Does this sound familiar?
"Let's use AI for membership!"
"We should build a chatbot!"
"Everyone else has an AI strategy...We need one too!"
Chances are you've heard these pleas in your board meetings, committee discussions, hallway conversations, or even in your own head. The pressure to innovate with artificial intelligence has many associations chasing technology without direction, leading to scattered initiatives that drain resources and frustrate teams.
Organizations at the forefront of AI adoption share a common trait—they lead with clear business objectives that AI amplifies and accelerates. Their success comes from asking "How can AI help us achieve our goals?" This shifts the conversation from capability building to outcome creation.
Having an AI strategy is essential. But implementation without clear purpose leads to impressive demonstrations that fail to deliver measurable impact.
Think of AI implementation like training for a race. You need to know the distance before you can create an effective training plan. The same applies to your AI strategy—define what success looks like before selecting your tools.
Maybe you need to increase member engagement by 30% this year. Perhaps you want to reduce staff burnout while maintaining service levels. Or you might need to create more personalized experiences without expanding your team.
These concrete objectives become your finish line. They give you something to measure against and help you decide which AI capabilities matter for your association.
This doesn't mean avoiding AI experimentation. Your team should explore and understand various AI capabilities to build knowledge and comfort with the technology. But these experiments should focus on addressing real organizational challenges rather than implementing technology for technology's sake.
In Sidecar Sync episode 68, John Huisman, Associate Partner at a leading global management consultancy, shares an example of one organization that identified slow service response times as a critical pain point. Their team averaged 11 minutes to handle routine inquiries. By implementing AI specifically to address this bottleneck, they reduced resolution times to 2 minutes—freeing their team to focus on complex needs requiring human expertise.
Finding these opportunities starts with examining where your teams spend most of their time. Look for repetitive tasks that drain energy and creativity. Pay attention when staff members say "I wish there was a better way to do this" or "This takes forever." These pain points, when tied to clear metrics like time spent or member satisfaction scores, become prime candidates for AI implementation that drives real value.
Your association's AI strategy should connect directly to your mission and objectives. Let technology amplify your impact rather than dictate your direction. When you lead with clear goals, you'll find AI becomes a powerful accelerator rather than just another initiative.
Success with AI comes from solving real problems and achieving meaningful outcomes for your members and mission. Start with the finish line in mind, and you'll build momentum through impact rather than implementation.