Superior Scrimping Discussion

We've just completed week six of Research in Action: Super-Trends Discussions. This past two-week discussion was on Scrimping:

Economically, members-and their employers-are looking for a greater return on their investment in association membership.

I wasn't expecting much from a simple concept like Scrimping, but I was pleasantly surprised by the high level of discourse. Here's an excerpt from my summary of the discussion:

[One participant said], "Perhaps scrimping is merely an excuse for nonmembers saying we're not connecting with them at the emotional level on issues or activities that are critical, essential or just interesting enough..." We went on to discuss that associations with well-formed and well-communicated missions that aim to change the world for their constituents (or society) can somewhat insulate themselves from the scrimping phenomenon.

[Another participant], in post #29, offered a thoughtful cluster of ideas around the potential futility of attempting to calculate ROI, concluding with the thought that, "so much of what we do is intangible and/or very difficult to measure from a financial perspective." Bottom line? In your efforts to provide superior ROI, don't lose sight of your mission.

I have to give props to fellow association blogger Nick Senzee for helping to lead this discussion. You were awesome, Nick!

If you're an ASAE member, and not participating in this discussion, join 150 of your peers, and get on in here! Just e-mail e-scan@asaenet.org to enroll in this free discussion, or click here to learn more.

Tagged: ASAE; Association; Association Management; Associations; CAE; Certified Association Executive; Environmental Scan; ROI; Scrimping