Resisting the Temptation to Become Clubs

If associations are recognized and accorded tax exempt status in virtually every nation of the world it is because the role of associations is recognized for the value it brings to society at large. This fact imposes a considerable challenge to association leaders--that they constantly push the boundaries of what might feel comfortable for them. All associations have constituencies and in this regard all feel most comfortable working with those names and faces that are nearest and that they see most often. The pull to close ranks and to create an ever narrower circle of friends and acquaintances is formidable. In effect every organization is drawn to the familiar, and as they are they consciously or not erect barriers against the unfamiliar. In so doing, they turn themselves into clubs—a group of members who define themselves as much by who they are as who they are not. Exclusivity is an important part of this picture. But those organizations that give in to this temptation are more than likely betraying the broader, more altruistic visions and missions that called them into existence in the first place. Society does not accord legal and financial advantages to organizations that serve no purpose than themselves.

If the temptation to define oneself within a national context is great, then how much more so in an international/global context! Each and every one of the US-based associations in the case studies referenced in this book was given the same choice when faced with their various challenges—to circle the wagons and concentrate on their core national constituencies, or to follow their more broadly defined visions and missions into unchartered, global territory. In each case the volunteer and professional leadership of each association chose the latter option and in each case this decision propelled their organizations into broader, more dynamic roles on the global stage.

This is not an easy decision to make—some might even consider it foolhardy. In retrospect we can see that they made the right decision, but at the time it was not so clear. What caused them to take this leap into the unknown? Perhaps there were two reasons—one negative and one positive.

(Taken from The Association Guide to Going Global, by Steven M. Worth, John Wiley & Sons, 2010)