{ outreach in action } by Paul Roberts • Foundation & Outreach Director


What Can Covid Teach Us About Our Future?


C


ovid, you say? Come on, Paul, get with it. That was four long years ago. People have moved on. All the fear and fatigue and civil


discourse have had their day. Why not muse about more pressing current events like the Travis Kelce/Taylor Swift relationship? While that may be a chief concern to many, I’m choosing to shake it off and appeal to deeper thinking. After all, my audience is profes- sional dentists who are some of the sharpest knives in the drawer.


I’d like to draw some observations from Covid and see how they parallel with major upheaval coming soon to the association world. Before I begin, I do understand a worldwide deadly health pandemic is more serious than the inner workings of a profes- sional membership association. However, several of the same emotions and trends between the two are worth a brief reflection. And both topics have a direct impact on you.


A little context as we begin. A 10-year membership trend at the ADA and MDA will reveal a slow, but steady, decline. Currently MDA market share is 58 percent and the ADA lags about two percent behind that. We are experiencing generational shifts and a battle to prove our value and provide it at an acceptable price. Our structure and proven paths of program delivery need an overhaul if we are to stay relevant and develop lead- ers for the future. In response to this, the ADA is taking radical steps to upgrade the association management system, streamline the membership categories, enhance and customize the membership experience and develop a loyalty program. It’s all coming quickly, and six states will pilot the new con- cepts starting in 2025. Within the staff and leadership roles who have seen more details


22 focus | SUMMER 2024 | ISSUE 2


on all this, there is much consternation. And that is where Covid may inform our future.


Like Covid, this change seemingly comes out of nowhere. One day you’re seeing patients. The next, you’re sending people home and wondering what it all means. One day you process a paper invoice for membership and the next you are managing a monthly subscription online with custom options. Sudden change is fraught with fear and uncertainty. People like familiar paths and rhythms to their year. But like Covid, there’s no stopping the inevitable. It becomes a battle to adapt.


Like Covid, the adaptation to a new normal will require multiple midstream corrections. Your whole approach to PPE, patient interac- tion, staff management, etc., changed almost daily. That might not quite be the case here, but we expect to fail fast and learn how to thrive for the best benefit of all. Pack your Advil and bandages for the turbulence ahead.


Like Covid, there will be polarizing responses and high emotions about the changes. You had to research and arrive at your own con- viction about vaccinations, masks, protocols, etc. In a similar way, you will need to do a little research to arrive at your own convic- tions about the value of supporting your professional association. If not MDA, who will protect and fight for dentistry? I may be biased, but I think MDA and ADA demon- strated their value in response to Covid, and I believe they will deliver again.


Like Covid, the impact of it all will create market changes. Who knew how reliant we would become on home delivery services or how common “work from home” would become? So much education went to online format. All of this contributed to the work- force issues we are addressing today. There will be similar market changes for you with the aforementioned subscription model, loyalty program and new technologies.


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