Wild Apricot

JANUARY 15, 2014

'Here are four trends that will impact volunteerism in 2014.

325

325

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

Course 246

Course Innovation Conference Report 246

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.

Leadership 195

Leadership Association Management Process 195

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.

Revenue 179

Revenue Education Conference Content 179

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 As funding requirements become more complex and stakeholder expectations for transparency grow, relying on outdated methods can lead to inefficiencies, missed opportunities, and compliance risks.

System

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.”.

Boston 165

Boston Association Management Conference Innovation 165

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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318

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.

Mooc 235

Mooc Project Revenue Tips 235

Association Leaders

JANUARY 6, 2014

'One of the things all leaders must do is make great presentations. Sometimes that means giving a speech to a large audience; other times it means delivering a presentation to a smaller group; still other times its effectively communicating one on one with an employee. Whatever the case, great leaders are great communicators. I read a blog post today providing eight steps that must be followed to make an effective presentation.

Leadership 183

Leadership Association Management Communications Tools 183

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 Cost 173

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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.

Strategy 153

Strategy eBook Discount Course 153

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.

System 143

System Tools Products Project 143

Wild Apricot

JANUARY 17, 2014

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

America 314

America Report 314

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

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.

Cost

Association Leaders

JANUARY 14, 2014

'One of the most important responsibilities of leaders is to have a vision for the future of their organization and to be able to communicate that vision in such a way that all stakeholders (employees, customers, members, investors, etc) share the vision. All stakeholders need to be able to see the same vision. This week, I will be moderating a panel discussion titled, “Association of the Future” at the National Association of Manufacturers Council of Manufacturing Associations (NAM

Organization 163

Organization Leadership Association Management Innovation 163

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

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

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.

Innovation 133

Innovation Resources Process Organization 133

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!

Analysis

Wild Apricot

JANUARY 20, 2014

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

Recruitment 298

Recruitment Recruiting Tips Resources 298

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 Revenue 195

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.

New York City 125

New York City Social Media Content Video 125

Mariner

JANUARY 30, 2014

'Joe Romenieckis’ January 29 article in Associations Now - Looking Beyond the Membership Numbers – highlights a common issue on the world of associations – Membership Count Myopia. Because we tend to manage what we measure, and. associations always measure membership count, we all too often get stuck on the count and forget the mission.

116

116

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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.

System 137

System Leadership Examples Strategy 137

Eric Lanke

JANUARY 20, 2014

'image source Two weeks ago, in In the Eye of the Beholder , 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. Our values statement was now finished, with four core values, and each with a list of observable behaviors that we intended to use as benchmarks to determine if individuals were demonstrating the values in their day-to-day activities.

Process 122

Process Examples Report Organization 122

Wild Apricot

JANUARY 23, 2014

'Here are two new resources to help you develop a process for welcoming and orienting new volunteers.

Resources 295

Resources Process 295

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

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.

Certificate

Association Subculture

JANUARY 15, 2014

'I find this bit by Eddie Izzard completely charming as well as funny - like I do most of his humor. Just for a second (and with ALL due respect) let me rewrite his script a little. Society to Association Professional: "What do you want to do kid, tell me your dreams.!" Association Professional - "I want to revolutionize an industry or profession and discover things that have never been discovered!

Industry 109

Industry 109

Mariner

JANUARY 21, 2014

'When a roomful of volunteers stands and applauds the staff, the meaning is clear. Pure appreciation. When this happens at the end of 2-day leadership conference, the message is the conference rocked.

Leadership 109

Leadership Conference 109

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