Human Is the Strategy

In an AI-driven World, Ginger Johnson Says Association Growth Still Comes Down to Something Decidedly Human

Associations have never had more tools to communicate with members — or more ways to avoid actually connecting with them.

As AI-generated emails, automated outreach, and digital platforms make it easier to reach people at scale, connection expert Ginger Johnson urges association leaders to resist confusing communication with connection. Technology can make organizations faster and more efficient, but it can’t listen, read body language, build trust, or make members feel that they truly belong.

Leader of RevUP 2026’s upcoming pre-event experience, Cultivating Excellent Connections, Johnson sets the stage during a discussion with PAR about why associations should rethink sales as service, why “busy” has become a shield against connection, and why the rise of AI makes genuine human relationships more valuable than ever.

PAR: You’ve said that everything we want in life is powered by connection. Can you expand on that a bit?

Ginger Johnson: When we think about who we want to be in the world and how we want to go forth doing the things we do, the “who” should always come before the “do”. Everything is powered by connection — outward connection with others or inward connection with ourselves.

Connection begins by asking, what’s sticking? What matters to you? You can talk theory all day long, but what are you doing to put that in motion? What's building your organization, and how is connection part of that? Connection is what creates member and customer retention. You want to reduce time spent on recruitment because that's a lot of money, a lot of churn, and a lot of emotional exhaust and waste. 

It starts with yourself. If we nourish our self-connection, then it will ripple out. You know those strong, positive, optimistic leaders? They got that way through self-connection. Connection starts with ourselves, and then the association’s internal team, and then out to the members.

PAR: What does meaningful connection in the association space look like? 

Johnson: Number one, the association’s core team genuinely likes and cares about each other. I don't believe you can divorce personal and professional. If work is meaningful, your personal is part of it.

Second, how do the members feel about your association and what you’re doing? What's meaningful to them? This isn't about features and benefits. This is about what feels meaningful. Don’t discount your members’ feelings and emotions. A meaningful community has people who are curious. They strive for creativity. They speak up. When you send out a survey, it’s not just a bitchfest. A connected, meaningful membership responds to surveys in high numbers, and its members are constructive, helpful, useful, creative, thoughtful, and positive. They don’t just say something wasn’t great — they suggest what you could do to make it better in the future.

Meaningful growth happens when we focus on the power of interpersonal connection. If you allow the association team to retain their individuality, then the members retain their individuality, and individuality becomes part of the association’s culture. If you’re looking for meaningful connection, there shouldn’t be a separate internal culture and a separate membership culture.

PAR: How do meaningful connection and a culture of interdependence impact business development and sales? 

Johnson: If you don't have a humanly connected organization, it's not healthy. I don't buy into the trope that we’re too busy. That's an excuse we create and self-perpetuate. Everybody is starving for connection, and sometimes we pull “busy” up as a shield. 

Now, how does this impact sales? Think of sales as service. If you are out to serve, then you better have human connection. People don't want to buy from bots. AI will not replace listening. AI will not replace seeing people. AI will not replace reading body language. AI will not replace relationships. AI is a tool, and it's like Medusa.

Let's think first. Why did the association start to begin with? It wasn't to say, “I’m busy.” It wasn't to put up a shield and use technology in place of humans. Associations start with humans, they keep going with humans, and they end with humans. If you rely too much on electronic communication and technology, that’s a red flag. It has nothing to do with what generation your team members are from. If you don't want to pick up the phone, there is a systemic issue that needs addressing.

What is the culture of the people who run the association? Why are they all there? What got you here? What keeps you here? What's the humanity of this association, and what are the tools that will symptomatically lead to the right sales? Change the paradigm in your head from “I'm trying to sell” to “I'm trying to serve.” That shifts everything. I love everything by Dan Pink, including his book To Sell Is Human. He says it’s not about the upsell — it’s about the upserve.

A good example is the change over the last few years in the conversation about association sponsorship packages. It's no longer about a banner ad. Sponsors don't care about that. They care about meaningful connection. Getting the dollars is a symptom of good connection, but it’s not even the goal. The goal is to have a strong, healthy membership because if you have that — and a complete, nourished human connection — everything else will come with it. Connection is the bedrock, and from that comes the whole sea. 

PAR: How does AI-generated communication threaten true connection and trust?

Johnson: Think about digital personalizing, like when you send out an invite on LinkedIn. Every single time I get an invite, unless there is a truly personal message, I write back: "Hey, thanks for the invite. What inspired you to invite me to connect?” You wouldn't go up and stand right next to somebody at a party and not say anything — but that's what we're doing digitally with AI-generated communications and outreach.

So from an association perspective, how do we get people to connect with us? We can't make people do anything. What we can do is encourage them and open the space. We can be the host. But they have to be willing to connect and engage. That willingness comes first.

Are you having personal conversations, or are you hiding behind “our membership is too big”? No, it's not. Get innovative. How about a phone tree? You don't have to reinvent, but how can you reimagine business development for your association? That means everything from the pantry is on the table. Everything. Even the shelf that's holding up the jelly. Put everything out there because you’ve got to look at the foundation. Why does this association exist? Why are we doing this? What are the true purpose, meaning, and value in all of this? And then you fill that out. What's the vision? What's the mission — for who and how? Building trust starts with the studs. 

PAR: So now that we know connection is your jam, what can people expect to learn during their time with you at RevUP?

Johnson: I'm setting people up to have a good time and really lean into the RevUP experience, helping them get ready to connect all the dots. My session is the springboard into the pool of RevUP. People will get tactics and practices to build a deeper curiosity about each other. They will get the practical principles of human connection to help fuel their business development and remind themselves why they're doing what they're doing. PAR and RevUP help association business developers live connected lives, and I love being a part of this. I can't wait to fill the grandkids full of sugar. 

My mission is to help people live connected lives, and I've chosen associations as one of the ecosystems in which to do this work because associations change the world. 

---

Upgrade Your RevUP Experience to Join Ginger at Cultivating Excellent Connections

3:30-5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3

Don’t miss Ginger Johnson’s pre-event experience at PAR’s RevUP Summit 2026 from Nov. 3-5 at MGM National Harbor, Maryland. Available only to Elite Pass holders, Johnson will facilitate the session Cultivating Excellent Connections, moving beyond surface-level introductions to identify shared challenges, uncover aligned goals, and build relationships rooted in real value. Register here.