As associations and other nonprofits face uncertainty in an era of rapid change, it is a reminder to all of us that we need to approach our work and our communities differently. What used to work, or “the way we’ve always done it,” is not a plan for today or tomorrow. 

As I mentioned in my July 24, 2025 message, the trend continues across the world: don’t actually offer support when members or customers need it. This time I have an example from the world of banking – a crucial service in a world of people on the move who need online support to make things happen.

The trend continues across the world: don’t actually offer support when members or customers need it. Don’t actually talk to anyone or solve the problem for them or at least figure out why there is a problem. Put up walls, don’t offer support, and make the member or customer do it all themselves. After all, isn’t that why we have all this online technology?

A few days ago, I shared this post on my LinkedIn account: 

“Earlier today I saw yet another post from an association management professional stating, ‘it's so hard to explain what we do.’ This is another one of those tired pieces of conventional wisdom that just isn't so. It's very easy to explain what we do: As nonprofit management professionals, we practice a management subspecialty focusing on 501c organizations. We are experienced professionals supporting organizations that make the world a better place through service to members and society. If you are trying to explain your daily tasks to someone, you are not answering their question.”

Earlier this week, those of us in the association community were taken by surprise when KiKi L’Italien announced she was turning off her mic. After 16 years of evolving and leading Association Chat, her studio is now dark. I have to say I was surprised but . . . not surprised.

Generally, I have taken the position that association boards should be smaller. When I say smaller, I think in the range of 7 to 10 members at the most. I know that some associations out there have really big boards, ranging anywhere from 30 to several hundred.

The world is becoming tense again. It’s not the first time it has happened and it likely won’t be the last. The frustrating thing is that we never seem to learn our lesson about why times become tense and ultimately violent. I have an inkling of an idea I’d like to share with you, and it relates directly to content we have included in our ethics course in the past.

Ethics is a topic that defines who we are as individuals. Ethical decision making can seem daunting, no matter how evolved you are, but if you are prepared in advance, you will be able to make the best choices that support the most people affected by the decision.

It’s that time of year: Awards Season! Organizations, especially Associations, love to single out certain people to receive special and unique recognition. Only certain people seem to get these awards and it’s hard to figure out the why and the how of the decision process. In the association community, it seems there is one person each year that gets all the “big” awards from several groups. I often wonder why different people don’t get these awards; why does it tend to be the same person?

It has been one year since I broke my leg. I’d like to have a cool story to tell you about it, like I was fighting off Somali pirates on a cruise ship but it’s not anywhere near that interesting. I tripped over one of my dogs running upstairs. And because I was carrying something in both hands, I had no way to break my fall. My left leg twisted inwards and when I landed, all my weight hit my left knee.

Associations are focusing on artificial intelligence (A.I.) very seriously. There are many questions about it: should we use it? How do we use it? Which tools should we choose if we go with A.I.? Will it replace staff or enhance staff? If we do use it, will our content be “stolen” by the online algorithms that have cute names but no souls?

We all have those times when we stare off into space, daydreaming about one thing or another. Since I do so much CAE education, I often find myself thinking, “It would be great if the CAE program was like this . . . or offered that . . . or was better respected.”

I belong to several networking groups and we discuss a variety of topics from board performance to member engagement to operations and everything else that makes associations work.

As many of us do, I read LinkedIn at least once per day – if not twice. When I was looking at the newsfeed on Wednesday this week, I saw an announcement that an association executive was heading into their third Chief Staff Executive (CSE) position. This person left their second role under something of a cloud but was able to secure another top-staff person position rather quickly.

Association Consultants (consultants) do a lot for their clients, but we also do a lot for our association community. We answer questions in online forums, distribute articles and podcasts to contribute knowledge, present at conferences sharing valuable content, and offer counsel and advice to our colleagues. Most association consultants launch their consulting company after many years working in associations.

Growing up in a big family is not always comfortable but it’s always interesting. There are crazy dynamics, lots of unchanneled energy (or channeled in the wrong direction), and it can be quite noisy. You’re usually not alone, even if you want to be.

Early bird registration discriminates against those who don't register on a certain date, a date which is randomly picked by the organization to drive up registration numbers (yes, you can make the argument it's not random that you are trying to get a headcount or make your contract requirements but it is still artificially set by the association). This serves a variety of purposes and causes repercussions for registrants and potential registrants:

My husband and I recently watched a Netflix docuseries on professional wrestling. We were HUGE wrestling fans when we were young but lost interest somewhere along the way. It’s why we enjoyed the docuseries so much – it reminded us of how fun it was to follow wrestlers and their story arcs!

It’s ethics month! It’s an exciting time for all of us here in the nonprofit management profession because the practice of ethics is core to our work – and we get an entire month to talk about. As a member of the ASAE Ethics Committee, I’m pleased to be working with so many dedicated colleagues promoting ethics and their application.

​“I cannot and will not cut my conscience to fit this year's fashions.” ― Lillian Hellman

Lillian Hellman, American playwright and known Communist, said this at the House Unamerican Activities Committee (HUAC) hearings in the 1950s. Having been blacklisted for not signing the loyalty oath, she stayed steadfast in her belief system. She supported communism, Stalin, the Soviet Union, and was a member of the Communist Party for a few years.