Published perspectives from Sequence Consulting on association growth, member value, revenue strategy, and the forces reshaping the future of associations.
Sequence Consulting’s ideas have appeared in ASAE, Sidecar, FORUM Magazine, Associations Evolve, and other association industry publications. These articles reflect the same strategic lens we bring to client work: helping associations understand changing member expectations, make better growth decisions, and build stronger models for the future.
ASAE · August 21, 2026
Association Strategy & Leadership
The Most Expensive Thing Your Association Owns Is the Money It Won't Spend
A reserve fund protects against sudden shocks, but the real blind spot is what happens to the surplus once it’s safely in the bank.
CustomerThink · June 26, 2026
Membership Growth, Value & Retention
Retention Is Not a Rescue Mission. Build a “Value Visibility” System Instead
Why most retention campaigns fail and how organizations can close the value visibility gap by helping members recognize and connect value to outcomes long before the renewal decision arrives.
ASAE · June 18, 2026
Membership Growth, Value & Retention
Your Annual Meeting is a Membership Product
| Why associations underinvest in their annual meeting as a membership tool and what changes when leaders evaluate it against member value and retention instead of event metrics. |
The Bigger Risk Is What Associations Won’t Stop
ASAE · May 27, 2026
Association Strategy & Leadership
| Why the greatest strategic threat facing associations is not what they fail to start but what they keep doing long after it stops serving members or growth. |
ASAE · April 27, 2026
Growth, Revenue & Market Strategy
Nondues Revenue Is Not a Side Hustle. It’s the Strategy.
| Why treating nondues revenue as supplemental income misreads its strategic potential and how a more integrated approach strengthens both financial resilience and member value. |
ASAE · March 13, 2026
AI, Innovation & Future Change
While Associations Debate AI, Members Are Moving On
| Why associations risk falling behind when they treat AI as a debate instead of responding to how member expectations are already changing. |
FORUM Magazine · Spring 2026
Association Leadership & Strategy
Big Association Moves, Small Association Speed
| Why many associations struggle to move quickly on important decisions and what leaders can do to increase strategic speed without losing focus. |
ASAE · January 14, 2026
AI, Innovation & Future Change
AI Isn’t the Problem. Decision Rights Are.
| Why AI adoption in associations depends less on tools than on decision rights, accountability, and clear operating authority. |
ASAE · November 20, 2025
Membership Growth, Value & Retention
Membership Growth, Value & Retention
The Membership Model Is Breaking Down—Here's How Associations Can Rebuild It
Why traditional association membership models are breaking down and how leaders can rethink structure, value, pricing, and audience strategy to restore growth.
ASAE · October 17, 2025
Association Strategy & Leadership
Association Strategy & Leadership
The Myth of the Five-Year Plan: What Associations Need Instead
Why traditional five-year strategic plans often fail and how associations can use a more adaptive, decision-focused approach to strategy.
ASAE · September 19, 2025
Membership Growth, Value & Retention
Membership Growth, Value & Retention
Be the First Chapter in Their Career Story
How associations can attract and retain early-career professionals by becoming part of their career growth from the beginning, not just a source of later-stage credentials or networking.
ASAE · July 29, 2025
Association Strategy & Leadership
Association Strategy & Leadership
What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: Reinventing the Association Executive for the Next Era
Why the next era of association leadership requires new instincts, capabilities, and ways of thinking beyond the old executive playbook.
ASAE · June 10, 2025
Workforce, Inclusion & Generational Change
Workforce, Inclusion & Generational Change
The Business Case for Inclusion: How Associations Can Sustain Growth in a Changing DEI Landscape
Why inclusion is a growth issue for associations and how stronger inclusion helps sustain relevance, engagement, and long-term performance.
ASAE · April 28, 2025
AI, Innovation & Future Change
AI, Innovation & Future Change
Building a Culture of Innovation in Associations
How associations can make innovation part of the organization’s culture by changing habits, expectations, and leadership behavior.
CSAE · March 18, 2025
Membership Growth, Value & Retention
Membership Growth, Value & Retention
Delivering True Value: How Associations Can Stand Out in a Competitive Landscape
How associations can strengthen their value proposition by delivering clearer outcomes, stronger differentiation, and more relevant member experiences.
ASAE · March 18, 2025
AI, Innovation & Future Change
AI, Innovation & Future Change
Smart Moves: How AI Is Shaping the Future of Associations
How AI is changing association strategy, member experience, and operations, and what smart leaders are doing now to respond.
ASAE · January 27, 2025
Association Strategy & Leadership
Association Strategy & Leadership
Crafting a Resilient Strategic Plan in Uncertain Times
How associations can build strategic plans that stay useful under uncertainty by focusing on resilience, priorities, and better decision-making.
ASAE · December 16, 2024
Association Strategy & Leadership
Association Strategy & Leadership
Embracing Agility: Lessons From the Fruit Fly
What associations can learn about agility, adaptation, and strategic responsiveness from a more experimental way of thinking.
ASAE · November 27, 2024
Association Strategy & Leadership
Association Strategy & Leadership
Avoiding the Pitfalls of Prosperity
Why success can make associations less disciplined over time and how leaders can avoid the complacency and drift that often follow strong performance.
ASAE · October 14, 2024
Workforce, Inclusion & Generational Change
Workforce, Inclusion & Generational Change
Bridging Generations in Associations
How associations can better engage members across career stages by recognizing generational differences in value, expectations, and participation.
ASAE · July 19, 2024
Association Strategy & Leadership
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Association Leaders
Seven leadership habits that help association executives make better decisions, align teams, and lead stronger organizations.
Associations Evolve · 2024
Membership Growth, Value & Retention
Membership Growth, Value & Retention
Five Breakthroughs in Membership Marketing
Five high-impact ways associations can modernize membership marketing through better targeting, stronger personalization, and smarter reactivation strategies.
Sidecar · February 15, 2024
Growth, Revenue & Market Strategy
Growth, Revenue & Market Strategy
Be Unbusinesslike: Why Associations Are Better Than Corporations
Why associations should not imitate corporations too closely and how their distinct role can become a strategic advantage.
ASAE · August 9, 2023
Membership Growth, Value & Retention
Membership Growth, Value & Retention
5 Breakthroughs in Membership Marketing
A practical look at the membership marketing strategies helping associations improve recruitment, engagement, and long-term growth.
Associations Evolve · 2023
Membership Growth, Value & Retention
Membership Growth, Value & Retention
Organisational Membership: The Future for Association Growth
Why organizational membership models may offer associations a stronger path to growth, broader reach, and more durable value than individual-only models.
ASAE · May 2, 2023
Membership Growth, Value & Retention
Membership Growth, Value & Retention
Baby, Come Back! How to Win Back Lapsed Members and Why You Should
Why lapsed members are one of the best growth opportunities associations overlook, and how to rebuild relationships that bring them back.
Sidecar · November 15, 2022
Membership Growth, Value & Retention
Membership Growth, Value & Retention
Are Your Members Your Best Customers?
Why associations should rethink how they define and serve members, and what happens when member experience is treated with greater strategic discipline.
ASAE · September 12, 2022
Membership Growth, Value & Retention
Membership Growth, Value & Retention
Four Steps To Creating Irresistible Member Value
A practical framework for helping associations clarify member value, strengthen relevance, and give people stronger reasons to join and stay.
ASAE · May 16, 2022
Membership Growth, Value & Retention
Membership Growth, Value & Retention
Three Keys to Solving the Member Retention Puzzle
Three strategic ways associations can improve member retention by strengthening value, engagement, and the early member experience.
Sidecar · May 12, 2022
Membership Growth, Value & Retention
Membership Growth, Value & Retention
Is Your Member Segmentation Strategy Wrong?
How weak member segmentation limits growth and how smarter segmentation helps associations improve targeting, messaging, and member relevance.
Sidecar · September 1, 2021
Growth, Revenue & Market Strategy
Growth, Revenue & Market Strategy
How To Create A Brand Strategy In 3 Simple Steps
A simple framework for building brand strategy that helps organizations clarify positioning, strengthen relevance, and support growth.
ASAE · August 16, 2021
Membership Growth, Value & Retention
Membership Growth, Value & Retention
Top Takeaways on How Membership Will Survive the Great Reset
What the great reset means for association membership and how organizations can adapt to changing expectations around value, flexibility, and relevance.