Why Associations Must Act Now: Reinventing for 2025 and Beyond
In 2025, the status quo will bankrupt your relevance.
Associations have long relied on incremental change—tweaking dues, updating events, or launching yet another webinar series.
But according to McKinley Advisors’ 2025 report, “Business Model Innovation: Fuel for an Association’s Mission,” that model is officially obsolete.
The next wave of disruption is already here, and most associations are dangerously unprepared.
Only 26% of association leaders believe their current business model will deliver adequate revenue.
Just 28% believe it will fulfill their mission over the next 3–5 years.
That’s not just a confidence gap—it’s a cliff. And the only way forward is comprehensive business model innovation.
Beyond Marginal Gains: Why Tinkering Won’t Save You
Too many associations are reacting to change with surface-level solutions: new services, rebranded events, or mild tech upgrades. That’s not innovation. That’s denial.
The forces reshaping your members’ world—AI, remote work, generational turnover, economic pressure—are not cyclical.
They’re structural. And they demand a systemic reinvention of how you deliver value, generate revenue, and stay relevant.
The Five Pillars of Reinvention
McKinley identifies five interdependent areas where associations must rethink their models from the ground up:
1. Value
Deliver what members and stakeholders actually need—not what you’ve always sold.
Use customer research to shape offerings
Sunset legacy programs that no longer deliver impact
Create value for specific member segments
“The old model just wasn’t meeting them where they were. So it was up to us to change it.”
— Reggie Henry, ASAE
2. Revenue
Dues aren’t enough. Sponsorships are drying up. You need diversified income.
Subscription models
Tiered services
Content licensing
Creative partnerships
“We treat sponsors as partners—not checkbooks. That mindset 6X’d our sponsor revenue.”
— Mark Dorsey, CEO, CSI
3. Community
Membership isn’t a database. It’s a network.
Create connective programs between engagement cycles
Use digital platforms to personalize community experiences
Partner across sectors for mutual learning
“Membership is dead—unless it facilitates real connection.”
— Preet Bassi, CEO, CPSE
4. Reach
Stop limiting value to members only.
Serve non-member customers
Expand globally
Build thought leadership
Become the voice of your profession
“We looked beyond ourselves to serve a broader ecosystem. That’s how we expanded worldwide.”
— Sheri Sesay-Tuffour, CEO, PNCB
5. Operations
Innovation isn’t just an idea. It’s a system.
Automate processes
Bring in outside business expertise
Build cross-functional teams
Align metrics to shared goals
“We needed outsider perspectives and business mindsets to move faster and smarter.”
— Kate Fryer, CEO, Endocrine Society
When Incremental Change Isn’t Enough: The Case for Reinvention
Innovation upgrades what’s there.
Reinvention replaces it.
That’s the path Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM) took—shifting from a certification model to an ROI-based corporate client model tied to benchmarking, training, and standards.
“We moved from siloed departments to an interconnected, high-performing organization. The customer, not our org chart is now the center of everything.”
— Sherri Goodlove, EVP, ASCM
Reinvention means:
- Rethinking who you serve and how
- Building new capabilities
- Rewriting your mission and business strategy
- Restructuring your team, bylaws, and culture
Why Associations Resist, and How to Break Through Common Barriers:
“That’s not how we do things here.”
- Fear of failure or financial risk
- Siloed teams and stale leadership
- Misaligned structures or outdated governance
How to Overcome Them:
Accept that profit is fuel for your mission
Create cross-functional project teams
Recruit outside experts with for-profit experience
Anchor innovation in data, not legacy assumptions
Reward experimentation and idea sharing
“Innovation isn’t a bolt-on initiative. It’s a culture shift—and it must be championed from the top.”
— McKinley Advisors
Your Call to Action for 2025
You don’t need another task force or town hall.
You need a full business model audit—and a commitment to either upgrade or reinvent across these five pillars:
- Value
- Revenue
- Community
- Reach
- Operations
The next five years will separate those who adapt from those who fade.
Now is the time to move—not incrementally, but intentionally.
In Summary: Final Thoughts
The market is moving. Your members are evolving.
If your association isn’t, then you’re already behind.
Disruption is not a threat—it’s an opportunity!
But only for those willing to rebuild, reframe, and reinvest in the future.
