Associations Thrive

Can an association create deeper member loyalty by focusing not just on solving problems, but on creating experiences that people genuinely care about? In an era where efficiency and technology dominate, perhaps the real opportunity for associations is to bring more humanity, intention, and artistry into every member interaction.

In part one of this two-part special on Associations Thrive, host Joanna Pineda interviews Nir Hindi, Founder of The Artian. Nir discusses:

• What business artistry is and why it differs from creativity. Creativity solves problems; artistry creates meaning and emotional connection.
• How some of the world's most admired leaders, including Steve Jobs, Walt Disney, and Edwin Land, approached business as a form of creative expression rather than simply optimization.
• Why associations should think beyond delivering value and instead design experiences that members genuinely remember and care about.
• How seemingly small details, from onboarding experiences to event design to member communications, can communicate care, respect, and intention.
• Why organizations should optimize not only for efficiency, but also for emotional resonance and human connection.
• The role of awe in leadership, and how inspiring visions motivate employees, members, and stakeholders to become part of something larger than themselves.
• How founders and executives can become better storytellers by focusing less on features and facts, and more on purpose, motivation, and impact.

This conversation is Part 1 of a 2-part interview. In Part Two, Nir explores how business artistry specifically applies to associations and nonprofit organizations.

References:

• The Artian Website
• Nir’s Business Artistry Course
• Follow Nir on LinkedIn
• Nir's Website

How do you help an industry innovate at breakneck speed while ensuring consumer protection, trust, and regulatory compliance? And what role should an association play in bringing competitors, regulators, and innovators together to shape the future of an emerging industry?

In this episode of Associations Thrive, host Joanna Pineda interviews Phil Goldfeder, CEO of the American Fintech Council (AFC). Phil discusses:

• How AFC has grown from roughly 25 members to more than 175 members and partners, while maintaining a retention rate above 95%.
• Why AFC intentionally brings fintech companies and banks together under one roof, creating collaboration rather than competition.
• How AFC differentiates itself as a standards-based organization that embraces regulation, compliance, and consumer protection.
• Phil’s career journey from public service, including roles with Chuck Schumer, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and the New York State Legislature, to banking and association leadership.
• How Hurricane Sandy exposed the need for innovation in insurance and financial services and helped shape Phil’s professional path.
• Why Phil believes association leadership is remarkably similar to elected office: both are fundamentally about service, engagement, and impact.
• How AFC creates “safe spaces” where member CEOs can openly discuss challenges, best practices, and emerging business models.
• AFC’s advocacy efforts to educate policymakers and regulators on fintech innovations such as Buy Now, Pay Later and Earned Wage Access programs.
• How AFC’s annual summit maintains an intimate, collaborative atmosphere even as attendance has grown dramatically.

References:

• AFC Website

How does an association grow from 6,000 to 9,000 members without a membership sales team? What can associations learn from an organization whose members actively recruit the next generation on its behalf?

In this episode of Associations Thrive, host Joanna Pineda interviews Jeff Morgan, President & CEO of the Club Management Association of America (CMAA). Jeff discusses:

• How CMAA represents professionals working across 3,500 member-owned clubs, including golf clubs, yacht clubs, city clubs, ski clubs, and more.
• How CMAA membership grew from approximately 6,000 members during COVID to 9,000 members today—with no membership sales team.
• Why private clubs experienced significant growth during and after COVID, including increased member demand, long waiting lists, and investments in facilities and amenities.
• CMAA’s highly intentional 12-month new member onboarding process, which includes welcome kits, monthly communications, quarterly Zoom sessions, and structured opportunities to build connections.
• The association’s long-running conference idea-sharing program, where members submit and share more than 100 best-practice posters that become a searchable knowledge resource for the profession.
• CMAA’s Certified Club Manager (CCM) credential, built around 12 professional competencies, continuing education, and a globally licensed certification model.
• How CMAA has expanded its influence internationally through partnerships, certification licensing, and conference participation from club professionals around the world.
• Why Jeff believes clubs are no longer simply physical facilities, but communities that remain connected through technology, virtual programming, and shared experiences.
• How “community” serves as the secret sauce behind both successful clubs and successful associations.

References:

• CMAA Website

What if your association's most effective membership recruiters aren't staff at all, but your members themselves?

In an era where association professionals have countless options for education, networking, and professional development, how can associations create such a strong sense of belonging that members actively recruit, welcome, and mentor new participants?

In this episode of Associations Thrive, host Joanna Pineda interviews David Walsh, Executive Director of the Virginia Society of Association Executives (VSAE). David discusses:

• How VSAE serves more than 450 association professionals and industry partners across Virginia, providing education, leadership development, networking, and peer exchange opportunities.
• How VSAE is expanding its reach throughout Virginia, including launching the Northern Virginia Association Exchange to better serve professionals in the state's largest association market.
• David's unique association journey, influenced by his mother’s 40-year association career and his progression through membership, marketing, advocacy, and executive leadership roles.
• How VSAE's annual conference attracted more than 200 registrants and over 50 first-time attendees, the strongest attendance numbers in more than a decade.
• How volunteer leaders personally reach out to prospective members and conference attendees, creating authentic peer-to-peer invitations rather than relying solely on marketing campaigns.
• How VSAE's membership committee serves as mentors and ambassadors, ensuring first-time attendees feel welcomed and connected from the moment they arrive.
• VSAE’s Learning Pathways that help members identify educational content aligned with their career stage, role, and professional goals.
• How VSAE's Northern Virginia programming combines education, peer exchange, and community-building to create meaningful opportunities for association professionals to learn from one another.

References:

• VSAE Website
• Northern Virginia Association Exchange

When your industry is everywhere but almost invisible, how do you tell your story? And how can associations help members navigate tariffs, supply chain pressures, and changing market dynamics?

In this episode of Associations Thrive, host Joanna Pineda interviews Emily Bardash, Executive Director of the American Wire Producers Association (AWPA). Emily discusses:

• How AWPA represents companies that manufacture wire and wire products, from bridge cables to tiny springs in Windex bottles.
• Why “wire is everywhere,” touching construction, infrastructure, agriculture, defense, medical devices, automotive parts, and everyday household products.
• How AWPA is a small but vital industry association with about 85 members, many of them family-owned businesses.
• Why association staff must understand each client’s unique culture, including details like whether spouses are important at events.
• How AWPA shifted its advocacy focus from “free and fair access to wire rod” to “building a resilient wire industry across the full supply chain.”
• How strategic planning helped AWPA’s board align around a new mission, vision, and playbook.
• How AWPA took risks with its annual conference, including booking a higher-end venue, stronger speakers, and better storytelling through photography and video.
• How AWPA is building momentum through advocacy, LinkedIn, facility tours with members of Congress, and more frequent Hill visits.

References:

• AWPA Website

What happens when young people never see anyone who looks like them in the careers they dream about pursuing? And how can associations, nonprofits, and mission-driven organizations help members build stronger, earlier, and more inclusive talent pipelines in response?

In this episode of Associations Thrive, host Joanna Pineda interviews Celeste Warren, Founder of Destination STEM, Inc. Celeste discusses:

• How Destination STEM provides resources, educational awareness events, mentoring, tutoring, and scholarships to students of color and students in need who want to pursue STEM-related degrees and careers.
• Why representation matters so much, especially for middle school and high school students who are just beginning to imagine what their futures could look like.
• How Destination STEM uses college students and young professionals as virtual mentors for younger students, creating relatable role models who feel accessible and real.
• Why Celeste believes STEM pipeline work must start early, long before employers begin looking for talent in the current labor market.
• How Destination STEM’s family founding story, with Celeste, her daughter, and her son building the organization together, has become part of its unique appeal and authenticity.
• How the organization is doubling its scholarships and using its annual awards and recognition banquet as both a celebration and a major fundraising vehicle.
• Celeste’s big vision for Destination STEM: larger-scale conferences, stronger guidance for students, and a bigger role in building the future STEM workforce.

References:

• Destination STEM Website

What if one of the most important contributors to energy efficiency, worker safety, and emissions reduction is also one of the most overlooked? And in an industry facing consolidation and private equity pressure, how can an association help members see the value of community, standards, and education?

In this episode of Associations Thrive, host Joanna Pineda interviews Michele Jones, EVP/CEO of the National Insulation Association (NIA). Michele discusses:

• How NIA represents more than 250 companies across the mechanical insulation industry, including contractors, distributors, manufacturers, fabricators, and metal building laminators.
• What mechanical insulation is and why it matters.
• How industry consolidation and private equity ownership are affecting membership, dues, sponsorships, foundation giving, and conference attendance across the association.
• Why NIA is launching a “dog and pony show” roadshow to meet directly with member companies.
• How NIA just held its 70th convention, celebrated in Puerto Rico with strong attendance and recognition of past presidents.
• How NIA is partnering with AMPP to develop national insulation installation standards.
• NIA’s new Learning Management System.
• Why Michele believes mechanical insulation still does not get the respect it deserves, even though it lowers energy costs, reduces pollution, protects personnel, and keeps systems running properly.

References:

• NIA Website

What happens when a fintech leader decides that serving the association community means doing far more than processing payments? And in an environment where associations are under pressure to deliver more value with limited resources, how can they create learning and connections that truly help members thrive?

In this episode of Associations Thrive, host Joanna Pineda interviews Wade Tetsuka, President of U.S. Transactions Corporation (UST) and UST Education. Wade discusses:

• How UST helps associations accept credit card and ACH payments through AMS, LMS, and event platforms, while also helping reduce fees and improve service.
• Why payment processing becomes an especially important decision point when associations are changing AMS platforms.
• How UST Education began as simple peer-to-peer lunch roundtables for association IT directors and grew into a major educational platform.
• How the pandemic accelerated UST Education’s virtual programming and enabled it to serve association professionals across the country.
• Why Wade believes companies should connect with the communities they serve in a more meaningful way, and how education became that “sweet spot” for him.
• Why education is the common thread across Wade’s work, board service, and leadership philosophy, and why he sees it as “the great equalizer in society.”
• What the AANHPI association community means to Wade, and why representation and visibility matter for future Asian American leaders.

References:

• UST Website

What if one of the most effective ways to strengthen nonprofit leadership is to rethink how board members are recruited, trained, and supported? And in a time when AI is reshaping work and human skills matter more than ever, how can associations and nonprofits help members build the judgment, empathy, and strategic thinking that only real service can develop?

In this episode of Associations Thrive, host Joanna Pineda interviews Whitley Richards, CEO of Cause Strategy Partners. Whitley discusses:

• How Cause Strategy Partners is a board placement and governance training provider that works across the United States, the UK, and Hong Kong.
• How the company has placed about 3,300 professionals onto the boards of more than 1,500 nonprofit organizations over its 11-year history.
• How Fortune 500 companies partner with Cause Strategy Partners because they want scalable ways to connect employees to meaningful board service as part of leadership development and corporate social responsibility strategies.
• Cause Strategy Partners’ Board Lead program that prepares professionals before, during, and after placement to become effective board members, while offering the service free to nonprofits of many sizes, including smaller organizations with modest budgets.
• How the organization “flips” the board recruitment model by inviting individuals to identify nonprofits they care about and explain why they want to serve, creating stronger commitment from the outset.
• How Whitley wants to bust the myth that nonprofit boards are social clubs; today’s boards require serious leadership, strategy, and accountability.

References:

• Cause Strategy Partners Website

What does it look like when an organization does more than represent workers and actually builds a community, a career pathway, and a better life? And how can associations help members thrive when workforce shortages, family pressures, and mental health challenges are all converging at once?

In this episode of Associations Thrive, host Joanna Pineda interviews Michael Coleman, General President of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers (SMART). Mike discusses:

• How SMART represents more than 230,000 sheet metal, rail, transit, and transportation workers across the United States and Canada.
• How SMART’s culture of mentorship helps members grow professionally and personally, with experienced members guiding apprentices and newer workers.
• Mike’s own journey from “floundering” young worker to apprentice, supervisor, local leader, international executive, and ultimately General President.
• Why apprenticeship is such a powerful model: members earn while they learn, build real skills, gain certifications, and avoid student debt.
• How SMART is growing membership by widening the recruiting pipeline and reaching veterans, underrepresented communities, and women.
• How programs like Helmets to Hard Hats and SMART Heroes help service members transition into rewarding union careers.
• How SMART is making the trades more accessible by addressing real-life barriers, including offering childcare stipends and paid maternity leave.
• How SMART advocates on issues that go beyond union priorities and affect the public at large, including indoor air quality, fire life safety systems, and safer schools and buildings.
• How the merger with the transportation union expanded SMART’s reach, while fairness, dignity, safety, and good middle-class jobs remain the values that unite all members.

References:

• SMART Union Website