Ask an association executive how they got their organization through a recent challenge—whether a membership growth problem, a technology system past its prime, a governance structure that no longer fit, or a mission that needed rethinking—and the answer rarely points to staff alone. More often, it's an outside expert who brought a great amount of experience and knew how to meet the association’s unique needs.

Behind many of the strategic pivots, technology migrations, service launches, and governance overhauls sits a consultant who has done it before, supporting an organization that couldn't justify hiring for that skill set full-time. Some associations may not have the expertise already on staff. Sometimes the staff has the knowledge but not the bandwidth. And sometimes associations need help for a specific project or initiative, not a full-time hire. But often it feels harder than it should be to find the right person for the problem.

That's the impetus for the Nonprofit Consultants Collaborative (NCC). The NCC is a partnership among nine independent firms, each with a different specialty. The ASAE 2026 Annual Meeting & Exposition is our first event, and our goal is to exhibit at future events as a collaborative. The NCC is rooted in the belief that expert services ought to work together for an industry that runs on relationships.

Here's who's in the room (and the booth):

• 501CISO—Brian Scott. Fractional cybersecurity leadership built specifically for associations and nonprofits.
• Inktide Solutions—Dana Freker Doody. Strategic advisory for associations and trade show organizers navigating change.
• Rogue Tulips Consulting—Cecilia Sepp. Strategy development, governance, operations, and ethics.
• KTD+—Kate DeVivo. Educational content development for organizations that teach their members.
• Virlybird—Phil Rappoport. Meeting logistics, time-sensitive project stewardship, and assistance with technology.
• Tying It Together Consulting—Jim Thompson. Strategic planning, governance, and membership growth.
• TwentyForty Digital—Kevin Novak. Strategic planning, marketing and communications, technology assessment, and data analytics.
• Associate Creative—Ana María Rivera-Pramuk. Graphic design that gives association brands a professional, distinctive voice.
• The AMS Guy—Kenjie Davis. Skillful work done inside your Association Management System (AMS) and independent, vendor-neutral guidance on selecting the right AMS.

The model runs on the same logic that drives partnerships among organizations: Each firm solves one problem well, and clients can find us once they know what that problem is. What's harder to provide is a faster way to help potential clients figure out which specialist they actually need, before they've spent weeks asking around. We often make referrals, but individually and behind the scenes.

The NCC makes those experts more visible, while building connections among consultants and across consultant networks. By showing up together, our goal is to provide a consult across a variety of specialties in the time it usually takes to track down one. Each consultant still runs their own client relationships; the NCC doesn't replace that, it just makes the first conversation easier to find.

The questions keeping association leaders up right now—how to grow, how to manage risk, how to evolve without losing what made the organization work in the first place—rarely have a one-firm answer. Whether you’re an association leader wrestling with a challenge or a consultant looking to connect with the NCC, we encourage you to stop by the booth or reach out. Sometimes the most useful thing an exhibit hall can offer isn't a product, but a group that can help you find the right person to solve your problem.