This blog could also be titled, “Will your Association exist in ten years”?
For some time, association professionals have been struggling with a major issue: the concept of volunteering and people who volunteer (the lifeblood to every association) are changing.
Associations traditionally are very structured. They are legal corporations, they are often recognized as not-for-profits by the IRS. As such, they have traditionally had very specific and clear structures. They have Boards of Directors, they have Standing Committees, they have a decision making process and “chain of command” that must be followed.
The new challenge is that people of other generations (xers, yers, millenials, etc) question the rules and structure put in place by their predecessors. They may be willing to volunteer their time but may not be willing to do so following some “archaic” structure they didn’t develop and don’t believe in.
The result? Fewer volunteers and associations struggling to determine who their next generation of leaders will be.
I saw an interesting article on this very topic, you may also enjoy. Let us know what you think about the future of volunteering. What is your association doing to assure it succeeds and continues to provide value to its members for generations to come?
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