As I was preparing for a talk on association management and governance for members of the Philippine Council of Associations and Associations Executives and was mulling over what theme to cover, an idea suddenly struck me. What if I discuss what really is the “business” of an association? Is an association in the “business of being an association” or is it in the “business of associating”? This certainly got me thinking deeper. Having been an association executive for over 25 years (and counting), I thought: “Gee, it’s going to be tough to decipher the difference between the two!”
As I was going through this, it dawned upon me that what seems to be like a play of words. The two phrases actually mean differently if you come to think about it.
To be honest, I see the first (the business of being an association) as static and pretty standard and, matter-of-factly, connotes a limited viewpoint of what an association must and can do. It also means being process-oriented, procedural and simply “coasting along”. It’s traditional and so 20th-century thinking.
On the other hand, I find the business of associating more dynamic, innovative and member-centric. To my mind, this is what an association should really focus its energies and resources on. “Associating” means “to unite, join together as colleagues, and to keep company as a friend or an ally”. This description fits the true essence of an association.
As mentioned in my column on March 23, an association is defined by the American Society of Association Executives as “an organization or group of individuals affiliated with one another who share a common purpose, interest, or mission and exist for the mutual enrichment and advancement of their membership”. Again, this definition strikes at the very heart of what an association is all about.
I have to emphasize the importance of this association business distinction because it involves a change of mind-set. It sets a guide for strategic direction, and is a fresh way of looking at how an association should work to fulfil its purpose and be of service to its members.
I can now confidently say to our members that an association is, in its truest sense, in the business of associating. This critical point of view poses a challenge and, at the same time, provides a great opportunity for associations to rethink, retool and readapt to the current ever-changing business environment that we all in the association community are facing on a daily basis.
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The column contributor, Octavio “Bobby” Peralta, is concurrently the secretary-general of the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP) and the CEO and founder of the Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives (PCAAE). PCAAE is holding the Associations Summit 5 (AS5) on November 22 and 23 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), which is expected to draw over 200 association professionals here and abroad. The two-day event is supported by ADFIAP, the Tourism Promotions Board and the PICC.
E-mail inquiries@adfiap.org for more details on AS5.