The Work

The Association CEO Index is the brainchild of Sarah Morgan, Managing Director of PR and marketing agency Bespoken. During a meeting with a busy association CEO, she witnessed firsthand the diversity of activities an association leader deals with in a normal day. The phone never stopped ringing – calls from members, stakeholders, corporate supporters and even Board members, all of which were handled calmly and with regard to the caller.

It occurred to Sarah as she witnessed this, that the role of an association CEO is multi-faceted, and that many of their activities go largely unseen by members, the Board, the media, and the public. Association leaders, and indeed the industries and professions they represent, often go un-noticed.

With this in mind, Sarah decided it was time to capture a snapshot of what was keeping associations leaders up at night, and the opportunities they were excited about for the future. The aim was to identify key opportunities, threats, trends while mapping out a clear roadmap to attract the next generation of leaders to step into the top job. To lend credibility to the initiative, Sarah sought the endorsement of the Australasian Society of Associations Executives (AuSAE).  With their support, the Association CEO Index was born.

Our Approach

Recognising the need for expertise to build a robust, repeatable index and the importance of a research agency experienced in associations, Bespoken and AuSAE commissioned Survey Matters to design the quantitative component of the project.

Survey Matters developed the Association CEO Index from a large “wish list” of topics that Bespoken wanted to cover. We refined the focus to five key aspects: career satisfaction, workplace wellbeing, membership management, advocacy effectiveness and strategic capability.

The online survey also included demographic and profiling questions to segment associations CEOs by association type, location, age, gender, sector experience, and length of time in their role.

The survey was distributed directly from Survey Matters survey instrument, via an invitational email to approximately 1,400 associations CEOs in Australia and New Zealand.

Outcome

The survey results provided a comprehensive understanding of the role of an association CEO, and what it takes to be a leader in this vital sector. For the first time, we understand what drives association CEO’s, as well as their challenges, motivations and vision for the future.

Hailed by prominent association CEOs as a “must-read for association executives and their Boards”, the findings revealed the very high levels of satisfaction association leaders have in their roles, reflecting the alignment between personal values and the meaningful impact their work has in the industry or profession they represent. However, it also revealed the very real challenges they face – both in day-to-day operations and in shaping their association for future. While association leaders are optimistic about the future, significant concerns remain around positioning the role of an association CEO as an attractive career choice for future leaders and building a strong visible presence in government and the media.

Equally concerning is that four in five CEOs (84%) experience job pressure, frequently or occasionally lacking the time needed to perform their roles effectively. As a result, 70% of CEOs feel run down and lacking energy.

The inaugural Association CEO Index provides a valuable insight into the role of an association CEO and highlights areas to focus on to improve the sector’s visibility. It provides a vital platform to elevate recognition of the essential role associations play in our society.

Survey Matters looks forward to tracking the Association CEO Index annually to understand changes and improvements over time.