Looking Forward Dashboard
The Association Laboratory Looking Forward® Dashboard is the industry’s leading source of sector research on associations. They are accessing insights from hundreds of associations across more than 20 professional and industry sectors. Using the most recent, relevant, and customizable data to inform your decisions is critical in a dynamic and uncertain environment.
Access the Looking Forward Dashboard
Since 2012, Association Laboratory has been researching the factors influencing association members and the implications of these factors on the association business model.
The Association Laboratory Research Alliance® produces a family of sector studies under the Looking Forward® banner critical to association sector thought leadership.
- Looking Forward® Impact – This global environmental scan of the association strategy environment identifies the factors with the most significant impact on association members.
- Looking Forward® Challenges – This study looks at the challenges that the changing environment creates for association strategy.
- Looking Forward® Solutions – This study assess more than 135 different strategies and solutions and identifies the ones that association leaders believe are important to success, given the changes in the member environment.
This information can be viewed, customized, and downloaded via a complimentary Looking Forward® Dashboard, giving you, your staff, and volunteer leaders unique access to the most recent, relevant, and valuable association sector data.
Not sure how to get started with those conversations? We are providing you with a discussion guide and high-level Executive Summary for each of the three parts of the Looking Forward® studies.
Access Looking Forward Discussion Guides
to Lead the Conversation
Each Executive Summary includes an overview of the data, a sample agenda, sample worksheets, and instructions on programming a virtual discussion with your volunteer leaders or staff team.
Download the Executive Summaries for each study by clicking on the appropriate Looking Forward segment below:
Looking Forward 2025 Executive Summary and Discussion Guide
Looking Forward Challenges 2024 Executive Summary and Discussion Guide
How to use the dashboard
The homepage of the data dashboard displays top-level results of the Looking Forward® data. To view one of the other Looking Forward® reports, click on the three bar menu to the left of Association Laboratory on the top of the page.
Clicking “Explore” in each chart will allow you to dig deeper into that topic area.
Each chart has a book icon in the bottom right corner, which allows you to see the question that was asked of respondents.
In addition, once you clicked “Explore,” you will see a list of filters along the right side of the page. These filters allow you to adjust the data set by annual budget, member size, organization type, location, profession and organization type (meaning professional or trade).
At the bottom of each page, the printer graphic allows you to print a PDF of the page to use in conversations with your Board.
Looking Forward Methodology
All of the surveys in the Looking Forward® family are distributed as online surveys, accessible on a computer or mobile device. Survey links are distributed broadly throughout the association community via multiple channels, including the Association Laboratory Research Alliance, ASAE Collaborate, Association Laboratory’s contact database, and social media such as LinkedIn.
