True to form, the BestCities Global Alliance continued to use its annual Forum to pursue association impact by gathering members of its association community for shared learning. The methodology for developing greater impact strategies came in the form of the 2nd edition of the ICCA Association Impact Masterclass following its inauguration by Founding Funders and Iceberg Partners, BE Sarawak, in Malaysia’s Legacy Capital, Kuching, last year.
In helping the associations to collaboratively develop their impact strategies, the Masterclass was presented by #MEET4IMPACT co-Founder, Genevieve Leclerc, GainingEdge Chair, Gary Grimmer, and supported by ICCA’s Senior Manager for Knowledge and Legacy, Sharon Ashton.
Leclerc: “None of the associations had impact strategies.”
“Often in association management,” commented Pauline Wilson, President-Elect UK at the International Federation of Podiatrists, “we kind of get stuck on the hamster wheel of doing things rather than why we are doing them”, she added, “The people who are part of our association are essentially clinicians trying to make a difference in people’s health”.
Hasim Solmaz, chairman of the International Confederation of Contamination Control Societies (ICCS) said that “the Theory of Change will be the integral part of our future strategy”, he said, “we are going to train our societies to be focussing on their end beneficiaries, their members”.
An early adopter of the Theory of Change, Caroline Mackenzie – executive director at ISHA – The Hip Preservation Society – has already witnessed anecdotally the return on strategic re-alignment to the Vision & Mission of the Organisation flow through into a ten-fold increase in membership growth from 8-80 – representing a 15% growth in overall membership – since sharing her reflections on the implementation of the organisation’s Theory of Change at ISHA’s event in Cape Town, one of the BestCities Global Alliance hosting the Masterclass.
