Tackling the Toughest Critic: Our Association Peers

Among Coulter Nonprofit Management’s full-service clients is a trade organization composed of nonprofit publishing professionals. When the association contracted with Coulter Nonprofit Management, its needs were considerable. The association required immediate help in stemming an alarming revenue decline, which had led to a virtual elimination of the association’s revenue surplus. At the core of this loss was a widely held view that the association was not delivering real value to its stakeholders. The viability of the association was threatened.

The Challenge: Among Coulter Nonprofit Management’s full-service clients is a trade organization composed of nonprofit publishing professionals. When the association contracted with Coulter Nonprofit Management, its needs were considerable. The association required immediate help in stemming an alarming revenue decline, which had led to a virtual elimination of the association’s revenue surplus. At the core of this loss was a widely held view that the association was not delivering real value to its stakeholders. The viability of the association was threatened.

Coulter Nonprofit Management’s Response: Coulter Nonprofit Management facilitated the development of an overall strategic and tactical plan, which provided a bold new direction for the association. The centerpiece of the turn-around was the launch of a series of refined new programs, including the premiere of a high-profile publication that would reorient opinions about the value of the association. More challenging still was the recognition that the publication would need to satisfy the editorial, graphic and stylistic demands of the association’s membership (publishers and editors of thousands of association publications), all within the confines of a tight budget.

The Result: Since the publication’s launch, the association has earned prestigious industry awards for creativity and enterprise. More importantly, this client organization has tripled its annual revenues while multiplying its operating surplus fifteen-fold. The lesson learned is that, too often, associations try to be all things to all people and, in the process, dilute the priority of serving the core member. In Coulter Nonprofit Management’s experience, if an association can be recognized as the benchmark for excellence in providing its key stakeholders the most highly valued programs, success will follow.