September, 2014

article thumbnail

26 Free Non-profit Webinars for October 2014

Wild Apricot

'We’ve have found 26 fantastic free webinars for non-profits this October. Topics include: “identifying online ambassadors”; “getting started with video”; “Facebook ads for year-end campaigns”; “Generation Gems” and much more.

Video 321
article thumbnail

The Whats, Whys, and Hows of Brand Identity Guides

Spark Consulting

'A number of clients have been working on various branding related issues lately, so I’m so pleased to be able to share this guest post from my colleague Sharon Bending at Rx Creative Lab on the keys to putting together effective brand identity guidelines: A set of brand identity guidelines (also referred to as brand standards) is a part of every rebrand.

Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

Association Hunger Games: Victory or Defeat?

Aaron Wolowiec

'I had the pleasure of presenting this year at the ASAE Annual Meeting and Exposition in Nashville. And, believe it or not, I didn’t talk about meetings or learning. Instead, the session was developed as a result of a conversation I overheard at last year’s conference describing the challenges associations often have implementing strategy they’ve either developed internally or in conjunction with a consultant.

Nashville 172
article thumbnail

Leading Across the Miles

Mariner

'Increasingly our volunteer teams are spread across town, across the. state, across the country and even over country borders. It''s tough. enough to lead a group of volunteers, but when you''re leading via phone. and web, its downright messy.

Team 140
article thumbnail

2024 State of Customer Education Report

Customer education has become a key driver for growth, retention, and product adoption. Our latest 2024 State of Customer Education Report uncovers critical data and insights from a survey of over 200 industry leaders, offering a look at the evolving role of education in driving business success. Inside, you'll find data on key trends and strategies, including: Strategies for Scaling & Customization: Find out which investments in learning technology deliver the biggest ROI and scalability.

article thumbnail

If You Want Real Change, Then Start With…

Jamie Notter

'If you want real change, then start with culture. Let me run some if/then suppositions by you: If you want to change your business model, then you need to change your culture. If you want to build an online community, then you need to change your culture. If you want to redesign your membership model, then you need to change your culture. If you want headquarters and the components to work in true partnership, then you need to change your culture.

Strategy 137

More Trending

article thumbnail

The One Call We All Want To Receive

Wild Apricot

'Are you making thank you calls to your donors or members? It''s one of the few calls we all want to receive – and it can make a difference for donor retention and member engagement.

article thumbnail

Matching Your Channel to Your Audience

Spark Consulting

'One of the most important principles in creating successful multi-channel communications is to match your channel to your audience and your purpose. Are you sharing information about something that’s open to the public? Use public channels like Facebook, Twitter, and unprotected areas of your website. Are you sharing information about something that’s for your members only?

article thumbnail

Fun and games for associations

Aaron Wolowiec

'Just about everyone I know is addicted to Candy Crush. (Not me. I tried and was terrible.) And I have quite a few friends who thrive on becoming king of a location on FourSquare. Me? I get excited when I get a new badge on my hotels reward program and can share it on Facebook. Ah, Facebook. Its gamification genius has taken social media by storm. In fact, it seems companies of all sizes are joining the gamification bandwagon.

article thumbnail

Ban the "V" Word

Mariner

'It’s really human nature to get involved and when we don’t get involved, we don’t have that loyalty or that commitment and so in a membership. organization, involvement is going to be the trigger. I have on more. than occasion suggested we ban the "V" word as in Volunteer because it. causes us (who manage volunteers) and members (who could be volunteers). to be trapped in an old paradigm.

article thumbnail

The Power of Community: Why a Branded Community is a Must-Have for Every Association

Ever wonder why brands like Apple, LEGO, and Sephora are going all-in on branded communities? It’s because online community building is the secret sauce to connecting with audiences in ways that ads and emails simply can’t. But here's the best part—it’s not just for big corporations. Associations can create thriving online communities too. GrowthZone’s eBook, "The Power of Community," breaks down exactly why a branded online community can be a game-changer for your association.

article thumbnail

Are We Really Fooled by “Branding?”

Jamie Notter

'I’ve always had a problem with branding. All this talk of a “brand promise” and a “relationship” the company has with me never resonated with me as a consumer, which is then all tied into advertisements–you know, those things that get in the way of me watching what I want to watch. The whole thing just rubs me the wrong way.

Course 136
article thumbnail

The Long Road to Standards Adoption

Virtual

'With its much-anticipated announcement this week, Apple became the latest and the last of the leading smartphone vendors to adopt Near Field Communication or NFC technology. The company announced NFC will be in its forthcoming iPhone 6 models and will become the enabling technology for a new mobile payment ecosystem called Apple Pay. Apple Pay will allow consumers with iPhones to pay for goods and services at some 220 thousand stores throughout the U.S.

article thumbnail

Is It Time For A New Membership Website?

Wild Apricot

'Your website is the "mothership" of your online community. So if you are looking for a new website builder for your membership organization, here is a resource that can help.

Resources 241
article thumbnail

Five Ways NOT to Brainstorm

Spark Consulting

'Brainstorming has come under fire recently as being a crummy way of coming up with new ideas. Perhaps it’s because people are doing one or more of the following? Inviting as many people as possible – the more, the merrier! (Of course, that means most people won’t have a chance to speak, but too bad for them, right?). Only the Very Important People get to contribute ideas.

Course 260
article thumbnail

Boost Sponsorship, Exhibit, and Ad Revenue

Sales often gets a bad rep. Yet, if securing sponsors, advertisers, and exhibitors is part of your role, it’s essential. But what if it didn’t have to feel time-consuming, uncomfortable, or worse—icky? Join us for the 3-part virtual Sales Accelerator Labs , where customer experience and sales expert Carrie McIntyre will show you strategies to make sales easier, more effective, and dare we say, enjoyable!

article thumbnail

Bonus content: Event Garde e-news – October edition

Aaron Wolowiec

'Jeanette Stawski, executive director, AORE. Q & A with Jeannette Stawski, executive director of Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education. Q: What’s one thing most people don’t know about you? A: Je parle Francais. Well, I used to know how! I really enjoyed studying and speaking French, and I would love to live in a French-speaking country in the future with my family.

Content 164
article thumbnail

Deciphering the Emerging Volunteer Model

Mariner

'The conversation on volunteerism in association is shifting – in an exciting way. The questions about how to engage non-traditional volunteers and those on how rethink the model from the top down are finally taking center stage. I had an opportunity to keep the conversation going through a webinar with YourMembership.com.

How To 133
article thumbnail

How Long Does Culture Change Take?

Jamie Notter

'I was at an event last week for association CEOs on finding and keeping top talent. The topic of culture was raised repeatedly (yay!), but in the middle of the panel discussion, a CEO of a large and successful association dropped this bomb (not a direct quote, but my paraphrase of what she said): It takes 8 years to change a culture. If you’re a real superstar, you might be able to change culture in a little less than eight years, but it’s tough.

Course 134
article thumbnail

Your Values Must Be Non-Negotiable

Eric Lanke

'image source This post is part of a series in which I''m analyzing the efforts of my organization to define and embrace core values through the six rules for doing so defined by Francois Nader, CEO of NPS Pharmaceuticals. For the series introduction, go here. For my comments on the first rule, go here. For my comments on the second rule, go here. For my comments on the third rule, go here.

Course 126
article thumbnail

Recognition Powers High-Performance — If You Do it Right

Speaker: Radhika Samant and Todd Wuestenberg

Employee recognition has often been deemed a "feel-good" initiative, tied closely to rewards. While we understand its importance, we tend to associate recognition with intangible outcomes like engagement and sentiment, rather than direct impacts on retention and high performance. In today’s workplace, the true ROI of recognition lies in its ability to regenerate tangible, business-driven results.

article thumbnail

Fall Planning Resource Round-up

Wild Apricot

'Here''s a round-up of resources to help with fall membership planning. From member and volunteer recruitment, to refreshing your website or communications – we''ve got you covered with helpful guides, articles and blog posts.

Resources 240
article thumbnail

Explaining Marketing to a Kid

Spark Consulting

'A few years ago, the association that I was working for had probably the best “bring your kid to work” day I’ve ever seen. One of our activities was a “career scavenger hunt,” where the kids had to find the people who were participating, and then each of us had prepared some sort of activity to help the kids understand what we do.

Marketing 228
article thumbnail

Tips for improving trade show participation in 2015

Aaron Wolowiec

'Mariama Holman, content marketing specialist for MultiView. This month’s guest blog post is by Mariama Holman, content marketing specialist for MultiView , a digital marketing company for associations. It’s never too early (or too late) to start fine-tuning your organization’s participation in a trade show. The time is now; the fourth quarter of 2014 is filled with a myriad of seasonal events.

Tips 158
article thumbnail

How Well Do You Really Know Your Members?

Association Adviser

'For 75 years, the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) has been unlocking the potential of the food science community and transforming scientific knowledge into innovative solutions throughout the. For more about this topic, click on the headline.

article thumbnail

Why Every Small Business Needs an HCM Solution: A Comprehensive Guide

Managing HR tasks like payroll, compliance, and employee data can overwhelm small businesses. That’s where a Human Capital Management (HCM) solution comes in. Our eBook, Why Every Small Business Needs an HCM Solution: A Comprehensive Guide , shows how an HCM system automates tedious processes, ensuring your business stays compliant and efficient. You’ll learn how to simplify payroll, eliminate costly errors, and empower your employees with self-service tools.

article thumbnail

If Reality Sucks, Then Change It

Jamie Notter

'As I typed in the title of this blog post, I asked myself, “Why would I have the need to say that out loud?!” But I do. Because in organizations, many of us are miserable with the way things are, and instead of changing it, we simply conclude that this is just “reality.” Last week when I posted about challenging a bullying Board Chair , a good friend emailed me to remind me that in “reality,” that’s not going to happen, certainly not from a staff member

article thumbnail

Recruit People Who Naturally Are Inclined to Live Your Values

Eric Lanke

'image source This post is part of a series in which I''m analyzing the efforts of my organization to define and embrace core values through the six rules for doing so defined by Francois Nader, CEO of NPS Pharmaceuticals. For the series introduction, go here. For my comments on the first rule, go here. For my comments on the second rule, go here. For my comments on the third rule, go here. + + + Here''s Nader''s fourth rule, along with what he says about it in his HBR blog post : Recruit people

article thumbnail

Back to School Behavior, Magnetic Membership and More

Wild Apricot

'This week''s link round-up offers four posts on: kick-starting your board, creating member value, fine-tuning your events website, and checking your new appeal letter.

238
238
article thumbnail

Achieving Success in Diversity and Inclusion

Association Advocacy Chick

'In August, ASAE introduced the 2015-2017 Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan as well as new policies on religious diversity and accessibility. We asked the D + I Committee’s Immediate Past Chair and 2008-2009 DELP Scholar Mariama Boney to talk about their important work. Association Advocacy Chick: What are some of the responsibilities for ASAE’s Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Committee?

article thumbnail

Best Practices to Streamline Compensation Management: A Foundation for Growth

Speaker: Joe Sharpe and James Carlson

Payroll optimization can be one of the most time-consuming and complex factors of small business management. Yet, organizations that crack the code on streamlining employee compensation often discover innovative avenues for growth. With the right strategies in place, outsourcing and streamlining payroll processes can result in substantial time and resource savings.

article thumbnail

Hack attacks: Headed your way?

Aaron Wolowiec

'Home Depot. Apple Inc. (celebrity nude photos). Target (last Christmas). JP Morgan Chase. The list goes on and on. It seems every day we hear about another cyber security attack. While the attacks have targeted big businesses and corporations, associations, small businesses and nonprofits aren’t immune to security breaches, association experts have said.

Report 142
article thumbnail

Know Your Members Through Better Surveys: A How-To Guide

Association Adviser

'When we discuss knowing who our members are, we sometimes speak in nebulous terms, such as “We need to find out what’s best for our members” or “How can we better serve our. For more about this topic, click on the headline. Marketing & Communications member marketing member surveys.

Survey 114
article thumbnail

The Future is Faster

Jamie Notter

'Yesterday I talked about becoming flatter as an organization in order to increase learning and agility. Today’s lesson (also from Sloan Management Review) is about speed. The two are related, of course. One of the reasons we loathe bureaucracy is that it slows things down, so you’d think becoming more flat would help with that. But the truth is, speed is not solely determined by amount of hierarchy.