What is your association’s purpose? What does it mean for a trade, member, or industry association to have a purpose? 

You know your cause, your members’ priorities, your key campaigns, and even the challenges you face—but how does purpose differ?

Perhaps you have already articulated your mission, vision, strategy, and objectives, leaving you to wonder: How is purpose different from these? 

Here are three ways to understand purpose: 

1. Purpose Is the Core of Everything You Do

Your purpose is the heart and soul of your association - its DNA. It’s your true north, an unwavering foundation that anchors every aspect of your organisation. While your mission, vision, and strategy may shift over time as external circumstances evolve, your purpose is a constant.

Think of purpose as the invisible thread that connects every department, every project, and every decision. If you’re truly living your purpose, you’ll feel it resonating across the entirety of your association, its people, its culture. 

2. Purpose Is Your Decision-Making Compass

Purpose isn’t just a lofty ideal; it’s a practical tool. It serves as a compass for decision-making, helping you prioritise actions and allocate resources.

For example, when you’re crafting a new strategy or evaluating a potential partnership, your purpose should serve as the guiding principle: Does this align with why we exist? Will this help us fulfill our purpose? By consistently referring back to your purpose, you ensure that all work drives in the same direction.

3. Purpose Is Your ‘Why’

At its essence, purpose answers the fundamental question: Why does your association exist?

It’s not just about what you do or how you do it—it’s about the deeper reason you exist in the first place. Understanding and articulating this “why” is what sets associations apart from others in their field and creates lasting impact. Purpose inspires your team, attracts and retains members, and galvanizes stakeholders around a shared vision.

Finding and Embedding Your Purpose

If you’re unsure of your association’s purpose—or if your team and stakeholders aren’t agreed on what it is—it’s time to talk and it’s time to listen. 

Speak to us today about how Hexagon can guide your association through a purpose exercise - from identifying and defining your purpose through to embedding it throughout your organisation and beyond to to your members, stakeholders, and audiences.

Purpose isn’t just an abstract concept—it’s a powerful force that drives everything from strategy to culture.