AI for Association Management: Protecting Privacy & Engaging Client Partners

In September 2023, sitting in a board room with the AMR executive team, I pulled up ChatGPT and put in a simple prompt, “write a blog post of the benefits of working with an association management firm.” Jaws hit the floor for most of the people in the room, within a few seconds AI spit out a fully drafted blog post. From there we continued to tinker with the tool asking it to provide marketing plans, target audience ideas for an upcoming conference, and draft social media posts.  I saw the wheels turning in the room of all the people looking to quickly check things off their to-do list. Our President & CEO, Nick Ruffin, then said, “Hey I need to write this memo to clients, ask it to do that for me.” Again within a few seconds a draft was generated and forwarded on as inspiration.  

Creating an Internal Taskforce on AI 

Once we got over the initial shock and awe of generative AI, the caution flags and questions started rolling in as well. It was then we determined we needed to set up a taskforce to guide the safe and effective use of AI within our association management work. By tapping into a range of AMR employees to support the taskforce, we would also be able to create by in along the way.  

Fast forward about 6 months and we had a framework, and a few resources developed to provide that guidance and training to staff. Considering the pace of this emerging technology, we knew the guidance couldn’t be too prescriptive and would need to allow plenty of room for change along the way. As we become more proficient using AI and the landscape of the technology integrated into our day-to-day changes, we will adapt to ensure the important principles we want to upload stay true.  

Developing the PAWS Framework 

Our first subgroup of the taskforce focused on privacy and security concerns of generative AI. The result was a simple acronym to encourage team members to consider potential downfalls when utilizing AI for our association work. The acronym, PAWS, with a built-in double meaning to do just what it says, “pause” before you move forward. We know that the best work is done collaboratively and the key takeaway here is reaching out to a colleague or partner to discuss before making decisions. Taking it one step further, the meaning of the PAWS acronym helps explain the things you should consider.  

Privacy: Be cautious with the data you provide to AI tools. Ensure that sensitive information is anonymized or omitted unless necessary and securely handled. Review the AI tools’ privacy policies to understand the usage, storage, and protection of your data before using them. Confirm that the tool complies with applicable data protection laws. 

Accuracy & Awareness: Understand the limitations of the data available to the AI tool. Be aware that the data may not be current, which could result in incorrect responses. Regularly verify the AI tool’s outputs for accuracy by cross-checking with alternative methods or consulting expert opinions to ensure the reliability of the results. 

Wise Assessment: Ensure that the benefits of using an AI tool align with business objectives and contribute to efficiency. Does it solve an existing problem or are you looking for a problem just to use an AI tool to solve it? Is there a business case for it? Is it really saving you time? Could AI improve the quality of the outcome? 

Security: Ensure that your use of AI tools does not expose you or your organization to unnecessary risks. In addition to standard technology security concerns such as data breaches and privacy risks, the usage of AI tools introduces risks including model poisoning, copyright infringement, and claims of plagiarism. 

Creating Internal Training Programs 

The next subgroup of the taskforce worked on the most practical tips and tricks for utilizing generative AI easily in day-to-day work. After a general survey went out to employees, the team discovered that most people wanted to know more about how to effectively and efficiently use tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft CoPilot. We then focused on creating guided prompts and examples to show during the lunch and learn we scheduled. We highlighted strengths and weaknesses of each one and compared and contrasted in small groups how the results differ slightly between the two tools.  

ChatGPT vs. Microsoft Co-Pilot Key Takeaways  

For both tools, it is key to be as specific as possible with your prompts to generate the best results. Both can be used in similar ways that you could possibly use a search engine for, generating templates, content or ideas, or summarizing large pieces of information.  

ChatGPT:  

• Need to set up an account to use 
  

• Previous requests and chat history can be accessed later 
  

• No character limits for prompts  

Microsoft Co-Pilot (free version): 

• Accessible from your toolbar on your laptop 
  

• More robust browser version 
  

• Better for image generation 
  

• Chat history is not accessible 

One common question we received is, “do I need to credit or disclose the use of AI in my work?” The answer is not necessarily, especially when using generative AI for ideation where editing will be required, and the final product looks different than the original output. It is something to consider based on your audience, those in a more academic setting will likely lean more towards requiring disclosure than those in a more business or corporate setting.  

Outside of chat bots some other tools we discussed were image generators, AI built into our current software like MemberClicks (AMS) and Cvent. We also touched on a tool AMR has adopted called Seamless AI which supports sponsorship and lead generation.  

Developing Guidance for Clients 

Finally, our taskforce knew we would need to have conversations with our client partners and be a resource in helping them navigate the changing landscape of technology and use of AI. This subgroup focused on meeting clients where they are, which required a flexible approach. Not all our association partners need policy language or even want to use or discuss AI. While others are already developing and adopting policies and strategies for how AI will change the future of their organization. Both extremes require thoughtful conversations and consideration of risks and possible concerns. The tools and resources developed by this group were meant to be more of a jumping off point for productive conversations down the road. We always want to be thought leaders with our client partners when it comes to association operations and success and never operating from our back foot.  

If you are looking for a partner that can balance the integration of new and modern technology like AI into association management and still keep guidelines and best practices in mind, contact AMR today.