Why I love being an association executive
I may be a little biased, but I think association work is about the best in the world.
When ASAE released their new web site a few months ago, they launched a “what hat are you wearing today?” campaign, highlighting the multiple roles that association professionals play in the course of a week – or even a day. I think that campaign struck a chord with virtually every ASAE member. For those of us who are naturally curious, who would be extremely dissatisfied if asked to continuously perform the same tasks and projects year after year, being an association executive is a marvelous occupation. As the member relations director for my association, over the past six months I’ve taken the lead on such diverse projects as organizing a summit of our most influential volunteer leaders, carrying out an integrated marketing campaign to recruit volunteers, and I’m now overseeing the production of a video for the opening general session of a brand-new conference. For me, the diversity of opportunities in association management is probably the most significant benefit.
Promoting a cause alongside people who care passionately for the association’s mission is also a positive aspect of a career in association management. Helping members reach their objectives by harnessing the expertise of association staff and the dedicated involvement and knowledge of volunteer leaders makes this profession a rewarding one. It’s amazing to consider: Associations influence and shape virtually every facet of the environment in which we live, work and play. Working alongside other ASAE members as we strive to advance, enhance and promote our profession is another facet I’ve come to appreciate recently.
There must be few professions as multi-disciplinary as association management. From law, to sociology, to business administration, to psychology, to computer science, to ecology, to philosophy, there’s hardly a subject offered on the campuses of most universities that an association executive won’t encounter in his or her career. The opportunity to explore and apply new disciplines to our work is a major plus of an association management career.
Two centuries ago, Alexis de Tocqueville wrote about associations in American society. He branded them as uniquely American institutions. Even to this day, an overwhelming majority of associations worldwide is based in America. I appreciate the distinctively American profession that is association management. I’m thankful for the opportunities it affords and the way of life it provides.
Working for an association is not always sweet, though. How many times have you worked your tail off for 10+ hours and never get to the first item on your to-do list? Or toiled all day long, and then get to the end of the day and think to yourself, “what did I actually *do* today?” Or invested a ton of time and energy into a new program or project only to have it derailed by forces far beyond your control?
Still, these challenges pale in comparison to the benefits, and it’s hard to imagine giving up this line of work. What’s the best thing about being an association executive? What the worst?
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Comments
In what other field does the (volunteer) workforce come to work for positive reasons and make our life's work both fun and meaningful!
Posted by: Bill Burns | June 20, 2006 12:43 PM
I realize this is a very old post, but I was doing some research for my dad who is considering joining an association. I work for one currently and I was looking for some objective information on the subject. I have a different take on working at an association.
Your point about "wearing a lot of hats" cuts both ways unfortunately. We have a lot of executives who "dabble" in different business areas, whether it's marketing, the Web, recruitment, operations, IT, etc. The problem is that in many cases those executives are simply not qualified to be making decisions about those areas. If they don't agree with the experts in those areas who have been hired to manage them for the association, they tend to go off and do their own thing because they find it interesting. So perhaps they'll build their own Web site or create their own collateral. They'll ignore branding and quality control rules because they see it as their pet project.
I see this behavior every day, every week, every year at my association and it drives people like me, who came from the business world, crazy. An association is not a hobby, it's a business. Executives who are bored with their jobs should look for new ones, they shouldn't start trying to do everyone else's.
Posted by: Mike Raia | February 16, 2007 2:46 PM