Yes, Michael, Steve posted “Reinventing Associations” Parts I & II.
I appreciate your comments and feedback.
I agree with your statement that associations need to focus on “creating impact outside themselves.”
Employing cause marketing to engage associations and members in the greater good has long been a passion and a successful strategy for some of the associations we manage. It follows the Chinese Proverb “If you always give, you will always have.” Perhaps we should jointly develop a post on this proposition.
At the same time, I stand by my thesis that the “information age” is rapidly changing a core value proposition of many associations and professional societies.
While I’ve read Shirky’s book, my posts were more influenced by the writings of Chris Anderson, Seth Godin and Joe Pulizzi.
Most associations have been built on the value proposition that we have the “body of knowledge” for our industry or profession. And, that one needs to join to have access to that knowledge.
Most associations and professional societies traditionally delivered that knowledge (content) through conventions, seminars, journals, magazines, newsletters. More recently many associations have added Webinars, e-letters, Web sites and blogs.
The world has changed.
In today’s information society Chris Anderson (FREE, the future of a radical price) notes that “the paradox of free is that people are making lots of money charging nothing.”
The other major change impacting the future of associations is the upcoming retirements of Boomers ... the number eligible for full retirement jumps from 13 million in 2011 to 35 million in 2012 and escalates from there. Meanwhile the huge (72 million) Generation Y will fill the job market over the next 12 years.
Do we really think those Gen Y workers will expect to get their member benefits in the same format and package as the retiring Boomers?
As Anderson says: “This is the Google generation and they’ve grown up simply assuming that everything digital is free” ... “In a digital marketplace, free is almost always a choice. If you don’t offer it explicitly, others will typically find a way to introduce it themselves ... Sooner or later, most producers in the digital realm will find themselves competing with free.”
We no longer have exclusive control of our body of knowledge. And, without that exclusivity, our value proposition changes. Which means we need to discover new ways to create (and deliver) value for members and potential members.
The real question isn’t whether this will happen but how will associations and professional societies adopt to meet the changing world in which we operate. And, like others, determine how we monetize the body of knowledge now longer exclusively ours.
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