Dear Members:

Our world is changing at breakneck speed, but simultaneously time seems to stand still.  As we navigate each day not knowing what day of the week it is, so much is routine and repetitive; yet so much has changed.

Existing in a COVID world, it is easy to feel like there is no road map to steer our associations through to the other side.  The roads have changed, the vehicles have changed, and the destination is unclear.  What is in focus, however, is the role that NYSAE is playing in helping us emerge as transformed organizations.

And that is the purpose of an association like ours.

During the past months NYSAE has provided a vital, vibrant and tangible source of community for our members, providing connections and information as we experience drastic impacts on conferences, membership, revenue streams and operations.  Community engagement jumped for NYSAE as we converted all of our programming to virtual to reach out to help our members reimagine what they could be.

So far this summer our NYSAE members have entered our engagement lounges to hear about such topics as monetizing virtual programs, managing volunteer workloads, fundraising during a crisis.  We heard a powerful presentation on diversity, equity and inclusion. We are learning from each other as each day presents yet another challenge. Click here to see what’s yet to come.

On a broader scale, as your professional society we have advocated for 501c6 organizations to qualify for federal COVID relief.  We have encouraged you to do the same. We are using the power of our community to give a voice to the needs of associations in this changed world.

When we reemerge from COVID, the work world we return to for the professions and industries we represent, will not be back to normal.  Instead the disruption we are experiencing now will define how our future looks There will be a reboot of our organizations and a reboot of the expectations that our members will have.

They will have different requirements for how they want to learn. Our real estate footprints will most likely shrink.  Associations will have different revenue streams as their membership shifts…. all issues we need to be focusing on now. Together we can find the right answers and reemerge as stronger association professionals ready to steer our organizations into this new future. 

As you try to figure out how to pivot your association in this disrupted world, take advantage of the resources and community that NYSAE can offer you.  The need for strategic foresight is more important than ever before. Working together we can all learn how our associations can emerge stronger than ever, poised for a future that will look very different. Together we will all emerge on the other side of this pandemic with our organizations intact and our NYSAE community stronger than ever.  If you are not yet a member, please join today and become a part of the conversation.

NYSAE will be here, helping associations thrive, just as we were for our first 100 years.