What will the association of the future look like? The American Society of Association Executives and The Center for Association Leadership is attempting to find out with its latest creation: a virtual association of young professionals.

The program, called the Association of the Future, has selected 29 young professionals to staff a mock association that will try to find innovative solutions to the challenges and issues identified in ASAE & The Center’s trends research.

AOTF, as it is called, has 13 staff members to handle various association functions, including meetings, customer relations, financial operations, human resources, publications, technology, government affairs, professional development, membership, volunteer management, marketing, and communications. The association also has picked a 16-member board of directors, and it is still seeking young professionals (30 years old or younger) to participate in the program as members of the mock association. (Click for the application.)

An advisory panel comprised of ASAE & The Center members will design scenarios for AOTF based on the expected influence of global trends on associations during the next five to 10 years.

AOTF employees will work in a virtual space with resources for day-to-day operations, including documents that outline the mock organization’s operational information, such as budget, membership size, and number of meetings.

All information and outcomes produced by the group will be collected by ASAE & The Center research staff, and then analyzed and shared with the membership. Participants will communicate using conference calls, Internet chats, and message boards.

“This is another opportunity for ASAE & The Center to gauge the impact of trends on our community and a great leadership opportunity for our young professional members,” said ASAE & The Center President and CEO John Graham, in a press release. “We hope this new project will produce tangible results and, once analyzed, benefit the entire association community.”