The Systems Approach to Association Management

Association management is a vocation; it is a profession; and for an increasing number of people, it is a career choice. It is craft which requires a broad mix of skills, knowledge, and experience; dexterously combined with knowledge of association culture, structure, and politics; mixed with expertise in strategy, advocacy, and corporate governance; and blended with proficiency in member and stakeholder engagement, volunteer management, communications, marketing and sales, training and professional development, financial management, supplier engagement, business development,  project management, event management, and office administration!!

An association is a complex ecosystem of structures, relationships, and priorities and the days of “I’ve done it, so I can run it” are long gone. A new generation of association professionals are progressing their careers through association management, and as they work towards or progress through their careers, it is imperative that they understand that an association is a system. It is not…