The AMR Association Management Blog

Wait, so how do we look at and think about strategic planning differently in a world that is in constant motion?   The VUCA framework is a great place to start! VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity) is a structure meant to capture an environment where nothing is predictable and things can change from day to day – sound familiar? While each of the VUCA letters represents part of this complex environment, there’s…

Your association spent months crafting a five-year strategic plan. Then the world changed overnight. Sound familiar?  Traditional strategic planning is great in a world where you can reasonably predict what will be happening in your industry in 5-10 years and where members are looking for reliable, consistent experiences from year to year – basically a world that no longer exists. Models that ask association…

The members who consistently show up to events, volunteer for committees, and renew year after year often have one thing in common: they’re hungry to learn. What if your association could meet that need every day, not just at one-off events? While conferences have their place, today’s members want more than one-off sessions. They want…

Event costs are rising for everything from venue rentals to catering to audiovisual equipment. For associations, it can be difficult to manage these rising costs while still offering fair ticket prices to your attendees. Increasing costs are a significant threat to associations, adding pressure to your budget and impacting your ability to host engaging events. …

For decades, association success was often measured by one primary number: membership growth. More members meant more revenue, more influence, and more stability. But as associations head into 2026, that metric alone no longer tells the full story. Today, engagement—not just enrollment—is emerging as the most meaningful indicator of an association’s health, relevance, and long-term…