Towards a Political Association

Ioannis Pallas, ESAE Association Manager, delves into the evolving landscape of associations and their increasing engagement in political matters. From embracing ESG and DEI policies to actively addressing the public and incorporating political criteria into decision-making, associations are transforming their traditional roles to navigate complex challenges and better serve their members in today’s ever-changing environment

Associations have been doing things differently lately: Several of them started raising topics like Environment, Social et Governance (ESG), and adopted Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies. Others embarked into addressing directly the general public and added political criteria for choosing their next conference destination. In fact, more and more associations are now taking a stance and begin to talk about topics that they didn’t cover in the past.

Instead of limiting themselves within their immediate ecosystems, strictly fulfilling their mandate, a growing number of associations is becoming increasingly extrovert, aiming to influence public opinion, demanding change from policymakers and imposing change where they can in their respective sectors of activity.

From Brexit to the COVID pandemic, and from digital transformation to the war in Ukraine and rising wage costs, association executives that successfully navigated their organizations through disruptions are realizing that business as usual will not cut it anymore. Non-profits and professional societies are becoming more agile, inventive and lean, but most of all, political, in order to adapt to challenges and better serve their members in a perma-crisis environment. This transformation affects every facet: from internal operations and HR, to Advocacy and Events and although it is still a relatively small number of associations showing the direction, the vast majority is about to follow.

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