On the invitation of the Brussels-based AssociationWorld Foundation, I recently attended its webinar on “Moving from Governance to Good Governance” together with 37 participants from international and European associations and non-profit organizations. The virtual event was also an occasion to launch its “Good Governance for Associations Initiative” campaign in collaboration with international and European key… Read More Advancing good governance in associations

You may wonder what associations and museums have in common. For one, both have been adversely affected by the ongoing pandemic in terms of declining budgets and revenues, having postponed or cancelled events, going digital out of necessity, and re-imagining what they will be like in the future. Both, too, have shown remarkable resilience. Below… Read More What associations can learn from museums

One of the trends I wrote about in my January 1, 2021 post was that virtual engagement with members through e-conventions and expos, webinars, meetings, hybrids and the like will continue to be a part of an association’s service offerings. As we in the association community now know in organizing virtual events, it is not… Read More A VISUAL experience framework for associations

Of the three aspects in association membership management—recruitment, engagement, and retention—I find engagement as the most challenging. This is made more imperative now due to the pandemic, as members long for connection and care. Member engagement is an activity that connects your members to your association. Engagement can be made through many channels and touch… Read More Creating ‘higher love’ in member engagement

I have always known that the word “champion” means a winner or a victor of a competition or a contest. Recently, I came to know another definition of “champion” in an ideological sense: an evangelist or a visionary who advocates for the triumph of an idea or a belief. I came to this realization when… Read More A champion’s mindset on winning in a crisis

Five years, 236 column articles, and countless promotional exchanges marked the continuing partnership of the Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives (PCAAE) and BusinessMirror since signing a memorandum of agreement on June 29, 2016. While the agreement was founded on promoting each other’s interest in their respective constituencies, the underlying objective was actually beyond… Read More PCAAE & BusinessMirror: 5 years on

You may have encountered the phrase or expression “take a walk in your customer’s shoes.” Figuratively speaking, it means stepping into your customers’ world to understand and appreciate their needs and/or their pain points to serve them better. In the context of associations, we will change the word “customers” to “members” as members of an association are… Read More Walking in your members’ shoes

As a kid and even now, I always find it fascinating to watch the “changing of the guard” ceremony in monuments of heroes and historical edifices. I am fortunate to have watched a few of these at the Arlington National Cemetery in the U.S., the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Kremlin in Russia,… Read More Changing of the guard

I first learned about “D+I” or “Diversity plus Inclusion” from the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) where I am a long-standing member. This was three years ago when the ASAE Board of Directors approved its D+I statement and strategic plan that encapsulates its commitment to D+I, pledging to: (a) practice inclusion; (b) pull in… Read More Inclusion in associations: Having a seat at the table

I was invited by the Australasian Society of Association Executives (AuSAE) to the second run of its “Association Insiders” webinar series entitled, “The Many Roles of an Association CEO.” AuSAE is the premier not-for-profit professional society representing over 10,000 individual leaders working in associations in Australia and New Zealand. The new series features monthly interviews with… Read More The many roles of an association CEO