July, 2013

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Demonstrating Non-profit Success and The Overhead Myth

Wild Apricot

'Here''s a look at the "Overhead Myth" and calls for new ways of thinking about and measuring non-profit and charity success.

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10 Tips for Creating an Effective Marketing Piece

Spark Consulting

'I’m headed to Providence to speak at CESSE this week, and one of the sessions I’ll be participating in will be an idea swap where we’ll be sharing marketing materials. I’ll be facilitating the discussion, and the nice folks at CESSE asked me to prepare some general tips to help people as they reviewed each others’ materials.

Tips 240
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ASAE2013: Mental Mountain Dew for Associations

YourMembership

'We’ve been attending ASAE Conference for years now but every year is a great new experience for a multitude of reasons. Sure, there are the amazing locations. There are the fun association parties. Oh…and the swag. Gosh, I love light-up pens. Those things are all part of what makes conference a great time but there’s [.] ( Read more. ) The post ASAE2013: Mental Mountain Dew for Associations appeared first on YourMembership.com.

Software 237
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One thing to do for ASAE Annual that nobody talks about

KiKi L'Italien's Acronym Soup

'Guest Post by Sandra Giarde, CAE. By now you’ve read about what to bring to ASAE. Your travel arrangements are all confirmed and reconfirmed. And your schedule is likely taking shape with sessions and parties identified as “must attend” and “might attend.”. However, there’s one more thing to prepare for at ASAE and nobody talks about it. And it has to do with feelings.

Atlanta 217
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How to Create a Community Your Members Can't Get Enough Of

Here’s Your Blueprint for Year-Round Member Engagement. Are you ready to transform your association into a thriving, 365-day community? Download GrowthZone’s ebook, How to Create a Community Your Members Can’t Get Enough Of , and learn strategies for leveling out the peaks and valleys of member engagement. This guide provides actionable strategies to create consistent networking opportunities, deliver value-packed content, and foster connections that your members won’t want to miss.

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The X, Y and Z of membership

Aaron Wolowiec

'Sarah Sladek, founder of XYZ University. We’re in the middle of a generational alphabet soup, a “perfect storm” as Sarah Sladek, founder of consulting company XYZ University , calls it. You’ve probably heard of Generation X and Generation Y , but what about Generation Z ? As a Gen Xer, I’ve grown up listening to how our generation craves economic diversity and demands social justice.

Michigan 197

More Trending

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4 Reasons Why You Should Be Blogging

Wild Apricot

'Here are 4 key reasons why your organization should have a blog, as well as a Movie Monday video that offers a look at how one organization "built excitement and community engagement" with a blog.

Video 278
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Getting Lean

Spark Consulting

'Is it just me, or is lean process trending? I recently read a great Harvard Business Review article on the lean startup. According to HBR, lean: …favors experimentation over elaborate planning, customer feedback over intuition, and iterative design over traditional “big design up front” development. It also includes the ideas of the “minimum viable product” and the decide –> experiment –> learn –> iterate cycle.

Review 207
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Association Management Software: Giving You Your Day Back

YourMembership

'I’ve worked for a software company for nearly half a decade. I’ve made it my business to stay on top of the latest and greatest additions to association management software – things that we’ve added and things the competition did. I’ve watched as we went from being the only vendor to offer an integrated solution (membership [.] ( Read more. ) The post Association Management Software: Giving You Your Day Back appeared first on YourMembership.com.

Software 226
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How to Know If You're An Association Nerd

KiKi L'Italien's Acronym Soup

'When I started my first association job way back when, I had no idea I''d still be working in the association industry more than 10 years later. Part of what kept me in this association realm is my intense nerd-love for all things associations. After gathering with a group of fellow association nerds last weekend, I thought it might be cool to try to pull together a list of common traits for those who love association-land.

How To 204
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How To Build an Exceptional Member Experience | Weds, Dec 11th, 3PM EDT

Speaker: Jessica Bonney from VICA and Jeff Horne from Wicket

What does delivering an exceptional member experience mean in today's world? With the right insights, tools, and strategies, you can identify what truly matters to your members, drive meaningful engagement at scale, and continue to meet the ever-evolving needs of your members. Join association experts Jessica Bonney from VICA and Jeff Horne from Wicket who will share practical insights on how to build an exceptional member-driven experience by gaining a deeper understanding of your members and d

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Want to boost attendance? Just ask.

Aaron Wolowiec

'Kevin Whorton, principal of Whorton Marketing and Research. Last week, Jeff De Cagna explained that in order to thrive, associations must think differently. Simply put: They should accept change rather than shun it. And it starts by asking questions, even if management doesn’t want to hear the answers. Self-reflection is never easy, but this week, Kevin Whorton, principal of Whorton Marketing and Research , will help make the process a bit less painful.

Marketing 192
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What Can Leaders Learn from Socrates?

Association Leaders

'Socrates is one of the most famous ancient Greek philosophers. He lived in the 5th century BC. He has many famous quotes such as, “I know that I know nothing” Socrates is also credited with creating a form of logical reasoning known as the Socratic Method. The Socratic Method is based on a group dialog or discussion where participants ask and answer questions to improve critical thinking and develop great conclusions.

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Building a Better Membership Application Form

Wild Apricot

'We''ve developed two new resources to help you build a better membership application form.

Resources 273
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Friday Top 5

Spark Consulting

'A large chunk of the association universe will be heading for Atlanta for #ASAE13 within the next week or so. I once again volunteered to be a “buddy” for a first-time attendee, and I had a nice conversation with her late yesterday afternoon to try to help her prep. Over the next two weeks, I’ll share some of what we talked about.

Atlanta 203
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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.

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7 Tips to Making the Most of Conference

YourMembership

'With less than a month away for ASAE I thought I’d share some social media prep work you can be doing to make the most of your conference attendance. With every conference there are two segments behind the social media activity – the event host/organization and the rest of the world. It’s important to stay in contact [.] ( Read more. ) The post 7 Tips to Making the Most of Conference appeared first on YourMembership.com.

Tips 219
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8 Ways to Conquer Attending Your Next Conference

KiKi L'Italien's Acronym Soup

'Attending a big conference can make you feel like a freak. If you aren''t already plugged in to the who''s who of your industry, a huge meeting can make you want to hide out and make origami swans out of your business cards rather than pass them out to people at networking events. ?. There are several ways I prepare myself to make the most of any conference that might help attendees (especially my fellow introverts).

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Planners and suppliers tell all

Aaron Wolowiec

'Kelly Van Dyke presenting June 18 at the Michigan Meetings Expo. Kelly Van Dyke, CMP and I had the pleasure of delivering the highest rated education session at the Michigan Meetings Expo on June 18 at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi. That session, “ The Secret to Successful CSM/Planner Collaboration ,” is based on an Event Garde Blog post of a similar name from earlier this year.

Michigan 172
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An Open Letter to Human Resources

Jamie Notter

'Dear Human Resources Field, I’ve been struggling with how to say this in the most supportive and effective way possible (because I do love you), but after a seemingly endless stream of imperfect drafts that I have deleted, I’ve decided to just blurt it out: I’m done with you. Sorry, but I just can’t do it any more. For decades, I have been your ally.

Resources 153
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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!

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Free Non-profit Webinars for August 2013

Wild Apricot

'This month''s round-up of free non-profit webinars offers more than 22 topics for August.

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What I’m Reading

Spark Consulting

'Google has made some changes to Gmail, and they WILL affect you. Hubspot has the details. (See below for a great video from John Haydon to help you straighten out your own Gmail inbox organization.). MIT’s Technology Review has some good (and less rah-rah) information on the Gmail changes as well. New data proves that diversity promotes innovation.

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Million Dollar Question for Associations

YourMembership

'Ahh Twitter, whether it is a source of association news or how you keep up with the Kardashians, there are now over 200 million monthly active users. It’s a substantial audience when you think about the average time spent on it by users is 170 minutes per month – not bad for a micro-blog platform. Plus [.] ( Read more. ) The post Million Dollar Question for Associations appeared first on YourMembership.com.

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The Party List for ASAE Annual 2013

KiKi L'Italien's Acronym Soup

'Every time ASAE Annual rolls around, people start making their lists of parties and receptions to attend. I am no different. But this year I decided to make my list public - will I see you at these parties? I''ll be updating this list as I hear about other parties and receptions, so leave your info in the comments! Some of these require sign-ups or RSVPs ahead of time, so I''ll try to include links or contact information as we get closer to the date.

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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.

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Thinking and thriving

Aaron Wolowiec

'Jeff De Cagna, founder of Principled Innovation LLC. As I wrote last week, this month I’ll be exploring some shifts in association management that some might say are extreme. To start us off, I spoke with Jeff De Cagna , founder of Principled Innovation LLC. From what I gather, he’s perhaps one of the most respected experts on new thinking.

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Careful What You Ask For

Eric Lanke

'image source Last week, in The First Step Is Always to Do a Survey , I continued writing about the process I used to create my association''s values statement, despite some misgivings about the value of values statements I''ve previously shared and still hold. Wanting to create a space where honest dialogue could take place not just about the values we wanted to aspire to, but those--good and bad--that the organization currently held, I circulated an anonymous survey to eveyone on my staff.

Survey 145
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Creative Process Tips and Tools

Wild Apricot

'If you are kick-starting some communications planning this summer, here are some tips and resources that might help.

Tips 249
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Member Relations

Spark Consulting

'Back in April, I came out with a white paper of the same name, which focuses on looking at how associations are using AMS and/or CRM to form better relationships with their members and includes case studies of three associations that have each taken a different approach to this. I’m doing my first presentation based on the white paper today at the CESSE annual meeting.

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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.

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5 Things Associations are Doing Wrong and How to Fix Them (Part 1)

YourMembership

'Associations and other member-based organizations are facing a new set of challenges. These challenges have been blamed on a myriad of things including social media, the economy, and even millennials. The irony is that in a time when everyone seems to want to be a part of a community/social network, many associations are struggling with [.] ( Read more. ) The post 5 Things Associations are Doing Wrong and How to Fix Them (Part 1) appeared first on YourMembership.com.

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Association Jam - Summer 2013 - Lessons Learned

Association Subculture

'Well, we did it (and when I say we, I mean we)! The first Association Jam actually happened and I am so grateful for everyone who participated. We had awesome hosts +Vickie Lester +Maria Nazario +Wendy Kavanagh +Elizabeth Engel and +KiKi L''Italien. My CA co-hosts +Sandra Giarde and +Gina Sutherland kept me grounded and were awesome at making sure everyone had enough grub and libations.

CA 142
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Extreme trends or the new normal?

Aaron Wolowiec

'An online engagement center at the 2012 ASAE Annual Meeting. Photo courtesy of ASAE on Flickr. A couple years ago, I was sitting at my desk when I got a text message from my dentist with an appointment reminder. So naturally, I checked Facebook, which encouraged me to “like” his page. Yep. Even my dentist has climbed aboard the social media bandwagon.

Georgia 149