The more I talk about the future of the workforce in associations, the more I've had to think about exactly what skills and abilities people should be bringing to the table in order to engage and capture the modern member. The list is long—things like dynamic profiling, data analytics, brand management, lead generation, storytelling, user experience customization, social media and monitoring, influencer marketing, mobile engagement, cross-channel campaigns, marketing automation… whew! And that's just a sample!

We are extremely honored to be sponsoring the Bisnow Technology Strategies for Associations Event tomorrow, October 1 in Crystal City, Virginia . In addition, our CEO and Co-Founder of HighRoad Solution, Ron McGrath, will be one of the many All Star Speakers of the day. The event will feature top executives and thought leaders from the DC-area association community, including Reggie Henry, CIO at ASAE, one of our many valued partners.

Yesterday, we discussed why it’s not a good idea to add new requirements onto existing job descriptions or, more generally, to approach the labor market without a clear plan indicating what you need and how you plan to use it. Simply put, you’re not likely to bring in the resources you need to engage, retain, and grow your membership, and you won’t get the most out of your talent budget.

Hiring managers often jump right into job descriptions when they have needs. Rather than starting new, they’ll take something that exists and tack on a slew of added responsibilities. This is certainly convenient, but it’s also problematic, especially when the new roles involve emerging fields such as digital marketing.

I left Robert O’Neill’s speech feeling inspired and excited about what I had just learned.  Life wasn’t so bad, and I didn’t have one bit of stress in my life that was anywhere near what he had gone through, especially from my job.  I felt like someone had just slapped some sense into me and I wanted to go slap some sense into as many people as I could.  I could not stop talking about this speech.  So when my boss came to me and asked if I would write a blog, I more then jumped at the chance. 

I'm watching the changes in the association world unfold before my eyes on a daily basis. The association industry as we knew it is being disrupted and needs to evolve if the organizations are going to remain intact and continue to have a purpose. The latest disruptor I've seen? Inbound. It's hard to understand why this isn't an association, but there's no dues, conference rates are higher and there's a different set of rules for what's considered normal.