Wild Apricot
NOVEMBER 19, 2018
Learn how to write a donation letter by understanding the ins and outs of appeals, following simple best practices, and referencing these two stellar examples.
YourMembership
NOVEMBER 20, 2018
Some AMS providers offer on-premises hosting, which means you would have to host machines, servers and databases on site. This approach requires dedicated onsite staff members to update and maintain software and hardware – not always the best approach for smaller associations. A cloud-based AMS is a great option for smaller associations because efficiency multiplies.
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Spark Consulting
NOVEMBER 19, 2018
Who should make contact around things like joining and renewing: other members or staff? Member-to-member (or member-to-prospect) communications can be very effective, IF you can persuade your members to actually make the calls. We’re often tempted to ask volunteers to call lapsed members – in fact, that can be a stated requirement of serving on a membership committee.
WBT Systems
NOVEMBER 19, 2018
3 Associations Share Their AMS-LMS Integration Lessons. Read more about 3 Associations Share Their AMS-LMS Integration Lessons.
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Customer education has become a key driver for growth, retention, and product adoption. Our latest 2024 State of Customer Education Report uncovers critical data and insights from a survey of over 200 industry leaders, offering a look at the evolving role of education in driving business success. Inside, you'll find data on key trends and strategies, including: Strategies for Scaling & Customization: Find out which investments in learning technology deliver the biggest ROI and scalability.
Wild Apricot
NOVEMBER 22, 2018
A post to share with your members! Here's a step-by-step guide to doing 3 quick but useful things with the member app.
Association Universe brings together the best content for association members and organizers from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Higher Logic
NOVEMBER 21, 2018
Personalization is hot right now. People want to receive relevant, customized recommendations from the brands and organizations they’re interested in. And what’s more , they’ve grown to expect it. But when personalization is sloppy , people get annoyed. Adobe’s recent study about email marketing revealed more about these reactions to personalization.
Eric Lanke
NOVEMBER 19, 2018
Two unconnected things got connected this week in a fun and interesting way. First, at the beginning of the week I was in Texas for another one of the conferences I've been talking about. And as I often do when I travel, I built some extra time into my schedule so that I could go visit one of the members of my association that was in the same general vicinity.
Principled Innovation
NOVEMBER 17, 2018
It is November 2017 and I am boarding a flight home from a conference in the USA. I was tired and feeling like s**t. It had not been a great year at work, in my own head and physically and psychologically I was not in a great place. I spent most of the year not caring about what I ate or drank; whether I exercised or not; and, feeling like I was going in circles.
GrowthZone
NOVEMBER 20, 2018
December is an ideal time for associations to post regularly on social media. Social feeds will be crowded with consumer-targeted advertising, so member-based organizations have the opportunity to stand out with useful and meaningful content. On the other hand, it’s the time of year when many association social media managers take time off. Plan ahead for days out of the office with these holiday and event ideas for your December posts: MONTHLY: Toy Safety Month.
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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.
Higher Logic
NOVEMBER 20, 2018
“Is your community indispensable to your organization? How about to your members?”. Rich asked the packed room these questions. A few people raised their hands, but most looked around with sheepish smiles. It’s hard to say definitively that your online community is indispensable , or absolutely necessary , to the organization you work for , unless you’re the CEO and you can make those kinds of decisions.
Associations Now
NOVEMBER 21, 2018
The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation remains a difficult-to-grasp wild card for many organizations, with compliance concerns still top of mind. In one recent study, some organizations said full compliance might be impossible. Six months after the effective date of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, organizations are still grappling with GDPR’s practical impact and compliance challenges.
Principled Innovation
NOVEMBER 21, 2018
It is November 2017 and I am boarding a flight home from a conference in the USA. I was tired and feeling like s**t. It had not been a great year at work, in my own head and physically and psychologically I was not in a great place. I spent most of the year not caring about what I ate or drank; whether I exercised or not; and, feeling like I was going in circles.
Idea Architects
NOVEMBER 18, 2018
Recently I presented a 55-minute webinar on the topic Say Yes Less: Why it Matters and How To Do It. To help others who plan similar online learning experiences, this post goes behind the scenes of the design process. I highlight decisions made, the reasoning for them, and lessons learned. Determining the content I have done keynotes and workshops on this topic in recent years, as well as some extensive (as of yet unpublished) writing, so I had ample content from which to select.
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Sales often gets a bad rep. Yet, if securing sponsors, advertisers, and exhibitors is part of your role, it’s essential. But what if it didn’t have to feel time-consuming, uncomfortable, or worse—icky? Join us for the 3-part virtual Sales Accelerator Labs , where customer experience and sales expert Carrie McIntyre will show you strategies to make sales easier, more effective, and dare we say, enjoyable!
Nimble AMS
NOVEMBER 20, 2018
As you consider moving to new association management software (AMS), you likely think about what types of product functionality and best practices are built into the system. But equally important is your software vendor’s approach to implementing the system. Many AMS vendors use the same basic implementation phases: Onboarding, Discovery, Implementation, and Launch.
Associations Now
NOVEMBER 18, 2018
A new study reports that nonprofit leaders try to keep a tight lid on programs that don’t work. But being open about missteps is an opportunity to think more strategically next time. When I interview an association about a new program it’s launching, I usually ask the same question: What does success look like? The question serves two purposes.
.orgCommunity
NOVEMBER 20, 2018
Presenters who illuminated the future. Industry partners who are inventing tomorrow. And, the best and brightest colleagues in the association community—that was Solutions Day.orgCommunity’s year is book-ended by two signature events. The wrap party for Solutions Day is over. But before we roll up our sleeves for the Innovation Summit (February 28, 2019), we’re taking a moment to recap the exhilaration of a great learning experience.
Membersuite
NOVEMBER 19, 2018
Sponsorships play a critical role in generating associations' non-dues revenue, but they aren't delivering the best value to sponsors. Read the blog post to learn how to increase non-dues revenue with a new sponsorship approach.
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.
Smooth The Path
NOVEMBER 20, 2018
Low sales for almost every organization in every sector looks like an awareness problem. “If only more people knew about our pogo sticks, inflatable canoes, or apples, more people would buy.” Incoming association boards and staff often leap to this conclusion too. Flat membership numbers or small market share must mean low awareness. Low awareness usually is a symptom, not a cause, however.
Associations Now
NOVEMBER 19, 2018
The first-ever Women-Led Wednesday, taking place this week, aims to promote women-owned small businesses while tying into a bigger goal. Retail holidays along the lines of Black Friday and Cyber Monday are gaining increasing currency as both a marketing tool and a way to highlight broader business or cultural goals. (Which is why some folks might be taking money out of their nearest ATM on Wednesday, and distributing some of that money to charities next Tuesday.).
Association Success
NOVEMBER 20, 2018
Being a good co-worker is integral to you and your organization’s success, but what does that look like? There is no shortage of literature on leadership. Being a good leader means supporting, equipping, and galvanizing a team to fulfil its potential. But given that the potential of a team is so much greater than the sum of its parts, it is strange that we rarely talk about being a good co-worker.
Mizz Information
NOVEMBER 18, 2018
Remember when I wrote about how journalism was scrambling to find a sustainable path forward as brands continue to shift their ad spend to digital giants Facebook and Google? And how that path forward is the same one that associations have always relied on: membership? Well, it’s been about 18 months and the Membership Puzzle Project is well underway, and a lot of the takeaways so far are also really relevant to associations–especially when it comes to community and engagement.
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The annual Cognition virtual conference is back on October 16, and this year it’s FREE! You’ll enjoy: Inspiring Keynotes from top learning industry leaders, providing fresh perspectives to help you outperform the competition. Hands-on, Skill-Building Sessions to elevate your growth, retention, and product adoption strategies. Exclusive First Look at the latest innovations from Thought Industries, empowering you with tools to grow faster.
Delcor
NOVEMBER 19, 2018
The system administrator (or systems engineer) is the Swiss Army Knife of association IT staff. Since we are thrown into many different types of technical challenges, we need to have a robust set of technical skills to address those challenges. But technical skills aren’t the only requirement. Here are the people, policies, tools, and talents a systems engineer or sysadmin needs for your association to use technology effectively.
Associations Now
NOVEMBER 20, 2018
You might feel compelled to engage members constantly, but what if those touchpoints feel overwhelming or intrusive? A few associations and some subscription-based services let members press the pause button when they need a break. What I’m about to say might sound counterintuitive to your member engagement strategy, but bear with me. Is it possible that your association does too much for members?
Association Success
NOVEMBER 19, 2018
Spelling out a strategic and sustainable framework for associations. In “Business Associations for the 21st Century”, the Washington, D.C.-based Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) describes associations as voluntary business-, professional-and community-improvement groups that combine their synergistic power by working together to solve mutual problems.
Achieve
NOVEMBER 19, 2018
Unless you live in a bubble, you’ve probably heard of. #GivingTuesday. Otherwise known as the Global Day of Giving, #GivingTuesday is celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving (in the United States). What started out as a social holiday to remedy the commercial shopping of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, #GivingTuesday has now turned into a day of philanthropy marked by millions of dollars in online charitable giving.
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Unlock the secrets to building strong communities and sustaining growth with GrowthZone’s “5 Pillars of Community” ebook. In today's digital era, fostering a sense of belonging is more important than ever. GrowthZone’s informative ebook will help you transform your association’s community and discover new opportunities for growth. Explore the importance of personal and virtual communities, the ACHIEVE Model for success, and the key pillars including Direction, Shared Responsibility, Personal Val
Beth Kanter
NOVEMBER 19, 2018
Note from Beth: The crowdfunding industry has sponsored legislation in California to clarify what is legally permissible. The legislation signals the need for more responsible and ethical practices that support nonprofits, donors, and platforms. CalNonprofits anticipates more state and federal policy efforts to emerge as this industry and these practices mature and has released this Open Letter to Crowdfunding Platforms.
Associations Now
NOVEMBER 19, 2018
Journalism is emphasizing reader experience as a key to boosting revenue. Here’s what associations can learn. Also: creative ways to thank meeting attendees. As journalism’s business model continues to shift to digital content channels, including social platforms, it increasingly emphasizes subscriptions to drive revenue—similar to how associations rely on members.
Mizz Information
NOVEMBER 18, 2018
Remember when I wrote about how journalism was scrambling to find a sustainable path forward as brands continue to shift their ad spend to digital giants Facebook and Google? And how that path forward is the same one that associations have always relied on: membership? Well, it’s been about 18 months and the Membership Puzzle Project is well underway, and a lot of the takeaways so far are also really relevant to associations–especially when it comes to community and engagement.
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