Competition, Collaboration, or Convergence? Strategic Choices in a Shifting Landscape – Part 3 of 4
As for-profit entities continue to enter spaces historically occupied by nonprofits, organizations face a strategic choice that is often framed too narrowly: compete or collaborate? In reality, the landscape is more nuanced. The options are not binary, and the implications of each path are more complex than they appear at first. A more useful framing […]
The Governance Challenge – Fiduciary Duty in a Blended Sector – Part 2 of 4
If the entry of for-profit entities into the nonprofit space is a structural shift, then governance is where its implications become most consequential. Boards are no longer operating in a stable, clearly defined sector. They are navigating a blended environment where traditional assumptions about competition, value, and accountability are being redefined in real time. This […]
When Mission Meets Market: Understanding the Rise of For-Profit Entrants into Nonprofit Space. Part 1of 4
The boundaries that once separated the nonprofit and for-profit sectors are becoming increasingly porous. What was once a relatively stable distinction—mission versus margin, purpose versus profit—is now a dynamic and evolving intersection. For-profit entities are entering spaces long defined by nonprofit organizations: education, credentialing, advocacy, workforce development, and even community-building. This is not a temporary […]
They Never Knew a World Without Screens: Why Associations Must Rethink Everything for the First True Digital Generation
By Michael Butera There is a generation entering the workforce, leadership pipeline, and marketplace that has never known a world without the internet, smartphones, streaming media, social platforms, algorithmic influence, or digital immediacy.They did not “adapt” to technology. The new workforce is literally formed by it. That distinction matters.For many associations, the response to generational […]
Why Associations Should Celebrate Juneteenth
For many associations, Juneteenth may appear at first glance to be a civic observance outside the organization’s direct mission. But in reality, Juneteenth represents something far more important to the future of professional societies, trade associations, and nonprofit organizations: the ongoing pursuit of freedom, inclusion, opportunity, education, and community advancement. Associations exist to convene people […]
Celebrating National Holidays as Strategic Capacity
How Associations Can Build Community, Relevance, and Resilience in a BANI World By Michael Butera Speaks Introduction: Holidays Are More Than Dates on a Calendar For many associations, national holidays are often acknowledged with little more than a social media graphic, a staff office closure notice, or a brief message from leadership. Of course, reality […]
Celebrating National Holidays as Strategic Capacity
How Associations Can Build Community, Relevance, and Resilience in a BANI World By Michael Butera Speaks Introduction: Holidays Are More Than Dates on a Calendar For many associations, national holidays are often acknowledged with little more than a social media graphic, a staff office closure notice, or a brief message from leadership. Of course, reality […]
You Can’t Build What You Can’t See: Measuring Strategic Capacity in Your Association
Let me offer a simple observation.Most associations don’t have a strategy problem.They have a thinking and visibility problem.They don’t actually know where their capacity is strong…Where it is inconsistent. Or where it is quietly breaking under pressure.So they do what many organizations do. They plan. They prioritize. They push forward with the best intentions—only to […]
Making Strategy a Habit- Building a Repeatable Stop–Sustain–Start Discipline
At this point in the conversation, we have named the hard truth.Strategy is not defined by what we say yes to.It is defined by what we are willing to leave behind.But here is where many associations stumble.They treat Stop–Sustain–Start as an event.A retreat exercise. A planning moment. A difficult conversation that happens once… and then […]
The Hardest Discipline- Deciding What to Stop, Sustain, and Start
At some point, every association reaches this moment.You have better insight.You are asking stronger, more forward-looking questions.You can see where the environment is shifting.And then reality sets in.There is not enough time.Not enough staff.Not enough resources to do everything. Nowthe strategy becomes real because strategy is not about what we could do.It is about what we choose to […]