Association CEO Index 2024 - Flipbook - Page 59
59
Association CEO Index 2024
Strategic focus
To capitalise on opportunities and overcome the challenges, association
CEOs are prioritising member value and advocacy.
The survey reveals diverse strategic priorities among
CEOs of Australian and New Zealand associations for
the coming 12 months.
To deal with the challenges, nearly half (49%) of
association CEOs are focusing on enhancing member
value through segmentation, life cycle management,
and personalisation. This priority is particularly strong
among professional associations, where 64% of CEOs
will be focused on member value, compared to 40% in
industry and 50% in hybrid associations.
Advocacy and government relations are also top
priorities for industry associations, with 63% of their
CEOs focusing on strengthening these efforts. This
highlights a contrast with professional associations,
where only 32% will ramp up their advocacy efforts to
assist.
Investment in new technologies, systems, and training
will be a strategic priority for two in five association
CEOs. Notably, this is consistent across all segments,
albeit slightly higher among professional associations
at 45%.
Investment in marketing and brand recognition efforts
are likely to be less common, with only a quarter of
CEOs planning to invest in this area. Additionally, only
18% indicated they will look to expand their
communication or advertising channels.
Despite the challenges facing associations around
resource management and staffing, only 8% are
going to invest in staff attraction and
development programs.
Half of the CEOs representing hybrid associations are
looking at reviewing membership pricing and exploring
new revenue opportunities. This compares to 33% in
industry associations and 36% in professional
associations.
Of interest, younger CEOs appear more likely to focus
on their technology, systems and membership value
proposition to overcome the challenges facing their
organisation than their older counterparts.
Total
Professional
Association
Industry
Association
Hybrid
Association
Focusing on member value, life cycle, segmentation
and personalisation
49%
64%
40%
50%
Strengthening advocacy efforts, increasing focus
on policy / government relations
45%
32%
63%
38%
Investing in better systems / software / training in
new technologies
40%
45%
37%
40%
Reviewing membership pricing / implementing new
revenue opportunities
39%
36%
33%
50%
Investing in marketing and brand recognition
25%
23%
21%
32%
Undertaking a membership model review
21%
28%
23%
12%
Reducing overheads, focus on cost control
19%
19%
23%
14%
Expanding communication channels / advertising
18%
19%
14%
22%
Creating business development role(s)
12%
15%
5%
16%
Developing staff attraction and development
programs
8%
8%
11%
2%
Q. Which of the following strategies, if any, are you contemplating
to overcome these challenges? (Select up to three)
Significantly higher / lower than other groups at 95% CI
