New research has shown a wealth of untapped potential that just might be at your fingertips. It’s all a matter of making the most of your chapters. As part of an extensive study into the current state of chapters, this research has brought to light an important message: many organizations are overlooking their chapters, sections, states and affiliates, and it’s costing them. Big time.
So, if you’re looking into ways to update your organization, you might want to think about putting chapters at the top of the agenda. Whether you’re planning the strategic vision for the next three years, or you’re thinking it’s time to restructure and embrace change, now is the perfect time to turn things around.
Chapters can be a fantastic way to maximize the potential of your organization, but it’s no secret that they often also add an element of complexity that most associations could do without. In recent independent research, the current status of chapters has been examined in order to best understand the underlying problems and needs of chapter-based associations.
How Dynamic Are Chapter Structures?
If you’ve taken a look at recent studies such as the ASAE Foundation’s Achieving Mutually Beneficial Volunteer Relationships and Mariner Management & Marketing LLC’s 2016 Chapter Benchmarking Study, you’ll know exactly how dynamic these chapter structures are.
Chapter Alignment
Studies such as Mariner’s initial Chapter Benchmarking Study have proved invaluable to those looking at improving these structures. A key discovery of the research highlighted one of the potential pitfalls of increasingly complex national-chapter structures: alignment.
In this research, only 9% of respondents felt that their chapters and leadership were all pointed in the same direction. Approximately half (52%) of those asked thought they were “usually aligned”; whereas 32% and 5% of respondents answered that they were “somewhat aligned” and “rarely aligned” respectively. Accordingly, alignment has become a key focus of those organizations looking to maximize the potential of their chapters, with good reason.
“Alignment has become a key focus to maximize chapter potential.”
Change is Long Overdue
ASAE’s research projects, such as the Race for Relevance and Road to Relevance books, first sold the community on the need to embrace structural change. These changes are intended to increase the alignment of association programs with industry needs, which means associations are looking at structural changes more and more.
This research has brought to light overwhelmingly high numbers of associations that are evaluating and looking to change their organization by making updates to their central committee structure.
There’s a huge appetite for change right now. And in most cases that change is long overdue.
So, What’s Next?
- Can an association assess its own need for change effectively?
- Is an association able to implement the required change itself?
- How far does an association’s existing culture influence whether or not it can deliver change?
- Should change be a fluid concept, with an association continuing to evaluate, change, re-evaluate and change again?
- Or, would a ‘one and done’ concept be more effective?
Download This Whitepaper
In this Billhighway whitepaper, we share what executives are thinking in terms of the strengths and weaknesses of their components and how the national-chapter relationship can be enhanced.
