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It remains all too common for associations to ignore vital data points as they strategize for the future. The inertia of decades of existence often precludes a data-informed state, instead relying on anecdote, trusting in the gut feeling of longtime employees or volunteers, and “the way things have always been done”. This flies in the face of modern organizational thinking, and associations looking to be proactive – or facing the modern challenges of the industry – would be advised to get on board with data as a vital resource.

On its face, it can make a lot of sense to look at what has worked, and continue doing that. And that can be true! Despite what some in the AI or crypto industries might tell you, most industries don’t change that quickly. What worked last year will likely be relevant to the interests of your members next year. But even in the comparatively geological timescale that the association industry works in compared to the corporate world, focusing on what’s next is vital to the future health of any non-profit. Whether it’s membership demographic shifts, fading enthusiasm for even joining a membership association, ever-shifting economic headwinds, knowing what’s happening now, and being able to be judicious in cutting products or services that don’t work anymore (like the NCACPA was able to do in this case study) allows associations to re-shape themselves based on their members’ needs. Data can tell you what works much more than just the whims and musings of a longtime executive or board member.

Even in the comparatively geological timescale that the association industry works in compared to the corporate world, focusing on what’s next is vital to the future health of any non-profit.

I have talked with many membership professionals who have all but eliminated surveys from their efforts to track member sentiment. Their reasoning? People who answer the surveys are merely the people who like taking surveys, or else have some kind of axe to grind. It’s the same idea as taking to heart reviews for, say, a highway rest stop. The only people who are going to review it are those with a problem. If things are working, people aren’t going to grind a gear. But just because people aren’t writing angry emails or calling to congratulate you on a successful conference, doesn’t mean they aren’t telling you something – that silent majority is present and powerful. Which way are enrollments that certification you offer trending? What about membership, how has it grown or changed or shifted demographically (or even geographically) in the last five years, and what could that mean? Where should you have your next conference, how far are people willing to travel? A member might love the idea of going to an event in Hawaii – especially if their job pays the bill typically – but will it really lead to a great conference and great networking, or will it be a flop? Seeing which way people’s actions are trending, seeing what younger members want versus older members and how they engage, this is where analytics can be the dowsing rod for your organization.

This doesn’t mean you should just plug up your ears! While some have gone to the extreme and dumped survey tools altogether, there’s still value in simply asking people what they think. But doing it correctly is important. Rather than asking specific questions about a conference or class or other offering, doing standardized surveys – asking the same questions – on a regular interval can actually be valuable. Don’t just ask the question, look at the responses, and file it away somewhere. Create a trail you can examine, and see how sentiment and opinions of those loud few have shifted over time. On top of that, tracking the answers, particularly if you layer on anonymized demographic data – gender, job role or title, location, things of that nature – lets you know who is actually responding, and how that is influencing those responses. This allows the surveyor to see where the gaps in responders are, and start targeting them in novel ways. Actions may be loud, but people do have something to say.

When you talk with any executive, often it’s results they want, not information on how the sausage is made. Running an association means you have to make sure your employees are happy and productive, and the board is getting what it wants or demands. Leaders want to know things now, and know where the organization is headed. That’s hard – if not impossible – when all that’s fed to them is anecdote and qualitative judgement. And if a new CEO comes on, they don’t want to have to “get the feel” of the organization for a few months, that’s what a dashboard and a few trend charts are for. Plus, when the board decides it’s time for a new strategic plan, having a proper data-informed organization means the goals are achievable, targets are trackable, and successes are obvious. Instead of “vibes based” goals like “Expand the Impact of the Industry”, or “Engage the Members”, positive ideas with no real traceable metric, having real goals makes everyone happier, and success more obvious (and realistic). So when you have to increase retention by 3 points, you can plan for that. Metrics make leaders more effective, and their organization more successful.

It’s not just the people in the big chair that want data to help their job. My colleague Rachel Mace is fond of saying “give me the numbers” to her direct reports. If you don’t want to share a metric, or if you aren’t tracking something, that can be more damning than if you haven’t hit a goal. Fear of data is simply fear of your own ability at the job, and that’s a feeling no staff member should have. As long as the metrics they’re tasked with achieving are just that, achievable and realistic, there should be no problem with having a personalized dashboard or a centralized database that allows them to share the key points with their team and their boss. On top of that, sometimes it’s important for the membership director to know who is coming to a conference, and they shouldn’t have to bug the events coordinator relentlessly to do that. Data allows the staff to see where the association stands, and enables them to see how their own personal effort is helping move the needle organizationally.

As long as the metrics they’re tasked with achieving are just that, achievable and realistic, there should be no problem with having a personalized dashboard or a centralized database that allows them to share the key points with their team and their boss.

This brings together the need for data for leadership as well as staff. If you don’t have the data telling you where you’ve been and where you are, you can’t know where the organization is headed. More advanced tools like predictive analytics and even generative AI tools that are all the rage these days demand one thing – data. Hoping for the best is the best way to dig yourself a hole, and relying on what your various systems and interactions with membership are saying, that’s where you can start to see the future. We’ve seen unexpected upheaval throw the entire association world into flux over the last several years, and the organizations that had already made the move to being data-driven (or even better, data-informed, a specific differentiation) are the ones that pivoted most effectively and quickest. It feels hackneyed to say, but data is the future of associations and of the world. We’ve seen what every other industry has done to leverage the vast troves of information they gather, from professional sports with Sabermetrics to Netflix with its mind-reading algorithm. They know what they can expect (with a bit of margin for error) in the coming years, so why shouldn’t associations?

Data is the ultimate tool, the ultimate resource for associations in the 21st century. It sounds like pablum, like something we’ve heard time and again, but it remains true. Those that refuse to fully take advantage of it are the organizations that will fall to the back of the pack, and continue to wonder what is going to happen next. The most successful ones are the organizations that will see what matters to their members, that track how younger generations or new demographics take advantage of a proactive and forward-thinking portfolio of benefits, those are the ones that will see themselves grow and flourish in the coming decades. Doesn’t that sound nice?