I’ve spoken with many leaders of Young Professional Organizations (YP Orgs) over the past decade and many have asked, “When do you know it's not working anymore?” or “When do you know it's time to reinvent yourself?”

Unfortunately, the answers to those two questions are different for every organization because every YP Org has a different purpose, mission, and/or vision. BUT I do offer some common responses to all...

It’s time to evaluate your YP Orgs success when:

• you stop reading about your organization in the media.
• you see the same 50+ people (or 10% of members) at every event/program.
• your leadership team is too focused on keeping the status quo, rather than creating waves that will push your impact further.
• board meetings become focused on giving reports on events and programs rather than strategy.
• you see a need in the community that isn’t being addressed that could be addressed by you.
• your affiliate/parent organization eliminates yours seats/voice at the “big kids” table.
• you stop having REAL impact on your community’s ability to be a talent magnet.
  

All of these are signs that perhaps your YP Org is not having the impact your founders set out to have OR that it's time to re-assess your purpose.

It is important for every YP Org to take a step back every 2-3 years (perhaps even once a year) and evaluate the viability of the organization and measure the success and impact of current programs and initiatives. It is too easy for YP Orgs to fall into a comfortable rhythm. They offer the same programs year after year, therefore they end up with a continued revolving door of members.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; new members can fuel new ideas, but it’s important for YP Orgs to remember that not all people under the age of 40 seek the same thing through membership. We all go through different life stages, and what I wanted to gain from my involvement at the age of 26 is very different from what I want to gain at the ripe old age of 36 ;).

If you feel like your YP Org is loosing its “sizzle,” I encourage you to be proactive about evaluating your group's current impact and what your members seek. Here are three steps you can follow to avoid the fizzle in your YP Org's sizzle:

1. ASK, LOOK, & LISTEN! First, ask your members how you're doing and what they want. This can be done via a survey or focus group. Second, look at your current YP Org structure and operations, from programs to marketing to staffing to funding. Next, reach out to community and business leaders and listen to what they know about your organization and what their next generation “talent” needs are and which needs aren’t being addressed.
2. DREAM! Get your leadership team and members together and dream about what success would look and feel like for your community if your YP Org could have TEN TIMES more impact than you are currently having. How could current programs and initiatives be built on? What could be done differently?
3. CREATE! Finally, take what you learned and begin to work collaboratively with your community stakeholders to shape and create an actionable vision for your YP Org to achieve the “dream” developed in the previous step. One idea is to host a shared strategic planning session with your YP Org leaders and a group of members or business and community leaders.
   

We all can find ourselves falling into a comfortable rhythm in life. This isn’t always bad, BUT if you sense this is happening to your YP Org, this may mean it's time to shake things up!

Tell me how your YP Org is keeping your sizzle! Comment below.

Also, check out our many resources for YP Orgs here and reach out if you are interested in learning how Next Generation Consulting can assess the impact of your organization.

 

 

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