Association Transformation

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Did you know Olympic sports are run by associations? When you watch Olympic fencing, you're seeing an association at work. National governing bodies like USA Fencing are 501(c)(3) membership organizations, and they deal with a lot of the same things your association does: limited staff, member dues, pricey events, board composition and finding new members.

Phil Andrews, CEO of USA Fencing, joins me to talk about how fencing became the fastest-growing sport in the Olympic and Paralympic world since Paris '24. Phil explains how 23 staff serve more than 50,000 members, why a third of his board seats go to elite athletes, and why your best recruiters are the members you already have. I asked him whether that growth was just a feel factor that came with a new CEO. It wasn't, and he gives the credit to his team and his community. I also pushed on whether working with content creators cost real money, and he walked me through his "hack and slash" approach to earned media, sword fight at New York Comic-Con included.

In this episode:

• What a national governing body does, and its two missions
• Why your existing members are your best marketing
• Listening to every corner of your membership without agreeing with everyone
• Running a 50,000-member organization with 23 staff over the 230 weeks between Games
• Where the money comes from: membership, events, merchandise, sponsorship and a foundation
• A governance-led board where a third of the seats go to elite athletes, by law
• Comic-Con, Gen Z creators and other low-cost ways to earn media
• How to find a fencing club near you

About Phil
Phil Andrews is CEO of USA Fencing, the national governing body for fencing in the United States.

Connect with Phil
Email: [email protected]
Web: https://www.usafencing.org
Try fencing: https://tryfencing.org

Association Transformation is hosted by Elisa Pratt, CEO and Chief Strategist of Brewer Pratt Solutions, and Andrew Chamberlain, Founder and Managing Director of Elevated. Find every episode at https://associationtransformation.org.

Until next time, put your members and your mission first!

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Renewal letters are landing, and the numbers aren't pretty. Brian Haney, CAE, SVP and Association & Non-Profit Specialist at Relation Insurance Services, joins me to talk through health insurance for associations, especially small-staff shops trying to build a 2027 budget.

Brian's first message: you probably have more options than you think. They won't all be cheap, but they're there. We get into what those options are, why the state where you're headquartered decides your market (even if your whole team is remote), the renewal increases he's seeing so far, and how to bring your board and your staff along.

In this episode:
- Why the fourth quarter is the benefits world's April 15
- Small group plans, PEOs and level funding, and when each might fit
- Why every plan in your lineup renews at its own rate
- How much your board actually needs to see
- Why covering employees at 100% while dependents pay their own way creates two classes of employees
- Whether you can skip the broker and ask ChatGPT, and how brokers get paid
- Benchmarking dental, vision, life and disability to offset a tough medical renewal
- Brian's 90-60-45-30 timeline for a calmer open enrollment

About Brian
Brian Haney, CLTC, CFBS, CFS, CIS, CAE, LACP, LUTCF, RFC, is SVP and Association & Non-Profit Specialist at Relation Insurance Services, where he works with associations and nonprofits on their employee benefits.

Connect with Brian
Email: [email protected]
Book a meeting: https://meetings-na2.hubspot.com/brian-haney
Web: https://relationinsurance.com

Association Transformation is hosted by Elisa Pratt, CEO and Chief Strategist of Brewer Pratt Solutions, and Andrew Chamberlain, Founder and Managing Director of Elevated. Find every episode at https://associationtransformation.org.

This episode is general information, not legal or insurance advice for your organization.

Until next time, put your members and your mission first!

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In Episode 178 of Association Transformation, Elisa sits down with Brian Weiss (SVP of Society Programs at the American Chemical Society, with PMI, RMA, AMA, and NCMA behind him) for the globalization conversation most associations skip straight past. A few of the highlights:

🌍 Do the non-business case before the business case. Why is the board really asking? You can't meet an expectation nobody's named.

🌍 Your readiness assessment isn't a go/no-go. It's the calibration tool you'll keep coming back to for the next five years as the board turns over.

🌍 You don't need a big balance sheet. Partners, AMCs, and sister associations are all doors in.

🌍 The single biggest thing Brian's seen trip expansions up: HQ won't let go. Centralized brand, localized delivery, that tension makes or breaks it.

If globalization is on your board agenda (or about to be) watch or listen before anyone spends a dollar. 🎧

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Cybersecurity isn’t just an IT problem. It’s a leadership, governance, and organizational resilience issue! In Episode 178 of Association Transformation, Elisa and Andrew sit down with Mike Baker, VP, Global Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for DXC Technologies, to bring cybersecurity out of the server room and into the association boardroom. They explore what association leaders really need to understand about today’s cyber risks, where organizations may be more vulnerable than they realize, and how leaders can create a culture of security without becoming cybersecurity experts themselves. From protecting member and organizational data to managing human, technology, and third-party risk, this conversation offers a practical perspective on why cybersecurity belongs on every association leader’s agenda.

CISA Free Cybersecurity Services & Tools — the US government's curated catalog of no-cost services, including vulnerability scanning for your organization.

Global Cyber Alliance Cybersecurity Toolkit for Mission-Based Organizations — free tools and step-by-step guidance built specifically for nonprofits and associations.

CIS Critical Security Controls — Implementation Group 1 — the 56 "essential cyber hygiene" safeguards for any small-staff organization.

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The Association Transformation summer hiatus is over early, and for good reason. Three-time guest Jay S. Daughtry, M.Ed., joins Andrew and Elisa for a timely preview of the 2026 ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition. Jay just released his annual "What I'm Looking Forward to at ASAE Annual 2026" guide, built with input from voices across the association community, and he shares the highlights: The Classic at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the closing celebration at Lucas Oil Stadium, how to navigate a packed schedule, getting real value from the trade show floor, cracking the evening party circuit, and energy management tips for introverts.

 Elisa will be at #ASAE26 in Indianapolis, so say hello if you see her! Check out the podcast here:https://associationtransformation.org/latest-episodes  and you can grab Jay's guide here:https://go.associationplatforms.com/asae26highlights/

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Most associations are not short on ideas. The real struggle is moving from plan to progress.

In episode 175 of Association Transformation, we dig into Project Management Paralysis - why association projects stall, how communication and culture get in the way, and what it takes to turn good intentions into real execution. Because plans do not execute themselves.

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This week on Association Transformation, we’re unpacking another UK controversy: members can ask hard questions about outcomes and value, but they don’t get to design the org chart. Instead of letting leadership lead, parts of the charity sector has jumped straight to a public “bun fight" with one of its membership organisations (the NCVO), including open letters, outside pressure, and a not-so-subtle attempt to dictate how the organization should staff itself. Elisa and Andrew get blunt about what’s really going on: member overreach. Accountability is fair game. Operational control is not. The CEO’s job is to design the structure, deploy talent, and run the business, without members trying to manage the org by petition. Listen in and weigh in: where does legitimate scrutiny end and governance-wrecking interference begin?

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Inspired by recent industry research, including member experience and membership marketing benchmark reports, this episode explores what “engagement” really means for associations, where organizations may be confusing communication with connection, and why success should be measured by more than clicks, attendance, and activity. Tune in for a thoughtful, practical conversation on member value, belonging, and retention.

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What if the goal isn’t to bounce back… but to move forward stronger?

In this latest episode of Association Transformation, co-hosts Elisa Pratt (Brewer Pratt Solutions) and Andrew Chamberlain (Elevated) unpack a bold idea:
👉 Stability isn’t success—and recovery may actually be holding associations back.

Recorded (literally) from the road as Elisa drives home from the Pennsylvania Society of Association Executives conference, this conversation challenges leaders to rethink resilience, question “best practices,” and embrace disruption as a catalyst for growth, not something to survive.

If your organization is:

• Trying to “get back” to where it was
• Playing it safe to avoid risk
• Or measuring success by stability…

…it might be time for a different approach.

🎧 Listen in and join the conversation. Are you building resilience… or becoming truly anti-fragile?

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March is National Ethics Awareness Month, which makes it the perfect time to talk about something every association faces, but few discuss honestly: ethics in leadership.

In the newest episode of Association Transformation, co-hosts Elisa Pratt of Brewer Pratt Solutions and Andrew Chamberlain of Elevated unpack what ethical governance really looks like inside associations.

Not just policies. Not just conflict-of-interest forms. And definitely not a once-a-year board training slide.

Instead, they explore the real issues that surface in boardrooms every day:

• When does poor behavior cross the line into unethical conduct?
• Why do so many governance problems come down to structure and communication gaps?
• Who is actually responsible for enforcing ethical standards in an association
• And how do organizations build cultures where integrity is lived and not just written into policy?

From volunteer pathways and board recruitment to risk management, accountability, and leadership culture, this conversation digs into the practical realities of ethics in association governance.

🎧 Listen to the latest episode and join the discussion:
Where have you seen ethical leadership done well (or poorly) in associations?

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