--- title: "Five Trends to Keep in Mind as Your Organization Prepares for the Future" id: "7050" type: "post" slug: "five-trends-to-keep-in-mind-as-your-organization-prepares-for-the-future" published_at: "2022-09-19T00:00:00+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-14T21:57:06+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2022/09/19/five-trends-to-keep-in-mind-as-your-organization-prepares-for-the-future/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2022/09/19/five-trends-to-keep-in-mind-as-your-organization-prepares-for-the-future.md" excerpt: "No surprise here: The world in which your association is operating is changing fast, which means you need to understand the external forces that could make or break its future success. ASAE’s ForesightWorks research (opens in a new tab) identifies..." taxonomy_category: - "Organizational Strategy" taxonomy_post_tag: - "ASAE Foundation" - "ASAEcenter" - "Data Organization" - "Environmental Scans" - "future" - "strategic foresight" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "C-Level" - "Director" - "Executive Team" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Executive Leadership" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Five Trends to Keep in Mind as Your Organization Prepares for the Future No surprise here: The world in which your association is operating is changing fast, which means you need to understand the external forces that could make or break its future success. ASAE’s [ForesightWorks research (opens in a new tab)](https://www.asaecenter.org/resources/asae-foresightworks) identifies drivers of change important to associations, helping you envision and plan for the future—all while monitoring and acting in the present. Here’s a look at the five new drivers of change recently introduced. ### American Wealth Gaps Wealth varies greatly in the United States. The boomer generation has amassed significant assets over their lifespan, while the relative lack of wealth accumulation among younger Americans is affecting family formation and housing demand. Disparities in wealth across racial and ethnic lines persist. These wealth gaps may drive political attitudes and attempts by younger generations to redefine a satisfying life. ### Changing Information Channels New technologies and new perspectives are giving rise to new channels of information dissemination. These channels, like TikTok or gaming platforms, are shaped by audiences seeking new forms of contact and expression and transforming what it means to be a legitimate information source. ### Digitizing Money Money is evolving past the idea of fiat currency—money issued and backed by governments. Traditional currency is competing with digital (e.g., credit cards, digital vouchers, and cryptocurrencies) even as concerns about equitable access to digital money grow. Interest in new money concepts such as cryptocurrency and nonfungible tokens reflects a shift from faith in government to trust in the underlying algorithms of digital assets. ### Shrinking Youth Populations In many countries, birthrates have been falling for decades, with births in a growing list of countries—now including the United States—under the population replacement rate. Having fewer young people presents challenges to societies: a smaller workforce, fewer students in the educational system, and shifts in population geography. More countries will have to meet the needs of rising senior populations with fewer youth to support them. ### Supporting Mental Health Views of mental healthcare are changing, and there is growing attention to the importance and ubiquity of mental health issues. A binary view of well versus unwell is breaking down—though the question of what constitutes mental health may prove increasingly contentious. New efforts are underway to achieve equity and access in mental health, while therapy innovation is growing. *For more information about ASAE ForesightWorks, visit [asaecenter.org/foresightworks (opens in a new tab)](https://www.asaecenter.org/resources/asae-foresightworks) . In addition, this [collection includes only new and updated ForesightWorks files (opens in a new tab)](https://www.asaecenter.org/publications/113496-2022-asae-foresightworks-just-the-updates-pdf) released in 2022.* [Jenny Nelson](https://associationsnow.com/author/jenny-nelson/) Jenny Nelson is director, content and knowledge resources, at ASAE. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/jenny-nelson/) Tags: [#ASAE Foundation](https://associationsnow.com/tag/asae-foundation/) [#Data Organization](https://associationsnow.com/tag/data-organization/) [#Environmental Scans](https://associationsnow.com/tag/environmental-scans/) [#future](https://associationsnow.com/tag/future/) [#strategic foresight](https://associationsnow.com/tag/strategic-foresight/) **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 - [PodcastThe Next Chapter What’s Ahead for Future-Ready AssociationsSeptember 25, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/09/25/the-next-chapter-whats-ahead-for-future-ready-associations/) - [VideoCLARB using Foresightworks to advance their organizationNovember 1, 2018](https://associationsnow.com/2018/11/01/clarb-using-foresightworks-to-advance-their-organization/) - [VideoForesightWorks VideoNovember 6, 2018](https://associationsnow.com/2018/11/06/foresightworks-video/) - [VideoWhy should associations practice foresight?July 30, 2018](https://associationsnow.com/2018/07/30/why-should-associations-practice-foresight/) ## 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%2F2022%2F09%2F19%2Ffive-trends-to-keep-in-mind-as-your-organization-prepares-for-the-future%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !