Insights that Drive Action
Research-based insights for future-focused decisions.
Drivers of Change help association leaders understand the external forces shaping their organizations, explore their strategic implications, and prepare for multiple possible futures.
What Are Drivers of Change?
Drivers of Change help association leaders understand the external forces shaping the future of their organizations. Rather than predicting the future, they examine observable changes, emerging signals, evolving pressures, and shifting expectations to help organizations prepare for multiple possible futures.
Each Driver explores:
Why the change matters
Emerging signals and evidence
Potential forecasts and uncertainties
Strategic questions for leaders
Practical actions associations can consider
Whether you’re updating your strategic plan, preparing for a board discussion, exploring new opportunities, or assessing emerging risks, Drivers of Change provide practical insights that support more informed, future-focused decisions.
What’s New
New Drivers of Change
Explore the latest research examining emerging forces shaping associations.
Learn More →
Recently Updated
Drivers are continually reviewed and updated as the environment evolves.
Explore Drivers by Theme
Browse Drivers organized by the areas of change most relevant to your organization.
How We Develop a Driver of Change
ASAE Research Foundation uses a rigorous, collaborative process to ensure each driver is relevant, reliable, and meaningful to associations:
1. Environmental Scanning
In partnership with futurists at Foresight Alliance, we continuously monitor the environment—across technology, workforce dynamics, policy, economics, culture, and beyond—to identify observable changes and early signals gaining traction.
2. Building the Candidate List
Potential topics are evaluated using clear criteria, including rising importance, anticipated impact over the next 5-10 years, distinctness from existing drivers, and relevance to associations and their stakeholders.
3. Internal Review
With insights from the ASAE ForesightWorks Advisory Group, we review, refine, and prioritize the strongest topics—ensuring they reflect association needs and incorporate diverse perspectives.
4. Focus Group Validation
Association professionals test the draft drivers by sharing insights from their own experiences, sharing how these changes are unfolding in their environment, how the changes might affect their members or mission, and what opportunities or challenges do they see. Their input helps refine the narrative and identify practical actions associations can take.
5. Final Development
We synthesize research and practitioner insights into a clear, accessible brief that includes practical actions associations can consider, a summary of the change, key signals and indicators to watch, relevant forecasts, critical unknowns that could shift the trajectory, and potential alternative futures.
6. Continuous Updating
Drivers of change evolve. We update and expand the collection regularly to reflect the shifting environment.
How to Use the Drivers of Change
Drivers of change are designed to be practical tools that fit directly into your organization’s everyday decision-making. Associations can use this information to:
Drivers are not predictions—they are tools to help associations prepare, adapt, and lead with confidence in a changing world.
