Association Leadership - January/February 2008 - (Page 34) case study Association A Joe Polanco PIA MidAmerica Eliminating silos and collaborating for the national event would expose the CEO’s members to a rival organization. The CEO acknowledged the other group’s strength in responding to national issues, but saw his association as a leader in member services. The CEO pondered the following points in determining the best response: n association CEO considered a colleague’s offer to co-host a member reception at the upcoming national association conference. Although sharing catering costs made financial sense, the two state associations had competed over the years CASE SOLUTION The first thing our CEO needs to consider is the potential value to the membership. If this is just a dollar-saving venture, but doesn’t bring value to the membership or the association, walk away. The risk might outweigh the savings. On the other hand, if our CEO is able to see potential synergies by combined efforts of the organizations, then it is worth pursuing. Sell your vision. As the organization’s chief paid officer, you need to articulate to your chairman and board the reasons why this is a good deal for the association and the profession/industry. I don’t think there’s an overwhelming need to have officers get together to discuss a simple partnership. It can overly complicate the project. Leadership should become involved if it becomes apparent that future partnerships will be beneficial. Make sure the other association’s exec is on the same page. If both CEOs are not committed to strengthen their respective organizations and be in a win-win environment, the project(s) won’t succeed, regardless of the board’s position. The CEO shouldn’t be afraid of exposing the members to the competing organization – they already know they’re out there and this type of event could provide an excellent opportunity to reinforce your organizations strong points, as well as what areas could use improvement. As an individual who has been involved with several mergers and partnerships – attempted and accomplished – I have discovered the culture of the associations have to be similar for success. The numbers can look good. The board may buy into the idea. But if both organizations and the staff do not have similar outlooks and/or culture, the probability of success is very low. As with any business agreement, put it in writing. I’m a firm believer of keeping it very simple. Develop a simple letter of understanding outlining your verbal commitments, but don’t get any attorneys involved unless there’s the potential for significant risk. If you’re just talking about a joint program or simple event, it’s no big thing. If you’re talking a trade show or extensive training programs, though, let loose the lawyers. Remember, don’t be afraid to try something out of the box which could potentially strengthen your association and its members. 34 Association LEADERSHIP | January/February 2008
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.