Executive Take: Impact of Business on Mission
Our associations are mission-driven by nature, with our greatest energy focused on serving our communities. But to fully realize our missions, the business side of our work can’t remain in the background - it must be elevated and integrated into the overall organizational strategy. In this month’s Executive Take feature, we are highlighting the responses of 3 association leaders who were part of a PAR panel focused on prioritizing business within associations. We asked them:
How do association leaders raise business objectives to the level of mission objectives?
"In its simplest form, it’s education. Are we taking the time to educate [our team] on why [business] is important? We all know driving revenue is going to allow us to serve our members, but how do we educate those departments and how do we make it important to them? How do we show them how business fits into the overall organizational vision and mission of what we're trying to do that makes them own it? I think by doing that, it builds the buy-in. [You have to] build those champions in those departments to help drive that work. Being able to give them that context and that education on why it's important is sometimes needed. I think sometimes we assume - because we have so many different things that we're doing - ‘they know why we're doing this,’ or, ‘Hey, they know why we're developing this program.’ I get more leads from my other departments now because they're thinking with a [business mindset.] Rather than me coming in and saying ‘Every department needs to have a revenue strategy,’ they now understand the education behind it and how it will support everything we do for our members."
John Bacon, MBA
ASAE | Vice President, Sales & Partner Experience
"I do think it starts with senior leadership, with the board and with sharing the same language around the vision. The mission is one thing, but really, what is that vision? One of our groups in Multiple Sclerosis has a vision of 'A world without MS.' So, then what does that evoke? Well, it's obviously work around treatments, around education, workforce and future leaders - and before you know it, we've got a residency program, and we're doing things with basic scientists, all stemming from that vision of 'A world without MS.' And I don't mean to oversimplify, but really the money kind of flows because then you're talking with sponsors about women in medicine and how MS affects different populations, and they've got specific programs we wouldn't even know about if we're asking them to sponsor this list of things. So, I think it’s important to have that adaptability and flexibility around that vision."
Lynda B. Patterson, FASAE, CAE
AMPED Association Management | Founder & President
"We are focusing on building a culture where [there is an understanding that] we're generating money, not for our board members, or stakeholders, or the stock market or anything like that – we’re generating revenue because we need to go on Capitol Hill and advocate for our industry, and that costs money. We want to have better events and pay for the increasing costs of F and B and AV, and that costs money. We want to have more dynamic speakers. We want to do all of these things, and they cost money. And one of the transformational books I read many years ago was 'Good to Great and the Social Sectors' by Jim Collins. And he talks about your resource engine - for a for-profit, you make money, and that money goes out. Any profit goes into the pockets of your stakeholders, but when you're a nonprofit, that money is put back into your resource engine, right into your mission…and it's a great way to help kind of reframe this idea that generating revenue supports your mission."
Erin Pressley, CAE
NRECA, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association | Senior Vice President, Education, Training and Events
Continue the Conversation In-Person at the PAR PopUP
Wednesday, April 23 in Alexandria, VA: Join association leaders and innovators to explore the critical intersection of strategic planning, product development, and revenue growth. We'll discuss how to create synergy between broad organizational goals and tactical product offerings, ensuring that your organization's aspirations are reflected in its day-to-day operations. Register here.