Today we bring you another episode of Exec Direct, postings by STC Executive Director Susan Burton. Exec Direct presents a more personal, informal, and direct discussion with Susan Burton on a variety of topics, STC-related and not.
Last month a response to my blog asked me to comment on how STC was similar to and different from other associations. This month I’ll comment on the similarities, and next month I’ll discuss the differences.
The most basic similarity is the association must fulfill the nonprofit purpose related to the tax exemption granted by the Internal Revenue Service. In addition, board members have strictly defined fiduciary responsibilities that they must meet or put themselves and the association at legal risk.
The majority of members in every association have a strong belief that their association is absolutely unique; that holds true for STC as well. Some may think that a comparison to other associations is not worthwhile, but I believe in benchmarking and other business approaches that allow comparative analysis.
Like other organizations, STC also has a committee structure, although the types and number may vary dramatically. Within those committees, every association with Special Interest Groups finds that only a small portion of the membership actively post to the discussion groups while the majority “lurk.”
I’ve also noticed structural tensions in multiple organizations that are a natural result of different portions of the association having different needs and “world views” on what matters most. For example, every association with chapters finds the chapter leadership emphasizes the importance of local activities versus the importance of the “national” or “international” association.
The last similarity (although there are a host of others) I’ll discuss in more detail, and it is the recognition that the industry or profession the association represents has a direct effect on the staff culture, with special emphasis on communication methods and styles.
For example, I found the contrast between two different associations where I previously worked to be striking and it required me to fundamentally change my personal communication style to be effective.
At the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the staff was encouraged to draw flow charts to express concepts; the written word was viewed as supplemental. The same disinterest in the written word was true at the American College of Health Care Administrators (ACHCA), because nursing home administrators value quick, easy-to-use checklists of “things to do,” but are not interested in narratives—unless there is a “lesson to be learned” at the end.
It extended to graphics as well. AIA members wanted photographs of the built environment, preferably without people in them (except perhaps to provide scale), while ACHCA members wanted pictures of people, up close and personal, reflecting the people-oriented emphasis of health care.
There is no surprise, then, that the STC staff is held to a very high standard of writing, since STC members on the whole tend to have superior written skills. All communications are scrutinized for grammar, punctuation, and spelling—and members have a very low threshold for typos or minor mistakes.
There are many other similarities in associations, and I would be interested in hearing other ways you feel STC is similar to associations you belong to or are acquainted with.
Have a healthy, happy New Year celebration, and I look forward to “seeing” you next year!