What role do you think technology needs to play in reimagining associations?
On August 25th, Fonteva welcomed Lowell Aplebaum, FASAE, CAE, CPF, Mary Byers, CAE, CSP, Jeff De Cagna FRSA FASAE, and Gayathri Kher to tackle some of the big questions facing associations as they look toward and plan for the future.
As a precursor to that event, we asked each to share a brief answer to the question, What role do you think technology needs to play in reimagining associations? Answers are listed as shared with Fonteva directly by the panelists.
If you haven’t already seen this can’t miss panel, you can do so now by clicking here.
Gayathri Kher
President
fusionSpan
Many of us made it through the past year and a half with the aid of technology solutions. Our mental, physical, and professional well being depended heavily on the success of the technologies available to us.
In fact, access to or the lack of access to technology became an even greater differentiator in the success of many of our friends and family. Even if we don’t fully realize it now, technology is an enabler for essentially every aspect of our lives. Sometimes we see it, other times we feel it, or hear it, but technology is always present. As associations, it is key to invest in the right technology, as well as keep these tools up to date and accessible. Because technology is so ingrained in our day-to-day routine, the organizations that leverage it to deliver value to members and impact their communities while providing an authentic, human connection will see the most success.
For myself, technology was a tool used to stay connected with family, friends, and co-workers. On a larger level, technology drives online storefronts, delivery businesses, and the work we do every day. Business operations, and organizations as a whole, would not have survived without technology providing the ability to host virtual events, proctor exams, and more.
Membership-based organizations were forced in the Spring of 2020 to abandon some long-held reservations and beliefs about the viability of technology as a facilitator. While we are still grappling with the idea of what the future will hold for things like remote work, in-person meetings, cloud computing, and more, we now know that it is possible for associations to function with technology as a partner rather than as an occasional convenience.
Jeff De Cagna FRSA FASAE
Executive Advisor
Foresight First LLC
While technology will play an important role in the reinvention of our organizations, we must not view it as a panacea. Associations can smartly apply technology to build more capable and resilient approaches for creating and delivering stakeholder value. At the same time, technology is already exacerbating the deep dysfunction that exists within human systems. For example, artificial intelligence and automation technologies fit both descriptions. On the one hand, they make it possible to greatly expand and amplify value creation in ways that exceed what human beings can do on their own. On the other hand, these technologies tend to reinforce human bias in ways that are profoundly damaging to historically excluded populations.
My advice to association decision-makers is to consider the reinvention of their organizations as primarily a human challenge that requires positive-sum action to create mutually beneficial outcomes for stakeholders and successors. It is worth taking a careful look at any technologies that can facilitate the achievement of such outcomes in a responsible and ethical manner.
Mary Byers, CAE, CSP
Association Advisor
& Author of Race for Relevance
We must have a digital imperative going forward, otherwise we’re going to get further and further behind in winning the race for relevance. This can be intimidating to association staffers who don’t fully understand the possibilities and confusing to Board members who don’t completely appreciate the need for adequate resourcing (both from an expertise and a financial standpoint).
This isn’t simply a question of what technologies we need; it’s a question of what we want to be able to do with, and for, members. With traditional association business models disrupted by the pandemic, harnessing technology is more important than ever before. It’s not just a matter of cost, however. Technology also offers the possibility of developing new programs and services to produce needed revenue, sometimes in the millions of dollars.
The COVID-19 pandemic has given us a once-in-a-century opportunity to take advantage of what I call “The Power of the Pause”—the interruption of business as usual—in order to think about what “business as unusual” will look like going forward in the areas of governance, technology and programs and services.
Reimagining associations can either be an overwhelming task or an exciting opportunity. The choice is up to you.
Lowell Aplebaum, FASAE, CAE, CPF
CEO & Strategy Catalyst
Vista Cova
Technology will play a key role in how associations reimagine member experience. From an internal standpoint, the threshold of capturing member data is no longer the starting line – how an organization has the capacity to build knowledge from that data will be the minimal differentiator. There is universal agreement that members need differentiated experiences based on a number of key demographics, identified need, and past-resource-investment factors. The ability of an organization – from large to small – to provide a seamless experience to end-users will be pivotal. This will impact everything from creating differentiated communication across varying platforms that can transcend the current white noise of hundreds of daily-emails to curating invitations for contribution, participation, or leadership based not only on the needs of the organization but on the priorities of the customer. Finally, technology has the capacity to elevate the staff role, providing the ability for staff to closer tie operational efforts to strategic direction when their time is not only spent on repetitive processes.