{"id":2960,"date":"2014-07-23T12:00:59","date_gmt":"2014-07-23T16:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/?p=2960"},"modified":"2020-02-28T19:28:30","modified_gmt":"2020-02-28T19:28:30","slug":"passion-for-your-cause","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/passion-for-your-cause\/","title":{"rendered":"Have a Passion For Your Cause"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_3019\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3019\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-3019\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2014\/07\/Robert-L-Johnson-300x168.jpg\" alt=\"Robert L Johnson, RLJ Corporation\" width=\"300\" height=\"168\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2014\/07\/Robert-L-Johnson-300x168.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2014\/07\/Robert-L-Johnson.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3019\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Robert L Johnson, RLJ Companies<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This month\u2019s spotlight shines on <span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Robert L. Johnson<\/span>, founder of the RLJ Companies and one of America\u2019s most successful media, business and entertainment moguls. What you may not know about Johnson is that his earlier career included working in the association world.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-2502\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2014\/02\/Tweetables-icon-300x65.jpg\" alt=\"Tweetables\" width=\"300\" height=\"65\" \/><\/p>\n<table style=\"border-collapse: collapse; width: 90%; margin: 5px; background-color: #dcdcdc; border: 1px solid black;\" cellspacing=\"3\" cellpadding=\"3\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\">\n<ul>\n<li>Your job is to show that whatever it is you represent, you can do it more effectively for members than they can do it for themselves.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>As an association, you\u2019re in a unique position to know all the issues and to influence consumers, legislators and industry stakeholders.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><a style=\"color: #333333;\" href=\"http:\/\/ctt.ec\/f2L64\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The most important part of changing human behavior is to have passion for a cause. <img decoding=\"async\" style=\"padding: none; border: none; background-color: #dcdcdc;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2014\/02\/RealLilTweetables.png\" alt=\"Tweet: The most important part of changing human behavior is to have passion for a cause. \" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Show members that you\u2019re committed to impacting your market, your constituents and your industry and you\u2019ll be around for a very long time.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>For years, associations have struggled to find the right balance between advancing their lobbying and advocacy efforts and boosting their bottom line. But it shouldn&#8217;t be a matter of either\/or, according to Johnson, it\u2019s either and or.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-style: italic;\">Excerpted from a presentation to Naylor, LLC, employees earlier this year. Naylor is the parent of<\/span> Association Adviser eNews.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">AA: <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Robert, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">how did you make the leap from a young association lobbyist to owner of one of America\u2019s largest, minority-owned business enterprises?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">RLJ:<\/span> After completing graduate studies from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, I found positions in D.C. as the press secretary for former Washington, D.C., Delegate Walter E. Fauntroy, and then later as the vice president for the National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA).<\/p>\n<p><strong>AA: So, how did you get into the cable industry?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">RLJ:<\/span> An acquaintance at a party introduced me to the head of the NCTA. Here was an opportunity to join an association that had a clear and concise mission\u2014to free cable television from over-regulation mainly supported by our competition [the broadcast industry]. That\u2019s where I helped cable go from a few wired cities and 35 channels to a multiplicity of thousands of channels. That\u2019s the power of an association to change the face of an industry. Do something that\u2019s better for the consumer and better for the industry.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">AA: How do associations balance the fine line between serving members well and not competing with them on the advocacy front?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">RLJ:<\/span> There\u2019s always a conflict for associations since [individual member] companies have their own lobbyists and think you, the trade association, are trying to take their jobs away. They think they have greater access to members of Congress, the press and even your constituents. Your job is to create that passion, that belief, that whatever it is you represent, that you can do it more effectively for members in ways that they can\u2019t do it for themselves.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">AA: You use the word &#8220;speed&#8221; a lot when talking about building businesses or fighting for causes. Why is that?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">RLJ:<\/span> The world of information is so vast, and the ability to communicate that information to consumers, regulators, legislators or anyone else affecting your industry is so quick. You can\u2019t be slow off the dime to getting [people] access to your ideas, to your information, to the passion that you have for your cause. Whether it\u2019s a business or social organization\u2014you really want to be a <span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">first mover<\/span> in shaping your content. Consumers (i.e. your members) have so many choices today. You want to be deeply involved in providing decisive <span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">mind-changing<\/span> information to stay connected with them.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">AA: What are some of the biggest mistakes that associations make when it comes to their lobbying and advocacy initiatives?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>RLJ:<\/strong> It makes no sense to [do all the lobbying\/advocacy] that associations do and NOT turn that passion into a monetization event to support the cause. It\u2019s not as if you\u2019re taking the money and putting it into your pocket. You\u2019re putting it back into what your goals are. It\u2019s important as a trade association that you take advantage of every technological advantage that\u2019s available today. This puts you at the head of the class.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">AA: So, you\u2019re saying don\u2019t apologize for your non-dues revenue activities if they make the organization stronger and keep dues bills reasonable?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">RLJ:<\/span> Any time you can identify new sources of revenue, new streams of access, new ways to access your core constituencies, I would argue that it\u2019s probably the most important responsibility of anybody in the trade association business.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AA: What are some things associations can do to get their mission and advocacy efforts to the next level?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">RLJ:<\/span> If you can marry digital technology with the ability to reach consumers on a consistent and constant basis, and if you have the ability to impact their lives and become part of a group, then you\u2019re creating an emotionally engaging experience with a common objective and a common passion. That is a laudable goal.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">AA: Can you expand on that?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>RLJ:<\/strong> As a trade association, you represent a brand and you represent people who have a passion for that brand and their causes.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">AA: Why do you think that well-run associations continue to be relevant for their members?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">RLJ:<\/span> Everybody who is a member of a trade association is a leader in his or her community or industry sector. As an association, you get to know all the issues. You get to know what the opposition\u2019s position on your industry, what consumers think about you if the industry is going against the tide. All of this can be used to do what I think is the most important [part] about changing human behavior <span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">and that is having a passion for a cause.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">AA: Tell us more about what passion means to you in the association sense.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">RLJ:<\/span> Take passion. Turn it into a productive platform that you can use to make sure you\u2019re impacting not only the people who pay dues, but the people who will help change the way your trade association affects society as a whole.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">AA: Speaking of well-run organizations, what advice can you give association leaders that you&#8217;ve learned from the business world?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">RLJ:<\/span> Invest in bright people and bright opportunities. Going back to the early days of Black Entertainment Television, [I learned] to invest in businesses that you understand well or that the people you work with understand well.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">AA: Any final thoughts for our readers and viewers?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">RLJ: <\/span>If you can show that your mission is to impact the market, the constituents and the industry that members are trying to serve, then I think you\u2019ll be around for a very long time.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-style: italic;\">Association Adviser TV has <\/span><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/tv.associationadviser.com\/business-icon-robert-l-johnson-on-turning-passion-for-a-cause-into-association-revenue\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;\">more insights<\/span><\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-style: italic;\"> from Johnson. Click <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/news\/naylor-acquired-by-rlj\/?Source=AssociationAdviserwebsite\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;\">here<\/span><\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-style: italic;\"> for more about Robert L. Johnson\u2019s relationship with Naylor, LLC, and Association Adviser.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>Robert L. Johnson is the founder and chairman of The RLJ Companies, an innovative business network that provides strategic investments in a diverse portfolio of companies that includes RLJ Equity Partners, LLC, which acquired Naylor, LLC in December 2013. The RLJ Companies is headquartered in Bethesda, MD, with affiliate operations in Charlotte, NC; Little Rock, AR; Los Angeles, CA; San Juan, PR; and Monrovia, Liberia. Prior to founding The RLJ Companies, Johnson was founder and chairman of Black Entertainment Television (BET).<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This month\u2019s leadership spotlight shines on Robert L. Johnson, founder of the RLJ Companies and one of America\u2019s most successful media, business and entertainment moguls. What you may not know about Johnson is that his earlier career included working in the association world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":3018,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[110,48,87],"tags":[473,27,478,479],"class_list":["post-2960","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advocacy","category-leaders-table","category-association-leadership","tag-advocacy-2","tag-non-dues-revenue","tag-rlj-companies","tag-robert-l-johnson"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Have a Passion For Your Cause - Association Adviser<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Robert L. Johnson explains how associations can turn passion for their cause into members who are more engaged within the industry and greater non-dues revenue.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/passion-for-your-cause\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Have a Passion For Your Cause - Association Adviser\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This month\u2019s leadership spotlight shines on Robert L. Johnson, founder of the RLJ Companies and one of America\u2019s most successful media, business and entertainment moguls. What you may not know about Johnson is that his earlier career included working in the association world.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/passion-for-your-cause\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Association Adviser\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-07-23T16:00:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-02-28T19:28:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2014\/07\/RLJ-thumbnail.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"150\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"104\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Association Adviser staff\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Association Adviser staff\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/passion-for-your-cause\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/passion-for-your-cause\/\",\"name\":\"Have a Passion For Your Cause - Association Adviser\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2014-07-23T16:00:59+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-02-28T19:28:30+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/#\/schema\/person\/3295b0ebb50ab785127c67672b4314ed\"},\"description\":\"Robert L. Johnson explains how associations can turn passion for their cause into members who are more engaged within the industry and greater non-dues revenue.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/passion-for-your-cause\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/\",\"name\":\"Association Adviser\",\"description\":\"Leadership Strategies &amp; Best Practices for Association Professionals\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/#\/schema\/person\/3295b0ebb50ab785127c67672b4314ed\",\"name\":\"Association Adviser staff\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f7e76e81b8889e72914d716a351e4d63befe852d7f6fca38b3fea98b9b84212?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f7e76e81b8889e72914d716a351e4d63befe852d7f6fca38b3fea98b9b84212?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Association Adviser staff\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/author\/association-adviser-staff\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Have a Passion For Your Cause - Association Adviser","description":"Robert L. Johnson explains how associations can turn passion for their cause into members who are more engaged within the industry and greater non-dues revenue.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/passion-for-your-cause\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Have a Passion For Your Cause - Association Adviser","og_description":"This month\u2019s leadership spotlight shines on Robert L. Johnson, founder of the RLJ Companies and one of America\u2019s most successful media, business and entertainment moguls. What you may not know about Johnson is that his earlier career included working in the association world.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/passion-for-your-cause\/","og_site_name":"Association Adviser","article_published_time":"2014-07-23T16:00:59+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-02-28T19:28:30+00:00","og_image":[{"width":150,"height":104,"url":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2014\/07\/RLJ-thumbnail.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Association Adviser staff","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Association Adviser staff","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/passion-for-your-cause\/","url":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/passion-for-your-cause\/","name":"Have a Passion For Your Cause - Association Adviser","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/#website"},"datePublished":"2014-07-23T16:00:59+00:00","dateModified":"2020-02-28T19:28:30+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/#\/schema\/person\/3295b0ebb50ab785127c67672b4314ed"},"description":"Robert L. Johnson explains how associations can turn passion for their cause into members who are more engaged within the industry and greater non-dues revenue.","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/passion-for-your-cause\/"]}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/","name":"Association Adviser","description":"Leadership Strategies &amp; Best Practices for Association Professionals","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/#\/schema\/person\/3295b0ebb50ab785127c67672b4314ed","name":"Association Adviser staff","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f7e76e81b8889e72914d716a351e4d63befe852d7f6fca38b3fea98b9b84212?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f7e76e81b8889e72914d716a351e4d63befe852d7f6fca38b3fea98b9b84212?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Association Adviser staff"},"url":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/author\/association-adviser-staff\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2960","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2960"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2960\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3018"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2960"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2960"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2960"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}