8 Vital Signs

How healthy is your association?

Get a snapshot of the health of your association. Our diagnostic considers the 8 vital signs that Smithbucklin uses as a framework to help associations gain insights into their health.

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Get a snapshot of your 8 Vital Signs of Association Health

A healthy association is better equipped to serve members, align leadership, execute strategy and adapt to change. This assessment looks at 8 vital signs of association health, helping you consider what is working well and where greater focus may be needed. Learn whether your association is thriving, stable or has room to grow.

Is Smithbucklin already managing your association? Email us for a more comprehensive vital signs tool designed for you.

room-to-grow

Room to Grow

Your results indicate that several core areas may not be performing at the level needed to support long-term success. While challenges are not uncommon, they can limit your association’s effectiveness if left unaddressed. Prioritizing targeted improvements will help strengthen your foundation and improve overall performance.

stable

Stable

Your association demonstrates a solid base across some of the 8 vital signs of association health. At the same time, there are opportunities to improve alignment, consistency or execution in select areas. Focused improvement can help elevate performance and position your organization for sustained success.

thriving

Strong

Your association is performing strongly across many of the 8 vital signs of association health. Clear alignment, effective execution and a forward-looking approach position you well to adapt and lead. Continued attention to innovation and optimization will help maintain this level of performance.

Think your association is healthy? Take our 8 vital signs health check

Whether you’re a board member or association executive, this health check will help you gauge how your organization is performing across 8 areas that define association health. There are no right or wrong answers. Just an honest assessment based on your answer on where you stand today.

Select a role that applies to you to get started:
Answer the following questions to the best of your knowledge to get insights into your association's health.
1/16 Our board and staff are aligned on our key priorities.
2/16 We have a strategic plan that is less than three years old.
3/16 Our organization has more members today than three years ago.
4/16 We have surveyed members in the last year and know our member satisfaction score.
5/16 The total revenue for our top two products or services is greater than it was three years ago.
6/16 Our programs deliver what our stakeholders expect.
7/16 Our total operating revenue is greater than it was three years ago.
8/16 Our operating income has been positive over the last three years.
9/16 We have more reserves (funds set aside beyond day-to-day operations) today than we had three years ago.
10/16 We have a written reserve policy in place.
11/16 Our organization has products and services that are better than our competitors' products and services.
12/16 I am excited about our organization's future direction.
13/16 Our market share (% of eligible members who have joined) is greater than it was three years ago.
14/16 We have a prioritized list of strategic growth opportunities.
15/16 At our organization, things run smoothly behind the scenes with efficient and effective processes.
16/16 We track and report on a defined set of key performance indicators.

This tool is not a substitute for professional advice. By continuing, you acknowledge that Smithbucklin will collect and use information you provide in accordance with its Privacy Policy. Your responses are confidential and will be used to personalize your results.