Spark Consulting
DECEMBER 9, 2014
'How do you write good marketing copy? In a nutshell: Think about your audience. Who are they? What do you know about them? Use that information to craft a personalized message. Talk like a real person, and write like you speak. Shorter and simpler is better than longer and more complex. Don’t be excessively formal, don’t use jargon, and don’t use undefined acronyms.
Wild Apricot
DECEMBER 15, 2014
'Here is a list of resources to help you get your organization (e.g., member renewals, events, volunteer recruitment, website and much more) off to a good start in 2015.
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Mariner
DECEMBER 23, 2014
'The most common lament we hear (ok it’s tied with “we can’t find volunteers”) is how can we get the volunteers to actually do what they say they will. As we’ve always said here at Mariner, volunteer management is really HR management and so the many principals for motivating employees are relevant.
Aaron Wolowiec
DECEMBER 9, 2014
'Just as we all start trying to lose those holiday pounds, it looks like 2015 is going to be a fun year for food and drinks. Drinks served in mason jars. Art installations created from donuts. DJ booths made from cookware. Out-of-the-box – and off-the-plate thinking – will define 2015, according to a new e-book by socialtables, which produces cloud-based software for the hospitality industry.
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Association Leaders
DECEMBER 16, 2014
'I recently read an article published in the New York Times about how IBM develops new ideas through a collaborative team effort. You can read it here. A critical value most successful teams have is TRUST. When members of a team trust each other, they can accomplish great things together. Unfortunately, trust doesn’t always exist on teams. IBM has developed this interesting collaborative structure for teams that seems to work for them when trust doesn’t exist.
Association Universe brings together the best content for association members and organizers from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Spark Consulting
DECEMBER 3, 2014
'One of the best ways to promote your association and its programs, products, and services is to let your members, customers, audiences, and other stakeholders do it for you. In other words, to use testimonials. ASAE’s June 2010 Communications Section newsletter (login required) listed 7 key questions to ask to generate compelling testimonials: Why did you choose to participate with <your program>?
Wild Apricot
DECEMBER 5, 2014
'This week''s link round-up offers insight and ideas on: board meeting breakout sessions, tools for capturing and acting on member feedback, reinventing your events, and developing an "attitude of gratitude".
Mariner
DECEMBER 18, 2014
'The year is almost done, which means many of us are starting to ponder our New Year’s Resolutions (again!). We’ll spend the coming days in quiet reflection on where we failed in 2014 and how we can better ourselves in 2015. Whether it’s making changes to our physical, mental or spiritual well-being, we’ll forge ahead with a list of resolutions written in the spirit of renewal.
Aaron Wolowiec
DECEMBER 16, 2014
'Two years after graduating college, I entered the association world. I served as director of communications for an association for four years – and I loved every minute of it. As all association professionals understand, resources were thin but job responsibilities were huge. I was all things communications, media relations and public relations. But marketing?
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Ever wonder why brands like Apple, LEGO, and Sephora are going all-in on branded communities? It’s because online community building is the secret sauce to connecting with audiences in ways that ads and emails simply can’t. But here's the best part—it’s not just for big corporations. Associations can create thriving online communities too. GrowthZone’s eBook, "The Power of Community," breaks down exactly why a branded online community can be a game-changer for your association.
Eric Lanke
DECEMBER 15, 2014
'Everyone should read this great post from Seth Godin, The Tragedy of the Last 10%. In it, Seth describes how increasing market share and profitability can come when a company lowers the price of its product by 10%. Sometimes, the same thing happens when the company can re-engineer its cost structure so it can subsequently lower its price by a second, or even third 10%.
YourMembership
DECEMBER 18, 2014
Last week we held our December Thought Leadership webinar Mindful Associations: Fuel 2015 Success with Vision and Gratitude , with Holly Duckworth, CAE, CMP, recognized speaker and CEO of Leadership Solutions International. Holly joined us to share some very interesting principles and techniques she’s developed and included in her first book to be released in January 2015, titled Ctrl+ Alt+ Believe: Reboot Your Organization For Success.
Jamie Notter
DECEMBER 30, 2014
'One of my idols is Gary Hamel, and he declared this year that bureaucracy must die. I’m sure he’ll get a lot of support for that sentiment, since we have been hating bureaucracy since we invented the word (it has ALWAYS had a pejorative undertone), and we all have had negative experiences with the rigid and frustrating hierarchies that we call bureaucracies.
Wild Apricot
DECEMBER 12, 2014
'In this guest post, Alex Balan offers his take on 5 social media trends non-profits should pay attention to for 2015.
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Mariner
DECEMBER 31, 2014
'In Carol Burnett''s immortal words, we''re so glad we had this time. together! And we look forward to more time in the company of friends and colleagues in 2015!
Aaron Wolowiec
DECEMBER 23, 2014
'This guest blog post by Mark Athitakis , a contributing editor for Associations Now, originally ran Dec. 22 on Associations Now. Athitakis has written on nonprofits, the arts and leadership for a variety of publications. He is a coauthor of The Dumbest Moments in Business History. You can follow him on Twitter at @MarkANMag. Mark Athitakis, a contributing editor for Associations Now.
Eric Lanke
DECEMBER 1, 2014
'I''ve been writing about a facilitation workshop I recently attended--a workshop to learn how to be a better facilitator and how to teach others to do the same. It was organized and led by Jeffrey Cufaude of Idea Architects. I got a lot of takeaways that are relevant to the work I and my staff do with our association''s Board, committees, and task forces.
YourMembership
DECEMBER 11, 2014
America’s hiring again and associations and their members have reason to celebrate. Last Friday the US Bureau of Labor Statistics announced a very strong jobs report that caught many economists by surprise. With more than 270,000 jobs added in September the unemployment rate fell below 6% for the first time since before the recession. That trend has continued through November.
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.
Jamie Notter
DECEMBER 8, 2014
'There is a down side to this wonderful human brain that we all have in our heads, and that is that sometimes we can spend too much of our time living up there in our heads, and not down here in reality. This is particularly true when you face a challenge–a significant conflict with someone, a rough spot at work, an illness in you or a family member.
Wild Apricot
DECEMBER 22, 2014
'Here are details on our next Expert Webinar: Tools For More Effective Board Meetings – January 21st.
Virtual
DECEMBER 16, 2014
'A very smart polling professional once told me the formula for satisfaction was “S=P-E”. Put another (actually understandable) way, Satisfaction equals Performance minus Expectations. I love this. As consumers, we see this all the time. Check in to a Holiday Inn and you’re happy with a clean room. Check in to a Four Seasons and just having a clean room isn’t enough.
Aaron Wolowiec
DECEMBER 3, 2014
'I fled this week from the blustery temperatures of Grand Rapids, MI to a warmer climate in Dallas, TX. Always the bridesmaid (facilitator) and never the bride (learner), it was a chance for me to turn the tables and become a participant in ATD’s Master Instructional Designer Program. It all started at Gerald R. Ford International Airport. I was booked on a non-Delta flight with a brief stop in the Bermuda Triangle (otherwise known as Chicago).
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Eric Lanke
DECEMBER 8, 2014
'I''ve been writing about a facilitation workshop I recently attended--a workshop to learn how to be a better facilitator and how to teach others to do the same. It was organized and led by Jeffrey Cufaude of Idea Architects. I got a lot of takeaways that are relevant to the work I and my staff do with our association''s Board, committees, and task forces.
YourMembership
DECEMBER 4, 2014
Reinvent the tired, predictable conference experience by using readily available technology to wow your attendees, simplify communication, and create a spectacular, lasting impression that takes your organization above and beyond their expectations. Your First Impression Starts BEFORE Attendees Arrive. You know the sayings, ‘First Impressions Mean Everything’ and ‘It only takes 7 Seconds to Make an Everlasting Impression.
Jamie Notter
DECEMBER 3, 2014
'All groups have norms–expectations about how the group does things. For formalized teams or Boards or Committees, once the group has been in existence for a while, the group norms become unspoken. Everyone knows them or can observe them fairly easily and learn to play by the rules. Until you get someone who doesn’t. And then it can be a big problem, because when you try to negotiate with that person, you often start from a position of “Why is this person violating the rules so
Wild Apricot
DECEMBER 17, 2014
'Is your non-profit or association taking full advantage of sponsorships? Here''s an overview of a new article in our Hub by Joe Waters designed to help non-profits start building sponsor partnerships.
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.
Virtual
DECEMBER 10, 2014
'A lot is made about bad customer service. But let me tell you, customers themselves are no picnic. Tom Peters once said “when your flight is messed up and you approach the counter, treat that person like she is the only person in the world that can help you. Because she is.” A lot of customers haven’t gotten that memo. So what does this mean? It means that no matter what you do, you and your staff may have to deal with a tough (sometimes irrational) customer.
KiKi L'Italien's Acronym Soup
DECEMBER 1, 2014
'What does the future hold in store for me? The picture isn''t clear. I never anticipated becoming an association executive. I still remember moving to Bethesda, Maryland, from Joplin, Missouri, starting my first job in associations - working for the Parenteral Drug Association. What was an association and how could I explain it to my family? These were the questions that plagued me whenever I wasn''t worried about how to make my next strategic move to make more money and move up in position.
Association Adviser
DECEMBER 10, 2014
'What can you do to persuade your favorite band to play your town? You could use a video campaign to sell tickets for show that’s not even on the calendar. What your association should be doing to. For more about this topic, click on the headline.
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