The Member Value Multiplier (840 Words)
Strategic Alliances Have Become a Leadership Imperative for Associations
Association leaders are being asked to deliver more value than ever before while working within the same financial and staffing constraints. Members expect timely education, stronger advocacy, meaningful networking, practical business resources, and immediate access to expertise. Boards expect growth in membership, increased non-dues revenue, and measurable organizational performance. Yet most associations cannot continue expanding programs, hiring staff, or investing in new technology every time a need emerges. The challenge is no longer identifying opportunities to serve members; it is increasing an organization’s capacity to deliver greater value without proportionally increasing its complexity.
For many associations, the instinctive response has been to build internally. Every new initiative becomes another committee, another program, another platform, or another staff responsibility. While each decision may be justified on its own merits, together they create an organization increasingly occupied with maintaining what it has already built. Eventually, growth slows—not because leadership lacks vision, but because the organization has reached its practical capacity.
Capacity, Not Size, Determines Member Value
Years of helping organizations develop strategic alliances taught me an important lesson: the associations delivering the greatest member value were rarely those with the largest budgets or staffs. Their advantage came from understanding that they didn’t have to own every capability. Instead, they intentionally connected members with expertise, resources, and opportunities that existed beyond the organization’s walls. Their success was measured not by what they controlled, but by what they made possible.
That realization became what I now call The Member Value Multiplier™. Associations create greater Member ROI when they multiply organizational capacity rather than simply expanding organizational structure. Strategic alliances allow an organization to offer capabilities that would otherwise require significant investments in people, technology, or infrastructure. Instead of becoming larger, the association becomes more valuable.
Strategic Alliances Are About Mission, Not Transactions
Every association works with vendors, sponsors, consultants, and service providers. Those relationships are important, but they are transactional by design. A strategic alliance is fundamentally different because both organizations invest in achieving outcomes that neither could accomplish alone. The objective is not simply exchanging services or generating revenue; it is advancing a shared mission while creating greater value for members.
Evaluating alliances through the lens of Member ROI also changes how leadership measures success. Revenue matters, but it should not be the only benchmark. The strongest alliances expand educational opportunities, improve access to specialized expertise, strengthen professional networks, create operational efficiencies, or enhance member services in ways that reinforce the association’s long-term relevance. Financial return becomes one benefit of a relationship whose primary purpose is delivering greater member value.
Relationships Create the Capacity to Grow
Nearly three decades past, in Developing Strategic Alliances, I introduced the concept of the Relationship Bank—the idea that trust, credibility, and mutual benefit accumulate through consistent investment. Time has only reinforced that principle. Successful alliances are built long before contracts are signed because organizations that consistently invest in relationships develop opportunities unavailable to those who focus only on transactions. Trust cannot be negotiated into existence; it must be earned over time.
Equally important, and also introduced in Developing Strategic Alliances, is conducting a regular Relationship Value Update (RVU). Associations routinely evaluate programs, budgets, and membership trends, yet many rarely assess whether their strategic relationships continue to advance the mission or improve Member ROI. Every alliance should periodically answer a simple question: Does this relationship create more value for our members today than it did yesterday? If the answer is no, leadership has an obligation to strengthen the relationship—or replace it.
Leadership’s Greatest Responsibility Is to Multiply Value
The most successful associations of the coming decade will not necessarily offer the most programs or employ the largest staffs. They will distinguish themselves by making disciplined decisions about which capabilities must be developed internally and which can be multiplied through carefully selected strategic alliances. Their competitive advantage will come from extending organizational capacity rather than expanding organizational complexity.
That is the essence of The Member Value Multiplier. It is not a partnership strategy; it is a leadership philosophy. Associations exist to improve the professional success of their members, not to own every resource required to do so. Leaders who embrace strategic alliances as a means of multiplying organizational capacity will deliver greater Member ROI, strengthen non-dues revenue, and position their organizations to thrive in an environment where expectations continue to rise while resources remain finite. That is leadership focused not on doing more, but on creating more value.
Executive Q&A
1. How do we determine whether a strategic alliance is the right solution instead of developing a new program internally?
Begin with your mission rather than your capabilities. If another organization can help you deliver greater member value faster, at lower cost, and without compromising your brand or member experience, an alliance deserves serious consideration. Build internally only when the capability is truly strategic to your long-term identity.
2. How can we ensure that a strategic alliance strengthens rather than dilutes our association’s brand?
Members should always experience the alliance as an extension of your association’s commitment to serving them. Select partners whose values, reputation, and standards reinforce your own, and maintain clear oversight of the member experience.
3. What criteria should boards use when evaluating potential alliance partners?
Look beyond financial return. Assess mission alignment, complementary strengths, organizational culture, leadership credibility, member impact, and the partner’s commitment to long-term collaboration. The best alliances create value for both organizations while producing even greater value for members.
4. How do strategic alliances contribute to non-dues revenue?
Effective alliances often generate revenue through joint educational programs, certifications, sponsorships, affinity programs, research initiatives, and shared events. The most successful partnerships create sustainable value that benefits members first and revenue second.
5. What risks should association executives consider before entering an alliance?
Poorly aligned missions, unclear governance, uneven expectations, and inadequate communication create the greatest risk. A successful alliance requires shared objectives, defined responsibilities, measurable outcomes, and periodic evaluation.
6. How frequently should an association evaluate its strategic alliances?
At least annually. Conduct a Relationship Value Update (RVU) to determine whether each alliance continues to advance your mission, improve Member ROI, and justify the investment of organizational time and resources.
7. Can smaller associations benefit from strategic alliances as much as larger organizations?
Often more so. Smaller associations can significantly expand their capabilities by leveraging complementary expertise and resources without incurring the costs of additional staff or infrastructure.
8. How should staff and volunteer leaders be involved in alliance development?
Leadership establishes strategic direction, while staff manage implementation and relationship stewardship. Volunteers provide valuable perspective on member needs and can often identify partnership opportunities that strengthen the association’s value proposition.
9. What is the greatest misconception about strategic alliances?
Many leaders view alliances primarily as revenue opportunities. Their greatest value lies in expanding organizational capacity and improving Member ROI. Financial benefits are often the result—not the purpose—of a well-designed alliance.
10. How does The Member Value Multiplier™ change an executive’s approach to leadership?
It shifts leadership from asking, “How do we build this ourselves?” to asking, “Who already does this exceptionally well, and how can we work together to create greater value for our members?” That perspective encourages strategic thinking, resource stewardship, and sustained organizational growth.
Ed is the Founder and CEO of the 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity, Cigar PEG Philanthropy through Fun, and president at Rigsbee Research which conducts qualitative member ROI research and consulting for associations and societies. He has been called “the dynamite that broke up our log jam” by association executives—rarely politically correct and almost always provocative—and from a dozen years as a United States Soccer Federation referee, Ed calls it the way he sees it. Exceptional resources at www.rigsbee.com.
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