--- title: "Make the Most of Working at a Small-Staff Association" id: "8928" type: "post" slug: "make-the-most-of-working-at-a-small-staff-association" published_at: "2019-07-03T00:00:00+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-15T02:50:51+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2019/07/03/make-the-most-of-working-at-a-small-staff-association/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2019/07/03/make-the-most-of-working-at-a-small-staff-association.md" excerpt: "My career has seen me make the transition from a large-staff association to a small-staff organization more than once. But now I feel confident saying that small associations will be home to me until I retire. Here is a look..." taxonomy_category: - "Career Development" taxonomy_post_tag: - "ASAEcenter" - "Career Development" - "Interpersonal Skills" - "professional growth" - "Small Organizations" - "Small Staff" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Employee (Non-Manager)" - "Manager" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Make the Most of Working at a Small-Staff Association My career has seen me make the transition from a large-staff association to a small-staff organization more than once. But now I feel confident saying that small associations will be home to me until I retire. Here is a look at three lessons I gained from being on staff at a small association. **Ability to prioritize.** Since I no longer have a staff team to help me get the job done, I had to develop a keen sense of prioritizing my time, my tasks, and my responsibilities. I learned the value of weekly to-do lists so I can see what “needs” to be done and what I would “like” to get done. These lists also help me to see what I can rearrange or reschedule. Then, at the end of the week, it gives me a sense of fulfillment because I can see what I accomplished during the week and pat myself on the back. **The importance of vendor relationships.** I quickly realized that my revenue expectations were big, but the amount of money to realize those expectations was a lot smaller than in my previous large-staff associations. That meant l had to start doing competitive bidding—who wants the job and who can do it at this price. Because of the relationships I created years and years ago, vendors offered creative solutions that met my price points but did not cost me the essence of my project. **Work-life balance.**When you have limited hands, you realize you just can’t work, work, work. If you do, you’ll quickly get depleted. This meant that I had to learn balance: So when I left the office, I really left the office. If I was at the gym, I wasn’t at the gym doing work. When I went home to have dinner, I wasn’t eating dinner and doing work. I realized that if I did not take care of me, there would be no me to take care of. > When you have limited hands, you realize you just can’t work, work, work. In addition to acquiring these skills, working at a small-staff association also taught me the importance of getting to know and adjusting to your workplace culture. For instance, I found it was easier to be less public in larger associations—meaning there were not a lot of opportunities for the entire office to meet. It tended to happen once a month at the all-staff meeting. But, when I joined a small association, I saw everyone multiple times a day. I have also found there is more of a “whole” team concept in small associations. When I worked for the large associations, it was easier to work in silos. But now it’s common for someone from another department to stop by and talk through an idea. And I see our executive director every day that she is in the office. But I have also found one downside to working for a small-staff association. Telecommuting and flex schedules are difficult to maintain. With a small team, you may be asked to cover the office in someone’s absence. But as the world of work becomes more mobile and tech savvy, even my current small-staff organization has embraced flexible work options: We are no longer an office where everyone comes in at 8:30 a.m. and leaves at 5:00 p.m. I admit that when I came to my first small-staff association, I felt like I was going to wow them on how I could make them “better.” But 16 years later and currently enjoying my second small-staff experience, I know that what I had to first understand was how things were being done. I could not come in and offend people or the way they did things. Because now that I worked for a “whole team,” I had to slowly make changes and be mindful of how those changes would affect others. [Rose Butts](https://associationsnow.com/author/rose-butts/) Rose Butts is director of membership and marketing for the Renal Physicians Association in Rockville, Maryland. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/rose-butts/) Tags: [#Career Development](https://associationsnow.com/tag/career-development/) [#Interpersonal Skills](https://associationsnow.com/tag/interpersonal-skills/) [#professional growth](https://associationsnow.com/tag/professional-growth/) [#Small Organizations](https://associationsnow.com/tag/small-organizations/) [#Small Staff](https://associationsnow.com/tag/small-staff/) **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 - [VideoChristine Diedrich Shares Her CAE JourneyApril 25, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/04/25/christine-diedrich-shares-her-cae-journey/) - [VideoASAE’s The ExchangeApril 24, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/04/24/asaes-the-exchange/) - [PodcastBridging the Gap: Career Development in AssociationsApril 24, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/04/24/bridging-the-gap-career-development-in-associations/) - [VideoTara Barker Shares Her CAE JourneyOctober 26, 2023](https://associationsnow.com/2023/10/26/tara-barker-shares-her-cae-journey/) ## 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%2F2019%2F07%2F03%2Fmake-the-most-of-working-at-a-small-staff-association%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !