What Association Leaders Lose When They Hide Gen AI Truths
Transparency is not optional in tech transformative initiatives; it is a strategic necessity. For associations navigating the integration of Generative AI (Gen AI) into their operations, clear and consistent communication is critical. Staff, volunteers, and even members are not passive observers of this journey; they are active participants whose trust and engagement are pivotal to success. Association leaders cannot micromanage the use of Gen AI tools across decentralized chapters, committees, and sections. Transparency fosters a culture of inclusion and shared purpose, enabling the entire organization to adapt and thrive.
Crafting a Narrative About Gen AI Truths for Associations
When association leaders commit to transparency, they build a narrative that volunteers, staff, and members can understand and rally behind. Each milestone represents a chapter in the association’s transformation story, providing clarity about where the organization stands and where it is headed. Without this transparency, stakeholders are left to fill in the blanks, often resulting in skepticism or resistance.
Consider a national insurance association I worked with that sought to deploy a Gen AI-powered member engagement platform. The ambitious goals included increasing event attendance by 30% and boosting member satisfaction scores by 20%, while improving member retention by 15%. Early in the process, the platform’s rollout faced significant challenges, including low initial adoption rates among chapters and difficulties integrating legacy membership databases. Leadership hesitated to share these struggles, fearing they would undermine confidence.
As their consultant, I emphasized the critical role of transparency in maintaining trust. Together, we developed a communication strategy that framed these challenges as opportunities for growth. By openly discussing the platform’s initial struggles—such as misaligned data formats and limited user training—and the steps being taken to address them, leadership demonstrated commitment and authenticity. Chapter leaders and members responded by offering valuable feedback, which guided improvements to the platform. As adoption grew, the association achieved its event attendance and satisfaction goals within nine months, three months earlier than planned. More importantly, stakeholders felt a sense of ownership over the success, having played an active role in the journey.
This narrative of honest updates and shared problem-solving galvanized stakeholders and transformed a potential liability into a rallying point. For associations, this type of transparency fosters trust and reinforces the collaborative ethos essential to their mission.
The Power of Regular Updates on Gen AI Truths
In associations, where volunteer leaders and staff often juggle competing priorities, Gen AI integration must be framed as a collective journey rather than a top-down mandate. Regular updates act as the fuel that sustains momentum and engagement. By sharing both incremental progress and lessons learned, associations can demystify the transformation process and highlight tangible benefits.
For example, a national manufacturing association I supported sought to improve its member retention by using Gen AI to analyze engagement data. Initially, the goal was to identify members at risk of nonrenewal and provide targeted outreach. Instead of waiting for annual renewal metrics to demonstrate success, we implemented a phased communication plan that highlighted interim achievements every month. And we highlighted and celebrated major progress updates: for example, within six months, leadership reported that 10% of members flagged by the AI had re-engaged through tailored messaging campaigns, as part of a celebration of accomplishments.
By presenting these early wins in quarterly newsletters and town hall meetings, the association kept its stakeholders informed and inspired. Staff and volunteers across chapters began experimenting with the AI’s insights to customize their own outreach efforts. These efforts not only drove retention rates higher than projected but also empowered local leaders to become champions of the technology.
Regular updates turned abstract metrics into relatable outcomes, showing how Gen AI’s capabilities directly supported the association’s mission. They also reinforced a collective sense of progress, motivating stakeholders to stay engaged and invested in the initiative.
Transparency in Outcomes: Lessons and Inspiration
For associations, sharing outcomes—both successes and challenges—is a cornerstone of continuous improvement and member trust. Transparency allows different chapters, committees, or departments to learn from one another, fostering a culture of experimentation and collaboration.
One of my most rewarding projects involved a financial professionals association that rolled out a Gen AI-powered tool to enhance its certification program. The tool was designed to streamline the exam development process and provide data-driven insights into question difficulty. While it significantly reduced staff workload, initial feedback from volunteer subject matter experts (SMEs) revealed that the tool’s algorithms sometimes overlooked nuanced industry-specific considerations.
Rather than downplaying these issues, I encouraged the association’s leadership to embrace transparency. We hosted webinars to share initial results, both positive and negative, and invited SMEs to provide suggestions for improvement. Volunteer experts proposed adjustments to the algorithm’s weighting criteria, which we promptly implemented. The result was not just a more effective tool but also a stronger sense of collaboration between staff and volunteers. The initiative ultimately became a model for other programs within the association.
When associations openly communicate outcomes, they demonstrate resilience and a commitment to learning. Success stories inspire further innovation, while candid discussions of setbacks foster trust and signal that member and volunteer input is valued.
Building Trust Through Inclusive Communication
In the unique ecosystem of associations, trust is the bedrock of successful transformations. Both volunteers and staff must feel like partners in the Gen AI journey, not passive recipients of change. Transparent communication—in the form of milestone updates, inclusive feedback loops, and public celebrations of progress—is essential to building this trust.
For instance, a medical association I consulted for was implementing a Gen AI tool to streamline conference session planning. The tool aimed to analyze past attendee data to recommend session topics with high potential interest. To foster trust, the leadership team held regular forums where members and staff could review the tool’s suggestions and provide input. At each stage, leadership shared how feedback was being incorporated into the process.
To celebrate progress, the association hosted a town hall meeting during its annual conference, spotlighting how the AI had helped create one of the most diverse and highly attended session lineups in years. This inclusive approach not only showcased the tool’s value but also reinforced the association’s commitment to collaboration and member engagement.
Conclusion
Transparency in communicating Gen AI project milestones and outcomes is more than a best practice for associations—it is a strategic imperative. It builds trust, reduces resistance, addresses risks, and fosters a sense of shared ownership among members, volunteers, and staff. By openly sharing both successes and challenges, association leaders can create a culture where stakeholders feel empowered to actively engage with and shape the AI journey.
Ultimately, integrating Gen AI into an association’s operations is not just about technology—it is about people. Leaders who prioritize transparent communication will find themselves at the helm of a motivated and engaged community, ready to embrace the complexities and opportunities of transformation. This approach not only ensures successful AI adoption but also strengthens the bonds that make associations uniquely effective in serving their members and advancing their missions.
Key Take-Away
Learn the Gen AI Truths about transparent communication for association leaders. Discover how open dialogue, shared progress, and inclusive feedback drive successful AI integration and stronger member engagement. Share on XImage credit: EmbedSocial/unsplash
Dr. Gleb Tsipursky was named “Office Whisperer” by The New York Times for helping leaders overcome frustrations with hybrid work and Generative AI. He serves as the CEO of the future-of-work consultancy Disaster Avoidance Experts. Dr. Gleb wrote seven best-selling books, and his two most recent ones are Returning to the Office and Leading Hybrid and Remote Teams and ChatGPT for Thought Leaders and Content Creators: Unlocking the Potential of Generative AI for Innovative and Effective Content Creation. His cutting-edge thought leadership was featured in over 650 articles and 550 interviews in Harvard Business Review, Inc. Magazine, USA Today, CBS News, Fox News, Time, Business Insider, Fortune, The New York Times, and elsewhere. His writing was translated into Chinese, Spanish, Russian, Polish, Korean, French, Vietnamese, German, and other languages. His expertise comes from over 20 years of consulting, coaching, and speaking and training for Fortune 500 companies from Aflac to Xerox. It also comes from over 15 years in academia as a behavioral scientist, with 8 years as a lecturer at UNC-Chapel Hill and 7 years as a professor at Ohio State. A proud Ukrainian American, Dr. Gleb lives in Columbus, Ohio.