Some associations constantly want to change how they operate. Others never want to change. Neither is correct.

Associations should consider what they want to accomplish and select the best way to do it. Sometimes it will require change, other times it won't. There is no single correct answer for every situation in every association.

As part of thinking about change, it's helpful to pay attention to what others say (although you should not feel compelled to follow any of it).

Here are a few comments gleaned from the most recent issue of Associations Now:

"Membership, education, and access to information - three of the most common value propositions and most important revenue streams found in association business models - have been disrupted by what often feels like an infinite variety of acceptable (and occasionally superior) online alternatives that can be delivered at lower cost and often free of charge to end users." Jeff De Cagna of Principled Innovation.

"...classroom and other face-to-face learning is preferred over distance learning." Findings from Decision to Learn.

"It's part of a culture where you have to move your members in the direction that you want to go, but at their pace." Mark C. Anderson, CAE of American Society for Surgery of the Hand.

"...what I've found works is a balance of personal and electronic communication...it comes down to deciding what works best in each situation..." Leila Faucette, of Kentucky Coalition of Nurse Practioners & Nurse Midwives.

An association listed its two goals on its web site.

It stated its first goal, then followed it with this wording: "second, and more important..."

If the second goal is more important, why isn't it the first goal?

Don't be so quick to measure your association against others. It often doesn't mean anything.

Associations with higher membership renewal rates are not necessarily better than those that have difficulty retaining members.

For example, organizations whose members participate in recreational activities have higher turnover because members often find their chosen sport or exercise to be difficult or unpleasant - so they quit the activity and don't renew their dues.

Trade associations in the recreational industry grow or shrink when customer preferences change. The quality of association management, programming, or marketing, is often irrelevant.

Academic test scores do not necessarily indicate good or bad schools. They only indicate high or low test scores. They don't measure the quality of teaching or administration. Dropout rates may measure the influence of family or community more than that of teachers.

Businesses may find success with varying marketing, management, and merchandising strategies. Each business, like each association, is different, and may require different techniques to achieve success.

So, be aware of tactics used by colleagues and competitors, but don't just mimic the successful ones. Do what you think will work for your association.

I'm tired of reading survey results that measure people's attitudes about the future of the economy.

If people think conditions will get worse, then they will get worse. Associations, businesses, and individuals will react to the bad news.

So, from now on, when I receive surveys, I'm always going to respond that things will get better. And I think everybody else should do that, too.

I'm going to say that business is better now and that I expect it to be even better at whatever point in the future I'm asked about it. I'll say that my income is higher than it was before and that I expect it to rise even higher in the future.

I've always criticized pollyannas and warned associations not to budget hope. But the malleable attitudes of fearful individuals has swayed public opinion too far in the opposite direction. We need to eliminate excess emotion and get back to sensible planning.

As the age of electronic communication swept over the nation, many associations started experiencing lower levels of member involvement. Membership renewal rates dropped, new member recruitment and program registration levels fluctuated, and member response to surveys, messages, and alerts declined.

Many associations actually provided greater member benefits but did not reap the expected rewards.

It wasn't because association membership had lost value. It was because competing sources of information and advocacy could more easily enter the marketplace and grab a share of that value.

People have a finite amount of time for professional activities - and a finite amount of money to pay for them. The more options that are available to them, the less time and money they'll be able to spend on each.

The top rated television programs of the 1950s drew more than 50% of the viewing market. Today's top shows don't even reach 20%. It's not because they aren't as valued. It's because viewers have many more choices.

Some associations have responded to the competition by shifting activities from one mode to another (like print to electronic). But that is not the proper response to these changes. Faxes did not eliminate the need for postal service. E-mail did not eliminate the need for direct mail. Social media does not eliminate the need for face-to-face meetings.

People have not abandoned former venues. They have merely added new ones and now utilize multiple methods of obtaining, processing, and sharing information.

Associations now need to employ many more techniques to achieve the same levels of success as before. It may be more complicated (and probably more expensive) to reach each market segment than it was in the past.

That's the challenge.

...just a little redecorating.

That's how the new editor-in-chief of Woman's Day magazine compared the domain she had just taken over to her new furniture.

"I inherited strong, well-constructed furniture - there was no need to replace it, just freshen it up a bit."

Newly hired Executive Directors may want to consider that perspective when deciding how to redo their associations.

A resale shop associated with a prominent hospital is located across the street of the hospital, in an upscale neighborhood.

The store offers very low prices for used clothing and other items. It provides an important service to low-income people.

So, why isn't it located in a neighborhood where low-income people live?

Haiti needs ONE organization to manage all relief efforts for earthquake victims.

All transport of supplies and personnel should be managed by ONE organization. Priorities for allocation of supplies and personnel should be made by ONE organization, regardless how many groups are involved, what their specific interests are, and how connected they are to particular Haitian communities.

All public relations activities should be managed by ONE organization.

That means all of the involved organizations would have to subordinate themselves to ONE organization, give up control of their resources (and their opportunities for public recognition), and turn them over to ONE organization for effective utilization.

Otherwise, relief efforts are likely to be a chaotic patchwork of uncoordinated and misdirected services.

I wonder if efficient organization is even possible.

Among Jeff De Cagna's predicted trends for associations in 2010 is this:

"The continued explosive growth in mobile technologies will continue to accelerate in the year ahead, challenging associations to rethink every aspect of how they relate to stakeholders, create and deliver value and perform work."

I just hope these technologies are used more appropriately in the coming year than they are right now.

There really is no reason for everybody to expect to instantly contact everybody else all of the time, wherever they are, regardless of what they are doing.

I don't want to talk to someone who is striding through a noisy airport, eating lunch with somebody else, or sitting on the toilet.

I'm not interested in somebody's immediate reaction to something. I'd rather hear about it after they've had time to give it adequate thought.

I don't need to check my bank balance while crossing a busy street.

And there is no reason for me to read email or check voicemail - or answer my phone - while loading groceries onto a conveyor belt for the cashier to scan.

Associations need to be aware of venues that can be used to more effectively reach members, prospects, and others with whom they desire relationships.

But they don't have to frantically lunge for every device or technique out of fear they'll miss something.

So, identify your audiences, know what they want from you and how they want it delivered, and then deliver it.

Keep abreast of new methods of work and communications so you'll know if something comes along that can help you better serve your members.

And don't tether yourself to gadgets that allow everybody to talk to you all of the time, wherever you are, regardless of what you are doing. It's not necessary.

Association CEOs usually don't like to do that. They have a tendency to conduct triage while thinking and planning.

Ideas that appear politically or financially unfeasible often get jettisoned by the time strategic plans take shape. Few people want to waste time thinking up things that can't be done.

If you are the person who jumpstarts the association's planning process, get out of the office to do your thinking. You may acquire a much better perspective.

Find a spot to roost in a library, restaurant, or park bench, where you are not surrounded by association people or objects. Don't bring your cell phone, laptop, or documents of any kind. Just sit and think about this:

If you could create your association from scratch, what would it look like?

It may not look anything like the association does today. If you think the "new" association looks better, then start plotting a strategy to move it in that direction.

Begin with a political strategy to persuade your leaders to support the new, improved association. Construct supporting arguments - financial, logistical, marketing, etc. - to establish the rationale for the "new" look.

Don't worry about what has been approved in the past, what contracts have been signed, or how the association has traditionally conducted its business. That will prevent you from moving forward.

Use the "new" look as the starting point and cast off older portions as soon as you can (more about this, soon).

If the "new" organization better meets members' needs than did the old one, the re-creation should be well-received.

(Apologies to ASAE's Joe Rominiecki for pretty much copying the title of his Acronym posting.)