Governance

Membership and professional associations are rarely short of activity. Reports are published, events delivered, campaigns launched, and committees convened. Each quarter brings a new flurry of outputs that fill board papers and populate dashboards. Yet for all this activity, genuine impact, the kind that changes behaviour, shifts policy, or strengthens an industry, remains notoriously hard to prove.

Articles of association are legal documents, yes, but they are first and foremost governance documents. They are the script your organisation follows. When you rely only on a lawyer, you risk ending up with articles that tick the compliance box but trip you up everywhere else. A smarter approach is collaborative: governance first, legal second. That’s how you produce articles that don’t just avoid court but actively enable leadership, accountability, and growth.

This summer, when MindsEye, the studio’s first release, finally arrived, it crashed spectacularly. Players called it broken, reviewers called it unplayable, and within weeks hundreds of staff were gone. What followed wasn’t just a failed launch but a public unravelling of leadership itself.

Membership organisations thrive on trust, between members, volunteers, and executives. That trust is built on visible, credible governance. Giving the CEO a board seat may feel like a gesture of partnership, but in practice it blurs accountability and weakens independence.

Eight national rugby unions have threatened to ban players who join the proposed R360 League from representing their countries. In short: play our game, or don’t play at all. Their decision says a lot about power, fear, and protectionism, and not just in sport. It’s a mirror many membership organisations would do well to look into. Because whether you’re a rugby union or a membership body the instinct to control rather than evolve is a sure sign that your model is wobbling.

In over two decades of working with membership bodies, I’ve seen Board members glaze over at the mention of governance reform, look blank at data strategy, and politely nod through conversations about engagement metrics. Yet mention a logo redesign and suddenly the entire boardroom is animated. Everyone has an opinion, everyone wants to be heard, and the whole process takes on a significance out of all proportion to its real impact. Why?

If you’ve ever sat on an association committee, you’ll know the rhythm: a packed agenda, familiar faces, and the creeping sense of déjà vu. Decisions inch forward, minutes pile up, and enthusiasm quietly ebbs away. Committees have long been the workhorse of association life: part governance, part member engagement, part legacy; but maybe, just maybe, they’ve had their day.

Many trade association boards find themselves in a similar pattern: engaged, but in the wrong place. The energy they invest in measurement is admirable, but if it comes at the expense of foresight, the organisation is left exposed.

We’ve just wrapped up our very first Association Transformation Governance as Leadership Retreat , two days immersed in the messy,...

One of the most persistent challenges I encounter in association governance is the member who insists that, by virtue of paying their annual subscription, they are entitled to see everything: board minutes, confidential contracts, draft strategy papers, detailed management accounts, even notes from development meetings.

Membership bodies matter. They represent professions, influence policy, regulate standards, and serve communities. They deserve professional leadership, not amateur compromise. The subconscious assumption that “I’ve done it, so I can run it” might feel comfortable, but it is a false economy which boards and appointments committees must resist. Credibility with members is important, but without leadership capability, it crumbles quickly.

Shared leadership is not a shortcut to inclusivity. It is a demanding model that requires clarity, trust, and discipline. Done well, it can harness complementary strengths and broaden reach. Done badly, it confuses, divides, and weakens.

Professional membership bodies exist to uphold high standards, represent their members with integrity, and embody the values of good...

One of the most common phrases you hear around association and professional body board tables is: “We need to be careful, this is...

If you’ve worked with volunteer Boards of Directors in membership organisations, you’ve probably encountered a certain refrain: “In my...

Let’s be clear from the start: non-executive directors are not entitled to exercise executive authority. Their role is governance, not...

There is a particular kind of sting that comes when your work is publicly questioned by someone who not only doesn’t understand it, but...

When was the last time your board talked about risk appetite? Not just risk registers, heat maps, or insurance but actual appetite. As...

In an era where decisions must be both data-driven and ethically grounded, board effectiveness hinges on clarity, particularly clarity...

For many membership organisations, the annual report has become a routine fixture, a box to tick in the governance calendar. And within...