How to Take Charge of Your Fundraising Events
Wild Apricot
FEBRUARY 18, 2014
'In this guest post, Claire Axelrad explains how to make your fundraising events worth the effort - "they inspire action".
February, 2014
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You Have to Woo Them
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.
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Advice for the Emerging Association Professional
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!
Volunteer management: I gotta feeling
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
A New Look At Running Grants & Programs: Why Use A System When You Have Excel?
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 As funding requirements become more complex and stakeholder expectations for transparency grow, relying on outdated methods can lead to inefficiencies, missed opportunities, and compliance risks.
How Do You Get A Volunteer Board to Perform its Best?
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
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Free Non-profit Webinars for March 2014
Wild Apricot
FEBRUARY 24, 2014
'We''ve found 28 free webinars on great topics for non-profits this March - check them out!
Content Curation Revisited
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.
The World of Opportunities for AMCs: A YM Perspective
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.
Goodbye e-learning
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.
Find New Non-Dues Revenue Streams for Your Organization with This Free Guide
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Struggling to generate revenue beyond membership dues? You're not alone. Our free guide, The Ultimate Guide to Non-Dues Revenue for Associations , offers practical strategies to help your organization boost financial health. Inside, you'll explore creative ways to generate income, including: Educational offerings tailored to your audience Event-based revenue opportunities Job boards that drive engagement and income Corporate sponsorship ideas A checklist to evaluate and strengthen your current a
Does this Resemble any Conference Calls You’ve Been on Lately?
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.
Both Sides of the Board Table
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.
Taking Event Sponsor Relationships to New Levels
Wild Apricot
FEBRUARY 12, 2014
'Here are some tips and ideas to help you take your event sponsor relationships to new heights.
Mission Driven Volunteering revisited
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.
Forecasting Failures Are Costly: Heres How To Fix Them
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.
Test the Strength of Your Culture
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.
That’s so…2013
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.
Was Machiavelli Right? Are the Best Leaders Situational or Steadfast?
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.
The Arbitrariness of Leadership
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
The Everyday Donor: Unlocking Prospecting Segments Through Behavior Analysis
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!
Big Trends Impacting Events in 2014
Wild Apricot
FEBRUARY 3, 2014
'Here''s a look at some of the big trends that will impact events in the coming year.
What I’m Reading
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?
One of My Favorite Consulting Questions
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.
The certification conundrum
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.
2025 Association Survey Results Report
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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
Chapter Performance Dashboard: Right Side up
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.
Ninety-Nine Percent Perspiration
Eric Lanke
FEBRUARY 3, 2014
'image source Last year, on the eve of my association''s annual conference, I was thinking about the ever-increasing demand for faster and faster horses that we, as association staff people, are sometimes subjected to when we allow ourselves to be driven solely by the requests of our members. Referencing the famous quote often attributed to Henry Ford, I argued that it was important for association staff members play a leadership role in developing new ideas and in charting new courses of action
Offering a Welcoming Community
Wild Apricot
FEBRUARY 21, 2014
'Are you rolling out the welcome mat to your community online and off?
What I’m Reading
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.
Navigating Payroll Compliance: Future-Proofing Payroll in an Evolving Regulatory Landscape
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.
The Secret to Better Leadership
Jamie Notter
FEBRUARY 13, 2014
'I attended a session this week about leadership development in the association world. We talked about different leadership styles, and the need to adapt your style to fit the context, and then we talked about leadership development programs for volunteers. The conversation–particularly the second part about developing volunteer leaders–really got under my skin.
My slides from CHASE 2014 – Generational differences
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.
Virtual Voluteering in Not a Type of Volunteer
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.
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