Are you ensuring you get value from your Trade Association(s)?. The Internal Side of Public Affairs (27)

Alan Hardacre, PhD

Co-Founder Advocacy Academy, Advocacy Strategy

I wanted to start 2025 with a recurring theme – that of getting value from your Trade Association. Nearly all Public Affairs professionals use Trade Associations and many Trade Associations come under fire internally— “are we really getting value from this membership and can we justify the expense?” The problem very often is not (only) with the Trade Association itself but rather in how companies engage with them, communicate about them internally and measure their effectiveness. On the subject of measuring success (a theme I will be coming back to soon in 2025) there is a real challenge for companies to measure the impact that their Trade Association memberships have. If you want to see improvement and justify your investment then you need to start evaluating. To ensure you’re driving real value and avoiding internal skepticism:

1.  Set Clear Objectives: Have a specific game plan. Whether it’s influencing policy, gaining competitive insights, or building strategic relationships—define what success looks like from the start. This way, you can clearly measure outcomes and justify the investment.

2.  Designate an Association Owner: Appoint a go-to person internally who will own the relationship. Their job? Ensure you’re plugged into relevant activities, monitor key developments, and surface opportunities for your organization. Without a dedicated point of contact, vital information can get lost, and opportunities can slip by.

3.  Active Participation is Non-Negotiable: Associations are not passive forums. You need to actively participate—attend meetings, sit on key working groups, and speak up on the issues that impact your organization.

4.  Internal Communication is Key: What’s the point of getting all this value if no one internally knows about it? Make it a priority to regularly communicate wins, insights, and opportunities gained through your membership.

5.  Coordinate and Evaluate: You need to have proactive internal coordination, across everyone in your organization who sits in your Associations. This will make a huge difference.

💡 Remember: If you want your Trade Association to improve you need sustained measurement and evaluation. If you want less heat internally you need to communicate value.

Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below! 👇