RECENTLY, I HAD THE PLEASURE OF PARTICIPATING in a keynote panel at the Golf Inc. Strategies Summit to discuss the rapid changes in the golf and private club industries and how the National Club Association is undergoing its own change with a new president & CEO for the first time in 22 years. It was great to be a part of the event and hear from others in our community about the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. It also allowed me to discuss NCA’s successes during the past year.
In the Fall 2015 issue of Club Director, I laid out my plan for my first year at NCA. It centered on Growth, Presence, Programs and Advocacy. I am very pleased to say we are making great strides in all these areas.
Growth: We have achieved record growth in both club and associate membership categories, and have increased our membership retention rate to 94 percent. NCA has also welcomed a wide range of new corporate partners, sponsors and advertisers. We continued to see great support for the NCA Foundation and its ability to provide assistance to our educational offerings.
Presence: We have created a comprehensive communications program that is raising NCA awareness throughout our industry and beyond. I have spoken to many organizations within the industry as well as in the mainstream media. We have also written articles placed in key industry publications.
Programs: The 2016 National Club Conference in Chicago was our most attended conference and was, what many called, our best conference ever. We published our Strategic Planning Guide for Private Clubs and the “Chief Executive Succession Planning for Private Clubs” white paper as part of the Board Leadership Institute’s Club Governance Standards. We redesigned Club Director and provided learning opportunities through our webinar series and other educational offerings including a widely attended tele-town hall on the new overtime rule.
Advocacy: With a renewed focus on our advocacy efforts, we have seen tremendous growth in our political action committee—ClubPAC. We more than tripled ClubPAC’s resources, which have enabled us to be an extremely active player this election cycle, backing those candidates who support our industry. We have also worked with our allied associations and coalitions to drive our agenda more fervently.
And let’s not forget that along with all these great successes at NCA, Villanova’s men’s basketball team won the national championship this year. It just doesn’t get any better than this. However, none of this would have been possible without your support and dedication to your industry’s trade association. Thank you!
I am looking forward to an even greater year two. Let me or anyone here on the NCA team know how we can be of service.