The strength of a networked organization depends on more than what headquarters communicates. It depends on whether the people across that network understand the organization’s value well enough to carry it forward.
Originally published in the September 2026 Professional Services issue of O’Dwyer’s PR Report, Steve Halsey examines how associations, franchise systems and other distributed organizations can move beyond information sharing to build narrative alignment, stronger feedback loops and a network capable of extending the brand’s influence.
Originally published in the September 2026 Professional Services issue of O'Dwyer's PR Report.
For years, membership organizations have invested enormous energy in figuring out how to communicate to their audiences.
What should we tell them? Which channels should we use? How frequently should we reach them? How do we break through?
Those are still important questions. But for associations, membership organizations, franchise systems and other networked organizations, I think there’s a more important one. How do we help the people inside our network carry our story forward?
That distinction matters because members and franchisees aren’t simply another audience. They are part of the brand.
They represent it in their companies, industries and communities. They talk about it with colleagues and customers. They interpret its value for others. Increasingly, they also create and share content about it.
In other words, they don’t just receive the organization's narrative. They help shape and distribute it. And that requires us to rethink communications.
From information distribution to shared understanding
Historically, communications within many membership and franchise organizations has flowed something like this: the center develops the message; the message gets distributed through newsletters, meetings, toolkits, intranets, conferences and other channels; and then, members or franchisees receive and react to it.
But information distributed isn't necessarily information understood. And information understood isn't necessarily information people can use.
That's becoming increasingly important as organizations wrestle with engagement and retention. The American Society of Association Executives' (ASAE) 2026 State of Associations research identifies member retention and engagement as the top challenge facing associations. More recently, ASAE has gone a step further, arguing that associations possess assets few other organizations can replicate, namely, trust, expertise, convening power and industry leadership. The opportunity is turning those assets into value members can understand, experience and ultimately advocate for.
The challenge isn't necessarily that organizations don't have enough to communicate. Often, it's the opposite. Associations may offer research, advocacy, professional development, networking, standards, events and other resources. Franchise systems may provide marketing, technology, operational expertise, training, purchasing power and brand recognition.
The problem is turning all that activity into a clear and compelling answer to a much simpler and more critical question. Why does belonging to this organization matter?
If the people closest to an organization struggle to answer that central question, communicating more isn't likely to solve the problem. But creating greater clarity might.
Consistency doesn't require sameness
There is another tension that networked organizations have to manage. They need consistency without creating conformity.
A chapter president shouldn't sound exactly like the association CEO. A franchise owner in Wisconsin shouldn't communicate exactly like one in Florida. Different people have different audiences, experiences and local realities. That diversity is an advantage.
The objective isn't to give everyone the same script. It's to create enough shared understanding that people can tell recognizable versions of the same story.
Think of the difference between a script and a narrative. A script tells people exactly what to say. A strong narrative helps them understand what the organization stands for, the value it creates, why that value matters and the ideas it wants to advance. People can then translate that narrative authentically for their own audiences.
That is especially important in franchise systems, where brand consistency and local relevance have always existed in some tension. The strongest systems don't eliminate the local voice. They give that voice a clear foundation from which to operate.
There's a business case for getting this right, too. Franchise Business Review's 2026 research found that franchisees in its 50 highest-rated brands were more than twice as likely to trust their franchisor and nearly three times as likely to recommend the franchise to others. Among the factors separating those systems: strong system-wide communications, brand leadership and involving franchisees in decision-making.
Associations face much the same challenge across members, chapters, committees, boards and leadership. The goal isn't message control. It's narrative alignment.
Communications has to travel both directions
There's another implication to this shift. If members and franchisees are a vital part of the brand, communications can't simply travel outward from headquarters. It has to travel back.
The people operating throughout a network are constantly generating intelligence: what customers are asking; what members are worried about; where competitors are gaining ground; which issues are emerging; and where the organization's value proposition is resonating … or isn't.
That intelligence is incredibly valuable. But only if organizations have a way to hear it.
Listening can't just be an annual survey or an occasional town hall. It needs to become part of the communications infrastructure. That means creating mechanisms for gathering feedback, identifying patterns and, importantly, demonstrating that the organization is doing something with what it hears.
Listening isn't enough. Organizations have to close the loop. Because when people believe their voice matters, engagement changes, trust grows, and members renew.
AI raises the stakes
Then there's AI.
Associations and franchise organizations are adopting AI for many of the same reasons every other organization is… speed, efficiency, content development, research and productivity.
ASAE's recent research found widespread AI use among associations, particularly for content creation. But AI introduces an interesting challenge for distributed organizations. Suddenly, many more people can create content, summarize complex information, answer questions and interpret organizational positions at extraordinary speed.
Trying to centrally control every word becomes even less realistic. The better answer is to make the organization's narrative clearer. Give people trusted source material. Establish sensible guardrails. Make organizational positions and value propositions easy to understand. Build a strong enough narrative foundation that both people and the AI tools they use have something reliable to work from.
AI doesn't make alignment less important. It makes alignment essential.
Turn the network into an influence system
Ultimately, the biggest opportunity for associations and franchise organizations is to stop viewing their networks primarily as communications audiences. A network can be something much more powerful.
Imagine an association whose members don't simply consume its research but bring those insights into their companies and industries. Or whose members can clearly articulate the value of belonging when talking with the next generation of prospective members.
Imagine a franchise system where thousands of owners and employees don't simply execute a brand standard, but understand the brand promise well enough to bring it to life within their communities.
That moves communications beyond informing and engaging the network. It creates an influence system where communications becomes the connective tissue that makes the entire system work better.
For public relations and marketing leaders, that requires a subtle but important change in mindset. Our job is more than creating memorable messages and distributing them efficiently across the organization. It is to create clarity that other people can carry.
Because in a distributed organization, reputation isn't built only by what comes from headquarters. It is built every day through thousands of conversations, interactions and experiences across the network.
The organizations that understand this will have an enormous advantage. Their members won't simply know the story. They'll be eager to help tell it.
