I found this post on a blog I hadn't visited before by a guy named Kevin O'Keefe. This list is a great reference for anyone trying to start up a web-based thinger, but it could be applicable in association work as well, given that associations need to build their communities as well. An advantage we association folks have is that we automatically get this nice tidy mission to work with - sometimes entrepreneurial types have to struggle to achieve that kind of focus.
Here's an article from the UK's Design Council talking about how information design is important in public-sector efforts. Of course, it's helpful to everyone, but this is a good example of the universal need for better presentation of information--and more design.