Wild Apricot

DECEMBER 3, 2015

We’re proud to announce that Capterra, a service that ranks software, has once again rated us the #1 Membership Management Software on the market - that’s 3 years in a row for us!

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Software Membership Management Marketing 208

Spark Consulting

DECEMBER 16, 2015

I’m totally stealing this idea from smartie Beth Brodovsky , who emailed me this same question recently for her Driving Participation podcast series. My resolution for association marketers would be for us to stop talking about segmentation and personalization and start doing it. We know it’s important, but we’re full of excuses for why we don’t do it (and no, by personalization, I don’t mean sending an email to “Dear Elizabeth” as opposed to “Dear

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Higher Logic

DECEMBER 17, 2015

Any kid could tell you there’s a difference between just listening and actually hearing. They know right away if a parent is giving them their full attention or if their mind is wandering off into other territory. How do you think kids feel when they know they don’t have their parent’s full attention? Maybe frustrated, annoyed, like their time isn’t valued.

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Aaron Wolowiec

DECEMBER 22, 2015

As you probably gathered from our recap of 2015 , it’s been a pretty awesome year for Event Garde! And it shows. Again this year, Event Garde has been nominated for the best meeting planning company for the Michigan Meetings + Events 2016 Best of Michigan Awards. We’d love your support, and ask that you vote for us! Click here to vote. Each year, Michigan Meetings + Events sponsors the readers choice awards.

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Speaker: Gareth Webb & Phil Selley, Founding Partners at Intouch Business

For many nonprofit organizations and NGOs, managing grants and monitoring projects with spreadsheets and manual processes feels familiar—but is it holding your organization back? As funding requirements become more complex and stakeholder expectations for transparency grow, relying on outdated methods can lead to inefficiencies, missed opportunities, and compliance risks.

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Socious

DECEMBER 17, 2015

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Member Engagement Association Management 160

Wild Apricot

DECEMBER 7, 2015

We’re excited to announce that Version 5.7 is now live! This means you can expect lots of updates, bug fixes, and a list of new features ready for use.

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Spark Consulting

DECEMBER 1, 2015

#GivingTuesday is not a huge thing in associations – although the ASAE Foundation has done some nice work on social media drawing attention to their donors today (more than directly asking for donations). But it’s ENORMOUS for fundraising/cause-oriented organizations. It doesn’t really kick off the holiday giving season – trust me, they’ve been laying the ground work for their holiday campaigns since before Labor Day – but it does often give a big boost to the

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Social Media Cost Organization 150

Higher Logic

DECEMBER 14, 2015

I started my session at this year's Super Forum with the same line I use to start my Higher Logic Academy presentations and my consultations with clients: Community management is not a one-size-fits-all discipline. Different strategies will work for different communities. And if anything I say feels like it doesn't fit with your community demographics or organizational goals, then throw it out.

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Aaron Wolowiec

DECEMBER 8, 2015

Most moms are multitaskers. For example, we can cook dinner, help our kids with their homework and check our email….until dinner burns or the kids cry because while trying to reply to an email you forgot how to perform the “new” way of division. Sound familiar? Yeah…maybe mom multitasking is a farce. Or least overrated. And the kids? Why can they only do one thing at a time?

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Revenue

Socious

DECEMBER 3, 2015

According to the 2015 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report from Marketing General Incorporated, 67% of associations surveyed boasted increasing retention rates year over year with the average individual member renewal at 85% for trade associations and 76% for member organizations. As an industry, those are decent numbers, but how does your association compare?

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Tips Survey Report Marketing 158

YourMembership

DECEMBER 1, 2015

As consumers, we’re always seeking the next best way to simplify the way we go about our daily lives – the way we work, the way we play, the way we engage friends and family. Whether we know it or not, we are constantly challenging companies to find new ideas that keep us ahead of the game. With that being said, what can companies do to guarantee the output is reflective of, or creating shifts in their industry?

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Wild Apricot

DECEMBER 28, 2015

Tech leaders and authors, Beth Kanter and Aliza Sherman will share 10 powerful techniques for nonprofit and association leaders to avoid burnout and get more energy for 2016!

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Tips 154

Jamie Notter

DECEMBER 14, 2015

Here's the secret: Don't. You're welcome.

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Speaker: Dave Sackett

Traditional budgeting and forecasting methods can no longer keep pace with today’s rapidly evolving business environment. Static budgets, rigid annual forecasts, and outdated financial models limit an organization’s ability to adapt to market shifts and economic uncertainty. To stay ahead, finance leaders must leverage a future-forward approach—one that leverages real-time data, predictive analytics, and continuous planning to drive smarter financial decisions.

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Higher Logic

DECEMBER 22, 2015

It's time to get those community management challenges addressed. This year marked our second annual expert panel of kick-ass community managers, who all agree: communities are here to stay and offer the best engagement for members. But there are still an endless amount of tasks to tackle, so the panel is here to address communities as systems that must be maintained.

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Social Media Library Resources Guidelines 140

Aaron Wolowiec

DECEMBER 15, 2015

‘Tis the season for giving! Retailers consider Black Friday the official kick off to the giving season, but many nonprofits consider #GivingTuesday – the Tuesday after Cyber Monday – as the start. And millennials are taking note. According to the plethora of research on millennial behavior, Gen Y embraces social responsibility. Doing good is just what this generation does.

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millennials Social Media Case Study Analysis 126

Socious

DECEMBER 16, 2015

This time of year is a whirlwind of activity on most people’s calendars. If you’re like me, you’re extra busy wrapping up the goals set forth for this year, evaluating what worked and what didn’t, and planning what can be accomplished with the upcoming year.

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Member Engagement Association Management 152

Mariner

DECEMBER 23, 2015

On a recent webinar, I was asked again for ideas on how reward and recognize volunteers. It seems many people are stuck on what gifts they can give.

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Speaker: Tim Sarrantonio, Director of Corporate Brand

Do you really know your donors? Not just what they give, but who they are? 👥 In this interactive session, we’ll break down how nonprofits can use behavioral indicators (affinity, recency, frequency, and monetary value) to build prospecting segments that go beyond wealth screening and actually align with donor identity. You’ll walk away with practical strategies to move beyond basic demographics and cultivate supporters based on how they already engage with you!

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Wild Apricot

DECEMBER 30, 2015

If you’re like us, you’re using this time between the holidays to reflect on everything you’ve done this last year. At Wild Apricot, there’s so much that’s happened, it’s hard to pick what to talk about!

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Portage Group

DECEMBER 21, 2015

Keep it Simple! By Alan Ward The thought of conducting an organizational review shouldn’t give anyone reason for sweaty palms. Unfortunately, it has that potential. A quick survey of the topic can lead us to near despair: infrastructure planning, internal architectures, process analyses, and blueprints for change… I mean, really, who knows what to do?

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Higher Logic

DECEMBER 15, 2015

As a community manager, it may feel like you’re often breaking new ground, trail-blazing through an innovative profession. And you are. It’s a relatively new job force and there aren’t many forebearers for you to look back on.The very idea that you could have a collaborative community online was in its infancy in the mid-’90s (discounting old listservs and forums popping up since the 1970s), and didn’t really begin to take off until the 2000s (.guess MySpace was good for something).

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Aaron Wolowiec

DECEMBER 29, 2015

Anne Bonney. This month’s guest blog post is by Anne Bonney. She is a John Maxwell Team certified speaker, trainer and coach specializing in leadership and empowerment topics. Bonney has spent the last 20 years bringing this to leadership and educational roles with companies including Under Armour, Les Mills International, Town Sports International and The New England Aquarium. .

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GrowthZone’s 11th annual survey highlights trends, challenges, and strategies shaping the membership industry through insights from U.S. and Canadian association professionals. Get your copy of the 2025 Association Survey Results Report to see how your organization measures up: The biggest challenges associations are facing Membership retention trends and non-renewal insights Strategies for automatic renewals and reinstatements Shifts in member engagement tactics Why members are joining (and sta

Survey

Socious

DECEMBER 22, 2015

As a community manager, your primary goal is to ensure the success of your community. Okay, but that’s pretty broad. What does that really mean? Well, it usually means that you’re really responsible for keeping your community members engaged and participating. This is a task that is much easier said than done. There is a lot that goes into getting your community members active in your online community.

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Tools Member Engagement Association Management Communications 149

Optimist Consulting

DECEMBER 17, 2015

On 3 rd December I delivered a full-day workshop for the Small Charities Coalition on Building engagement through e-mail newsletters. It was interesting to hear that the challenges small charities face were very similar to those experienced by membership bodies. A recent MemberWise survey states that the most cited open rate is between 21%-30% and the average click through rate is 18%.

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Wild Apricot

DECEMBER 1, 2015

Learn ways you can use structure to create naturally more effective and engaging virtual meetings. We will share stories, along with tips and tools. These suggestions can be used with any form of virtual meeting technology!

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Tips Tools Technology 154

Mariner

DECEMBER 15, 2015

What's on your 2016 list of resolutions (you have 16 days to ponder)? Will it be to do something innovative with your volunteer workforce?

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Speaker: Jennifer Hill

Payroll compliance is a cornerstone of business success, yet for small and midsize businesses, it’s becoming increasingly challenging to navigate the ever-evolving landscape of federal, state, and local regulations. Mistakes can lead to costly penalties and operational disruptions, making it essential to adopt advanced solutions that ensure accuracy and efficiency.

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Higher Logic

DECEMBER 28, 2015

The holidays are a great time to reflect on all of the year’s hard work, and what we’ve accomplished together in 2015. I’d like to brag about a few outstanding goals Higher Logic (and our clients!) achieved this year. Automation Rules.Ruled. Our automation rules (and community automation across the board) has gained a lot of traction this past year, and we’re excited how useful and well-received auto rules have been for our clients.

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Review Member Engagement Tips Team 131

Eric Lanke

DECEMBER 28, 2015

As we end another year, here's a look back at the five posts on this blog that received the most page views in 2015. 1. Stop Calling It Strategic Planning This has been on every year-end list since it was originally posted in January 2012, and keeps getting a ton of traffic, including as the page through which the highest number of people enter my site.

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Guidelines Technology Video Team 100

Socious

DECEMBER 2, 2015

One of the greatest challenges that organizations face when increasing customer or member engagement is figuring out how to get their members to engage with one another within the ir online community. After all, a lot of the value that people get from your online customer or member community depends on these interactions. Here are three steps to help you steer your community members towards engaging with each other.

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