Associations are constantly on the lookout to create change in their industry, and also to remain relevant. Paul Smith, the executive director of the Canadian Association of Career Educators and Employers (CACEE) was kind enough to share his experience with his organization, the change created, and the accomplishments achieved as a result.
What happened with your organization to make you realize that a change was needed?
Smith: We recognized a need to standardize and streamline processes. Essentially, our board of directors was operating as a working board, driven by labor from volunteers. While we appreciate the time people invest in our organization, we recognized that we were stuck in delays when making decisions, and the processes to make the decisions were excessively long. ... We had too many committees and were not being strategic at the board level at all.
What did you identify as possible ways to implement change?
Smith: We did not know where to start at all, until we brought in a CAE candidate who reviewed our membership, our operating procedures and our board, and produced a 64-page report. The candidate cited many issues, but foremost addressed our "analysis paralysis" because we had too many committees operating. This made our board meetings long and unproductive.
From that point, we realized that we were in a unique position to have a report from an "outsider" to the organization, which identified that things needed to change if we were going to thrive. We then brought in a facilitator, who took the report, and made it real — she moved us from a working board to a strategic board.
How did you get stakeholders (board of directors, staff, etc.) to buy into making the change?
Smith: Honestly, it was easier than we thought it was going to be. The board representatives at that time recognized that things needed to change, and were supportive of shrinking and combining the committees, and lowering the number of people on the board to streamline the meetings and the outcomes as a result.
They recognized that they were essentially "working themselves out of a job" at that point, but were OK with it. We had them fulfill their terms on the board; and when their term was complete, we did not replace some positions.
In the end, we brought our board team from 20 down to 13, making it much more manageable as an executive director to maintain relationships and take action.
Did the process work the way you had anticipated?
Smith: Yes and no. We were also in the middle of revising our bylaws, policies and procedures to ensure that we were in line with the Not-for-Profit Act anyway, so things were going to change. We just did it all at once. With this, some things were overlooked, but they were minor. And that was OK, because we positioned it as our transition year to our members and stakeholders.
What really helped was that we formulated a strong communications plan around any and all changes that we were looking to make. Our members were aware of what we were doing every step of the way.
We did this through regular email updates, newsletters and regular webinars. It made the voting process at the AGM to approve these changes really easy. It went through without too many questions, or any complaints.
What time frame did you account for in your planning to create and implement this change? How does this compare to the time it took?
Smith: We recognized that just like any other nonprofit, change was not going to happen overnight. Those on the board were able to fulfill their terms without being asked to leave. We were able to define what would be volunteer roles and what would be the roles of the association staff.
Our board has been very supportive. Now that they are providing strategic direction, the (CACEE) team can get things done — quickly, efficiently and to the satisfaction of our members. It's been a transition; but a great one.
Strategic items on the future direction of the association are where our board of directors plays now, instead of going through every expense of the conference budget. If we stayed within budget, it doesn't even come up.
What were some of the hurdles you did not anticipate?
Smith: Nothing big. We were all on board with making this change. At times then, and now, we still have to remind ourselves that the board has a purpose, and that it is to be planning for CACEE's future — not its past.
We have a general rule now: If the conversation is headed towards the weeds, we look to the sky.
What have the outcomes been so far? Is there anything else you anticipate taking shape as a result?
Smith: We learned a lot about the difference between a bylaw and a policy/procedure. Take member fees, for example. We had it listed in our bylaws, when really it is a policy/procedure. We moved the "stuff" that didn't belong in one to the other.
It certainly makes it an easier document to read and revise. Where originally it was over 60 pages of stuff that could be argued did not necessarily belong, we now have a solid 30-page document covering everything we needed it to in order to comply.
Our board, while smaller, is happier. It has been interesting to watch at the 30,000-foot level versus the ground level. We are now talking about big things — budget cuts, demographic shifts, time management — when a few years ago, we were talking about what did (or did not) happen in each committee. And there were 17 of them to talk about.
Now, instead of the board meeting being draining, it is fulfilling. And our board members feel good because they are making things happen.
What advice would you provide other association executives who are looking to create change?
Smith: It's simple, but often forgotten steps. First, your executive needs to recognize and agree that there is a problem, and that it needs to be resolved. Then, the team should seek out advice — whether you start out with a consultant, or perhaps just start having conversations with industry peers — to determine the best course of action to resolve your issue.
I do think that when implementing a big change, you need to look at the services of a consultant. While experts in the industry, they have not developed the organization's habits. It's helpful because they can pretty quickly identify where your issues are — and sometimes, it is easy to fix.
Finally, whatever advice you receive, if you want to change, follow it to the best of your ability. Ultimately, it’s all about communication. You will miss things in the process, but that's OK; we are all human.
Everything is recoverable; it’s just a matter of how you approach it.
Thanks, Paul, for your insights and your honesty.
