I'm an Association Professional: "consultant" is my job title

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 Chief Executive, and now as a consultant. That’s decades of navigating the unique challenges and opportunities that associations face: governance, engagement, membership value, change management, and the quiet, difficult work of consensus-building. Yet despite that experience, I am sometimes treated as though I sit outside the ecosystem. Not a true peer. Not quite one of "us".

It’s a familiar feeling for many association consultants. We're brought in to help solve problems, improve processes, rescue projects, or guide transitions. We get our hands dirty. We work with boards, staff, volunteers, and stakeholders across the profession, and yet, our presence can feel… conditional. We’re useful, but temporary. Necessary, but peripheral, and sometimes we’re even treated as a necessary evil.

What’s particularly frustrating is that many of us have more practical, hard-won experience of associations than some of the people now leading them. We’ve lived the lifecycle of events, renewals, CRM meltdowns, committee dramas, strategic plans, rebrands, and restructures. We’ve made mistakes, learned from them, and carried that insight into our work with other organisations; but the moment you step out of a salaried role and become a consultant, you’re no longer seen as an insider. You become a supplier. A service provider. A vendor. Not one of "us".

This isn’t just a matter of identity. It has real consequences.

For example, I often want to engage with my peers in membership bodies, but to join the UK sector's networks and attend events designed for “association professionals,” I'm expected to pay significantly more money than association employees, because I’m a consultant. Never mind that I’ve spent my career supporting the same mission, or that I contribute knowledge, experience, and perspective. I have to buy my way in. I’m not afforded the same community status. I’m not regarded as a practitioner. I'm not given the respect that 20+ years of association leadership should command. And that is a stinging insult.

This not-so-subtle "othering" has knock-on effects. It means consultants are sometimes excluded from the conversations that most need their insight. It means that people with decades of experience working with multiple associations are shut out of professional communities unless they pay to play. It means that we draw arbitrary lines around who gets to be part of “the sector,” and who doesn’t. And frankly, it’s short-sighted.

The association sector often talks about collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and a sense of belonging; but if we can’t extend that ethos to those who’ve dedicated their careers (regardless of job title or contractual status) we risk reinforcing a narrow, closed ecosystem. One that’s poorer for the absence of varied experience.

We know that many of the best insights into what works and what doesn’t in associations come from those who’ve worked across them. Consultants are uniquely placed to see patterns, common challenges, recurring mistakes, and emerging solutions. We bring perspective. We see the forest, not just the trees. We’re not beholden to legacy structures or internal politics. And yet, because we invoice instead of draw a salary, we’re treated as though we don’t quite belong, and that doesn’t just do a disservice to us, it does a disservice to the sector.

The work we do isn’t abstract or academic. It’s grounded in the same practical challenges that association staff face every day. Indeed, we’re often called in to deal with those challenges; and when our work ends, we don’t just move on, we take the lessons forward. We contribute. We support. We coach. We care.

So I want to say this plainly: I am an association professional. My job title may have changed, but my commitment to the mission of membership organisations has not. Nor has my understanding of the complexity, nuance, and culture of associations. I am not an outsider. I am part of this sector’s fabric.

And to fellow consultants who feel the same way: you are not alone.

We have to challenge the notion that only salaried staff are genuine association professionals. Let’s widen the circle. Let’s make space for those with experience, regardless of employment model. Let’s value contribution over contract type.

Because ultimately, whether you’re on payroll, on contract, or volunteering your time, what matters is that you understand and serve the association mission. And many of us have been doing exactly that, loyally and passionately, for years.

So yes, I am a consultant. But don’t let that fool you. I live in the membership world, and will be resident for many years to come.