Wild Apricot

FEBRUARY 18, 2014

'In this guest post, Claire Axelrad explains how to make your fundraising events worth the effort - "they inspire action".

How To 267

How To 267

Spark Consulting

FEBRUARY 6, 2014

'During my weekly project call with a client earlier this week, we were talking about the fact that it’s time to move to “phase two” of our engagement. We’ve already done a lot of good work addressing things that were negatively affecting their ability to retain members, and we’re ready to move on to their recruitment efforts.

Cost 236

Cost Recruitment Recruiting Leadership 236

KiKi L'Italien's Acronym Soup

FEBRUARY 10, 2014

'After spending 12 years working in the association world, I am no longer considered an “emerging association professional”. I could throw in a joke about this just meaning I’m getting old, but instead I wear it as a badge of honor! People from all walks of association life offer lunch or coffee, looking to me for advice on how to successfully maneuver the mysterious and well-acronymed ocean that is the association industry!

Tips 197

Tips Price Industry Conference 197

Aaron Wolowiec

FEBRUARY 4, 2014

'Like many of you, I’ve been known to juggle a handful of volunteer roles in addition to my nine-to-five job at any given point in time during my association management career. (Who am I kidding? When’s the last time I was able to get away with working an eight-hour day?). Scanning my current commitments, I now serve on the editorial advisory board for Michigan Meetings + Events magazine, I’m a subject matter expert and facilitator for MSAE , I’m the luminaria chair for the East Lansing Relay fo

Michigan 169

Michigan Committee Course Association Management 169

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Member Engagement

Association Leaders

FEBRUARY 22, 2014

'Whether you are a volunteer leader of an association or an association staff member, its critical that you are doing everything you can to help your Board of Directors perform at its best. Hopefully the reason is obvious – if a Board is performing at its best, the association it is leading should achieve its mission. Traditionally there are many avenues pursued to help Board’s achieve “greatness” There is Board orientation, Board training, rules of conduct, understand

Committee 163

Committee Recruiting Recruitment Leadership 163

Wild Apricot

FEBRUARY 24, 2014

'We''ve found 28 free webinars on great topics for non-profits this March - check them out!

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266

Spark Consulting

FEBRUARY 13, 2014

'Thanks in part to the recent release of the Looking Forward 201 4 survey by Association Laboratory, associations execs are once again thinking about our members’ experience of information overload. According to the Association Lab survey, the association executives who responded believe that information management, including both volume and quality of information, is their members’ top concern in 2014.

Content 200

Content Survey Review Leadership 200

KiKi L'Italien's Acronym Soup

FEBRUARY 4, 2014

'It wasn''t my idea, but the romance of it captured me. He had painted the picture for me: the snow softly falling in the warmth of the sun as we clutch hot chocolate in our hands watching his favorite hockey team play outdoors in an ice rink created in Yankee Stadium.fans cheering.hockey being played the way it was meant to be played before technology intervened.in the elements.

Process 161

Process Project New York Tips 161

Aaron Wolowiec

FEBRUARY 11, 2014

'As a former journalist, I love data. And trend data are even better. So when I came across “Association Learning + Technology 2014,” a recent report by Jeff Cobb and Celisa Steele , founders of consulting firm Tagoras , imagine my delight! Young or old, technology has redefined the way we learn and work. As 8-to-5 days at the office have slowly turned into 24-hour social media networking from the car and virtual meetings during the kids’ soccer practices, social media has filled in the gaps.

Social Media 166

Social Media System Technology Survey 166

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

Member Experience

Association Leaders

FEBRUARY 3, 2014

'Someone forwarded me a link to a funny video about conference calls recently. If you’re like me you participate on dozens of conference calls each week. There is clearly an etiquette that must be followed to make conference calls productive. This video may not highlight all the “do’s” of conference call etiquette but I think you’ll be able to create a list of “don’ts” while watching it.

Conference 163

Conference Video Products 163

YourMembership

FEBRUARY 27, 2014

This week YourMembership.com is “on the road” in Tempe, Arizona attending the 2014 AMC Institute Annual Meeting. We are proud to be the Platinum Sponsor for AMCi, because Association Management Companies (AMCs) have always been an important part of our success. In early 2000, we were focused on state and local chapter associations, which we viewed as being underserved by the association management software (AMS) providers of the day.

Case Study 150

Case Study Arizona Social Media Revenue 150

Wild Apricot

FEBRUARY 12, 2014

'Here are some tips and ideas to help you take your event sponsor relationships to new heights.

Tips 264

Tips 264

Spark Consulting

FEBRUARY 25, 2014

'As you may recall, Peggy Hoffman and I came out with a whitepaper, The Mission Driven Volunteer last fall. Our thesis is: Associations’ current model of volunteering is broken. Standing committees value form and position over function and effectiveness. They ignore generational differences, produce slow, inefficient, and unoriginal decision-making, and limit participation.

Committee 195

Committee Innovation Resources Organization 195

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Education

Association Subculture

FEBRUARY 27, 2014

'If you can''t see the embed here is the link. So, every time an association ends up on Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert I just slap my forehead. This time I almost knocked myself off the couch. Stephen Colbert just did a takedown of the Envelope Manufacturers Association and a spin off PR effort of theirs known as Consumers for Paper Options. Obviously, its a comedy piece and played for effect but I can''t let it go.

United States 145

United States System Cost Newsletter 145

Aaron Wolowiec

FEBRUARY 25, 2014

'Each month, we’re asking editors and content producers to share with us what they’re writing about, upcoming trends and other behind-the-scenes must-haves for the association industry. Julie Shoop, editor of Associations Now. If you’d like to contribute, please contact Kristen Parker, digital content manager for Event Garde LLC , at Kristen@eventgarde.com.

Las Vegas 160

Las Vegas Innovation Conference Technology 160

Association Leaders

FEBRUARY 24, 2014

'I subscribe to an electronic newsletter published by booz&co called ‘strategy+business’ It often has interesting business and leadership related articles. If you read this blog regularly, you know I enjoy reading about leadership, particularly business leadership. I even have a few opinions of my own on the topic that I occasionally share.

Case Study 150

Case Study Leadership Newsletter Association Management 150

Eric Lanke

FEBRUARY 10, 2014

'image source I''m just coming off what I think is still a unique experience in the association community. My own association held a Board meeting and Annual Conference last week. As the CEO, it was my job to lead from the staff perspective--frame, but don''t decide. Speak, but only for the consensus developing around the table. And the day after I got back, I found myself conducting another Board meeting, this time for an association where I serve as the volunteer chair.

Leadership 141

Leadership Process System Team 141

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Revenue

Wild Apricot

FEBRUARY 3, 2014

'Here''s a look at some of the big trends that will impact events in the coming year.

260

260

Spark Consulting

FEBRUARY 12, 2014

'Trends for 2014 , via Shelly Alcorn/CalSAE. Are we really becoming an economy of free agents? Maybe not. How to gain confidence (as a freelancer, but I really think it applies to everyone). Outstanding advice on writing from Kurt Vonnegut (who knows). Deirdre Reid says: “ Stop using stock photos !” (and she’s WAY right). Need some customer service advice?

Social Media 190

Social Media Review Innovation Leadership 190

Jamie Notter

FEBRUARY 17, 2014

'I am releasing today a new “ Culture Strength Test ,” that you can take online, for free. This is by no means a full culture assessment (a service I also offer, of course), but it is a quick way for you to get a sense of how strong your culture is, relative to the needs of today’s economic environment. In the test , you’ll rate 40 simple statements based on how closely they resemble (or don’t resemble) the reality in your organization.

Discount 135

Discount Social Media Course Tools 135

Aaron Wolowiec

FEBRUARY 18, 2014

'To certify or not to certify. That seems to be the debate among association professionals. CAE. APR. They’re just letters, right? Sort of. When listed after someone’s name, they add credibility. And on a resume, those letter combinations pique employers’ interests since it means candidates strive for professional development. Whether it’s for prestige, a salary bump or a resume builder, people from all industries seek out certification programs.

Certificate 160

Certificate Cost Revenue Conference 160

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

Mariner

FEBRUARY 8, 2014

'As Jack Welch, management guru and former CEO of GE noted, “You can’t manage what you don’t measure.” We would add an important corollary to his observation: “You manage what you measure.” The latter is especially important because most associations’ chapters typically count the metrics that are easy to count rather than the metrics that should be counted.

Member Engagement 130

Member Engagement Marketing 130

Eric Lanke

FEBRUARY 24, 2014

'image source Some time ago I got hooked on the Corner Office series in The New York Times. It''s great. Every Sunday, Adam Bryant talks with top executives about the challenges of leading and managing. It''s almost become a morning devotional for me, going to the backlog of posts on their RSS feed and reading one before starting my busy day. A lot of what I''ve read has resonated strongly with me, and when inspired, and when wisdom can be distilled down into 140 characters or less, I''ve shared

Leadership 130

Leadership New York Examples Industry 130

Wild Apricot

FEBRUARY 21, 2014

'Are you rolling out the welcome mat to your community online and off?

253

253

Spark Consulting

FEBRUARY 19, 2014

'Tips for emerging association professionals from Shelly Alcorn and KiKi L’Italien. The real reason associations don’t innovate? According to Eric Lanke, it’s because we don’t really know our members very well. Free, easy tips to improve your staff members’ days. Want to increase your chances of hiring well? Look for these five traits.

Social Media 183

Social Media Innovation Review Leadership 183

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Cost

Jamie Notter

FEBRUARY 10, 2014

'“So how does that show up here?” I ask this one all the time. People tell me about things that are either good or bad in their workplaces in the course of my consulting, but the descriptions are fairly broad. They are at the concept level. Things like, people have a lot of freedom here, we respect each other in this workplace, or senior management is too controlling, we don’t support each other enough here.

Course 134

Course Organization 134

Optimist Consulting

FEBRUARY 11, 2014

'I was delighted to present a workshop at CHASE 2014 on generational differences and what membership bodies need to do about it. You can download my slides here - OC CHASE 2014 generational differences seminar FINAL Feb 2014. Do contact me if you would like to know more about this issue and how I can help your organisation meet the challenge of the different generations.

109

109

Mariner

FEBRUARY 2, 2014

'Some would say that virtual volunteering dates back to the 70s (see Wikipedia’s entry. re Project Gutenberg), others see it as a relatively new type of. volunteering for those who don’t want to commit to in-person. volunteering.

Project 116

Project 116