Things I want in an association

There’s been some hubbub around associations lately out on Twitter and LinkedIn. Posts involving what associations need to do and what we want out of an association as a professional member. Well, I know what I would like and have rattled them off for your reading pleasure to mull over and scrutinize below. So have at it!

Leadership

• Sense of community and oneness; the tribe vibe! AIIM has everyone beat here!! (Ask me about Flat Stanley)  🙂
• Strong, open-minded leadership at the HQ and chapter levels that will listen and embrace feedback from the membership; AIIM listened with regard to the CIP take down. 🙂
• Change in the mindset that the younger generation or newbies in the space don’t have or have less relevant and important views to express!!! I’ve heard this from many and experienced it as well. Of note, speaking opportunities at conferences where the repeat speakers get preference, or so it appears, as do vendors. Just because you haven’t heard of someone before doesn’t mean they aren’t worthy of an audience! InfoGovCon embraces the new faces!  🙂
• Chapter leadership NEEDS to rotate! Leaders need to do better at engaging the membership to allow chapters to grow and change.
• Greater HQ support and direction to chapters and vice versa.
• Allow chapter members and leaders to work at conferences to help build greater connections, team work and involvement to support HQ and the members. This would also allow, or I’d hope, for greater communication with and between the aforementioned. ARMA does fairly well here! AIIM is ripe with opportunity!
• Focused advocacy around RM, IM, IG, etc. with colleges, universities and businesses to increase worth and awareness of the importance in having a dedicated, certified staff to help increase the value of information and reduce the risks to their organizations.
• Communication, Communication, Communication! Do it well! Do it often! And, in multiple social media platforms. AIIM and IGI are very visible on Twitter, ARMA not so much, IMO, and the new Information Coalition is just getting started yet if it’s like their @InfoGovCon communication on Twitter, etc…they need to step it up. Not sayin’, just sayin’.
• Market your uniqueness! Show us what makes you different or better and how you can enhance our desire and worthy of gaining our money to be a professional member over another association or in conjunction to, as in many of our cases, and prove it over and over again!

Education/Certification

• Maintain and enhance certifications as the industry grows. Keep up with the future but don’t forget the spaces that are still sitting in the past.
• Market for success in your certifications! If you want it to grow, you NEED to market the hell out of it! AIIM, the CIP is a baby given other industry certifications. NURTURE IT and it will GROW in certified professionals and in revenue!
• Offer relevant and timely educational opportunities through various outlets. I.e. Annual & web conferences, white papers, DIY CBT’s, etc. All from FREE to affordable price points.
• Focused tracks from newbie to innovator; 101 to 1201.
• Centered tracks on practitioner implementation to vendor engagement with clients.
• Leadership development and mentoring.

Members

• We have to speak up and often!
• We have to pay attention and VOTE for those with real leadership qualities and advocate for change!
• Be involved in chapters, write, advocate and promote your fellow member!
• Raise someone else up to speak up! (I have a few to thank here and you ‘slackers’ know who you are!) 😉

In summary, I want and hope for all these things but it is going to take voices from the membership, open minds in leadership and considerable ‘doership’ to make these things happen to change how the associations are continually benefiting us, the members.

Namaste and musings my friends!