Most associations know when something in their portfolio isn’t working. A program that saps resources, a declining membership, a publication that’s lost its audience or a service that no longer matches the mission. At the same time, the change to legacy revenue streams feels risky and challenging.
Between limited capacity, insufficient data and internal politics, it’s often easier to keep everything humming than to step back and ask the harder question: Is our portfolio truly aligned with our mission, market and capacity to deliver? And if not, what are we willing to do about it?
That’s where McKinley’s Portfolio Readiness Assessment comes in. This diagnostic tool helps associations understand where they are in their journey toward effective portfolio management and what it will take to move from the early stages of exploration to clear, confident decision-making.
Associations in a foundational stage often rely on instinct or urgency to make decisions, without consistent data or clear criteria of what it is programs are actually trying to accomplish. Those in an intermediate stage may have emerging systems and a growing comfort with data, but still face cultural or operational roadblocks to change. Advanced associations are refining their frameworks, actively integrating data with strategy, while the most innovative organizations have built mature, transparent processes that enable agile, evidence-based decisions.
Understanding where your organization sits on this spectrum clarifies what steps to take to be sure you are responsibly managing your portfolio as your association moves through today’s world. That could mean improving data collection, knowing where you do have inefficiencies, getting comfortable making decisions with the best information available, or scaling a mature process across the enterprise. Readiness isn’t a score to achieve; it’s a roadmap for evolving how your association learns, decides and grows.
Why Conduct a Portfolio Analysis
There’s no single way to approach portfolio analysis. The right method should be grounded in best practices for financial responsibility and adapted to your data integrity, your culture, and your strategic direction.
Some organizations begin with a broad evaluation to build foundational clarity and alignment, using high-level data to surface what’s working and what isn’t. Others take a focused approach, diving deeper into a few key programs to test frameworks, strengthen decision-making and practice integrating data with strategy. The most comprehensive efforts take a portfolio-wide view, aligning every program with mission, margin, member value and risk to guide long-term sustainability.
Each approach serves a different purpose, but the goal is the same: to make intentional, transparent decisions that align resources with what matters most.
Avoiding the hard look can have a cost. When programs continue out of habit, organizations risk becoming overextended, missing opportunities to invest in what matters most and losing touch with what members truly value.
A portfolio analysis creates space to pause, measure and make decisions with intention. It helps associations:
- Identify where programs, products or services no longer deliver sufficient mission impact or member value
- Reallocate time and budget toward initiatives that advance strategic priorities
- Use data to guide transparent decisions about what to bolster, refine or sunset
The goal isn’t to cut for the sake of cutting, but to build with focus and assurance in how resources are deployed and to create alignment between what the association offers and what its members need most.
Keys to Successful Portfolio Analysis
No two associations start from the same place. McKinley’s Portfolio Analysis combines data, staff engagement and strategic interpretation to help leaders make informed, defensible decisions about where to invest, refine or retire programs.
Effective portfolio analysis requires more than good data. It depends on an organization’s ability to ask the right questions, engage the right people and act on what the information reveals.
Associations that succeed in this work tend to have a few key building blocks in place:
- Clarity of purpose — A shared understanding of how programs connect to mission, member value and strategic priorities
- Commitment to collaboration — A willingness to involve staff and volunteers in conversations about impact, even when perspectives differ
- Comfort with imperfection — The ability to make informed decisions with incomplete data and learn from the process
Organizations that are clear, collaborative and adaptable can translate insights into action. They use portfolio analysis not as a one-time project but as a mindset, but a way of continuously aligning resources with what matters most.
The goal is a portfolio that reflects mission and strategy while strengthening long-term sustainability.
Consider the Specialty Food Association (SFA), which used portfolio analysis to gain clarity around its programs and investments. Through this process, SFA was able to connect data with strategic intent, identifying where its offerings were most aligned with member value and where resources could be better focused. The outcome was a clearer understanding of how each program advanced the mission, and the confidence to make transparent, data-informed decisions about the future.
Read the full SFA Case Study.
Ready To Take the Next Step?
A portfolio analysis helps associations move from intuition to insight to action. It’s not about cutting; it’s about ensuring every investment advances your mission and delivers measurable value.
Whether your organization needs a clear starting point, a structured framework or a comprehensive view of performance, McKinley’s Portfolio Analysis can help you make confident, transparent decisions that drive impact and sustainability.
Explore how associations like yours are using portfolio analysis to strengthen alignment and focus resources where they matter most in Driving Impact Through a Portfolio Analysis.
