Association leaders love talking about the Big Cs. We invest heavily in communications training, spend countless hours discussing culture initiatives, and design elaborate frameworks for collaboration. And these are absolutely essential in today’s operational environment. But after years of working with associations and nonprofits, I’ve noticed we’re missing foundational Cs that actually make the other…
The Secret to Collaboration: Think in Systems, Not Silos
Cross-collaboration is messy by design. Think of trying to plan a conference: the program team wants to finalize sessions, the marketing team needs details to promote, registration is waiting on IT, and finance is worried about the budget. Each group is doing the right thing for their lane, yet somehow the whole still feels like…
Fit Happens (Except When It Doesn’t)
“Culture fit” comes up in hiring conversations all the time. It sounds like a good thing—who doesn’t want someone who fits in with the team? But when it’s left undefined, “culture fit” becomes a catch-all for bias. It’s not about whether someone can do the job. It’s about whether they make the interviewer feel comfortable. And comfort is deeply subjective. It’s shaped by our own experiences, assumptions, and even unspoken preferences.
From Transactions to Touchpoints: Why Member Engagement Needs an Ecosystem
During a recent interview, I blurted out something about a member engagement ecosystem. It came out unplanned, but it hasn’t left my brain since. It’s not entirely original, but I think I might have a unique perspective on it. (I do that sometimes. That content strategy post in 2014, for instance, or my recent hot…
If You Can Keep Them: Sustaining Crisis-Era Membership Gains
I had lunch today with the current president of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees (NARFE) Association, where I worked from 2018 to 2022. We had a lovely conversation about the membership growth NARFE has been experiencing since the beginning of the year. During times of crisis, associations often experience a surge in membership….
Oh, the Humanities
Why federal cuts to Virginia’s cultural lifeblood should alarm us all When I read the recent news from Virginia Humanities, I felt like I’d been punched in the gut. A $1.7 million cut in federal funding—gone. Staff layoffs. Program closures. An uncertain future for an organization that has been a cornerstone of public culture and…