A wingwoman (or wingman) is more than just a dating sidekick—they’re your trusted companion who helps you navigate the dating scene, offering moral support and backup. In aviation, a wingman (or wingwoman) is the pilot who flies alongside the leader, ensuring mutual safety and mission success.
Partnerships in association ecosystems aren’t so different. At their best, they’re about finding a harmonious relationship and mutual benefit—two organizations (mission driven or those who support those that are) working together to achieve a shared goal. Like a wingwo(man), a great partner has your back, helps you navigate challenges, and celebrates your wins.
But partnerships in a working sense weren’t always this collaborative. In their earliest days, they were transactional: a simple exchange of product or services for payment. With the rise of technology, and the emergence of channel partnerships, the lens has shifted on partnerships. Today, partnerships have become less linear and more about value-driven collaboration, where both sides contribute and benefit.
This shift is especially evident in the for-profit world. According to Crossbeam, job titles related to ecosystems and partnerships have exploded—upwards of 300% over recent years, respectively. Yet, in associations, both on the mission critical and vendor side, true partnership roles are a diamond in the rough.
However, the rarity exists, and I was able to sit down with a few of our industry’s leading partnerships folks:
- John (Bacon), VP, Sales & Partner Experience at the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE)
- Jon (Smith), EVP of Strategic Partnerships at Multiview
- Johnny (Clayton), Co-Founder & Chief Growth Officer at FuseNext (formerly FuseSearch)
- Edessa (Polzin), Director of Strategic Partnerships at the American Marketing Association (AMA)
(And yes, landing John, Jon, and Johnny for this article was purely serendipitous! And no, you don’t need to be named John, Jon or Johnny to land your next partnerships position, either.)
The Evolving Art of Partnership: Insights from Industry Leaders
Bacon: From Transactional to Transformational
John Bacon, VP, Sales & Partner Experience at ASAE, has seen partnerships shift dramatically from both the association and vendor sides, having long-term experience on the vendor side prior to moving to ASAE. “The sales process has changed so much,” John reflects. “It’s now wrapped around education, thought leadership, and presence—but impact and intentionality are spot on in these partnerships.” Gone are the days of simply “throwing a logo” on an event - the act of vanity partnerships has ended. Today, John prioritizes active listening and creative problem-solving, always asking, “How can I align for those partners and what we are doing?” He believes that successful partnerships require humility, transparency, and a willingness to learn from each other: “Why reinvent the wheel if I don’t have to?”
COVID-19, John notes, accelerated the human side of partnerships. “It made people human—dogs barking, doorbells ringing on virtual meetings. It let people live their lives and build those relationships.” For John, a true partnership is a “win-win-win”: it must benefit the association, the partner, and most importantly, the members. He emphasizes the importance of balance: “If my members aren’t engaging with what I have sponsors and partners for, then I’m not delivering value.” John’s approach is rooted in trust, open communication, and a shared commitment to growth. “Meet me halfway,” he says. “You get out what you put in.” In those who are risk adverse, John advises, “Don’t be afraid to take chances—if you fail, fail fast, but don’t stop trying. You don’t have to do it alone; you have partners who can help you figure it out.” We can lean on our partners/wingwo(men) to help us see a project through.
Smith: Building Value in the Digital Age
With nearly two decades in the space, Jon Smith, EVP of Strategic Partnerships at Multiview, has witnessed associations become “smarter, leaner, and meaner.” He recalls a time when associations were hesitant to monetize beyond membership dues, fearing it would be seen as “selling out.” The digital revolution changed everything. “Print and magazines went digital, and associations realized that creating new revenue streams is essential to funding critical initiatives. There’s an appetite for partnerships today that just didn’t exist 10 or 15 years ago,” Jon explains.
Jon believes that the foundation of a successful partnership is understanding where members are engaging—whether it’s a newsletter, podcast, or digital platform—and meeting them there. “Once we know where members are, we can create opportunities for them to have a voice and for partners to add real value.” He shares a case study: “We logged into a partner portal and turned a traditional sponsorship into a revenue share, funneling a steady supply of leads that fit exactly what our clients were looking for.” For Jon, success isn’t just about financial ROI; it’s about long-term growth. “Our average partner tenure is over 10 years. As long as they’re achieving organizational growth, that’s a success.” He also stresses the value of thought leadership and collaboration: “Even if we don’t partner together, collaborating and creating a safe environment for buyers is still a win.” Exploring ways to educate the space on things they may not know that they don’t know, helps propel us forward, collectively.
Clayton: Collaboration as a Force Multiplier
Johnny Clayton, Chief Growth Officer at FuseNext (formerly FuseSearch), sees the word “partner” as synonymous with collaboration. “We’re going to deliver this product and it will (hopefully) meet (and exceed) your expectations, but we’ll collaborate together on how to make it better, more useful.” Johnny believes that a true partnership is never a simple 1:1 relationship; it’s a team effort that spans sales, technical, and marketing functions. “A partnership will normally have threads of conversation and interest. Ongoing conversations on all sides have to coordinate. If you want to stay in business, these types of relationships are what will help you do that.”
Communication is at the heart of Johnny’s approach. “If you’re not communicating, you’re not closing the deal on the relationship. It takes two.” He’s pragmatic about the reality that not every partnership will work out: “The people you’re in touch with are the people you want to be in touch with. The ones who communicate and collaborate become force multipliers.” Johnny also points to the importance of flexibility in today’s sales environment. “Sales conversations are more fluid now. Even if you can’t solve every problem, knowing your partner channel can help is key. Sometimes, your partner can help you tell your story better than you can.”
Together, these leaders illustrate how partnerships have evolved from transactional exchanges to strategic, collaborative relationships that drive value, growth, and innovation for all parties involved. In today’s ecosystem, you don’t have to go it alone. As John, Jon and Johnny put it, open communication and collaboration make for a win.
To see how these principles come to life within the association and how it impacts members, I spoke with Edessa Polzin, Director of Strategic Partnerships at American Marketing Association (AMA). Her approach offers a practical roadmap for building and measuring strategic partnerships.
Partnerships in Practice: Edessa Polzin’s Playbook at AMA
We spoke with the “Johns” on how industry partnerships have evolved from transactional to strategic. Edessa Polzin, Director of Strategic Partnerships at the AMA, offers a blueprint for how this transformation looks in action.
Aligning Partnerships with Mission and Strategy
For Edessa, every partnership starts with AMA’s strategic plan: “Like any other business, there should be a strategic vision. For AMA, we have a 3-5 year plan for where we are headed, and everything we are doing is building towards that.” She explains that each partnership is mapped to key organizational pillars—such as expanding credential holders or fostering community interplay between collegiate, professional, and academic members. “In the past, those were siloed communities. They never interacted with each other before, but now, a partner from a big brand could be part of the mentorship program for our collegiate community.” This shift, she says, is a direct result of leadership’s focus on breaking down silos and building holistic value.
Measuring Impact Beyond Transactions
Edessa emphasizes that strategic partnerships must deliver measurable value to members: “We measure our partners’ impact with the Content Marketing Institute (CMI) to improve and repackage our content marketing certification. The impact to our members is we now have more contemporary content, a dual-certified credential, and the ability to learn from two experts in the industry: AMA and CMI.” For her, the most successful partnerships are “not just peddling products, it’s more strategic—a multi-touch point type of partnership.”
The Connective Tissue of Growth
Partnerships, Edessa says, are the “connective tissue” that drives member engagement and organizational growth. “The value of partnerships in terms of growth is not just in dollars or numbers, but in growing your brand, trust in your audience, and your name in the industry. Proximity enables influence; at the end of the day, AMA is there for the marketing practitioners and marketing practice. If we don’t show up where they are, why are we even here?”
What Makes a Partnership Truly Work
For Edessa, success is about more than financial ROI: “The right partner brings more than brand—they bring perspective, audience, and momentum.” She sees her role as the “opening act,” with the flexibility to connect partners across the organization and surface opportunities that might otherwise be missed.
The evolution of partnerships is about moving from solo flights to flying in formation—where everyone has a role, and everyone wins; or in Bacon’s words: “win-win-win.”
Share
For those on HubSpot, or interested in HubSpot, you probably already know that the CRM power player held its flagship INBOUND conference in late September. The event, which over the years has cornered the market as the innovation incubator to attend if your role sits within the rev strategy and ops space, once again didn’t disappoint.
New product launches flanked the hundreds of educational sessions from leaders and celebrities alike. While even HighRoad is still spinning from the impressive line-up of products and enhancements either natively baked in already or on their way, we’ve taken the time to let the medicine sink in so that we can isolate which shiny new trinkets are most bookmark-worthy for associations and nonprofits.
Share
Share
Share
Share
Families are connected. They're committed. They're complicated. They have the right intentions but can come up short at times. But in the end, they represent support. And while family members may take on different roles and drive different dynamics within the brood, they're still best when they're functioning together as a unit.
Most wouldn't necessarily see AI as just another family member but I do think it's fair to say, that AI—regardless of the attributes and the functions it serves—is best leveraged when perceived as smaller parts that fit into a much larger picture.
For the month of April and May, HighRoad's blogs will be dedicated to AI for associations. You'll get the skinny on their roles, sometimes their dysfunctions. But most importantly, specific uses cases that are meaningful for associations.
Share
