Higher Logic

JANUARY 7, 2019

The good news: there’s no wrong way to eat a Reese’s Cup. The bad news: there are at least a few wrong ways for an association to approach online community building. And by wrong, I mean misguided – you may not recognize that you’re making these mistakes, so how would you know to resolve them? In the spirit of reflection, strategy, and righting our wrongs in the new year, I invite you to take a step back and ask yourself: Am I making any of these online community building mistakes?

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Higher Logic

JANUARY 8, 2019

Staying relevant, providing value, connecting with members and customers – do these challenges sound familiar to you and your organization? Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) was thinking through these goals. Leadership had sensed that PPAI’s relationship with members wasn’t very “sticky.” Members might pay dues so they could gain education at tradeshows or access a search tool, but the connection didn’t go much deeper.

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Case Study Social Media Products Industry 136

Eric Lanke

JANUARY 7, 2019

Amanda Kaiser on her Smooth the Path blog had a good reminder last month for all us association professionals about the importance of speaking to members in a language they understand. In Association Marketing: They Said/We Said , Kaiser says: "When members talk about the value of their membership they tend to talk about outcomes. But when associations talk about the value of the membership they tend to list benefits.

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Marketing Cost Education Team 113

Wild Apricot

JANUARY 10, 2019

Want to help your organization see just how valuable your volunteers are? Elisa Kosarin, CVA, explains how to prepare a volunteer report that will prove their value.

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Report How To Organization 410

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

WBT Systems

JANUARY 7, 2019

5 Trends & Opportunities for Association E-Learning in 2019. Read more about 5 Trends & Opportunities for Association E-Learning in 2019.

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Reid All About it

JANUARY 11, 2019

The weekly list of free educational events and resources for the association community… It’s time for Marketing General Incorporated’s (MGI) 11 th annual Membership Marketing Benchmarking Survey. The resulting report from this survey provides benchmarking data and insight into how more than 1,000 associations recruit, engage and retain members and certificants.

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DC Washington Learning Management System LMS 276

Wild Apricot

JANUARY 11, 2019

With the Wild Apricot app on Integromat, you can connect with lots of other software. Find out how you can automate new scenarios - without writing any code.

How To 352

How To Software 352

Blue Sky eLearn

JANUARY 7, 2019

Last month Sheri Jacobs, founder of Avenue M Group, presented the webinar ‘ Pivot Point: Reshaping Your Business When it Matters Most ‘ For all of the great insights she shared, we recommend you tune and watch the webinar on-demand by clicking here. In the meantime, you check out our brief recap of what Sheri presented below: First, Sheri talked about how 50% of S&P 500 companies could be replaced in the next 10 years. 50%!!

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Examples Education Content Products 143

YourMembership

JANUARY 10, 2019

Make 2019 your most efficient and effective year yet with these tips. Work smarter on the go Cloud-based technology allows you to work from anywhere and at any time. But most legacy association management software (AMS) restricts your association staff to one version of a browser and makes it nearly impossible to access your member database through a mobile device or tablet.

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Software Tips Technology Association Management 191

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Here’s Your Blueprint for Year-Round Member Engagement. Are you ready to transform your association into a thriving, 365-day community? Download GrowthZone’s ebook, How to Create a Community Your Members Can’t Get Enough Of , and learn strategies for leveling out the peaks and valleys of member engagement. This guide provides actionable strategies to create consistent networking opportunities, deliver value-packed content, and foster connections that your members won’t want to miss.

Member Engagement

HighRoad Solution

JANUARY 7, 2019

Imagine if you could run every decision your association makes by your members and prospective members before you take action? You would increase engagement in every phase of membership. Your messages and events would never miss the mark. You would fill up your programs faster and reduce wasted time and money across your organization. What if I told you that there was a way to close that gap between this dream and the reality of your team's resources and capacity?

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Marketing How To Team Resources 131

Virtual

JANUARY 10, 2019

Welcome to the fourth episode of Virtual’s podcast, 5 Minutes with Andy, in which our CEO, Andy Freed , offers you tips, tricks, and insights into leadership, management, and business skills. In Episode Four, Andy discusses the power of trust within a company. This discussion explores how the power of trust can lead to better results and greater success within a company.

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Tips Leadership 130

Blue Sky eLearn

JANUARY 7, 2019

Last month Sheri Jacobs, founder of Avenue M Group, presented the webinar ‘ Pivot Point: Reshaping Your Business When it Matters Most ‘ For all of the great insights she shared, we recommend you tune and watch the webinar on-demand by clicking here. In the meantime, you check out our brief recap of what Sheri presented below: First, Sheri talked about how 50% of S&P 500 companies could be replaced in the next 10 years. 50%!!

Examples 129

Examples Education Content Products 129

Associations Now

JANUARY 7, 2019

After what feels like a decade of aggressive innovation, things are starting to slow down a bit—which might make tech a little easier for associations to manage in 2019. I have a lot to live up to with this year-beginning column. See, 12 months ago, my first blog post of the year predicted that there would be, and I quote, “ Tough Headwinds for Personalization in 2018.

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Social Media Course Technology Email Marketing 111

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

Velvet Chainsaw

JANUARY 9, 2019

Do your conference learning opportunities—from the general session to networking to breakouts to deep dive workshops—empower registrants to participate in their own learning journey? Or do your conference education sessions motivate participants to see the finish line? Their learning stops once the session ends. Authentic learner-centered conferences foster a connection between the participant and the learning taking place.

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Virtual

JANUARY 10, 2019

Welcome to the fourth episode of Virtual’s podcast, 5 Minutes with Andy, in which our CEO, Andy Freed , offers you tips, tricks, and insights into leadership, management, and business skills. In Episode Four, Andy discusses the power of trust within a company. This discussion explores how the power of trust can lead to better results and greater success within a company.

Tips 130

Tips Leadership 130

GrowthZone

JANUARY 10, 2019

Every year, the Association Survey Results report is our most downloaded document. With up-to-date statistics and broad feedback from association professionals, this year’s report is our most comprehensive ever. Download the free. 2019 Association Survey Results report now ». In an easy-to-read format, the 2019 report addresses everything from board performance to referral programs.

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Survey Social Media Report Resources 96

Associations Now

JANUARY 10, 2019

Research shows that many leaders don’t think digital transformations are successful. Here’s how to lay the groundwork for a good outcome. Also: habits that help meeting planners save time (and their sanity). If a digital transformation is on your association’s to-do list in 2019, be warned: A recent study shows that about half of senior executives don’t think their organizations have executed 50 percent of their strategies successfully.

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Team Technology Review Strategy 102

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Education

Velvet Chainsaw

JANUARY 7, 2019

Many conferences are stuck in the rut of legacy routines, age-old rituals and cloned programming. Conference organizers and its advisors replicate the past maintaining the traditions and well-established procedures of yesteryear. The event is nothing more than a zombie conference—a conference that appears to be alive yet in reality creates the walking undead.

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Smooth The Path

JANUARY 10, 2019

There are many ways to measure the health of an association. Revenues, renewal rates, opens, clicks and the number of attendees are a few examples. But any of these standard metrics can be hacked in the short-term which can hurt the association and members in the long-term. Since what we measure is what we do, here are a few of my favorite ways to assess association health: Is word of mouth strong?

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Committee Recruiting Recruitment Revenue 84

Membership Marketing

JANUARY 10, 2019

There are several very good reasons why associations should focus their attention on trying to winback or reinstate former members. First, a former member is aware of who you are and the basic benefits that you offer. There is not a need to educate them from scratch. Secondly, a former member’s previous behavior identifies them as someone who clearly, at one point in time, had an interest in and need for what your association has to offer.

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Marketing Discount Price Review 74

Associations Now

JANUARY 10, 2019

Hotels are making it easier for guests to work, connect, and explore during their stays. Consider these three examples—and whether you might do something similar for your conference attendees. Over that past few months, I’ve read about a number of hotel brands taking some creative approaches to helping their guests better work and connect with one another during their stays.

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Conference New York City New York Examples 94

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

Velvet Chainsaw

JANUARY 10, 2019

It’s hard for conference organizers to stick to planning the essential elements of their events. We are bombarded from every side from people who want us to add their components to the schedule. Various departments and committees see the event’s gathering of people as an opportunity for them to showcase their programs, services and agendas. As a conference professional, it is your mission each day to keep your focus on the essential elements of your event for your customers’ sake.

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Conference Social Media Committee Products 82

GrowthZone

JANUARY 9, 2019

A new-member Welcome Email is categorized as a “triggered” email which is generated when there is a meaningful change or event in a prospect’s behavior or profile. In this case, when a new member joins an organization. Triggered emails are different from and more effective than BAU (‘business-as-usual’) emails. In the past year, triggered open rates were 64% higher than BAU open rates and click-through rates (8.2%) were double BAU rates (3.4%), according to Epsilon.

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Recruiting Recruitment Report Tools 74

Idea Architects

JANUARY 8, 2019

If a picture is worth a thousand words, some words combine to create very valuable questions, ones that consistently help a group get unstuck and make decisions leading to better results. While the seven I offer from my facilitation experience may not have the sheen of Peter Drucker's The Five Most Important Questions You Will Ever Ask About Your Organization , each one has proven invaluable time and time again in helping people accomplish more.

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Maine Content Process Organization 74

Associations Now

JANUARY 8, 2019

The Brewers Association recently updated its definition of a craft brewer and added a new member category to make membership more inclusive. It’s a move other associations might want to consider, especially when faced with substantial industry change. Defining who and what a member is can be tricky. The aim is to be as inclusive as possible while drawing some basic parameters around your membership base.

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Boston United States Survey Industry 94

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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.

eBook

Nimble AMS

JANUARY 10, 2019

Nimble AMS has always been an advocate for Salesforce’s Person Account model where Business Accounts and Individual Person Accounts are treated as “Account” equals. In the world of associations, both businesses (B2B) and individual customers (B2C) engage with the association to collaborate, participate, and transact. At the Salesforce World Tour New York City conference in December, it was made very clear how important Person Accounts is to the future of Salesforce and their vision of the Custom

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New York City New York Technology Products 70

Smooth The Path

JANUARY 8, 2019

My grandfather was 92 and working in his Japanese-style garden when he passed away. My grandmother passed away at a similar age in a nursing home where she had been for a few years battling Parkinson’s. If I could pick my path, I’d like to follow my grandfather’s example and live to a ripe old age while continuing to potter about doing the things I love to do.

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Member Engagement Examples Products Industry 68

Velvet Chainsaw

JANUARY 11, 2019

Many associations struggle with the right strategy for involving students in their organization and events. Some attract students to join and participate in the organization’s programs and services while still in college. They offer significant membership and registration discounts as well as ample presentation opportunities. They usually have a “get them while they’re young” and “let’s put the kids in the show” mindset.

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Strategy Conference Discount Price 67