Consultants Are an Essential Part of the Membership Ecosystem

I’ve spent the majority of my career in the association sector, as a staff member, as a Chief Executive, and now as a consultant. Like most people, I may have stumbled into this world and I chose to stay in it. I believe in what associations do, and I’ve spent decades helping them do it better.

And yet, the moment you become a consultant (or a supplier, or a vendor) you’re often treated as if you’ve stepped outside the ecosystem. You become “other.” No longer one of us. Useful, yes. Necessary, sometimes. But always with an asterisk.

That mindset is not only outdated it’s counterproductive. Consultants and suppliers are not sitting on the sidelines of the membership world. We are deeply embedded in it. We are part of the system that makes associations work. We solve problems, share insight, provide continuity, challenge assumptions, and bring perspective that few internal roles can offer.

We are not “external.” We are essential.

Over the years, I’ve worked with dozens of associations on strategy, governance, membership, digital transformation, and leadership. I’ve been there for the hard conversations, the painful restructures, the uncertain pivots, the redemptive breakthroughs. And I’ve seen the same from peers across the supplier spectrum, people who work just as hard, care just as deeply, and bring critical expertise to the table.

So why do many organisations still treat consultants and suppliers as second-class citizens?

You see it in the so-called professional networks and member communities that are supposedly designed for “association professionals,” but which charge consultants a premium to attend or participate. You see it in the assumption that vendors are just here to sell something rather than help build capacity. And you definitely feel it when you realise that your decades of experience count for less than someone newly arrived from industry, simply because they’re now on a staff contract.

We need to move beyond this narrow definition of who belongs.

Associations are ecosystems, and like any ecosystem, they rely on a wide diversity of contributors, i.e., staff, volunteers, board members, members, partners, and yes, external experts. Consultants, tech partners, facilitators, researchers, coaches, designers, copywriters, and countless others make up the invisible scaffolding that supports progress. When an association needs to evolve, it almost always turns to people like us.

And why wouldn’t it? Consultants bring cross-sector experience. We’ve seen what works and what doesn’t across countless organisations. We see patterns. We’re not bound by internal politics or institutional memory. We carry lessons forward and share them widely. We invest in our own development, network, and learning. We’re not visitors to the membership world, we life here too.

Treating us as outsiders doesn’t just insult. It limits collaboration. It walls off innovation. It narrows the talent pool of ideas, tools, and approaches that associations can draw on to do their best work. And in a time when most membership organisations are grappling with existential questions of value, relevance, and sustainability, that’s a serious mistake.

The irony, of course, is that the association sector loves to talk about community, but community isn’t just something you offer to members. It should be something you model. That means recognising that people who support associations in every way, inside and out, deserve to belong, contribute, and be valued as membership professionals.

This isn’t a plea for pity or special treatment. It’s a call for clarity. Consultants and suppliers are not a separate species. We are an integral part of the global membership world. We are here to help. And so many of us have walked in your shoes. We’ve been heads of departments, CEOs, comms leads, membership managers. We know what this work takes.

So let’s start recognising that consultants, suppliers, and vendors are not just accessories to the association space, they are part of its operating core.

Let’s rethink the paywalls, the professional snobbery, and the silent hierarchies that divide salaried staff from those working on contract. Let’s make room for all the people who are working in service of the association mission, regardless of the badge on their lanyard.

I am an association professional, as are so many of the consultants, suppliers, and vendors I work alongside. We’re not outsiders. We’re allies. We’re part of the ecosystem; and it is time that all of the sector acknowledges us that way.