Becoming Essential : For Associations, the Question Is: Do You Want to Survive, or Do You Want to Thrive?

Do you want to survive, or do you want to thrive? Leading your association into the future means understanding that the rules have changed.

In his 25+ years of working as a partner to both associations and some of the biggest, most forward-thinking for-profit companies, author James E. Meyers has seen all sides of the strategic planning spectrum: organizations that face the future by hiding in the corner, hoping it’ll all go away, and those that careen headfirst into a fail-fast approach. For many associations, success comes in the gray area in between.

To be truly future-focused, you need your members to think about you as providing a service they need, one that they are unwilling to do without.

How do you do that? You make your association essential to your members’ lives—and that means positioning yourself differently than you ever have.

In this book, Meyers explains how association leaders can think bigger, inserting their organizations into the most pressing issues of our day to be on members’ minds all the time. Association leaders will learn:

• Why asking how to stop slipping membership is the wrong question—and what the right question is to jump-start a future-focused transformation strategy  

• How to frame your mission in a new way, one that’s inextricably linked to your industry’s biggest, most pressing issues and an increasingly complex world

• Why storytelling is one of the most important skills for today’s association leaders

• How to attract and communicate with a tech-savvy, always-on, mission-driven younger population

• Why you should be talking to people who may have never heard of you—like the broader public—and how to do that

• How to inspire your staff to think bigger—and what to do if some of them will never become inspired

• The metrics you must be tracking to evaluate and optimize your strategy

“Is your association stuck? Not sure of your vision for the future? If so, then this is the perfect book. I’m afraid that those who don’t take this advice will not become essential ... only irrelevant.”

Joe Pulizzi

Founder, Content Marketing Institute and author of five books, including Killing Marketing

“I love books that challenge convention in thoughtful ways designed to achieve a result instead of a reaction. From the importance of rich intelligence to touchpoint audits, and sprinkled with appropriate reality checks, Becoming Essential illustrates many actions to aid in the ongoing pursuit of relevance.”

Robb Lee

Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, ASAE, The Center for Association Leadership

“It is not new that the way we do business is changing and to remain relevant, associations need to change with the times. But how do you do it? Becoming Essential provides insight into the way the most dynamic associations think and act. They are the ones that harness the power of modern marketing to understand and provide what is valuable to their members and sector, and importantly, are prepared to take a stand on the issues that matter most to their industry or profession.”

Bobbi Mahlab

Founder & Managing Director, Mahlab

“A confluence of forces (changing demographics, industry consolidations, increased use of digital technology, urbanization, work/life balance, micro vs. mass marketing and commoditization) has changed the way associations must operate. Both trade associations and professional societies are challenged to demonstrate value to their members. Becoming Essential provides insights and thought-provoking perspectives. A great reference book for association professionals.”

Robert Weidner III

President & CEO, Metals Service Center Institute