Leadership

Membership bodies are not famous for moving fast and nor should they be. Their role is to serve a defined constituency with stability,...

“Fail fast, fail often.” In the tech world, it’s become a rallying cry, a philosophy that champions experimentation, rapid iteration, and...

Across the membership sector, there’s a persistent paradox. Organisations will readily sign off six- or even seven-figure budgets for CRM...

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

Last month I facilitated a planning session with the staff of a professional membership body. One debate, about how to treat retired...

Membership organisations are steeped in history. They carry the legacy of founders, past presidents, early pioneers, and sector-shaping...

While artificial intelligence continues to reshape industries, the global membership sector appears to be hitting the brakes. Interest...

Last month I spent time with the operating team of a well-established association. We were working together to translate their new...

If you were asked to name the world’s largest membership body, you probably wouldn’t think of the BBC. But with over 23 million...

There’s something uniquely exhausting about a Friday afternoon meeting. Even if it’s short, even if it’s productive, even if everyone’s...

In an era where information is abundant but trust is scarce, membership organisations face a new and insidious threat: epistemic...

It’s happened to me more than once this year, and I know I’m not alone. You receive an enquiry. There's a clear challenge or...

In the complex ecosystem of modern membership organisations, data is no longer a back-office function. It is strategic capital....

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...

A few weeks ago, I chaired a planning session for a client's staff. The team had come together to align on key strategic priorities and...

I’ve spent the vast majority of career in the service of associations. I’ve worked in membership organisations as a member of staff, as a...

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...

So why should I have to sacrifice either? Somewhere along the way, someone decided that the best time to do professional development was...