06/26/2017

Going Global in Trust-challenged Times

Trust in organizations from government to media to NGOs have all been sinking steadily

When it comes to going global, associations these days might feel pulled in two directions.

On one hand, it’s fact for many associations that the path to revenue growth via meetings, credentialing, and other products increasingly leads outside the United States. (Emily Bratcher’s report last week on a global certification launched by the National Association of Insurance and Finance Advisors spotlights one example of that trend.) But the strength of those efforts is often based on the trust people around the world place in institutions. And that trust is eroding.

That erosion isn’t exclusively a function of partisan politics in the United States and Europe, though no doubt that has an impact. But the problem goes back further than 2016: A report earlier this year from Edelman trumpeted (or, rather, sad-tromboned) a “global implosion of trust.” Trust in organizations from government to media to NGOs have all been sinking steadily, and trust in CEOs has dropped to 37 percent. That’s not a good sign for associations that trade on their role as the leader in knowledge and best practices.

Please click here to read the complete article on Associations Now.