Naylor Association Solutions

New data shows heavy AI use nearly tripling, revenue streams diversifying, and staffing pressure easing ALPHARETTA, GA. – August 3, 2026 – Naylor Association Solutions and Association Adviser are excited to announce the release of the 2026 Association Benchmarking Report, offering a clear snapshot of how association leaders are planning, measuring, and growing in the year ahead.

June 30, 2026 — Naylor Association Solutions, a leading provider of integrated marketing, communications, media, and management solutions for professional and trade associations, has announced that KiKi L’Italien has been appointed as Vice President of Marketing. L’Italien reports directly to Chief Executive Officer Christine Shaw and will lead Naylor’s brand strategy and go-to-market efforts across the company’s full portfolio of association solutions.

Naylor Association Solutions is proud to announce that our association partners have been honored with MarCom Awards for their outstanding achievements in marketing and communications. These awards recognize the collaborative success between Naylor and its association clients in producing impactful and creative media across multiple platforms. The MarCom Awards is a globally recognized competition celebrating excellence in marketing and communications.

The Association Adviser Podcast is back with a bold new season launching on September 30. This year, we are taking a clear-eyed look at the future of associations and what it takes to thrive in the midst of disruption, innovation, and evolving member expectations. Hosted by Christine Shaw, CEO and President of Naylor Association Solutions, Season 3 features trailblazing association executives and thought-provoking industry experts who are reimagining what is possible.

For years, cover letters have been a point of debate in hiring. Some people swear they are essential while others view them as a formality. In 2025, the reality is somewhere in the middle. A cover letter is no longer just a polite add-on. When it is written well, it can be the difference between getting an interview or getting passed over. When it is generic, templated, or obviously generated by AI, it often gets dismissed within seconds.

When it comes to member retention, creativity and consistency are often the difference between a reminder email and a true movement. The International Interior Design Association (IIDA) proved this with its award-winning “I Am IIDA” campaign, which not only celebrated the organization’s 30th anniversary but also energized members across every segment of its community. The campaign recently earned the prestigious ASAE Gold Circle Award for excellence in membership retention.

At this year’s ASAE Annual Meeting, I had the opportunity to attend a session that struck at the heart of what many of us are grappling with as association leaders. Richard Yep, Global Principal at Vetted Solutions, led “Navigating and Explaining a New World Order to Your Board.” His message was clear and urgent: the pace of change today requires us to prepare our boards differently than we have in the past. Preparing for the Unknown Richard opened with a simple but memorable symbol: three dots.

I had the pleasure of speaking at the 2025 ASAE Annual Meeting about a challenge nearly every association faces: how to introduce new member benefits in a way that truly drives value. I’ve seen many well-intentioned rollouts fall short, not because the ideas were bad, but because they weren’t grounded in member needs, lacked early champions, or were poorly communicated. In this article, I’m sharing the key strategies and takeaways from that session.

At the 2025 ASAE Annual Meeting, the CEO Power Breakfast brought together association CEOs and executive directors for a candid, forward-looking conversation among leaders navigating a quickly changing world. The message was clear: adaptability, trust, and purpose-driven leadership are essential for guiding associations through complexity and toward meaningful impact.

For associations, we know how much a strong member experience matters. We build programs, benefits, and journeys with care because experience shapes perception. But there’s one area where many organizations fall short, and the impact goes deeper than they think: the candidate experience. Your hiring process is often the first real impression someone gets of your organization. If it’s slow, unclear, or impersonal, it can turn off top talent and potential supporters.