I was catching up on my Google Reader this morning (I still love Really Simple Syndication to keep track of the hundreds of blogs I subscribe to) and Frank Fortin’s post about the Association of the Future caught my eye.

If you’re unfamiliar with Association of the Future, it’s a kind of experiment run by ASAE and The Center and is meant to be a form of career development for young professionals. In the experiment, a group of selected young association professionals staff a mock association and attempt to project how associations down the road will be structured, how they will operate and how they will function.

There was a session introducing AOTF at the Great Ideas Conference last week, and Frank’s post was a reflection of that session.

I don’t want to rehash too much of Frank’s awesome post (you should definitely read it if you haven’t already), and I wasn’t at the conference, so I can’t make any observations on the session itself. But as a “young professional” (millennial, Gen-Y, what have you), Frank’s post made a big impression on me.

The ideas and recommendations to “change” governance and association’s structures weren’t really remarkable or innovative, Frank wrote.

How come?

AOTF’s mantra/mission/objective was “Members come first. No silos. Listen and then talk. Go techno.” (I think it’s an awesome mantra, by the way.) But Frank wrote that he and many session attendees didn’t feel the actions backed up the mantra.

I think it’s difficult for anyone to create truly innovative change in any organization they’ve been a part of for a long time. Rather than making sweeping “innovations,” it’s easier to just tweak lots of different processes and see what sticks. No matter what age you are, if you’re used to an organization functioning a certain way, it’s difficult to take a step back and see what could be. I honestly don’t think anyone is immune to the “that’s the way we’ve always done it” attitude.

Frank wrote that none of the suggestions and changes AOTF presented focused on the actual members. Why not? Isn’t that the point of an association — to facilitate relationships among people who share a common interest of career, and to provide them with resources and education to further those interests or careers?

I’m not sure why AOTF only looked at an association’s structure and governance, and I certainly wasn’t at the session, so I’ve love to get some feedback from people who were in attendance.

However, I think Frank hit on a key learning point and takeaway of this experiment: doing things the same way and expecting different results rarely works.

What do you think? How could AOTF produce innovative, startling changes with positive reactions?

I’ve written before about suggestions for retaining student members after they graduate and about the importance of a forward-thinking communication strategy.

But what about focusing on your own younger staffers – the young professionals?

Loosely defined as anyone between the ages of 21-35 (although the ages limits are pretty fluid), young professionals have a lot to offer your organization. As late Gen-Xers and early Millennials, though, their needs and outlooks can be slightly different from yours. Perhaps, as a small-staff association, you don’t work with many young professionals. But as more Baby Boomers retire, it’s likely that a younger person could join your staff soon.

Young professionals thrive on career development and want to learn new things. Workshops dedicated to salary negotiation and cover letter writing are always beneficial, especially since many people in this age group change jobs frequently early in their careers.

But for younger association staffers, this can be a stressful time in their lives. Presenting to the board for the first time can be scary, and so can planning and executing their first program. And managing others? Not everyone is a natural leader or manager, and it can be especially difficult for some.

What kinds of unique services does your association offer its young professionals? Management seminars? Networking opportunities with other young professionals? Career development workshops?

If your organization is too small to support workshops and seminars for young professionals, consider teaming up with another small organization in the area. After all, they don’t have to be focused on the association itself – career development and networking can benefit anyone, no matter what their line of work.

And how does your association get the most from its talented young professionals? There are lots of new ideas to be had from this group, and they probably don’t all have to do with technology. Growing up in a different decade, with different opportunities and outlooks, means young professionals are engrained with new ideas and visions.

Do you provide an environment that fosters their brainstorming and innovations? Do you welcome all new ideas and seriously consider them?

Not to be cheesy, but young professionals really are the future of your organization. They are the ones who will be in charge in 15 or 20 years. Be sure to make it an environment they want to stick around in for a while.

Happy New Year’s Eve! Instead of reflecting on the past year, I thought I’d share a few predictions for associations in 2010. I could be way off base, but that’s OK! Feel free to share what your association is excited about going into 2010, too!

- Virtual attendance gains traction. Maggie McGary tweeted a link the other day about how the American Society for Parental and Enteral Nutrition is offering virtual attendance for its 2010 conference. I think this is a fantastic idea – today’s technology absolutely supports this kind of thing, and in a still-unstable economy, people may not want to travel as much.

- Crowdsourcing becomes the norm for associations. ASAE and The Center experimented with this for Associations Now, but I think the concept will grow for associations in 2010. Use it among your staff, or give your members a say in some of the association’s decisions.

- Organizations will stop adopting social media just for the sake of it. This is more of a wish than a prediction, but I hope it comes to fruition. Obviously “social media” was the trend of 2009. But what does it mean? To me, social media is just another level of communication with your members and staffers. Perhaps you can ask your members how they prefer to receive information (get your “crowdsourcing” on) and create different options. You don’t have to be everywhere, all the time, online.

- Young professionals become even more active. From ASAE and The Center’s Young Professionals resources and committee to YAPStars, Gen-Xers and Gen-Yers are making their presences known. These groups allow for great networking opportunities and professional development, and I love the enthusiasm YPs are displaying.

- Associations embrace mobile technology. Who isn’t attached to their phone these days? (Seriously though, if you aren’t, I envy you.) Maybe 2010 won’t bring an iPhone app for your association, but it’s definitely time to embrace the real-time access our smartphones provide. Twitter has accomplished this in a way, but 2010 can take it a step further.

Have a wonderful and happy (and safe!) New Year’s Eve. So long, 2009!

(Image via Optical illusion on Flickr.)

Are you worried about your organization’s membership – and what will happen to it in the future? It’s imperative to look to the future of your membership – young professionals and college students – to keep things going. But what happens when college students graduate and stop paying dues?

Off the top of my head, I can think of three professional associations that had very active presences on my college campus: the Society of Professional Journalists, Public Relations Society of America and National Association of Black Journalists. (Bet you can’t guess what I majored in!)

Despite my journalism school bias, I know there are tons of associations out there that have active student memberships, and then as soon as those members graduate, they let their memberships lapse. (And I’m one to talk. SPJ, call me!)

As a fairly recent grad myself, I wanted to discuss some (relatively) easy ways to retain your student members after they turn their tassels.

For starters, is there a big gap between the price of student membership and non-student membership? Not to beat a dead horse, but we all know unemployment rates are sky high right now. Unless your recent grads realize the value in their membership, they’re not going to want to shell out for it while they’re still living with mom and dad.

Consider offering a reduced membership rate for young professionals. For example, it could be for only those ages 25 and under, or for those who have been out of school for less than two years. Especially now (there’s that “economy” thing again!) younger members would do well to take advantage of the professional services associations have to offer.

Which brings me to my next point … do you make it clear how membership can make younger members stand out in a sea of resumes? Do you offer exclusive job boards and member profiles with their specific accomplishments? Take advantage of the terrible economy and show young potential members what you can do for them. The earlier in their careers they join, the more likely they are to retain membership down the road.

It should go without saying that ignoring technology and social media is a no-no if you want to recruit the younger demographic. It can be as simple as setting up a Facebook page for younger members to interact or as intricate as setting up your own social network on Ning. (See this post for more details on Ning.)

Speaking from personal experience (and on behalf of my friends), it can be very difficult to find your footing after graduation, especially right now. (For those keeping score, this is Terrible Economy Reference No. 4.) If you don’t already have a mentoring program, consider implementing one. Pair a recently graduated member with an established professional – mentoring works both ways. And maybe the young professional will find their chosen profession isn’t the right fit for them. There’s nothing wrong with that, and in my opinion, the sooner they discover that, the better!

What other suggestions do you have for retaining your student members after they enter the big, bad real world? What has worked (and what hasn’t worked) for your organization?

(Image via zitona on Flickr)