As we approach the spring season, we’re reminded that growth is both visible and invisible. What we see above ground, like new leaves, fresh limbs, and buds that will turn into flowers, is only possible because of what’s happening beneath the surface. Roots deepen to provide structural stability. Resources are turned into energy that is stored and directed.
AFA is also entering into a spring season and like any healthy organism, growth during this season will require both resources and structure.
The Association Board spent time during our recent Spring meeting in Cincinnati, OH reflecting on this important and healthy tension within our association: AFA is both a deeply relational community and a professional association that must operate within strong business discipline.
As AFA continues to grow in members, programs, and its capacity and reach within the higher education industry, this conversation becomes increasingly necessary to provide direction and purpose.
The Board reflected on the idea that organizations that are driven by mission must also understand economics. Delivering high-quality, research-informed, expertly facilitated professional development has real value and real cost. If the Association wants to sustain and expand the work that advances fraternity and sorority advising, we must ensure that our business model supports that mission.
At the same time, AFA is not simply a collection of programs or transactions. Research on membership organizations continues to reinforce that belonging – connection to people with shared interests and values – is one of the strongest drivers of engagement and sustained membership. Members stay not only because of what they receive with their membership, but because of who they are with.
The Board does not see these as competing priorities but rather as interdependent components that make AFA successful. A strong business model allows us to invest in the experiences, scholarship, and professional development that help to cultivate belonging. A strong sense of belonging fuels engagement and strengthens the association’s long-term sustainability.
These conversations are part of tending to AFA’s growth. In the same way that strong roots support what eventually blooms, thoughtful attention to AFA’s foundation ensures that our members can continue to flourish. As stewards of AFA’s future, the Board is committed to nurturing both our mission and the structures that sustain it so we can continue to deliver meaningful, impactful professional development.