The Blueprint for Thriving Communities

Join Sarah Sladek on Membership IQ as she dives into the skill of cultivating and sustaining dynamic membership communities. In this episode, Sarah chats with Deborah Curry, CPA, CGMA, an accomplished association executive and Advisory Board Member of XYZ University, about navigating change, fostering intergenerational connections, and overcoming challenges like toxicity in organizations. Discover actionable strategies for leading through transitions, cultivating a vibrant organizational culture, and engaging younger generations. Whether you're a seasoned leader or new to association management, this episode is packed with insights to help you create a dynamic, resilient membership community. Tune in and get smart about membership!

Transcript

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(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.) Hello, and welcome back to another episode of the Membership IQ. I am so glad that you're here. I'm Sarah Sladek, your host, and this is where you go to get smart about membership. And today we're going to get smart with Deborah Curry, who is a member of the XYZ University Advisory Board. So Deborah, I'm so glad you're here. Welcome to the show. Let's dive in and talk about a few strategies. You have been an association executive for a while and have worked for a few associations. So why don't you just take a moment, introduce yourself to our audience. I've enjoyed working with you for many years. And my background in association management stems from working with the CPA associations, and both in Florida and Georgia. And I am now working with Realtors Associations, both of which are exciting, but very different in their management styles. And prior to that, I was in corporate America for many years in financial roles. OK, fantastic. So we are seeing so much change happening, so, so much. And for those of you who are tuning in, we're recording this also approximately a, well, exactly a week after the presidential election. And any time there's a presidential election, it stirs up questions, concerns, what's going to happen? But I'm just curious, in your association right now, what are some of those burning questions or concerns that are top of mind? Top of mind, Sarah, is actually what we are going to anticipate in any economic changes and policies. The real estate industry, obviously, any faction of the financial world that changes can affect mortgage rates, it can affect home building, home prices, the ability of individuals to afford homes, and how that entire industry works. So of course, a change in a presidential environment, any policies or processes that take place, that's top of mind, I think, for our industry at the moment and watching how we are doing with the economy and the geopolitical issues that are taking place as well. Yeah, exactly. And there are just, I think, you know, we're still in this era of recovering from COVID and, you know, that's taken some time. And I think just overall, people are just more careful and conscientious and concerned and hesitant. And that affects membership, too. So let's talk about that for just a moment. What are some of the trends you are observing in terms of, are people jumping in, ready to join? Is there that hesitation? What is it that they're looking for? Again, you've been an association executive for a while. What is different right now to maybe compared a few years ago or a few years ago, even before that? What changes are you observing? What I've noticed is that associations are going to be highly impacted by what is happening to their particular industry or career field. So in the current environment in real estate, you still have some very successful areas and individuals are interested in joining in. The younger generations are coming about, wanting to have the mentorship, getting into the industry. While you also see some of those individuals that have weathered the storm and might see an impact of, actually speaking of storms, the number of hurricanes affecting housing, whether or not there's inventory to sell. Are we building? So you see in this environment, the ability to mentor some of the young people coming in as we help some of the retiring generations. I also seen some associations, a shift in the interest of that career field. You might look at a career field like cybersecurity. That in itself is growing. So would you have more members wanting to join those associations for both the camaraderie, the experience, the certifications, and where does any individual association stand when it comes to the vibrancy of your current profession or industry and individuals joining that particular sector of the environment? So you, I'm going to give you a shout out because I have seen you lead organizations through tremendous change and you've done so incredibly well. And so I am curious to know, what's your secret, Debra? What is your secret? What advice do you have to pass along about how to help association leaders lead in a time of change? Well, thank you for your vote of confidence. I appreciate that. And I've been fortunate to be able to work a lot with strategy. And I think that is probably first and foremost, have a strategy in place, but yet be flexible enough to know that in a time of change, your strategy may need to be altered, but you're still on track. And I think that working with strategy and then getting the buy-in from your leadership, from your staff is key to making any of those organizations work, especially when you have a traumatic change that creates anxiety or possibly makes individuals feel that they need to jump at something else, which may sound good, but may not have a long lasting positive effect. And I do believe, Sarah, that you have to stick with the strategies, alter as you need to, but at the same time, you've got to have the buy-in from your members and your staff in order to make any of that work. I agree with that so much. I think I've heard it. I've heard this metaphor, and I just love it, that you pick a destination and that remains your destination, just like if you're taking a road trip. Well, we want to end up in Vegas, but along the way there may be road construction. And so you may have to do a little detour, but you're still headed to Vegas. You're not all of a sudden headed to Timbuktu. So I like that idea that you have to sometimes adjust. And I also love that idea that you need to do an exceptional job of community building, grassroots, bringing your team and your community alongside with you and keeping them informed. Those are excellent, excellent points. Thank you for that. Let's talk about generations for a moment. And again, I know from knowing you for a while that you really care about bringing up the next generation. And we're now talking about Gen Z. And again, that's a component of the change that organizations are facing. Some are doing a great job at bringing up the next generation. Others are struggling. What are some of the trends you're observing in associations when it comes to generations and some strategies, some pieces of advice you'd pass along to make sure people are thinking about the next generation? Well, your first your first point is they need to be thinking about it, right? They need to be thinking about where they are and what they do want to look like in the future. If you've got a strategy, how are you going to get there if you don't have your next generations pushing you from behind and coming up behind you? So I think that what I'm seeing is that the younger generations are interested in joining if you can connect with them, which may be through many types of events and not just an event to have an event. I see the younger generation in our group extremely interested in community events, helping to fundraise to support something in their local community that helps to raise awareness of who the members are. You're helping them build their career. So in our group, it's membership activities will focus a great deal around community events, fundraising, helping children. And so when you do that, you also have that wonderful opportunity to engage your existing generations, your senior generations, I call them the experienced group to coming in, helping with that. And while they're having fun with the younger generation, they're also mentoring them on leadership activities. What's it like to be involved in the organization and building relationships one on one, which I think will help you retain some members because no one wants to feel like they've gone to an event, they've gone to a meeting, and then they've left with no connection. When you're working for a membership organization, you really are in the business of relationship building. And I think that is number one, something that associations sometimes forget, because we have our day to day and our operations, and we can forget sometimes that, oh, wait, it's not just about producing the next conference. It's about making sure that people are making those connections and helping with that and giving them tools to succeed. You know, when we think about community building, yes, day to day operations and busyness sometimes get in the way of that. But also, you know, change sometimes gets in the way of it. And I'm hearing from more associations right now that there's more division in their communities about more topics. And again, whether we're talking about changing demographics and retirement waves and skills gaps, or we're talking about political conflict, or talking about concerns about the economy and, you know, just a variety of things. So what tips do you have to pass along for continuing to foster that community and relationship building in your membership organization? I think you have to be deliberate. And again, I go back to strategy and planning and define where do you want to build those relationships and for what reason? Are you trying to bring in younger generations and build that community so that they will become your next leaders? If so, then one of your strategies has to teach them how to be leaders. I think you also have to define from time to time how your organization might have been engaging in particular community activities, whether it be together with themselves or with the community outside, and whether or not that's still relevant to the organization. Because then I think you'll begin to see gaps where people have come in, they've joined your organization, but after two, three years, they filter out. And if you can identify where some of your gaps are, you might start to understand where your strategy or efforts need to change to get that particular part of your community back together. I know that we've all talked about how communication is vital, but you have to understand your members and how do they communicate? And how does the younger generation communicate? Are we changing from emails and written materials to quick text message and video? What's the platform that you have to use to meet your community and keep them engaged? And I don't think it's always easy. I think you could be signing up for a long-term strategy and that it takes time for all that to build. Absolutely. And you can't just, it's not just a quick fix, it's not just one and done, it's got to be baked into the culture. And again, I think that's something that you've done exceptionally well, Deborah, is you tend to pay attention to the culture of the organization. And do you want to just describe a little bit about your background or experiences in regards to culture building or changing a culture? Culture is something that you look into your organization and you decide, is that the culture of the current, the past or the future? I think you can have an organization that has continually evolved and the cultures are moving together. Or I have seen organizations that are stuck in the past, they're still doing things the same way, they have the same leadership and their culture isn't one that is inviting. So I think you have a lot of opportunity to look at your culture and first of all, decide what do you want it to look like? You know, is, are you experiencing a change in your type of member that's coming in? And you need to change the culture to one that fits their personalities, as well as conforms to the purpose and mission of your organization. And I, you know, Sarah, I see a lot of organizations chase the shiny new object. They come up with an idea and they run down the road with it and then someone comes up with another idea and another idea, all of which are very good, but they may not fit the culture that you're trying to build. I think it's important, like you mentioned, staying the course, I think has a lot to do with what type of culture you do have and the kind you're trying to build. And if you have the members going in step with you to build that culture. Right. That's so important. I, you know, I just have to share, I was recently working with an organization and they, they have some members, they have a cohort of members that have been really negative and toxic. And, you know, we, we've kind of worked through this process of let's establish some values for the organization and really bring that to the forefront and really kind of code to conduct what's expected for cultivating the culture, as you said, that people want, that the association wants. And it can be so challenging because we have this mindset sometimes in associations that we have to be everything to everyone. But that's not necessarily the healthiest community and place where people can succeed. So any thoughts on that? Yes. And I would say that I think, I think you were well aware that at times it can be necessary to bring someone else in as a help for that toxic situation. And I was involved in an organization in which a third party that bridges the gaps between members and boards and helps to define what is going on and why it's not working. The third party sometimes can be very helpful because it acts as a bridge between people without, while they are unbiased, they are, they're not part of the organization and they're not seen as biased. They're seen as someone who can come in and help bridge these parties together. And sometimes you have to have individuals that will filter out because they are toxic or they're not willing to bring on the change that you need to evolve. And sometimes that may be difficult. And I think many association leaders have been in that situation, and I think they've had to weather that storm. And it can be difficult, but in the end, you hope that what you come out with is a new model for your organization and that the parties that want to see it move forward emerge as your strength leaders and you go down that direction. But it's not easy and it can be time consuming. But I think in the end, if you don't get the toxic relationships out and you don't create a better atmosphere, I don't think your organization will get where it wants to go in the long run. Yeah, no, absolutely not. All right, so we are tackling the toxic. It's like a it's like a therapy session here. OK, leaders, you're so responsible for the culture, you know, as the saying goes, you are the company you keep right before we adjourn today's interview. I want to ask you, Deborah, what is something that you're currently celebrating, whether whether your association has had a tremendous success or if you have a strategy you could pass along as a best practice? What's something really positive you want to leave our audience with? I was thinking about this and there's several things, but one of the things that I see in our organization is the true success of the Young Professionals Group. The Young Professionals Network is so successful that we can't keep up with all the things they want to do and all the funds they want to raise for the community, the events they want to have. They're so successful that they come back to our group with requests for more funding to do more things, which are all good. And we're seeing the positive effects of having them not only enjoy what they're doing with the organization, but they're enjoying each other. So the success there is you're building the relationships, you're helping them to build their careers, you're helping them to look to our industry as a long-term profession. Not something to get in and out of, but this is what they can do. And therefore, you then have individuals who are dedicated. And every day, every day, these individuals are coming in, they're excited, they're ready to work, and they're ready to put in the effort that it takes to do what they want to do. So that's very enlightening. That is enlightening and exciting and motivating, all of that. And just as a follow-up question, how did that happen? Were they invited to start an initiative? Did the organization intentionally create room for them? How did you get to this place where you've got so much enthusiasm, you're not sure what to do with it? I think it's been in effect for a little while, and they started smaller with a few events and a dedicated staff member. Now that's really important. You had someone on the staff who's really dedicated to them, enjoys working with them, and goes to all ends of the earth to try and make happen what they wish to happen. And you start with some events, and you see the success that they have, and then you have additional individuals who want to come in. And as long as you can keep reasonably funding, working with, supporting those ideas, that's where you see the continued growth. And then you see those individuals coming back again. And so I think it is, you know, as you say, it's a grassroots effort to start with. You're starting with a few very important events to the community and the members, and then you build on that. And I think when you do that, you'll see that growth coming about, and the people are just excited to keep it going. Wow, gosh, that is a fantastic, fantastic conclusion to today's talk about membership IQs. So Debra shared lots and lots of strategies and insights and best practices with our audience today. Thank you for that, Debra. Hopefully you're all feeling a little smarter that your membership IQ went up on today's podcast. And we so appreciate that Debra was here to share her expertise with us. So thank you, Debra. Thank you for having me. I enjoyed it. And good luck with all of your associations. Yes, absolutely. Thanks for tuning in to the Membership IQ. We'll see you next time. I'm Sarah Sladek.