Inside Association Leadership: Trends, Challenges and Opportunities

Proof Point

Rachel Daeger, CAE, IOM, is the Communications Director at Raybourn Group International (RGI), a company specializing in association management and marketing services. Since joining RGI in 2010, Rachel has leveraged her communication and organizational skills to help clients achieve their strategic goals across diverse industries. With over 40 years of experience in membership organizations, her career spans roles like managing the member magazine at the Columbia Club in Indianapolis. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism and business from Indiana University and earned the Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation in 2015.

In this episode…

Many associations and nonprofits face the same frustrating challenge: limited resources stretched across too many priorities. With limited staff and tight budgets, it can feel nearly impossible to keep up with communication demands, plan impactful events, and grow membership. How can organizations stay efficient without sacrificing quality?

Rachel Daeger, an association management and communications expert, shares how fractional staffing, streamlined systems, and strategic collaboration help solve these challenges. She outlines how organizations can benefit from shared talent pools and proven tools to manage websites, events, and digital outreach without overextending internal teams. By embracing knowledge sharing, professional development, and technologies like AI and retargeting to amplify results, associations can thrive — no matter their size.

In this episode of Proof Point, Stacie Porter Bilger interviews Rachel Daeger, Communications Director at Raybourn Group International, about building operational excellence within associations. Rachel shares how her team structure supports resource-limited clients, along with insights into digital marketing, creative member engagement, and leveraging AI to stay ahead of the curve.