We all know that associations differ from one another. Some have more members, others fewer. Some hold events practically every week, while others only once or twice a year. You might not believe me, but there are even associations that have a lot of money.

But is an association that has a lot of money, three events a day, and a huge number of members necessarily successful? What is it that makes one association higher in quality, more interesting, and more appealing than another?

I certainly cannot give you a definitive answer here. All the things listed above (members, money, events) may be indicators that we are on the right track, but they are far from showing the full picture. In one of our previous blog posts, we already explored how to establish a clear vision. But how do we then monitor whether our vision is the right one as we lead the association? To make it easier to evaluate the success of our association, I tried to find three questions whose answers can help us paint a picture of the actual state of our association.

1) Are you achieving the goals you have set?

To achieve goals, you first need to set them. This is the first step toward success not only for associations but also in our lives. It is essential to have attainable goals that give us motivation and point us in a direction we need to move toward.

For successful associations, however, it is not enough for these goals to merely exist. It is equally important that we strive to reach them. We may not succeed on the first attempt, but we learn from our setbacks, and I believe that with persistence we can achieve what we set out to do.

2) Do you know what people generally think about your association?

Probably the best way to find out what others think about your association is to go out among people and talk with them. First, you need to listen — whether it is praise, suggestions, or criticism about you and your work.

Then you need to carefully reflect on what you have heard, perhaps discuss it with other members of the board or the association, and decide what you can do better going forward so that people view the association positively and everyone can see why associations are an important part of our lives.

3) Are you running the association with the necessary effort and, above all, with genuine joy and enthusiasm?

When answering this question, we need to be completely honest with ourselves. Did we perhaps take on a role in the association simply because the position needed to be filled? Or because we felt it would be a shame if the association ceased to exist? Or because the work in the association truly brings us joy?

Running an association often requires time, energy, and a great deal of patience. There will be moments when things do not go according to plan, when the response from people is smaller than expected, or when it feels like there is simply too much work. It is precisely in these moments that it becomes clear whether we are doing the work merely out of a sense of duty or out of a genuine passion for serving our community. If it is the latter, we will be able to overcome those difficult moments and emerge even stronger and better prepared for new experiences.