CEO's Message: The True Value of Membership—Third Quarter 2023
The True Value of Membership
Parnell Black, MBA, CPA, CVA
NACVA's Chief Executive Officer
I will never forget the many challenges we had getting NACVA off the ground in the early 90s. It was daunting. Some of those challenges, though morphed to look a little different, remain today. The main difference is we have more resources, people, and capital, and we carry with us the wisdom of our experiences. Fundamentally, as it was then and it is now, a membership organization must offer value, true value, for one’s membership dues. At least in my mind, it must be “true value”. Exactly what does that mean? I think many, if not all, associations ponder that question at one time, if not endlessly, like we do at NACVA. And why do we endlessly contemplate what constitutes “true value”? Excuse the pun, but we are an organization whose purpose is to explore, pioneer, educate, and progress the concept of value in the context of a business enterprise. Though more to the point, it is more of an obsession in a constant pursuit for perfection. Frankly, I am never satisfied and believe there is always more we can do. We can be better and the one thing we can never do is sit on our laurels.
Finding the Right Path
Getting back to the value of membership, NACVA, like most associations, followed what I might term a natural progression. In the beginning, it was a “promise” for great things to come, more than anything else, and thank goodness we had many early members who believed in us because if it weren’t for them, we would not have survived. They are awesome human beings and many are still members today. The next phase I call the “kitchen sink”. This is where we thought, wrongly, that value of membership could be delivered by offering “things”. Things like life insurance, credit cards, discounted car rentals, and do not forget, T-shirts, hats, etc. It was all crap, and when I realized that I scraped it all; got rid of it. I surmise that many associations begin a slow death when the extent of their creativity peaks at the kitchen sink phase.
With that phase now behind me, we had to rethink the whole concept of creating true value, realizing that it was not going to be as easy as giving away T-shirts; we had to get serious about this. What ensued was dozens of brainstorming meetings over many years with my great team at HQ, as well as our members facilitated through our boards, committees, task forces, teams, and focus groups. This has resulted in an ever-evolving long-term plan expanding support for members in every way imaginable, never letting our eye off the ball. The ball being our mission and purpose, which was an obligation to our members to help and support them in building and maintaining thriving careers in the disciplines for which we have expertise: Business Valuation, Financial Forensics, and Financial Litigation Consulting.
The Big Picture
That focus has kept us on a steady path forward for many years, and will guide us for many years to come, but true value does not end here. Another piece, a very important one at that, is how we as an organization interact with the world. Do we have a presence? Do we make an impact? Are we seen as leaders (or followers)? Are we respected? Are we a stabilizing force within the industry? Are we loved (or just tolerated)? Do we truly make a difference by improving the profession and the careers of those in it? Have we improved the quality of the services being provided? These are serious questions warranting much thought and contemplation over the years, 32 to be precise, that if not considered, I would not be deserving of my role as the CEO.
I believe, and think most will agree, NACVA checks all the boxes above in the affirmative. It is beyond any doubt that we are the true leader of the professions we support—Business Valuation, Financial Forensics, and Financial Litigation Consulting. Besides having the only credentials in this space, the CVA and MAFF, both accredited by the National Commission of Certifying Agencies (a division of the Institute of Credentialing Excellence) (and the CVA is also accredited by the ANSI National Accreditation Board), we have a package of meaningful and substantive (not the kitchen sink) benefits to support our members that is unparalleled in the association universe, and for which I am very proud. But this is not the end-all, there is more to come, always. You can check out our Association Benefits here.
Thank you for your membership and putting your faith in us at HQ. You are greatly appreciated.
Finding the Right Path
Getting back to the value of membership, NACVA, like most associations, followed what I might term a natural progression. In the beginning, it was a “promise” for great things to come, more than anything else, and thank goodness we had many early members who believed in us because if it weren’t for them, we would not have survived. They are awesome human beings and many are still members today. The next phase I call the “kitchen sink”. This is where we thought, wrongly, that value of membership could be delivered by offering “things”. Things like life insurance, credit cards, discounted car rentals, and do not forget, T-shirts, hats, etc. It was all crap, and when I realized that I scraped it all; got rid of it. I surmise that many associations begin a slow death when the extent of their creativity peaks at the kitchen sink phase.
With that phase now behind me, we had to rethink the whole concept of creating true value, realizing that it was not going to be as easy as giving away T-shirts; we had to get serious about this. What ensued was dozens of brainstorming meetings over many years with my great team at HQ, as well as our members facilitated through our boards, committees, task forces, teams, and focus groups. This has resulted in an ever-evolving long-term plan expanding support for members in every way imaginable, never letting our eye off the ball. The ball being our mission and purpose, which was an obligation to our members to help and support them in building and maintaining thriving careers in the disciplines for which we have expertise: Business Valuation, Financial Forensics, and Financial Litigation Consulting.
The Big Picture
That focus has kept us on a steady path forward for many years, and will guide us for many years to come, but true value does not end here. Another piece, a very important one at that, is how we as an organization interact with the world. Do we have a presence? Do we make an impact? Are we seen as leaders (or followers)? Are we respected? Are we a stabilizing force within the industry? Are we loved (or just tolerated)? Do we truly make a difference by improving the profession and the careers of those in it? Have we improved the quality of the services being provided? These are serious questions warranting much thought and contemplation over the years, 32 to be precise, that if not considered, I would not be deserving of my role as the CEO.
I believe, and think most will agree, NACVA checks all the boxes above in the affirmative. It is beyond any doubt that we are the true leader of the professions we support—Business Valuation, Financial Forensics, and Financial Litigation Consulting. Besides having the only credentials in this space, the CVA and MAFF, both accredited by the National Commission of Certifying Agencies (a division of the Institute of Credentialing Excellence) (and the CVA is also accredited by the ANSI National Accreditation Board), we have a package of meaningful and substantive (not the kitchen sink) benefits to support our members that is unparalleled in the association universe, and for which I am very proud. But this is not the end-all, there is more to come, always. You can check out our Association Benefits here.
Thank you for your membership and putting your faith in us at HQ. You are greatly appreciated.
Parnell Black, MBA, CPA, CVA
Chief Executive Officer, NACVA
Chief Executive Officer, NACVA
