Can Your Association Afford to Risk its Reputation? 

Someone on your team is working on a board report, member email, or proposal. They’re short on time, so they open an AI tool, paste in some information, and ask it to help. Seems harmless. But is it? These small seemingly insignificant actions add more risk to your association than you might imagine. Risk that could cause damage to your reputation.

Do you definitively know what information they just shared? Member data? Financial information? Meeting notes? Internal plans? And does your association have a policy that tells them what they can and can’t put into an AI platform? Or more specifically, which AI tools they can use. 

Our IT company joined us recently on a team meeting to give us cybersecurity and Microsoft 365 updates. They shared a story about a nonprofit who was local to their area that used a free AI tool to help write a grant. Then, behind them came another nonprofit who searched for information about that grant and found all the details it provided for the original nonprofit. Guess who turned in the grant request first? Hint, it wasn’t the original nonprofit. The result was lost grant funds and a tarnished reputation. 

It is a reminder of a much bigger issue: AI has evolved so quickly that many organizations haven’t yet established clear policies around its use. Employees may be using these tools without fully understanding what information is safe to share, which platforms are appropriate, or where the risks lie. 

One seemingly harmless action had the potential to jeopardize years of work spent building trust, not because the employee had bad intentions, but because they weren’t aware of the risks. That’s where this stops being just an AI conversation and becomes a governance conversation. 

AI can be an incredible tool, but organizations need clear policies around what employees can share, which platforms they can use, and how sensitive information should be handled. The question isn’t whether your team is using AI. It’s whether you’ve given them the guidance to use it responsibly. 

Your Governance Can’t Be Set It and Forget It 

When we talk about association governance, it’s easy to think about bylaws, board meetings, minutes, voting procedures, and committee responsibilities. Those things matter, and some are tied to legal and regulatory requirements.  

Good governance also means making sure your policies reflect how your association actually operates today. Great governance protects you in the process. 

Think about how much has changed in just the last few years. AI is now being used to draft emails, summarize meetings, create marketing content, analyze information, and complete tasks that used to take hours. If your policies haven’t changed along with the way your team works, you may have gaps you don’t even know about. 

What Else Are You Missing in Your Governance Framework 

Having an AI policy doesn’t mean banning AI. Truthfully, that’s just not realistic. It means giving staff and volunteers clear guidelines for using it responsibly. 

AI is also a good reminder to look at your broader governance. As a starting point, associations should review: 

• AI usage policies: approved tools, data boundaries, and accountability 

• Cybersecurity policies: current protections and emerging risks 

• Data and document retention policies: how information is stored, protected, and disposed  

• Conflict-of-interest policies: disclosure and reporting requirements 

• Board and committee responsibilities: roles, authority, and expectations 

• Bylaws and governing documents: whether they still reflect how your association operates 

• Meeting and financial practices: proper recordkeeping, oversight, and controls 

Policies should evolve alongside your organization, your risks, and the technology your team uses every day. 

Don’t Wait Until Something Goes Wrong 

Governance isn’t something you create once, save it in a folder, and forget about it. Your association changes. Technology evolves. Risks escalate. Your governance needs to keep up. 

AI might be the reason you start the conversation today, but it shouldn’t be where the conversation ends. The best time to find a gap in your governance is before that gap becomes a problem. 

Strong governance starts with staying informed. Follow DCA Association Management on LinkedIn for insights that help association leaders navigate what’s next.