - quietly at first, then all at once.<h3>Membership Myths We Need to Retire</h3>There are the old stories we tell ourselves in associations to make ourselves feel better about poor membership performance:<ul><li>“The market is changing - the drop membership is probably just part of that.”</li><li>“People just don’t join organisations like they used to.”</li><li>“Younger professionals don’t see the value in membership the way earlier generations did.”</li><li>“With cost-of-living pressures, membership is one of the first things people cut.”</li><li>“There are so many alternatives now - people can get similar value elsewhere without joining.”</li></ul>Sometimes those are real factors. But they are rarely the main factor.Because when an association is deeply relevant - when it reduces risk, increases capability, provides identity, and gives people a place to belong - people still join.&nbsp;They find the budget.&nbsp;They find the time.&nbsp;They find the reason.So, if membership is wobbling, the better question isn’t “how do we market harder?” It’s where have we become less essential?”<h3>What Relevance Actually Means&nbsp;</h3>Relevance is not “being liked”. It’s not “being visible”. It’s not “running lots of activities”. Relevance is when a member looks at your organisation and thinks:<ul><li>“My membership makes my job easier and keeps me current.”</li><li>“My membership protects my credibility and reduces my risk.”</li><li>“My membership gives me access I can’t get elsewhere.”</li><li>“My membership helps me influence the legislative environment I work in."</li><li>“My membership helps me connect with my people and my professional community.”</li></ul>It’s when the association helps members do something they can’t do alone - or can’t do as well alone. That’s the bar now. And it is much higher than it used to be.<h3>The Five Ways Associations Lose Relevance</h3>Relevance doesn’t usually collapse. It erodes - in sensible-looking decisions made over time. Here are five patterns I see again and again.<ol><li>The “Museum Effect” - You keep doing things because they used to matter. Programs, structures, benefits, even language - preserved like artefacts. Meanwhile the profession has moved on, and your value is being experienced as historical, not helpful.</li><li>The “Menu Problem” - You offer lots of things, but none of them feel essential. A long list of benefits can read like clutter when members are overwhelmed. Choice isn’t value. Clarity is.</li><li>The “Internal Comfort Trap”- You build value around what’s easiest to deliver, not what’s most needed. Associations are brilliantly capable of staying busy. The risk is becoming busy in ways that mainly serve internal rhythms - not member outcomes.</li><li>The “Identity Drift” - You can’t clearly answer: who are we for and what are we here to change?. It's when your identity becomes broad to please everyone, it becomes meaningful to no one and your value proposition sounds like it could belong to any association. Relevance loves focus.</li><li>The “Transactional Relationships” Problem - Your members don’t feel a sense of belonging - they feel like customers. The relationship is defined by what they can get, not who they are part of. And when value is framed purely as a transaction, loyalty is fragile. They have no reason to stay when another option looks cheaper, faster, or easier.</li></ol><h3>Relevance Is Built - Not Announced</h3>You can’t reword your way back to relevance. You have to deliver your way back. Relevance is built through what members experience consistently:<ul><li>Do you remove friction, or add it?</li><li>Do you guide decisions, or leave people guessing?</li><li>Do you create confidence, or create noise?</li><li>Do you protect standards, or simply talk about them?</li><li>Do you help members act with confidence, or just give them more information?</li><li>Do you anticipate what’s coming, or only respond once it’s already here?</li><li>Do you design for member outcomes, or organise around internal convenience?</li><li>Do you build real connection, or just host events?</li></ul>The associations winning right now aren’t necessarily bigger. They’re clearer. And they deliver that clarity through action.<h3>What This Looks Like in Practice&nbsp;</h3>Whether you’re shaping strategy, leading a team, or influencing how value is created day to day, there are a few high-leverage moves that don’t require a 12-month reinvention project.<ol><li>Decide what you want to be famous for - Not “we do lots of things”. More like: “We are the authority on X.” “We raise the standard for Y.” “We protect the sector by doing Z.” If your leadership team can’t say this in one sentence, relevance will always be fragile.</li><li>Make value feel obvious within 30 days - New members shouldn’t need six months to figure out why they joined. A strong onboarding sequence does more for retention than most marketing campaigns. </li><li>Stop measuring activity - measure outcomes - “Number of webinars” is not a member outcome. “Members report improved confidence in…” is. Pick 3-5 outcomes you want members to experience, and build everything around them.</li><li>Audit your benefits like a ruthless minimalist - Keep what is distinctive. Improve what is essential. Retire what is nostalgic. Every “nice to have” creates noise that hides what truly matters. What you take away can have as much impact as what you keep.</li><li>Build belonging on something real - Belonging isn’t created by “networking opportunities”. It’s created by shared identity, shared standards, shared language, and shared progress. Give members something solid to gather around.</li></ol><h3>Effective Communication Matters</h3>Even with all these strategies, relevance still has to be seen. Many associations do genuinely valuable work - but members don’t experience it because it’s poorly translated, inconsistently communicated, or buried in channels people don’t use.If members don’t understand what you do, why it matters, or how it helps them, relevance can’t land - no matter how real it is. But communication isn’t the fix for irrelevance. It’s the multiplier for relevance that already exists.To maximise relevance to members you need to both do work that matters, and communicate it in ways that make that work obvious, timely, and human.<h3>A Question to Consider</h3>If your association disappeared tomorrow, would members feel inconvenienced … or genuinely disadvantaged? That gap is the relevance gap.&nbsp;And closing it is the real membership strategy.<h3>About the Author</h3>Belinda Moore works with associations to help them navigate change, strengthen member value, and build sustainable futures. With decades of experience advising boards and executives, she blends strategic insight with practical action. If this article sparked a question or an idea, join the conversation in the comments, connect with her on LinkedIn, or email <a data-mce-href="mailto:%20belinda@smsonline.net.au" href="mailto:%20belinda@smsonline.net.au" target="_blank" rel="noopener">belinda@smsonline.net.au</a>. And if you found it valuable, please share it with someone who might benefit. &nbsp;

Membership Isn’t Declining - Relevance Is

Purpose isn’t a slogan or a feel-good statement from last year’s strategy day. It’s the organising principle that shapes what you do, what you stop doing, and how you define success.Working in associations, we’ve all seen what happens when that clarity fades. Strategies scatter. Member engagement weakens. Resources stretch thin.Yet, when purpose is clear, everything aligns - governance, strategy, communication, and culture. Purpose is the foundation of strategy. Your purpose is revealed through identity: what you are, who you serve, and the role you play in your broader ecosystem.<h3>Identity Shapes Purpose, Purpose Drives Strategy</h3>When you understand your identity deeply, purpose comes into focus. Once that’s clear, strategy and structure start to feel obvious - to you, your members, and everyone who depends on you. Think of these as a cascade - each feeding the next:<ul><li>Identity defines who you are and who you serve. It’s the foundation for every other decision. If you can’t express it clearly, focus elsewhere will always falter.</li><li>Purpose defines why you exist – the meaningful change you’re here to create for your members and the system around you.</li><li>Strategy defines how you’ll do it – the specific choices, priorities, and trade-offs that make the purpose real.</li></ul>Many boards try to “fix strategy” when the real issue is fuzzy identity. But strategy simply reflects who you are and what you stand for. Sharpen identity, and purpose crystallises. With that clarity, strategy becomes easier, faster, and far more confident.<h3>Why Clarity Matters Now</h3>Members are demanding more. The external environment is shifting faster than ever. And as funding tightens, the temptation to be all things to all people grows stronger.That’s exactly how associations lose their edge.Your competitive advantage isn’t doing everything – it’s doing your thing exceptionally well. Clarity of identity lets you focus energy where it matters most and say “no” to distractions without guilt.<h3>Identity is the Lens that Sharpens Purpose</h3>Every association has a purpose. But too often, that purpose gets clouded by competing demands or the urge to serve everyone.Identity anchors you. It answers the foundational questions:<ul><li>What are we?</li><li>Who do we serve?</li><li>What makes us distinct?</li></ul>Identity provides the context that makes purpose real. For example:<ul><li>A professional association’s identity is rooted in careers and standards, so its purpose centres on elevating competence and recognition.</li><li>An industry body’s identity is collective representation, so its purpose is to influence policy, reputation, and regulation.</li></ul>By paying close attention to identity, leaders avoid chasing goals that don’t fit or measuring success by someone else’s standards. Instead, they define success in ways that are authentic to their members and purpose. That clarity is your compass. It keeps purpose pointing true north.<h3>Different Types, Different Callings</h3>Understanding how identity and purpose connect across association types helps avoid the common trap of 'purpose envy' – when associations mimic peers’ strategies or messages without considering their own unique identity. This habit can lead to confusion, misalignment, and diluted impact. Recognising your own place in the landscape helps avoid chasing goals that belong to someone else’s model. Here’s how different types of associations express their identity and purpose in distinct ways:<ul><li>Professional associations. Their identity centres on careers, competence, and belonging. They help individuals progress while raising the profession’s standing – through standards, CPD, ethics, mentoring, and a strong professional narrative.</li><li>Medical colleges. Their strength lies in trust. They uphold training and credentialing standards where failure carries real-world consequences. They exist to protect both professionals and the public.</li><li>Trade associations. Their members want outcomes, not inspiration. Their identity is pragmatic – saving time, reducing risk, and cutting complexity. Policy is a tool, not the destination.</li><li>Industry bodies. They represent the bigger picture: the reputation, policy settings, and public standing of an entire sector. Their&nbsp;purpose is influence, and your currency is credibility, evidence, and authority.</li><li>Chambers of commerce. They are the convenor – the glue holding local economies together. They connect, amplify, and advocate for the local business ecosystem.</li><li>Charities with members. They balance two worlds: serving members while advancing a broader public good. Their&nbsp;purpose is to ensure member value strengthens your mission, not competes with it.</li><li>Advocacy associations. They exist to shift hearts, minds, and laws. Every action – from research to campaigning to partnerships – serves that mission. They succeed when real change happens.</li><li>Multi-disciplinary associations. They unite people from different fields around a shared issue or cause. Their challenge – and opportunity – is to spark innovation through collaboration while staying coherent enough to act together.</li><li>Community and recreational groups. Their identity is local, volunteer-driven, and deeply human. They exist so people can belong, contribute, and pursue their passions.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Hybrids. Combining two or more of these models means walking a tightrope between audiences. The purpose is to create mutual value where each group’s needs and goals reinforce, not compete with, one another. &nbsp;<h3>Turning Clarity into Action </h3>Defining your identity isn’t about wordsmithing a vision statement - it’s about defining who you are and using that clarity to guide every decision, priority, and partnership. This is where identity turns from theory into practice - shaping how you lead, communicate, and create value. Here’s how to start translating identity into focused action:</li></ul><ol><li>Name your core member. Be specific about who your association truly exists for. Are they individuals, organisations, a cause, or a defined segment within a broader ecosystem? Write it in one sentence that anyone could understand – then test it with real members. If it doesn’t resonate, refine it until it does.</li><li>State your role in the system. Every association plays a role in a wider network of partners, regulators, and peers. Are you primarily mobilising people, representing interests, building capability, or facilitating collaboration? Pick one lead role and two supporting roles. Clarity here helps avoid mission creep and turf wars.</li><li>Map the value. Identify the five most important “jobs” members rely on you to do - the problems you solve, the outcomes you enable, the needs you meet. Be brutally honest about where you deliver real value and where expectations outpace delivery. This reveals both your strengths and opportunities.</li><li>Prune the average. Every irrelevant project drains focus and resources. Look critically at each activity and ask, “Does this express our purpose or reinforce our identity?” If not, pause, rethink, or stop it entirely. Clarity grows when clutter shrinks.</li><li>Define success your way. Choose metrics that reflect your identity and what truly matters to your members and purpose. For example, a professional association might measure success by higher professional standards and recognition; an industry body by policy influence and stakeholder trust; a community group by belonging and participation. The key is to measure progress in ways that mirror who you are, not just what’s easiest to count.</li><li>Know your position. Are you a primary or secondary association? A primary association is the main representative body for a profession or sector – membership is expected or even required, such as surgeons belonging to their college. A secondary association serves members who already belong elsewhere, often cutting across disciplines, specialties, or industries. Secondary organisations must offer distinctive benefits – such as thought leadership, collaboration, or innovation – that complement what the primary body provides.</li><li>Align governance. Your governance structure should mirror your association’s identity and purpose. Ensure your board composition, committees, and decision-making processes reflect the voices of the members and stakeholders you exist to serve. Diversity of experience and perspective strengthens decisions, but alignment on purpose keeps them coherent.</li><li>Tell the story – simply. Craft a story so clear that anyone in your organisation can share it with pride. In two sentences, describe who you serve and what changes because you exist. This shared language keeps everyone – from staff to volunteers to board – focused on the same mission. <h3>Pitfalls to Avoid</h3></li></ol>Even the clearest associations can drift off course. Over time, external pressures, well-meaning leaders, or ambitious projects can blur identity and scatter focus. Recognising and addressing these patterns early is crucial to maintaining alignment and impact.<ul><li>Identity creep – Gradually expanding your audience or promise until your core value becomes indistinct. This often happens when new opportunities seem too good to pass up but stretch you beyond your core purpose. Guard against it by regularly revisiting who you are for and why you exist.</li><li>Borrowed metrics – Measuring success by someone else’s yardstick, such as adopting corporate KPIs or another association’s benchmarks that don’t reflect your mission. Define your own measures of success rooted in member value and mission impact.</li><li>Programme sprawl – Adding new initiatives without retiring the old ones, leading to an overextended team and diluted focus. Make “stop doing” decisions part of your regular planning cycle.</li><li>Governance drift – When boards become too operational or detached from strategy, decisions lose coherence. Keep governance roles clearly defined and aligned with identity and purpose.</li><li>Communication inconsistency – When different parts of the organisation tell different stories, your message weakens. Align all communication – internal and external – around the same clear identity narrative.</li></ul>Each of these quietly erodes clarity and confidence. The solution isn’t more activity – it’s disciplined alignment. Protecting your identity is an ongoing leadership responsibility, not a one-time exercise.<h3>When Would People Miss? &nbsp;</h3>Here's another way to consider your purpose ...If your organisation disappeared tomorrow, what would your members, partners, and the system you serve genuinely miss? What gap would appear that no one else could easily fill?That is your true identity – the value you uniquely create in the lives and work of others. The clearer you are about that, the stronger your purpose becomes.

A Strong Purpose Starts with a Clear Identity

We are living in a world of increasing complexity and relentless change. New technologies like AI arrive before we’ve even finished adapting to the last big shift. Government regulations move unpredictably. Member expectations for value are rising – faster than many boards or committees can respond. And event models, once a reliable revenue source, are under constant pressure.Association leadership has never been more complex. The tools and strategies that worked just five years ago aren’t guaranteed to work today. And yet, in the face of that complexity, it’s tempting to double down on familiar solutions – more committees, more reports, another round of consultation – hoping that old approaches will stick in a new environment.But here’s the uncomfortable truth: they often don’t.This is where the <a data-mce-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynefin_framework" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynefin_framework" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-mce-selected="inline-boundary">Cynefin Framework</a>, developed by Dave Snowden, comes in. It doesn’t give you a step-by-step manual – but it does give you a way to make sense of the mess. Think of it as a map: it helps you understand the type of challenge you’re facing, so you can decide whether to rely on best practice, call in the experts, experiment your way forward, or take decisive action in a crisis.<h3>The Five Domains of Cynefin – Through the Lens of Associations</h3>Rather than treating all problems the same, Cynefin divides challenges into five domains. Each one reflects a different kind of reality – and in a world that is increasingly dynamic, knowing which domain you’re in can make the difference between moving forward and spinning in circles.1. Clear (Obvious)These are the straightforward parts of association life. Cause and effect are obvious, and best practice applies.<ul><li>Example: Renewing memberships, processing event registrations, or routine compliance reporting.</li><li>What to do: Standardise and streamline. Automate what you can, and keep tweaking for efficiency.</li></ul>Even in times of turbulence, there’s relief in having parts of the work that simply need to be kept tidy and predictable.2. ComplicatedThere’s a right answer here too, but it takes expertise and analysis to find it.<ul><li>Example: Developing a new membership pricing model, designing a CPD framework, or conducting a financial audit.</li><li>What to do: Don’t guess. Bring in experts, weigh up the evidence, and apply good practice.</li></ul>Imagine asking your board to design a new office building without an architect – complicated problems remind us that expertise is still non-negotiable.3. ComplexThis is where most of today’s association challenges sit. Cause and effect only become clear in hindsight, and solutions emerge through trial, error, and adaptation.<ul><li>Example: Building member engagement, shifting culture, or navigating advocacy in a volatile political climate.</li><li>What to do: Experiment. Run pilots. Gather feedback. Allow patterns to emerge and adapt as you go.</li></ul>If you’ve ever had three committees all pushing for different advocacy positions at once, you know this space. Complex problems don’t need certainty – they need leaders willing to experiment and learn.4. ChaoticSometimes the pace of change is so abrupt it tips into chaos. No time to analyse – immediate action is required.<ul><li>Example: A data breach, a sudden regulatory shock, or a reputational crisis.</li><li>What to do: Act decisively to stabilise. Communicate clearly. Once things are under control, shift into the complex domain to explore long-term fixes.</li></ul>Think of it like triage in the emergency room – stop the bleeding first, diagnose later.5. Confused (Aporetic)This is when you don’t yet know what you’re dealing with – a space many associations find themselves in when the environment changes too quickly to categorise.<ul><li>Example: Responding to the rise of AI, or facing a disruptive competitor.</li><li>What to do: Break the issue apart. Some pieces will be clear, some complicated, some complex. Deal with each accordingly.</li></ul>In times of rapid change, leaders often land here first. The key is not to stay paralysed – start sorting, testing, and moving.<h3>Why Cynefin Matters Right Now</h3>The reason Cynefin is so powerful for association CEOs is that it names the reality you’re already living.<ul><li>It stops the “one-size-fits-all” trap. Not every problem needs another policy or taskforce.</li><li>It legitimises experimentation. Complex challenges can’t be solved with neat plans – and this framework gives you language to explain that to your board.</li><li>It sharpens governance conversations. Directors can be clearer about when to rely on best practice, when to seek expert input, and when to support iteration.</li><li>It builds resilience. By recognising chaos when it hits, you can act quickly rather than freeze.</li></ul>At its core, Cynefin gives you permission to lead differently – in a way that matches the unpredictable environment associations now operate in.<h3>How to Apply It in Practice</h3>So how do you bring this into your own leadership?<ul><li>Name the domain. When facing a challenge, ask: “Is this clear, complicated, complex, or chaotic?”</li><li>Match your approach. Don’t overengineer the simple, and don’t oversimplify the complex.</li><li>Adapt as things shift. Problems move between domains. A crisis stabilises, a complex issue becomes clearer. Stay flexible.</li><li>Bring others along. Teach the framework to your board and staff. Shared language leads to better, faster decisions.</li></ul><h3>Final Thought</h3>We’re not going back to a simpler world. Associations will continue to face accelerating change, rising complexity, and the occasional plunge into chaos. The question isn’t whether we can avoid it – it’s whether we can navigate it well.And this is where the Cynefin Framework earns its place in your leadership toolkit. It won’t give you all the answers, but it will stop you wasting time on mismatched solutions. It will give you a language to help your board and staff understand why you sometimes need expertise, sometimes need experiments, and sometimes need fast, decisive action.Because in the end, leading an association isn’t about being the hero with all the answers. It’s about being the navigator – reading the waters, adjusting the sails, and steering your people through uncertainty. Cynefin gives you the map. And in times like these, that map may be the most powerful tool an association leader can carry.

Making Better Decisions in Uncertain Times

A member signs up for your webinar. They log in, sit quietly, and leave without saying a word.&nbsp;Another attends your annual conference – but only chats with the people at their table.&nbsp;Someone else downloads a resource from your library, reads it, and moves on with their day.Technically, they’ve engaged. But have they felt more connected to your association? Have they walked away thinking, “This is my community”? Probably not.Because here’s the uncomfortable truth: information doesn’t create belonging. Shared experiences do.<h3>The Difference Between Information and Experience</h3>It’s easy to mistake activity for connection. We send out newsletters, create online resources, share recordings of sessions – and yes, members use them. But a downloaded PDF doesn’t give someone goosebumps. A slick registration process doesn’t make them feel proud to be part of something.Belonging happens when people feel something together.Think about the last time you were in a room where the energy shifted. The keynote that had everyone laughing – or crying – at the same time. The breakout discussion that went off-script, and people swapped stories that made the whole room nod in recognition: Oh, it’s not just me struggling with this.Those aren’t just activities. They’re identity moments. And they transform passive participants into active community members.Those moments are sticky. They’re not just about the knowledge exchanged – they’re about the identity reinforced.And that’s the key. Shared experiences turn passive participants into active community members.<h3>Why Shared Experiences Stick</h3>This is the invisible glue. It’s what makes someone renew, volunteer, or advocate. Not just because they got value – but because they felt belonging.There’s a reason these moments matter more than we sometimes give them credit for.<ul><li>Emotional resonance. First, they hit us emotionally. Facts fade fast – but when you feel something, you remember it. A conversation that makes you laugh, a challenge tackled as a group, a shared success or even a collective failure – those feelings stay attached to your association.</li><li>Social proof. When you see your peers leaning in, sharing, investing their time, you feel safe doing the same. Nobody wants to be the first to speak up, but everyone loves joining a chorus.</li><li>Mutual investment. Shared experiences require us to give something of ourselves – our ideas, our stories, our energy. And once you’ve given, you’re more likely to keep coming back. It’s no longer their association. It’s yours too.</li></ul><h3>The Lonely Value Trap</h3>Here’s the trap many associations fall into: piling up benefits like trophies on a shelf – discounts, resources, services. All useful. All appreciated. But many of them are what I call lonely values.Lonely value is consumed alone. You read the article, cash the discount, watch the webinar recording – and that’s the end of it. There’s no thread tying it back to the community.The danger? Lonely value is easy to replicate. If another provider offers a better price or a sleeker service, members can switch without blinking.But shared experiences? Those are non-transferable. You can’t outsource the feeling of being part of a standing ovation at your annual gala. You can’t copy the energy of tackling an industry challenge with 20 peers who “get it.” That’s the glue that keeps people connected – not just to the benefit, but to each other.That’s what makes the difference between a service provider and a community.<h3>Building More "We" Moments</h3>So how do you bake more of this into your member experience?It starts with asking a different question. Not just: What will they learn? But: What will they share? Who will they meet? How will this feel?Some ways to do it:<ul><li>Design with connection in mind. Build intentional space for members to swap stories, compare notes, and see themselves in each other. A coffee break where people are encouraged to talk about a specific topic, instead of just queuing for caffeine. An online forum where a facilitator kicks off a weekly question that invites stories, not just opinions.</li><li>Mix the formats. Blend the big, formal events with small, informal touchpoints – online forums, coffee catch-ups, mentoring pairs.</li><li>Elevate member voices. Make members co-creators of the experience. Put them on panels. Invite them to host roundtables. Feature their stories in your channels. The more they are the experience, the stronger their connection becomes.</li><li>Create rituals. The quirky award that becomes a tradition. The annual toast. The small, shared moments members look forward to – and talk about afterwards. Moments of shared humour. These give your community something that’s uniquely yours.</li></ul>Every touchpoint is a choice: to build friction, or to build connection.<h3>A Question To Consider</h3>If your association disappeared tomorrow, what would members really miss? Would they miss the benefits – or would they miss the moments they shared with each other?Benefits are replaceable. Shared experiences are not. They’re the heartbeat of your community.So maybe the question isn’t, “What more can we give our members?”Maybe it’s, “What can we help our members give each other?”

Associations Are Built on “We” Moments

They’re not. They’re just tired of being ignored.You roll out a new system that makes internal workflows smoother - but members say it’s clunky. You simplify event registration on your end - but they say it’s confusing. You invest in a platform that integrates with your CRM - but members hate the interface.And when they complain, or disengage, or give you a three out of ten on the post-conference survey, it’s tempting to throw your hands up. You've put in so much work and they just don't appreciate it!Why are they so annoying and ungrateful? But let’s pause. Because that might be the wrong question.What if they’re not being difficult? What if they’re just exhausted from navigating systems that weren’t built with them in mind?<h2>When Member Frustration Is Actually a Mirror</h2>Here’s a hard truth many of us in the association world need to hear: We sometimes design for our own convenience, not for our members’ experience.Not intentionally. Not maliciously. But incrementally.We build a policy to prevent edge-case misuse. We add a step in the process to help staff manage demand. We choose a tech solution that works beautifully behind the scenes - but means members need to login twice.It’s understandable. We’re busy. Resources are limited. Internal pressures are real.But from the member’s perspective, it starts to feel like this place wasn’t built for them.And that’s when the grumbling starts.<h2>The Member Experience Misalignment Loop</h2>We talk a lot about the importance of member-centricity. It’s in our strategies, our conference themes, our board presentations. But if we’re honest, the day-to-day reality often drifts off course. Not because we don’t care about members - but because it’s all too easy to default to what works for us.From the inside, these decisions feel like practical choices. From the outside, they accumulate into a signal: this experience was not designed with me in mind. Here’s how the cycle tends to play out:1. Internal Optimisation. We make a change that works better for staff, resolves edge-case misuse, or integrates nicely with existing systems. It seems efficient. Logical.2. Experience Friction. But then a member tries to interact with it - and hits a wall. Confusing logins. Multiple systems. Unclear steps. Long waits. Hidden benefits. It's not just inconvenient - it’s discouraging.3. Member Pushback. They stop coming. Stop renewing. Or complain - sometimes loudly, sometimes passive-aggressively. We interpret it as entitlement, impatience, or “members just not understanding.”And often, it’s your most dedicated volunteers who are the loudest. Not because they’re difficult - but because they care deeply. They’ve invested time, energy, and identity into your mission. When the experience doesn’t reflect that same commitment, it stings. Their frustration is fuelled by passion. We interpret it as entitlement, impatience, or “members just not understanding.”4. Defensive Response. We explain. Justify. Reframe. “They need to be more patient.” “It’s better in the long run.” “They should just call if they need help.”And so the loop continues. Until, quietly, they leave.<h2>How to Break the Loop</h2>The way forward isn’t about pandering. It’s about partnership. It’s about designing with, not just for, the people you serve. It’s about recognising that trust isn’t just built on outcomes – it’s built on the experience of being considered. It's about co-creation.When members feel like their needs were part of the design conversation from the start, they engage differently. They forgive more. They lean in. But when decisions are made behind the curtain, and the curtain never lifts, they disengage. Not because they’re grumpy, but because they feel powerless.This shift requires humility. It requires slowing down long enough to listen – and being brave enough to change direction when what you hear doesn’t match your assumptions.Here’s the mindset shift:Don’t ask, “How do we get members to appreciate and use what we’ve built?”Instead, ask, “What would we build if we were in their shoes?”<h2>What This Looks Like in Practice</h2>So how do we take these ideas and translate them into actual, everyday leadership decisions? It starts with shifting how we make choices - not just what we choose. Every policy, platform, and process is a chance to either remove friction or create it. Here are some practical ways to start closing the gap between your good intentions and your members’ lived experiences:<ul><li>Co-create instead of assume. Bring members into the room before decisions are made. Not just post-hoc surveys - real involvement in testing, choosing, shaping.</li><li>Walk their path. Map out the member journey, step by step. Try signing up, registering, renewing, finding key info. Where does it feel intuitive? Where does it feel like work?</li><li>Spot internal bias. Ask: Was this designed to make life easier for staff, or to create an easier and better experience for members? Sometimes it’s both. Often, it’s not.</li><li>Speak in their language. If your members are on WhatsApp, but you’re sending clunky HTML emails - they’re not ignoring you. They’re just not hearing you.</li><li>Design for trust, not just access. It’s not enough to offer a benefit. Members need to feel like the system is built to support them, not trip them up.</li></ul><h2>Quick Wins You Can Start Now</h2>Big strategic shifts take time. But that doesn’t mean you have to wait to make progress. Small, targeted changes can build momentum, signal intent, and start repairing the trust gap right now. These aren’t silver bullets - but they’re powerful nudges in the right direction:<ul><li>Create a Member Experience Council. A small, rotating group of diverse members who test things and give honest feedback. Gold.</li><li>Run a ‘Fix the Friction’ week. Invite staff to flag the top three processes members struggle with. Then rework them - fast.</li><li>Do a “secret shopper” audit. Ask someone who’s not familiar with your systems to go through your member experience. Watch what trips them up.</li><li>Re-onboard your current members. Most members don’t know what they have access to - or how to use it. Build a light-touch, re-engagement flow.</li><li>Start measuring experience, not just activity. Don’t just track clicks or attendance. Ask: Was this easy? Did this feel like it was built for you?</li></ul><h2>A Question To Consider</h2>It’s easy to fall into the rhythm of improvement-by-increment: tweak this, adjust that, launch a new benefit here, revise a process there. But sometimes, what’s really needed is not a tune-up - it’s a redesign. So let’s think bigger for a moment:If you had to rebuild your member experience from scratch - Would you build it the same way?Would your processes, platforms, touchpoints and tone all feel truly aligned with what your members actually need?And if not - what’s stopping you from starting that change now?&nbsp; &nbsp;

Why Are My Members So Ungrateful?

SMS specialises in AI, strategy, research, membership, and partnerships for associations, charities, unions, and other not-for-profit entities. Our assistance is tailored to your needs and budget with a focus on insightful ideas and practical solutions. We can assist with anything from a discussion on a specific issue to working with you on longer term projects.