November, 2015

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There Are 100 Million Millennials - Are You Ready?

Higher Logic

Generations expert (and my co-author and partner) Jamie Notter recently posted this extensive article detailing some numbers research he has been doing around exactly how many Millennials there are. It’s important stuff, so I’m going to interrupt my regular column to point you to it. Here’s an excerpt: When you look at the most recent population projections from the Census Bureau, it gets even more interesting.

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Free Expert Webinar: Leading Great Board Meetings

Wild Apricot

Board Meeting Expert, Dr. Richard Lent shows how you can revitalize your board meetings to be perfectly productive, super structured, and extremely engaging.

Products 238
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A Lean Startup Conversation

Spark Consulting

Guillermo Ortiz de Zarate and I recently had the chance to sit down with Rick Rutherford of Yourmembership.com to talk in a little more detail about some of the ideas raised in our new whitepaper, Innovate the Lean Way. Our conversation touched on issues like: What failure really is – and isn’t – and why it shouldn’t scare us so much.

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7 Attractive Member Benefits for Virtual Members of Your Association

Socious

Have you ever noticed the large number of corporate brands that market on some variation of having it your way ? There’s Burger King, Subway, Kmart, Walt Disney World, and many others. While Burger King started marketing that way 40 years ago, with the advent of social media and online retailers, personalized shopping experiences like you find with Amazon—offering people what they want on their terms—are becoming more of an expectation than a luxury.

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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 Top 5 Qualities of Great Customer Service Relationships: A Technology Perspective

YourMembership

Quinn Brady, Vice President, Customer Success at YourMembership. Hello! Please allow me to introduce myself as the new Vice President of Customer Success at Yourmembership. It is my pleasure to make your virtual acquaintance. As this is a new role for me, our marketing team requested that I write a blog for you, which you will find below. Please enjoy.

More Trending

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The State of the Community Industry: A Return to Community-Driven Business

Higher Logic

David Spinks, founder of CMX, has been building communities since he was 13 years old. He attributes shifts like organizing for the gaming industry, joining Twitter and following thought leaders like Seth Godin and Lisa Gansky to his community success. The common thread is using technology to bring people together. The original definition for a company was a group of people coming together to exchange goods.

Industry 218
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Wild Apricot Podcast Episode 8: The Future of Online Payments

Wild Apricot

In Part II of our Payment Processing Podcast Series, we speak with Tom Epplett, founder of iATS Payments, about the future of online payment systems: everything from Google Wallet, to KickStarter, to Bitcoin!

System 233
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Tech Tools for Chapters

Mariner

Running a successful chapter can be a daunting task and nothing makes it more so than the operational side of things. To help with this, we’ve compiled a list of available tools and resources that chapters can use to address many of these tasks.

Tools 144
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Five Tech Tools that Every Association Needs to Be a Leader in Their Industry

Socious

Over the past decade technology has changed at lightning speed. Systems are more intuitive and user friendly than ever before, as sites like Slack and Twitter continue to garner mass use with simplicity. Innovative association professionals understand the importance of keeping an eye on technology because ultimately it is a cost-effective way to streamline daily operations and keep members engaged.

Tools 190
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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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Are you paying attention to what your members really want?

YourMembership

Checking our social media feeds has become a part of our everyday life, and it’s especially true for millennials. It is as habitual as brushing their teeth or buying a pumpkin spice latte. Yet in an age of ever-growing computing power, readers have more difficulty concentrating on content now than ever before. It’s unavoidable; we’re surrounded by technology!

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Speaker coaching: The key to unlocking top-rated conference sessions

Aaron Wolowiec

When’s the last time your organization’s education committee was asked to identify the three to five greatest challenges currently inhibiting its industry speakers from reaching their fullest potential during the annual conference? I recently did this for a client and following were the responses that bubbled to the surface: Attendee engagement within presentations is often minimal or formulaic.

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8 Community Site Design Tips for the Win

Higher Logic

A winning community site – we all want it and we all can have it. It starts with strong design and a careful execution of the brand. I’ve put together eight tips that you can use right now to create a community site that is a winner in the eyes of your users, staff and prospective users. 1. Start with your logo. Your community site logo is the most essential element to the design of your community site.

Tips 218
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This is How One Organization Grew Membership by Over 300%

Wild Apricot

Is your membership growth as stagnant as a pond? Wouldn't you love a proven recipe for successful? In an interactive case study, we reveal the strategies of how one organization grew over 300%.

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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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Next #CultureChat: Culture and Technology

Jamie Notter

Okay, I apologize for being one week late with Culture Chat --Maddie and I were with a client last Thursday so we couldn't pull it off. But we think this topic is worth waiting for, Culture and Technology: Technology doesn’t just impact productivity and efficiency--it can shape your culture. How you use intranets, internal online communities, and even basic information sharing tools will end up pushing your culture in one direction or another, so you’d better make it intentional.

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How to Manage Your Online Community Without a Full-Time Community Manager

Socious

In an ideal world, every online community would have a perfectly suited team of community managers working full-time to make the community awesome. Unfortunately, the reality of business needs and priorities often means that communities have to prove their value before upper management will commit to a full-time employee for them. This common situation, in turn, makes it difficult to really focus the time and effort that’s needed to get value out of a community.

How To 190
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Short or Long - It's Thanks

Mariner

Let us spread the word: thank-you. For when we do, we show appreciation, caring, empathy, love and kindness. And so Peter, Carol and I say. Thank-you!

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Bonus content – Event Garde e-news – December edition

Aaron Wolowiec

Aaron Wolowiec, founder and president, Event Garde. Q & A with Aaron Wolowiec, founder and president of Event Garde. Editor’s Note: In celebration of Event Garde’s four-year anniversary, this month’s Event Garde-ian of the Month is Aaron Wolowiec. Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with us. As we go into 2016, we’d like to know what you think…how are we doing?

Content 143
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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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What 15 Year-Olds Can Teach Organizations About Content Strategy

Higher Logic

This guest post is by Jill Andreu, Naylor’s vice president of content strategy and development. Jill is responsible for the overall strategy, direction, leadership and management of Naylor’s editorial department. A colleague recently told me a story about how his 15-year-old daughter carries out her content strategy on Instagram. She doesn’t call it content strategy.

Content 217
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Leading Great Board Meetings: How to Structure Yours for Success

Wild Apricot

Board Meeting Expert, Dr. Richard Lent shows how you can revitalize your board meetings to be perfectly productive, super structured, and extremely engaging.

How To 176
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Funding Industry Innovation

Potomac Core

Anemic economic performance is unfortunately becoming a mainstay in the U.S. economy. The release of the 3 rd quarter GDP numbers where only 1.5% growth was reported is another reminder of how much the ground is shifting for associations. Companies will likely view membership through an even narrower prism of operating margins if economic conditions weaken further.

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Starting a User Group? Save Time By Answering These 10 Questions First

Socious

Software 186
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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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All Committees Are Not Created Equal

Eric Lanke

Got into a friendly argument with a colleague about last week's post , where I revisited an idea that I've discussed before : that program committees should report to an association's Chief Staff Executive, or CEO, and not its Board of Directors. His take? Absolutely not. Never. Committees must always been created by and report directly to the Board.

Committee 122
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The circle of [meetings] life: 4 steps to facilitate the most productive meeting ever

Aaron Wolowiec

Last month, I had the opportunity to present a session on meeting management (e.g., a staff meeting, a committee meeting or a board meeting) to a group of volunteer leaders. We started by viewing the following (hilarious!) YouTube video depicting every meeting ever. After debriefing the video, which included a discussion of many of the personalities/bad habits represented (e.g., The Time Nazi, Get Here When You Can Guy and The Negator), we launched into my four steps for facilitating the most pr

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Automation Rules for Beginners

Higher Logic

Automation rules are crucial for community managers -they alleviate daily or repetitive tasks while encouraging member behavior you want to see. If you're lucky enough to have a community platform that supports automation rules - congrats! When you’re starting out, it can be difficult to know where to begin and scary to let go of the reins. There are so many different directions to take - what are the basic ones everyone should know?

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Free Expert Webinar: How to Get Your Board Members Engaged and Active in Fundraising

Wild Apricot

Join us for a Free Expert Webinar, featuring Gail Perry on How to Get Your Board Members Engaged and Active in Fundraising.

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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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Conflict Tip: People Want to Be Heard

Jamie Notter

One reason so many conflicts become "stuck" is that we think the conflict is only about the ideas involved. We forget that it's really about two (or more) human beings in a relationship. So as we get into it, we dive straight into the ideas. You make your point; I make my counterpoint. We go back and forth and usually end the conversation frustrated and without any significant agreements.

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How to Market Your Association’s Virtual Memberships Like a Tech Company

Socious

Take a second and go out to the Google Play Store or iTunes, and search for free apps. How many came up? Some number this side of a google? (Sorry, bad pun.) But the answer is a lot, right?

How To 181
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A Committee By Any Other Name

Eric Lanke

One of the very first posts I wrote for this blog (back in September 2011) was titled, " Should Committees Report to the Board? " and it challenged that very piece of conventional wisdom. In the post, I argued that committees whose function was programmatic (i.e., related to how the association managed its programs, not how it governed itself) should, in fact, report to the chief staff executive.

Committee 122