SAE International SAE International aimed to go beyond its reputation as a membership organization solely focused on publications and technical standards in the automotive, aerospace, and off-road industries. Instead, it sought to diversify its revenue streams by exploring opportunities for generating non-dues revenue.
Meanwhile, as SAE focused on its limited portfolio of niche company affiliates serving manufacturers, they also actively pursued fresh concepts to generate non-dues revenue and broaden their range of income streams. How could they effectively utilize their limited B2B presence to establish a substantial influence within the industry and generate additional revenue streams outside membership dues?
SAE’s CEO, Dr. David Schutt, approached Sequence Consulting to leverage their effective “Way to Play” method to devise cutting-edge strategies and execute lucrative non-dues revenue initiatives seamlessly.
Working with Sequence, our organization grew ten times over.
The Right to Win Non Dues Revenue
Successful growth strategies begin by identifying unmet market needs while leveraging your unique assets and capabilities. We refer to this as the Way to Play℠ framework, which helps pinpoint areas where you have a Right to Win.
Extensive research with industry leaders highlighted a significant need for spaces where collaboration on pre-competitive technologies could occur legally and confidentially. Unfortunately, such spaces were nonexistent. Many emerging technologies, including autonomous vehicles and cybersecurity, require industry-wide agreement on principles and best practices. However, achieving this was challenging without a trusted broker facilitating the process.
Through our Way to Play℠ approach, we discovered that one of SAE’s distinctive and influential assets was its ability to convene. In other words, SAE had the power to bring together players from across the industry in ways that would not occur otherwise.
By leveraging this unique capability, SAE could address the industry’s crucial requirements and generate non-dues revenue.
SAE introduced the SAE Industry Technologies Consortia (SAE ITC), a 501(c)(6) organization operating alongside C3. SAE ITC is a neutral platform for public and private entities to collaborate on common industry challenges. In addition, SAE ITC offers a comprehensive range of services such as legal, marketing, data, and launch support to expedite the implementation of innovative ideas.
SAE experienced a game-changing moment with our Way to Play process. It enabled them to identify an untapped opportunity to generate non-dues revenue, leveraging their unique competitive advantage. This newfound clarity and profound understanding gave them the confidence to invest significantly and establish a path for rapid business expansion.
SUCCESS: Non Dues Revenue Multiplied 10X
SAE ITC is a huge success, as it has established SAE as the leader in cross-industry collaboration and serves as a platform for SAE to grow through acquisitions and generate significant non-dues revenue.
SAE’s most profound impacts include:
- In just three years, SAE ITC experienced a remarkable growth, expanding tenfold to become a $6 million enterprise. This impressive achievement not only demonstrates their success but also highlights their ability to generate significant non dues revenue.
- In just one year, all the initial expenses were covered and the SAE enterprise now regularly enjoys a strong net income.
- Thirteen industry consortia call it home, tackling major industry hurdles ranging from ensuring the safety of automated vehicles to maintaining top-notch quality in aerospace engines.
- SAE has successfully acquired ten strategic companies within the ITC portfolio. Each acquisition has proven to be a resounding success.
- ITC is the go-to place for industry leaders seeking solutions to their top strategic pre-competitive challenges.
- SAE ITC is the go-to for organizations, ranging from the Big Three automakers to Silicon Valley to the Department of Defense, when they need unrivaled problem-solving expertise.
Association Growth Takeaways
SAE International’s remarkable success in boosting non-dues revenue by 10X can be attributed to their strategic approach of identifying unmet market needs and leveraging their unique assets and capabilities. Utilizing the Way to Play℠ framework, they could pinpoint areas where they had a Right to Win and effectively address the industry’s crucial requirements. This generated significant revenue and solidified their position as industry leaders.
Want to learn more about how to drive exponential growth in non dues revenue? Click here to read Case Study: AARP’s Non-Dues Startup Soars To $43 Million.
