Partnerships. (Preview).

With association resources stretched as they are, it's no revelation to suggest that the ability to effectively pool and deploy resources--across associations and even across sectors--to get more or better done will only continue to increase in importance. And with time and experience, our community will undoubtedly gain an ever-greater appreciation for the meaning of collaboration and partnership, as well as increased skill in effecting the same.

In this issue of ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT, you'll find at least three examples of collaborative efforts. The first two reflect collaboration across sectors. In our cover story, "Out of Bounds" (page 32), longtime Independent Sector President and Chief Executive Officer Sara E. Melendez outlines the Three Sector Initiative, a partnership among seven organizations in the government, business, and nonprofit sectors. She also describes several examples of cross-sector collaborations aimed at public good. Writes Melendez, if nonprofit organizations "are to be relevant and effective in the future, we will have to master the art of engaging effectively with the other two sectors. We must work with business and government, forming strategic partnerships with them when and where appropriate."

The second example of cross-sector partnerships is a companion to the Melendez piece called "Collaboration Creates Cross-Sector Synergy" (page 39). Authors Dan H. Mathews and Mary T. Markovich, CAE, both of the National Automatic Merchandising Association in Chicago, describe NAMA's experience in building career awareness by working with the highly regarded School of Hospitality Business at Michigan State University and corporations to endow a professorship in the school. Mathews and Markovich's article outlines the steps NAMA took with its collaborators to implement their initiative.

The third illustration of strategic partnership at work lies in "Come Together," by Associate Editor Jane Eisinger. For the article, which begins on page 42, Eisinger interviewed association executives whose organizations have joined forces to host meetings. The examples range from realizing efficiencies by colocating concurrent meetings to co-creating and putting on a conference. There's plenty of insight in her piece. Jim Moody, CAE, the executive director of the Georgia Society of Association Executives, contributed a sidebar article that describes the possibilities and pitfalls of a young collaboration by GSAE and the Florida Society of Association Executives to jointly host a program called the Association Leadership Symposium. Moody's piece, like Eisinger's, addresses the nitty-gritty of such undertakings. Both are frank in describing the risks and rewards.

We're gratified to include an article called "Making Associations Personal" (page 49), by personalization expert Bruce Kasanoff. Kasanoff spoke at the 2002 Associations:digital Now conference last February, and soon after he contacted me to see how we might collaborate. This month's article is a result of his initiative. It's full of meaningful advice about developing a closer relationship with each of your members, and it includes Kasanoff's answer to this question posed by an association executive after the February conference: How do we create an individual experience for our members when we are constrained by such a vast array of variables? Bruce has offered to field your questions, too. For details, check out the story.

ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT is equally graced by the inclusion in its lineup of two other features. "Taming the Governance Tiger" is a three-article package by Pamela J. Grotz of the National Parent Teacher Association, Michael C. Alin of the American Society of Interior Designers, and Michael Abrams of the Iowa Medical Society. The articles, which begin on page 54, dig into these associations' approaches to questions like, what's the best way for our members to be represented? And, how can we ensure that we're being led by the best candidates for the jobs? The final feature is "Lobbyist Lowdown" (page 64), by Scott Lambert, CAE, of the Minnesota Automobile Dealers Association, who offers his expertise on working effectively with contract lobbyists.

I began this column by talking about collaboration and partnership. In fact, ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT itself is an ongoing--and rewarding--collaboration among staff and ASAE members and other experts and suppliers. I constantly find the results to be enlightening. I hope you do, too.

Editor in Chief

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