Association Governance Research Project

Two surveys are currently underway. If you have received a letter inviting your participation, please select the appropriate survey and you will be re-directed to the survey website. Thank you for sharing information about your association!

Background

Volunteer leadership is recognized as instrumental in guiding and ensuring the future success of nonprofit trade and professional associations (NTPA). This study will identify successful recruitment strategies, key processes and crucial structures of high-performing boards. These practices will suggest some of the most promising mechanisms to strengthen nonprofit boards. The research will survey and interview executives and board members from a national sample of trade and professional associations. This will result in a profile of current governance practices exhibited in trade and professional associations, and a description of promising practices used by the strongest boards.

Methods & Sample Results

Please Click here to see preliminary results from The Arizona Association Executives survey. The national study is ongoing with support from the Institute for Social Science Research (ISSR) to collect the first round of data from association executives. The second phase invites board members to provide their perspective of governance in trade and professional associations.

Project Sponsors

The William E. Smith Institute for Association Research (Chicago , IL) is working with the ASU Lodestar Center to support this research project entitled, “Building Committed, Capable and High-Performing Boards – Identifying Promising Practices and Structures in Trade and Professional Associations.” The research is led by the Lodestar Center for Philanthropy & Nonprofit Innovation and the ASU School of Community Resources and Development in the College of Public Programs.