How established membership organisations adapt to change

We often support membership organisations with ambitious growth plans and well-established identities. For organisations with long histories, leadership also has to consider whether the organisation continues to meet members’ needs as expectations around professional support, representation and member value change. Questions also emerge around whether existing structures and ways of working still support the organisation’s wider strategy and long-term ambitions.

Since joining The Chartered Institute of Export and International Trade (CIOE&IT) in 2020, Marco Forgione MCIEx has led the organisation through significant change while continuing to focus on its role for members and the wider trade community.

James Hunt sat down with him to understand how CIOE&IT has approached growth, change and reinvention in recent years and what other membership organisations might recognise in these changes.

Responding to change and member needs

When Marco joined CIOE&IT in 2020, the organisation was already responding to significant change. Brexit had reshaped the trade environment, members needed increasing levels of practical support, and then Covid accelerated the pace of change even further.

Periods like this can place pressure on organisations to focus on maintaining what already exists. For membership bodies, there can also be difficult decisions around where time, investment and attention should go.

As Marco reflected, the focus remained on ensuring the organisation was “doing our utmost to serve the needs of members, the wider business community and promote the benefits of international trade.”

This focus helped guide the organisation’s response: learning moved online quickly, advisory services expanded, and CIOE&IT increased its engagement with government and policy discussions. These changes were connected to a broader shift in how the Institute supported members and contributed to the wider trade community.

The award of a Royal Charter in 2023 recognised the Institute’s contribution while also reinforcing its role, extending beyond membership to wider public benefit.

Expanding support and influence

Recent developments at CIOE&IT have involved more than increasing membership numbers or extending services. The organisation has also broadened how it supports members and contributes to wider conversations around trade.

Alongside growth in its membership base, the Institute has increased its engagement with government, global partners and policy discussions. Members increasingly expect organisations to provide practical support, represent their interests and create opportunities to learn from peers and wider networks, while bringing practitioner insight into national and international conversations.

Alongside this, the Institute has continued developing services designed around current challenges facing members through advisory support, training and spaces for connection and shared learning.

For CIOE&IT, growth has involved expanding its role in ways that are more closely connected to members’ experiences and the wider challenges facing the trade community.

Keeping members central

We often see organisations invest heavily in new services, systems and structures, but lose sight of the experience of the people they exist for.

What stands out in CIOE&IT’s approach is the continued focus on engagement and participation. Members have been considered as an active part of the organisation rather than a group simply receiving services from it. We see this in the emphasis on knowledge sharing, peer connections and opportunities for members to engage in wider conversations across the sector.

Many membership organisations are also seeing broader changes in what members value. Access to services still matters, but people increasingly expect opportunities to connect with expertise, networks and shared experiences.

For leadership teams, this places greater importance on listening closely and creating ways for members to influence how organisations continue to develop.

Balancing history and change

CIOE&IT recently marked its 90th anniversary, reflecting a long history of supporting and professionalising international trade and building relationships across sectors and geographies.

For organisations with that kind of history, change can bring a different set of considerations. Long-standing approaches often exist for good reasons, and deciding what to preserve and what to adapt is not always straightforward.

Legacy can become something organisations feel they need to protect. It can also be a platform to build from, rather than something that limits change.

The move to chartership, the expansion of services and the organisation’s wider development show that CIOE&IT continue responding to changing needs while building on what already exists.

For membership organisations, there can be a constant balancing act between protecting what members value and continuing to develop in response to changing expectations.

The changing role of membership organisations

Global trade continues to shift quickly, with political and economic pressures affecting organisations, supply chains and the wider business environment. Members increasingly need practical support, access to expertise and organisations that can help them understand what those changes mean in real terms.

That creates wider expectations for membership bodies. Alongside services and professional development, there is often a growing need for organisations to represent members’ interests, contribute to wider conversations and help people navigate uncertainty in their sectors.

CIOE&IT’s recent development reflects some of these changing expectations. Growth, service development and external engagement all appear connected to a broader role within the trade community and the support members increasingly expect.

For membership organisations, there is an ongoing question underneath much of this work: how do you continue adapting while staying connected to the people you exist to support?