Spark Consulting
OCTOBER 22, 2014
'Want to increase your bulk email open rate? Of course you do! The subject is the most important part of the email. Spend time writing a meaningful one that will ensure your recipient will open and read more. Stay away from wacky typefaces, odd or excessive use of bold and italics, and weird capitalization in an email. Not only do these formats shout “advertisement” they also make it difficult to read.
Wild Apricot
OCTOBER 24, 2014
'This month''s free non-profit webinar round-up offers 23+ topics, including: Mission-Driven Volunteering (our first Expert Webinar); online campaigns; donor databases; do-it-yourself PR and much more!
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Aaron Wolowiec
OCTOBER 28, 2014
'I’ve admitted it before, and I’ll do it again: I’m a social media and technology addict. So when I’m choosing conferences to attend, I look for technology use. Is there a hashtag? Will speakers engage with participants in real time – or afterward – via social media? If something comes up, will the organizer provide content virtually? Also, is there an app that can help me plan where to eat, where to stay and sights to see?
Mariner
OCTOBER 31, 2014
'Halloween can happen any day of the year for some volunteers and for a few it maybe be like living through Ground Hog Day. Oh the tricks we play on volunteers. let''s shift to treating!
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Virtual
OCTOBER 1, 2014
'Before your association starts a social media account on every existing medium, you need to know what you’re trying to accomplish. Simply having a social media account won’t add value to your association, and if not done correctly, social media can actually inhibit progress. So before you get started, you need to answer these four questions: 1.
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Spark Consulting
OCTOBER 28, 2014
'One of the hardest things to do in creating a product or service is to set the price – too high, no one will buy because it’s too expensive; too low, no one will buy because they think what you’re offering isn’t valuable. So how do you determine your pricing strategy? Determine whether this is something that can be a “loss leader” or whether it needs to break even or turn a profit.
Wild Apricot
OCTOBER 3, 2014
'Here is a look at Sarah Sladek''s new book – Knowing Y - Engage the Next Generation Now – that offers powerful insight into how membership organizations need to embrace change in order to engage Gen Y.
Aaron Wolowiec
OCTOBER 7, 2014
'My oldest niece began preschool this fall in North Carolina. As you might expect of any proud uncle, I check-in with my sister frequently for updates on the latest developments in class. What have they discussed? Where have they gone? Is she making friends? Is she a confirmed genius yet? What’s her teacher like? Any funny stories I should know about (secretly hoping that there are)?
Mariner
OCTOBER 25, 2014
'I spoke with KiKi L’Italien about association volunteer models for Aptify’s Association Mavens Series. She asked the question “what can a volunteer in the system do to change the system?” The answer: plenty.
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
Eric Lanke
OCTOBER 6, 2014
'image source Quick rant this week. I attend a lot of conferences where the focus is leadership and how to build and lead effective teams. One common type of speaker I see at these conferences is someone retired from the military (an ex-Navy SEAL Team member was the latest example), talking about their own experiences with team-building and team leadership.
YourMembership
OCTOBER 24, 2014
My experience working with people over the years has reaffirmed my belief that many fear, mistrust, or sometimes patently reject things they don’t understand. No one likes to openly admit what he or she don’t know or understand, especially when it’s something that is related to their job. Technology seems to fit nicely into that area. Recently you may have seen some industry articles, and there have been a few, with the underlying message that association staff members, in particular membership
Spark Consulting
OCTOBER 1, 2014
'Recently, on ASAE’s Collaborate Community, someone asked for examples of other associations’ marketing plans. The things is, marketing plans are less about taking some other organization’s plan and swapping your acronym for theirs and more about answering some key questions: What do you know about your audiences? Who are they, who are the key decision makers, what and how and when do they buy, etc.?
Wild Apricot
OCTOBER 21, 2014
'Here are some tips and insight on content marketing based on a recent Small Membership Advisory Community session.
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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.
Virtual
OCTOBER 7, 2014
'There are two truisms that affect association finances. First, most associations are financed primarily by dues. And second, when a member organization needs to cut its budget, the first line item they often look at is “Dues, fees and subscriptions.” So a diverse revenue stream isn’t just a “nice to have” for associations, it’s often a matter of survival.
Mariner
OCTOBER 20, 2014
'Then let’s make it meaningful and fun. Down with boring meetings and down with meetings that we don’t leave with more energy than we started.
Aaron Wolowiec
OCTOBER 21, 2014
'This month’s guest blog post is by Kent Agramonte, a marketing supervisor at Naylor. He has four years’ experience helping associations with member surveys and data. It was originally posted at AssociationAdviser. Are you interested in submitting a guest post? Contact Kristen Parker at kristen@eventgarde.com. Kent Agramonte, marketing supervisor at Naylor LLC.
YourMembership
OCTOBER 21, 2014
Your design choices create the first impression, and lasting perception, of your association in the minds of members, prospective members and your industry. Your branding – your logo, artwork, photography, colors, layouts, fonts, etc. – creates the first overall image someone experiences when looking at your web presence, marketing and member communication pieces and should be valued with the true significance it carries.
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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!
Spark Consulting
OCTOBER 14, 2014
'There’s a dark side to Word of Mouth, too. Negative reviews are inevitable. So what should you do in response? Develop serenity to accept the things you can’t change : You WILL get negative reviews. Expect them. You can make some of the people happy some of the time, but there’s always that one guy who just wants to complain. Realize what’s actually going on : People who are taking the time to complain share another trait – they actually CARE enough to share their feedback.
Wild Apricot
OCTOBER 9, 2014
'Here''s a look at one organization that created a terrific, professional website design using Wild Apricot''s web builder templates.
Eric Lanke
OCTOBER 27, 2014
'image source I teased this last week when I mentioned that I spent a portion of my weekend reviewing proposals for ASAE''s Innovation Grant Program. It''s one of my volunteer activities, I said, and.like a lot of those functions, I had to find time away from my professional responsibilities in order to get them done. That might be a future blog post--as I''m convinced that many association staff don''t comprehend that the work their volunteers do for their associations is done at night and on w
Virtual
OCTOBER 20, 2014
'Every day, the Boston Globe sports section brings me a seemingly unending array of stats. I know how the New England Patriots perform on the road, in night games, in games after a loss, against certain opponents, you name it. But many organizations don’t have a comparable scoreboard. They’re playing the game, but not sure how to keep score.
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.
Jamie Notter
OCTOBER 8, 2014
'I am not going to link to the post, because it’s just so awful, but here is some of the advice that a Baby Boomer author (who describes herself as a “Millennial Whisperer”) gives to Millennials on working with Boomer bosses: Do it their way before you fix it. Millennials must do it the boomer’s way, and make sure you’ve got that down first.
YourMembership
OCTOBER 16, 2014
I was talking with an association executive recently about their social media and online community efforts and was surprised to learn that they were considering turning off their integrated online community in favor exclusively using the LinkedIn group page for their association. While on the surface it might seem like a good idea since their LinkedIn group has over 5,000 members, a recent news story about the social media giant might give anyone reason to pause and reconsider that strategy.
Spark Consulting
OCTOBER 8, 2014
'Want to increase your sales, market impact, and online search? According to MarketShare/Keller Fay , word of mouth has a significant, measurable impact on your marketing. A 10% lift in WOM leads directly to a 1.5% increase in sales and up to a 54% increase in marketing impact. That’s big. But what makes a great Word of Mouth topic? It’s emotional – it connects with people.
Wild Apricot
OCTOBER 27, 2014
'Do you have a small group of volunteers that you rely on at your organization? Here are thoughts on recruiting and motivating volunteers from our Small Membership Advisory Community.
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Eric Lanke
OCTOBER 20, 2014
'image source I spent some time this weekend reviewing proposals for ASAE''s Innovation Grant Program. It''s one of my volunteer activities, and like a lot of those functions, I had to find time away from my professional responsibilities in order to get it done. That might be a future blog post--as I''m convinced that many association staff don''t comprehend that the work their volunteers do for their associations is done at night and on weekends.
Association Navigator
OCTOBER 31, 2014
'I’m thinking about innovation in the context of managing associations and non-profit enterprises. Innovation is a corporate buzz word, but it’s also a fundamental element in any successful and growing organization. This summer I discovered a book about innovation strategy for corporate product launches and I can’t stop thinking about applying these concepts to associations.
Optimist Consulting
OCTOBER 30, 2014
'I recently read on PARN’s LinkedIn Group that research they’d carried out had discovered that the average membership turnout for board elections was only 11.3%. What this depressingly-low figure highlights is the importance of putting effort into encouraging engagement in an election process. In light of PARN’s findings I was interested to see the approach of the Association for Project Management (APM) ahead of their upcoming board elections.
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