Email has long been the backbone of communication for associations and federations. It is familiar, universal and easy to use. Yet, for many organisations, email has quietly become one of their biggest operational bottlenecks.
What once helped associations stay connected is now often the reason information gets lost, decisions are delayed and members feel overwhelmed.
The hidden cost of email overload
In many associations, email is used to share documents, coordinate committees, collect feedback and validate decisions. Over time, this leads to predictable issues: important information buried in long threads, multiple versions of the same document, endless CC loops and decisions that are impossible to retrieve later.
The issue is not email itself, but the fact that it is used for tasks it was never designed to handle.
Email was never designed for structured collaboration
Email works well for one-to-one communication or simple broadcasts. It performs poorly when used as a collaboration system. Associations operate with boards, committees and working groups, rotating mandates and long-term institutional memory. Email offers no structure, no hierarchy and no single source of truth.
This is why many organisations eventually turn to a modern extranet for associations to centralise information and structure collaboration.
When email becomes a risk, not a tool
Beyond inefficiency, excessive reliance on email creates real risks. Governance decisions become scattered across inboxes, continuity is lost when people leave, sensitive data circulates without proper access control and members miss critical information due to overload.
From a compliance perspective, this also increases exposure to GDPR-related risks, especially when personal or confidential documents are involved.
What associations actually need instead
Associations do not need less communication, but better-structured communication. This includes a centralised platform, a clear separation between working documents and validated knowledge, role-based access control and a searchable institutional memory.
Tools such as a dedicated knowledge module and structured spaces for working groups and committees make this possible.
Email still has a role, just not the central one
Email remains useful for notifications, invitations and alerts. However, the content itself should live in a platform designed for collaboration. This is where a controlled notification system becomes essential.
From inbox-driven to platform-centric communication
According to McKinsey, effective digital collaboration significantly improves organisational productivity. Associations that move away from inbox-driven workflows gain clarity, continuity and stronger engagement.
Email becomes an entry point, not the storage layer.
A more sustainable way forward
Email will always be part of association life. But relying on it as the primary collaboration and knowledge tool no longer scales. Associations that invest in structured member platforms reduce friction, protect institutional memory and enable their members and secretariats to focus on what truly matters.