There was a day when, at the annual national association meeting, you had the opportunity to shake the hands of all the important people in your industry. You could find out where the opportunities were. During the year, there were quarterly or monthly meetings, key committees, and constant contact by phone with people who were wired for action.

"The fundamental nature of associations has changed," says Richard Bettis, President of the Texas Hospital Association, one of the largest state associations in the US. "Associations are not clubs anymore, as they were at one time. We are now more like vendors who offer services to our members."

In the past, key association board positions were held by the industry powerful. Junior industry members were there to provide sweat equity and achieved success in the association under the tutelage and mentorship of the industry kings and queens. Junior members longed to crown their careers, as the association greats before them had, by being feted with special awards and recognition.

Now that junior industry board members often occupy the key board positions, traditional associations no longer work for senior managers.

Aryae Coopersmith, of Learning Synergies, began the Forums about four years ago. Coopersmith, well connected in Silicon Valley, saw the need and the way it could be fulfilled through peer-to-peer forums. He asks his members their opinions on key issues, but makes the final decision himself. Members trust his judgment and rely on his decisions. He also has a six-member advisory board, many of whom are industry retirees. Their role is to serve as a resource to help him think through key issues.

This answer seems to reveal a key insight about why for-profit companies have been able to successfully manage peer-to-peer forums. Non-profit associations have boards that manage a myriad of membership needs, interests, and agendas. In an age of fragmented demographics, when the needs of small groups are often clearly defined, associations--with their preference for consensus decision making--often do not successfully meet the needs of their individual members or small groups. In attempting to meet the needs of all, they often meet the specific needs of no one.

Forums run by for-profit directors, however, are able to define groups with shared needs and interests. They have an ability to respond to new situations without the lengthy consensus-building process of an association.

Reinventing the Association from a Networking Perspective—What’s Absent from Careers

Traditional associations will probably not be coming back in their present form. For those who can remember associations as they used to function, they called for much more financial and people resources than most businesses can offer today and remain competitive.

Nonetheless it’s difficult to run a career without:

1. A group of mentors and peers you interact with regularly,
2. A sense of solidarity with key professionals who will respond to your call/email,
3. An idea forum where you can discuss issues with professionals who have good insights, and
4. A venue where peers and mentors can see the quality of your thinking and competence.

1. Traditional Professional Associations. Offer much less value than you often put into them. I’ve taken the position in the past that many of you take. I’m not going to participate because it’s not worth it. I’ve found the decision is pretty shortsighted for myself and I’m finding myself getting back into traditional networking through associations. You have to sift through a bunch of mud to find a gold nugget, but sometimes it’s the only way. Otherwise if you find yourself in a tight spot during a downturn you find yourself beginning again at point zero.