Associations must think laterally

I’ve worked with quite a few non-profit associations and been a member of several non-profit associations. I’ve also let many of my memberships expire without renewal. In many cases I’ve felt that I could have better relationships through my own networks, via my blog, Twitter or a free social network, like LearnTrends. Associations put me on their listserv, sent me newsletters or maybe let me engage in an online discussion forum, but for the most part they weren’t focused on my specific professional development needs. After time I had moved beyond the core of the association, much as I found that many association conferences catered more to novices. I became more interested in unconferences, podcamps and meetups. I wanted to connect with other members from whom I could learn, not review what I already knew.

Clay Shirky says that associations need to seriously consider how they reinforce lateral line of communications (peer-peer) and not just information from the centre to the membership. David Wilcox covers Shirky’s interview on associations where he discusses the case of the ACLU and Wilcox uses this diagram to describe where associations need to go – from hierarchy to network.

I think many associations are facing challenges of declining enrollment and I’ve seen many conferences this year shrink in comparison to past years. However, I’ve also seen increases in local networking, tweetchats, free web conferences and anything else that lets people connect on their terms. The challenge is for associations to drop the hierarchical management model and figure out how to use a network model. It’s the same challenge that corporations and bureaucracies are, or will be, facing; with one key difference. In most associations the members get to vote with their dues every year. As more forms of web social media offer viable networking options, the days of the hierarchical membership association may soon be over. Which model would you rather be a member of?