A report published in May 2025 challenges association leaders to expand beyond member-focused adjustments and think more broadly about their potential customer base.
Business Model Innovation: Fuel for an Association’s Mission was published by the consultancy McKinley Advisors. The report recommends that leaders look at their revenue model through the lens of five elements: value, revenue, community, reach and operations. Together, the report says, those elements encompass "a revenue-centered mindset, a deep understanding of your markets and the ways you serve them, the products and services you offer and how you manage and deliver to best effect."
That kind of holistic approach, said Meena Dayak, MA, practice director at McKinley Advisors, represents a break from association's typical approach to its business model, which is to make marginal changes to discrete products or services. The report offers advice and brief case studies about expanding product lines, audiences and right-sizing pricing, while also recognizing that such changes often require a substantial cultural adjustment among association staff, volunteers and stakeholders.
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