--- title: "There’s Good In Change for Associations" id: "16700" type: "post" slug: "theres-good-in-change-for-associations" published_at: "2013-04-03T17:23:46+00:00" modified_at: "2026-11-09T19:04:11+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/04/03/theres-good-in-change-for-associations/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/04/03/theres-good-in-change-for-associations.md" excerpt: "Is it time to change your association’s vision? Here’s a story about one association that needs some help moving forward. Also: Why Facebook’s News Feed proves that sometimes, users want something even if they’re not explicitly saying it." taxonomy_category: - "Organizational Strategy" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Change Management" - "Leadership" - "Organizational Structure" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "Executive Team" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Executive Leadership" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » There’s Good In Change for Associations As humans, we hate change. Change is uncomfortable and sometimes difficult to adjust to. But change can be a great thing, especially for associations past their founding generation. That, and more, in today’s Lunchtime Links: **Time to change:**For things to move forward in your organization, you need a vision. Things will change inevitably, but as a leader you ensure whether the change is good or bad for the organization. AMR Management Services’ vice president of sales and marketing, Brian Reuwee, recently [came across an organization that could use a lot of change (opens in a new tab)](http://www.strongerbyassociation.com/2013/04/not-your-grandpas-association.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+StrongerByAssociation+(Stronger+by+Association) —and maybe even needs to start from scratch. “In the association business in many instances walking away from activities, slaughtering sacred cows and making wholesale change is the only way for an organization to move forward. Nibbling around the edges isn’t enough,” he wrote. How do you approach change in your association? **Inside the feed:**Facebook has undergone plenty of face-lifts throughout the years, particularly in the way users are fed information about their friends. In 2006, it introduced the News Feed. Simply said, users weren’t happy. They didn’t understand the purpose behind it and they even created a group on Facebook to express their hate for it. Eventually, the anger simmered down, and the News Feed is now standard. Even though users were reluctant about the transformation, Facebook wasn’t. [There’s a lesson here (opens in a new tab)](http://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2013/04/02/something-to-consider-before-you-complain-about-facebooks-news-feed-updates/) , according to Brenton Thornicroft, cofounder of cliqie.com: “Pay attention to what the data is telling you, more so than what the users are.” **What’s behind the growth?**According to Marketing General’s 2013 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report, 24% of associations experienced rapid growth in membership in 2012. (Marketing General CEO Tony Rossell describes rapid growth as an increase of 6 percent or more in a single year.) How’d they do it? Membership Marketing Blog has put together a list of [characteristics of these growing associations (opens in a new tab)](http://membershipmarketing.blogspot.com/2013/04/characteristics-of-rapidly-growing.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MembershipMarketingBlog+%28Membership+Marketing+Blog%29) using the study. Where does your association fit in these numbers? What’s on your reading list today? Let us know in the comments below. (iStockphoto/Thinkstock) [Anita Ferrer](https://associationsnow.com/author/anita-ferrer/) Anita Ferrer is a contributor to Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/anita-ferrer/) Tags: [#Change Management](https://associationsnow.com/tag/change-management/) [#Leadership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/leadership/) [#Organizational Structure](https://associationsnow.com/tag/organizational-structure/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [ArticleThree Habits Association Leaders Should Adopt for Agile Strategic PlanningOctober 29, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/10/29/three-habits-association-leaders-should-adopt-for-agile-strategic-planning/) - [ArticleThe Board’s Duty of Foresight in The Age of PolycrisisJuly 16, 2024](https://associationsnow.com/2024/07/16/the-boards-duty-of-foresight-in-the-age-of-polycrisis/) - [ArticleThe Bigger Risk Is What Associations Won’t StopMay 27, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/05/27/the-bigger-risk-is-what-associations-wont-stop-2/) - [ArticleLeading in an Interconnected World: The New Association Leadership CompetenciesJanuary 29, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/01/29/leading-in-an-interconnected-world-the-new-association-leadership-competencies/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2013%2F04%2F03%2Ftheres-good-in-change-for-associations%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !