Category: innovation

Benchmark YOUR Association’s Climate Impact in FIVE Minutes

Posted on | by Elizabeth Weaver Engel, CAE
White and yellow text on a black background: "Climate Action For Associations - CAFA Tracker - Track your Climate Action and Impact - Join membership oprganisations globally in benchmarking sustainability progress. See how your internal actions and member support compare to your peers in real time."

Climate Action for Associations (CAFA) has JUST launched the first global, live benchmarking sustainability survey for membership organizations.

The CAFATracker shows what associations are doing in comparison to others surveyed and provides a real-time barometer of where the association sector stands on sustainability and climate action.

Take five minutes and get an instant read on where your association is compared to your peers. It’s 100% anonymous (no contact details or organization-specific data are shared) and 100% free (you don’t even have to be a CAFA member to use it).

Check it out at https://www.cafatracker.org/​.

Associations, Communities of Practice, and AI

Posted on | by Elizabeth Weaver Engel, CAE
Three interlocking gears that represent the three components of a Community of Practice: light blue reads "Community," dark blue reads "Domain," magenta reads "Practice"

A question has been popping up in the association community with increasing frequency: “Is AI going to kill our online community?”

This is a scary proposition, because whether it’s an owned platform like Higher Logic or Breezio or a public platform like Meta or LinkedIn, associations have poured resources into online communities in the past decade.

The concern is that members will just go to Google, type in their question in natural language, and accept whatever the Answer Engine (aka the AI summary that now tops search results) returns as authoritative. Is it as good as they could’ve gotten by logging into your online community and posing the question there (or, while we’re at it, visiting your website)? Maybe not, but they also didn’t have to do all that other stuff, and maybe the AI response is “good enough.”

So yes, it’s possible AI will cause your online community to wither, or to devolve into primarily an announcement board, particularly if there’s no authentic sense of belonging, something that is much harder to generate in a professional community than in something personal-interest driven.

But there’s also an opportunity to evolve your online community into a true Community of Practice. First introduced by Etienne Wegner about 35 years ago:

 “Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly.”

They’re comprised of the Domain (the topic, interest, or project that has brought the group together, with an implied level of shared expertise), the Practice (the actual work and what the group creates as a result of that work), and the Community (the people who are working together, building relationships and helping each other along the way).

As Anna Caraveli and I pointed out in our 2015 monograph, Leading Engagement from the Outside In: Become an Indispensable Partner in Your Members’ Success:

These types of knowledge-creation networks have a built-in advantage. While products have short shelf lives and can be duplicated by competitors [including AI], the value of a CoP lies in the network itself. Through their participation, CoP members can accomplish important goals together they could not otherwise have done alone. (emphasis added)

So what about AI?

Used properly, via technologies like Retrieval-Augmented Generation and small language models, AI may actually help you turn your announcement board online community into a genuine Community of Practice. AI can take over answering those same 10 or 20 questions that get asked repeatedly, and allow associations focus to our efforts not on trying to reduce human interactions (after all, people join associations because they wish to associate), but on making them better, deeper, and more meaningful.

Lean at 10: The Podcast, Part 6

Posted on | by Elizabeth Weaver Engel, CAE
Engaging in the Next podcast logo. Words are in blue and green against a pale blue ombre background, with a vertical blue and green stripe and a gauge-like image in blue, green, and dark grey.

Jamie Notter and I recently sat down with Colby Horton and Frank Humada for the Engaging in the Next Podcast to explore the origins of Lean Startup, popularized by Eric Ries, and unpack common misconceptions that often lead associations to dismiss the approach too quickly.

We discussed the importance of design thinking  driven empathy as an essential foundation for innovation, and focused on how learning, experimentation, and iteration—rather than perfection—drive meaningful progress. We shared how associations can test ideas, learn faster, and create value without requiring every experiment to deliver immediate financial returns. The episode examined cultural barriers that can slow innovation and offered practical, low-risk ways leaders can begin applying lean startup principles within their organizations.

We also touched on New Year’s resolutions, Jamie’s adventures in the kitchen, and my experiences as an amateur boxer.

Check out the episode at the Association Briefings website or wherever you get your podcasts.

Lean at 10: The Podcast, Part 5

Posted on | by Elizabeth Weaver Engel, CAE
Blue highlighted text on a grey background: "Suspend your need for immediate certainty." --Elizabeth Engel - underneath, there's a blue and red square logo of the Leading Learning podcast and the URL for the series - https://www.leadinglearning.com/

“If your experiments all succeed, you’re doing them wrong.”

Jamie Notter

My Lean at 10: Culture Eats Methodology for Lunch co-author Jamie Notter and I recently had the opportunity to join Celisa Steele on the Leading Learning podcast to discuss the core elements of lean startup methodology, the cultural patterns that can undermine using the methodology, and how pairing lean startup with design thinking can help organizations build empathy, surface assumptions, and learn more effectively.

Check it out at the Leading Learning podcast site, or on your favorite podcast service.

AC3 Merges with CAFA

Posted on | by Elizabeth Weaver Engel, CAE
Image of the US Capitol building taken facing eastward from the base of Capitol Hill across the reflecting pond in autumn. Text: Climate Action For Associations

I’m excited to share that I’ve stepped into a new volunteer role as US Co-Lead (with the fabulous Maddie Grant) for Climate Action For Associations. CAFA America will subsume our existing climate change project, the Association Climate Action Coalition (AC3).

(Don’t worry – I’m still Chief Strategist at Spark, providing membership and lean startup methodology consulting to associations. This is a new volunteer role for Maddie and me.)

CAFA is a global initiative helping associations turn climate commitments into practical, coordinated action.

Our focus will be on supporting the launch and growth of CAFA’s work in the United States—building partnerships, piloting programs, and helping shape an operating model that reflects the realities of the American association landscape.

Associations play a unique role in shaping industries, professions, and collective standards. When we move together, we have the power to accelerate real change at scale. I’m grateful to be working alongside CAFA’s global team and a growing network of association leaders who are serious about moving from intention to impact.

Through this partnership, AC3 members will now have access to CAFA’s global hub, including resources, tools, and guidance. Membership is free, and is now open to ALL US associations.

Are you ready to join right away? Visit the CAFA website to learn how. 

Lean at 10: The Podcast, Part 4

Posted on | by Elizabeth Weaver Engel, CAE
Header graphic in shades of lime green, white, and grey with three full-color headshots on a grey background the right side: two white women and one white man with glasses. Text: Elizabeth Engel, Chief Strategist, Spark Consulting, Chrissy Bagby, Chief Strategy Officer, AAVSB. Jamie Notter, Culture Scientist, JamieNotter.com. Text on the left side includes a logo that is lime-green headphones around an old-school microphone and reads: Association Insights: The Go-To Source for Tomorrow's Association Leaders. New Podcast: Culture, Risk, and Smarter Innovation for Associations. At the bottom is a lime green bar with the text Tune In Today!

Jamie Notter, Chrissy Bagby, and I recently had the opportunity to have a candid conversation about what it really takes to innovate with the Association Insights Podcast host Colleen Gallagher.

Based on our recent whitepaper, Lean at 10: Culture Eats Methodology for Lunch, we discussed how lean startup methodology, paired with an intentional approach to culture change, can help associations escape the “we have always done it that way” trap.

The episode focuses heavily on the American Association of Veterinary State Boards case study, where Chrissy shares how her team moved from big, risky projects built on a foundation of unarticulated and untested assumptions to structured experiments buoyed by shared understanding and the role of the “cooperative skeptic.”

Tune in for honest, practical insight into bringing lean startup into your association, whether you’re a C-suite executive or leading from the middle:

 

Lean at 10: The Podcast, Part 3

Posted on | by Elizabeth Weaver Engel, CAE
Headshots of a white woman with long grey hair and a bald white man with glasses against a blue and orange background with the words Nonprofit Mission: Impact with guests Elizabeth Engel and Jamie Notter in white text

In theory, every organization wants to innovate.

In practice? Many are unknowingly fighting against themselves.

As my Lean at 10: Culture Eats Methodology for Lunch co-author Jamie Notter recently put it on Carol Hamilton’s Nonprofit Mission: Impact podcast, most organizations are genuinely committed to unlocking new value for the people they serve, yet too often, a competing commitment that is embedded in the culture gets in the way.

For example: being equally committed to always appearing competent, to never having to say, “I don’t know.” That second commitment quietly sabotages the first, because innovation requires admitting you don’t know. It asks us to test, learn, and occasionally fail. No matter what you say, if your organizational culture actually rewards being the smartest person in the room, then no one is allowed to take that risk.

That’s how innovation cultures actually grow – not through slogans or retreats, but by practicing honesty about what we really value and being willing to learn.

Check out the full conversation here.

Lean at 10: The Podcast, Part 2

Posted on | by Elizabeth Weaver Engel, CAE
Blue background card with headshots of four people (Justin Burniske, Elizabeth Engel, Jamie Notter, Adam Savino) and the words Association Tech Insider - Lean Startup for Associations: Innovating with Agility and Purpose - Podcast Season 3, Episode 3 - Presented by ASAE Technology Professional Advisory Council

Jamie and I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Association Tech Insider host Justin Burniske (Meta-Dao) and Adam Savino (ASIS International) to explore how the Lean Startup methodology can help associations innovate smarter, faster, and with greater impact.

We discussed how associations can apply Lean principles like rapid experimentation, the build–measure–learn cycle, and data-driven decision-making to test new ideas and develop non-dues revenue streams without wasting limited resources. We also talked about the cultural side of innovation: how to create space for change, embrace learning from failure, and move beyond the “loudest voice in the room.”

From overcoming internal resistance to exploring how AI can accelerate learning, this conversation offers practical advice and real-world examples for any association ready to adapt and grow.

Listen to learn:

  • How Lean Startup principles translate to the association world
  • Why culture can make or break innovation
  • The importance of measuring what truly matters
  • Ways AI can enhance experimentation and learning

Inspired by the recently released white paper “Lean at 10” (https://bit.ly/LeanAt10), this episode is a must-listen for association leaders looking to turn smart ideas into sustainable action.

Check it out at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0NB5intkrpWZZ2xMBS2Nrd

A Decade of Lean Startup: Lessons Learned

Posted on | by Elizabeth Weaver Engel, CAE
Build-Measure-Learn cycle. Orange circle that reads Build with arrow to red circle that read Experiments with arrow to orange circle that reads Measure with arrow to red circle that reads Data with arrow to orange circle that reads Learn with arrow to red circle that reads Hypotheses with arrow back to original Build orange circle

Association execs are always on the lookout for good ideas for new programs, products, and services, and once we think we have one, we want to build it as quickly and efficiently as possible. What are the challenges associations face in developing their ideas? How can lean startup methodology help? What is the role of organizational culture in successful innovation?

Spoiler alert: After ten years of working with lean startup methodology one of the main things we’ve learned is that it’s not the concepts, tools, and techniques that are the hard part – it’s the culture change.

Join me, Jamie Notter, Chrissy Bagby, and Tiffany Dyar on Wednesday, November 5 for a FREE webinar, A Decade of Lean Startup: Lessons Learned, to learn about the challenges presented by the culture change necessary to use lean startup successfully and gain the tools you need to address those challenges in your own organization.

Details and RSVP here.

Lean at 10: The Podcast

Posted on | by Elizabeth Weaver Engel, CAE
Podcast header card that includes photos of four people (all white, three women and one man - the podcast host and three guests). Text includes: Radio Free 501c with your host Cecilia Sepp, Episode 301, October 6, 2025 - Lean at 10: Culture Eats Methodology for Lunch. With our guests Elizabeth Weaver Engel, Jamie Notter, and Chrissy Bagby"

Jamie Notter, Chrissy Bagby, and I were honored to join Cecilia Sepp recently on Radio Free 501c to discuss our latest whitepaper, Lean at 10: Culture Eats Methodology for Lunch.

On the pod, Jamie and I outlined some of  the major concepts we cover in the paper. We also discussed why we chose to revisit this topic 10 years after the publication of the original Innovate the Lean Way monograph I wrote with Guillermo Ortiz de Zárate. Then Chrissy detailed how she and her colleagues at the American Association of Veterinary State Boards apply lean startup methodology principles to test ideas for new programs, products, and services. One of her key pieces of advice: “Challenge your idea of failure.”

Listen or view at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7031J-UI60