Spark Consulting

JANUARY 16, 2014

'Thanks to the efforts of Jeff Hurt (among others), those of us who speak frequently in the association world are well aware of the principles of adult learning , particularly those around frequent, active participation, engagement, being solution-oriented, providing content in small chunks with ample opportunity for practical application, etc. And yet I know I’m not the only one who works to incorporate those sorts of things into presentations, even warning people at the beginning of sess

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Course Conference Innovation Report 246

Wild Apricot

JANUARY 2, 2014

'We''ve rounded up 28+ free non-profit webinars that are available this January - check them out.

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Association Leaders

JANUARY 28, 2014

'On Friday, January 17 I had the privilege of moderating an esteemed panel of experts in a discussion titled, The Future of Associations at the National Association of Manufacturers Council of Manufacturing Associations Winter Meeting. The audience included more than 100 association executive members of the NAM CMA and more than 200 people joining live via webcast.

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Leadership Association Management Process 195

Aaron Wolowiec

JANUARY 14, 2014

'It was Dec. 21 and we were frosting homemade sugar cookies when our world went black. And it stayed that way – dark and cold – for a week. After seven days, all our fish were dead. House plants – dead. Pipes – frozen and burst. It was a Christmas we’ll never forget, and while it could’ve been so much worse, when the house dropped to 38 degrees and we moved Christmas to my mom’s, it didn’t feel like it.

Michigan 194

Michigan Social Media Communications Case Study 194

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Virtual

JANUARY 14, 2014

'This week I’m speaking on a panel at the New England Society of Association Executives Annual Meeting. I’ll be honest, I’m not entirely sure what the session title is. But I know it has something to do with “innovations in meetings and programs.”. And while I’m not entirely sure of the topic, I’ve got some thoughts on how meetings are changing. Here’s my “high five.”.

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Boston Conference Innovation Association Management 165

Spark Consulting

JANUARY 10, 2014

'I had lunch with a dear friend I don’t see often enough earlier this week. She is also a sole practitioner running her own business, although she’s been part time while raising preschool aged kids. “Thing Two” starts kindergarten this fall, she’ll be going full time, and she was asking me what advice I had after my whopping 18 months in business.

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Mooc Project Revenue System 235

Wild Apricot

JANUARY 24, 2014

'This week''s link round-up offers 5 posts with insight into: the future of volunteerism; website resolutions and tips; ideas that “get people talking about you”; and the “ONE big thing” non-profits must do in 2014.

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Tips 239

Jamie Notter

JANUARY 14, 2014

'The other day I came across yet another article/post declaring that “ Culture eats strategy for breakfast ” (or lunch, or dinner, or afternoon tea…). I tweeted it out, copying my friend and colleague, Jeff De Cagna , since he and I have been discussing this topic lately. Jeff (like me) does a lot of work with organizations on strategy.

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Strategy eBook Discount Course 153

Aaron Wolowiec

JANUARY 28, 2014

'Now that you’ve settled into 2014 (maybe? sort of?), you’re probably planning an exciting lineup of events. Maybe your goal is to attract as many participants, from as many demographics, as possible. After all, hundreds of attendees translate into thousands of dollars, and everyone loves a strong revenue stream. Right? Not necessarily, according to Jeff Hurt , executive vice president, education and engagement, for Velvet Chainsaw Consulting.

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Revenue Education Conference Content 179

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Eric Lanke

JANUARY 27, 2014

'image source Eight weeks ago, in You Are Not Innovative , I had a bit of an argument with myself--chastising myself for not doing all that I could to set a truly innovative example for my association. In the post, I leveled three essential charges against myself, including: You talk about the need to learn more about the environment your members operate in, but you don''t do it.

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Innovation Resources Process Examples 133

KiKi L'Italien's Acronym Soup

JANUARY 23, 2014

'As many articles tout the Pomodoro Technique and GTD , my own habits for increasing productivity and breaking through procrastination are downright crude. I have come to recognize that in the world of productivity tools, my ideas might seem dysfunctional, but at least they are all mine. I present to you: KiKi''s System for Getting Sh*t Done. Part 1: The Ramen Noodle Method Ramen noodles are embarrassingly good.

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System Tools Products Project 143

Spark Consulting

JANUARY 14, 2014

'DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, is known for innovation. Aside from being the people who invented the Internet (thanks, in part, to legislation sponsored and funding secured by Al Gore when he was a Senator), they also invented GPS, stealth technology, and drone technology, among other things. Yet they’re a relatively small budget ($3 billion) agency.

Innovation 223

Innovation Review Project Team 223

Wild Apricot

JANUARY 20, 2014

'Has your organization considered recruiting younger volunteers? Here are some tips and resources that might help.

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Recruiting Recruitment Tips Resources 284

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Jamie Notter

JANUARY 6, 2014

'In fact, they haven’t in a long, long time. This may come as a shock to many, and some of you may forward me links to cool infographics or other blog posts that dispute my claim, so let me explain. I’m talking about sheer numbers of the total U.S. workforce. My workforce data comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and my generational definitions come from Strauss and Howe’s book, Generations (and Howe’s book, Millennials in the Workplace ).

millennials 142

millennials Project 142

Aaron Wolowiec

JANUARY 21, 2014

'This week’s guest blog post is by Alexa Stanard , editor of Michigan Meetings + Events magazine. I asked her to speculate on what 2014 might bring for the meetings and events industry. Here’s what she had to say. Alexa Stanard, editor of Michigan Meetings + Events magazine. In the magazine business, we generally have to think many months ahead. This is tricky; it’s a psychological leap to imagine a June wedding or a fall association meeting when it’s 14 degrees outside.

Michigan 173

Michigan Detroit Innovation Technology 173

Association Subculture

JANUARY 29, 2014

'Sloe gin, sloe gin Tryin'' the wash away the pain inside Well I''m sick and I''m all done in I''m standing in the rain And I feel like I''m gonna die. I''m so damn lonely, ain''t even high. I''m so damn lonely, think I''m gonna die.Joe Bonamassa, Sloe Gin (2007) The thing that nobody tells you about this profession is sometimes it breaks your heart.

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Association Management Strategy Organization 130

Association Adviser

JANUARY 20, 2014

'Are you among the many who say “ Oh no! Not another social network! Why should I care about Google+? ” You may have heard people saying it’s a ghost town, or that it’s only for techies. The people who write these things are, quite simply, wrong. The truth is that your association can’t ignore Google+ for another minute. If you’re not putting yourself in the game, you should be.

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New York City Social Media Content Video 126

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.

Certificate

Spark Consulting

JANUARY 7, 2014

'Same great format (10 tips in 20 minutes), but lots of new content and speakers! This Friday, we’ll be kicking off the 2014 Associations 101 #10in20 webinar series with a presentation by Rob Barnes on organizational culture. Fitness Australia worked for seven years on their internal culture, using some of the principles contained in Humanize , and it yielded amazing personal and organizational results, as detailed in their recent Associations Now profile.

Recruiting 195

Recruiting Recruitment Tips Innovation 195

Wild Apricot

JANUARY 17, 2014

'Here are highlights from the "Volunteering and Civic Life in America" research report.

America 304

America Report 304

Jamie Notter

JANUARY 30, 2014

'Transparency is one of the 12 human principles that Maddie and I wrote about in Humanize , and it’s one I come back to frequently. Along with decentralization, collaboration, and experimentation, I’d put transparency in my “core four” principles on which organizations should focus if they want to make a shift towards being more human.

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System Examples Leadership Strategy 137

Aaron Wolowiec

JANUARY 7, 2014

'First, I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you a very happy, healthy and prosperous 2014. Both Kristen and I, together with the Event Garde team, appreciate you following our blog, sharing your comments and post ideas and paying forward those posts that resonate with you most. This week the combination of snowfall and bitterly cold temperatures delayed back-to-school and back-to-work activities for many in the Northeast.

Communications 153

Communications Michigan Products Marketing 153

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Idea Architects

JANUARY 21, 2014

'I''m going to tell you a story. While mine is about purchasing a painting, it really is about a transaction. Every organization has transactions waiting to be transformed (joining, registering for a conference, signing up to volunteer), so think about your equivalents to my painting purchase. Like many cities, Indianapolis art galleries open new shows in a monthly First Fridays series.

Indianapolis 106

Indianapolis Process Social Media Maine 106

Robert M Barnes

JANUARY 22, 2014

'Cultural alignment to your organisation’s values & objectives is critical to 21st Century success in association management. Most Association Executives don’t know where to start this conversation so we have 10 tips to help you kickstart your culture.

Tips 99

Tips Association Management 99

Spark Consulting

JANUARY 8, 2014

'It’s trends time. Associations Now looks at what’s in and out for associations in 2014. An association-centric take on the most common – and commonly broken – New Year’s resolutions. Jamie Notter encourages us to forget about “values” and think about what is “ valued.” Should you focus on systems rather than goals ?

Social Media 190

Social Media Case Study Innovation Leadership 190

Wild Apricot

JANUARY 13, 2014

'Curious about how other nonprofits will communicate in 2014? Here are highlights of the 2014 Nonprofit Communications Trends Report.

Communications 255

Communications Report 255

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.

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Jamie Notter

JANUARY 7, 2014

'Roger Martin has a great article in the current Harvard Business Review about how strategic planning is a lie. I think it’s great, of course, because I’ve hated strategic planning for years now, but I think Martin does one of the best jobs so far in concisely pinpointing both the problem inherent in strategic planning AND our never-ending devotion to it.

Strategy 136

Strategy Cost Review Revenue 136

GlowGlobally

JANUARY 31, 2014

'To begin 2014, we are featuring a new MCI white paper authored by Nikki Walker, MCI’s Vice President for its global association management and consulting practice, based in Dubai, UAE. Important! Have you ever wondered how your association’s brand is perceived specifically by the international community? Is what you consider an exceptional value proposition viewed as relevant and valued by both members and customers in international markets?

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Member Engagement Products America Marketing 96

Idea Architects

JANUARY 24, 2014

'Image Credit: Flickr User Kate Ter Haar • Creative Commons License It may be in a workshop. Perhaps a town hall or house of delegates meeting. Sometimes it''s a one-on-one discussion. But at some point every person who facilitates encounters this participant response: But you don''t understand. We''re different. We''re unique. That won''t work here.

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Proposal System Examples Organization 95