Associations Now

FEBRUARY 5, 2019

Are your members too busy to engage with your association? Maybe it’s time to rethink how you talk about member benefits and services, reframing them as time-saving opportunities. Busyness is a modern-day epidemic. Need evidence for that? We have screen-time apps that tell us how long we’ve been staring at our smartphones, calendar alerts that buzz or chirp throughout the day to remind us about meetings, and GPS apps that predict whether or not traffic will make us late to dinner.

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Membersuite

FEBRUARY 4, 2019

Members bring their online expectations as a consumer to their membership experience, but is your portal up to par? Checkout these member portal must haves to help your organization meet and exceed those expectations.

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Organization 89

Spark Consulting

FEBRUARY 7, 2019

What dues rates will maximize both revenue and participation? That’s a good one! This question actually came in from a client, and here’s what I told them: The perils of pricing too high are obvious – no one will buy, because you’re too expensive. Pricing too low is equally bad, though, because people don’t value something that they feel is cheap.

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Revenue Price Cost Project 150

Wild Apricot

FEBRUARY 5, 2019

Looking for a change? Figure out the right nonprofit career path for you with step-by-step advice and tips from nonprofit career experts.

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Tips 415

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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.

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WBT Systems

FEBRUARY 4, 2019

How Emerging Learning Trends Can Ignite a Spark in Your Audience. Read more about How Emerging Learning Trends Can Ignite a Spark in Your Audience.

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Jamie Notter

FEBRUARY 8, 2019

One of the participants in my Managing Generational Diversity training course once told me an interesting story. Her Millennial daughter came home from work and told the mother that she had quit her job. When the mom asked why, the Millennial daughter replied, “because they wouldn’t listen to my ideas.” The mom responded with an exasperated but also classic, Gen X response: “But you had a JOB!!!”.

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millennials Proposal Course Strategy 150

Eric Lanke

FEBRUARY 4, 2019

This past week brought the Polar Vortex to the Midwest and with it record-breaking temperatures well below zero. In my neck of the woods it was immediately preceded by a massive snowstorm, which dumped up to a foot of snow during what we would normally consider our morning and late afternoon commutes. It was a kind of one-two punch, and it caused me to first rethink and then abandon my association's "office closing" policy.

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Milwaukee System Video Project 113

Association Success

FEBRUARY 4, 2019

The guide book to lead you into the next era of the association industry is ready! Editor’s note: Every month, we interview a different author who has valuable insights that are relevant to professionals within the association industry. From widely varying perspectives and specializations, we hope to provide our dedicated audience with quality reading to continue fostering growth and inspiration!

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Higher Logic

FEBRUARY 6, 2019

The American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) was ready to take member engagement to the next level. As its member base grew, the association needed to adjust member communications to match. So it gave members a voice and a platform with powerful social networking, discussion, and information-sharing tools. The Challenge: Increase engagement by upgrading online collaboration tools.

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Case Study Technology Tools Project 120

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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.

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Association Adviser

FEBRUARY 6, 2019

Timberlake Membership Software was founded in 1998 in Fairfax, Virginia by Brian Choate. The company’s association management software helped associations manage their member and operations data including event registration, committees, continuing education, directories, website data and reporting. Timberlake’s team focused on helping small staff associations maximize their resources through one-on-one support and, notably, in-person AMS installation to ensure a smooth transition int

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Directory Software Virginia Email Marketing 113

Reid All About it

FEBRUARY 8, 2019

The weekly list of free educational events and resources for the association community… “It’s not the technology that makes your association innovative; it’s what you do with technology,” said WBT Systems. They describe several non-technology learning trends that can help your association engage learners and become the preferred educational provider in your industry.

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Washington DC Charlotte Project 99

Associations Now

FEBRUARY 6, 2019

While content marketing feels a bit old hat, there’s still plenty of room to get a lot more out of it. An array of recommended strategy tweaks highlight the importance of not resting on your laurels. As association messaging strategies go, content marketing has gone from buzzy trend to old standby. But even though it’s become more common and less novel, there’s still plenty of room for content marketing strategy tweaks in 2019.

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Content Strategy Marketing Video 110

Nimble AMS

FEBRUARY 8, 2019

You’re probably familiar with the idea of a product roadmap when it comes to software. Generally, a product roadmap tells you what features and functionality are planned for future releases of a product. It also serves as a map for the product team to help them begin with the end in mind. . But not all product roadmaps are created equal. Often, they involve a three+ year outlook that lists specific features and functionality planned for each product release over that timeframe.

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Products Software Team Technology 99

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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!

Revenue

GrowthZone

FEBRUARY 5, 2019

Tweet. In their fantastic (but lengthy) report, The 2019 State of Email , Litmus Software gives a comprehensive look at significant developments affecting email programs. A big takeaway? It’s time to change your association emails and make them more voice-friendly. Why now? Because 39 million Americans now own a smart speaker; people are using those virtual assistants to check their email with voice commands.

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Software Content Resources Report 97

Association Success

FEBRUARY 5, 2019

On changing the world, one data set at a time. Everyone is talking about how AI and predictive analytics are changing the world. But what does this change actually look like, and how does it work? Predictive analytics goes something like this: Data is collected. This could comprise of all sorts of things: web clicks, demographic information, email campaigns or sales, to name a few.

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Analysis Project Process Strategy 90

Associations Now

FEBRUARY 3, 2019

Plenty of studies show that employees often feel disconnected at work. Improving that situation can depend on leaders better defining success, and building a culture around it. Leaders do all sorts of things to try to get “engagement” out of their employees, from benefits plans to foosball tables. But they may not have given much thought to what “engagement” actually means, which is why they might be scratching their heads when employees still aren’t performing well, or leave outright.

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Chicago millennials Team Recruitment 106

Idea Architects

FEBRUARY 2, 2019

I attended a panel discussion recen tly that could have been a much more powerful learning experience. An i nadequate session design and a limiting room set shackled t he i nteresting panelists. Panels are always tricky, but they are a staple of industry conferences, so it is high time we made them more compelling. How Panels Commonly U nfold Marketing for most panel discussions highlights the topic, maybe the questions that will be explored, and the panelists who will speak.

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Social Media Content Marketing Video 87

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

GrowthZone

FEBRUARY 7, 2019

Tweet. Make sure your association board is on track to run as smoothly as possible. Even the best organizations need check-ups to examine how well they are running. To ensure your board is “healthy”, start with a board self-assessment. Taking a self-assessment may not be on the top of anyone’s to-do list, but it is pivotal to the on-going success of the organization.

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Tips Analysis Committee Software 92

Smooth The Path

FEBRUARY 6, 2019

Every day we slog through the routine grind of making lunches, pulling unwilling kids out of bed, and getting them off to school. We fight traffic to get to the office and the minute we arrive an inbox of email awaits us. Meetings dot our calendar and our day is already pre-planned. The routine grind is demanding. It pulls us in and focuses us on our stuff.

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Member Experience Strategy 79

Associations Now

FEBRUARY 8, 2019

A new National Car Rental survey finds that while millennials like mixing business trips with leisure trips, in part to save money, they aren’t so excited to mention that detail to the boss—even if their supervisor does the same thing. When millennials decide to mix business and leisure travel while on the road, they’re not exactly looking to let their boss in on their plan.

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millennials Survey Course Cost 102

Idea Architects

FEBRUARY 7, 2019

Some organizations give away content, hoping it will get you to join their community. Some organizations give access to their community, hoping you will then purchase content. Either could work, but doing both at the same time rarely will. And it may very well be that neither your content nor your community as separate items is where your real value can be found.

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Content Organization 68

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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.

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Association Success

FEBRUARY 7, 2019

What’s the trick to the huge task of transforming association learning? One of the hardest things about changing learning is how BIG it all seems. You may know something needs to change, but not what. Or maybe you know what, but not how. Let’s start by addressing why we need to change: our members. At the CPA Center of Excellence® and Indiana CPA Society, these members consist of nearly 8,000 CPAs and accounting professionals.

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Indiana Process Education Technology 60

Association Adviser

FEBRUARY 5, 2019

More than once, we have heard from associations that they hate their association management software (AMS) but they would never change it. One of the main sources for this statement stems from fears about AMS implementation. Through leading hundreds of implementations, the team at Naylor Association Solutions has seen it all. Here are some best practices to draw upon when you consider launching your first AMS or when you make the move to a provider that can help your association reach longer ter

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How To Project Software Tips 60

Associations Now

FEBRUARY 6, 2019

From 2006 to 2017, CareSource’s employee base grew 300 percent, and recently, its longtime CEO retired. To deal with this upheaval, the nonprofit turned to change-management coaching, which it says saved the organization millions of dollars and helped senior leaders keep employees engaged. Ten years ago, as CareSource, a nonprofit health plan organization, started to expand quickly, it found itself with a plethora of new leaders, either promoted from within or hired from outside.

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Team Leadership Process Cost 102

Membersuite

FEBRUARY 4, 2019

Members bring their online expectations as a consumer to their membership experience. Here are five ways a one-stop shop member portal will help your organization meet and exceed those expectations.

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Organization 60

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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

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Smooth The Path

FEBRUARY 4, 2019

If you receive updates of my blog posts through email, you might have noticed that recent posts are not showing, or there are extra spaces between paragraphs or the photos are HUGE! I’m sorry about this, and I appreciate your patience while I try to fix the bugs I’m not sure if the problem is a massive WordPress editor update or if I caused this while I was fiddling with the RSS feed trying to make the emails easier to read.

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.orgCommunity

FEBRUARY 6, 2019

Trendspotters are great, but trendsetters are golden. Tracy King, MA, CAE, CEO and Chief Learning Strategist at InspirED, is one of those innovators. She sees education from a holistic perspective that is both unique in the association space and critical to our future success. Tracy recently spoke at Solutions Day,orgCommunity’s signature event. Everyone who heard her presentation, Workforce Disruptions and What They Mean for Your CE/CME Business Model , is looking at their CE delivery with a mo

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Certificate Illinois millennials Education 60

Associations Now

FEBRUARY 4, 2019

As it hits a key anniversary, it’s safe to say that Facebook, as a social network and company, is well into its terrible teen years. But it’s worth remembering the reasons why the network hooked us in the first place—because they’re the very things that associations want to do well. Fifteen years ago this week, a group of Harvard students was getting its first taste of a social network that reflected an early salvo in the way that people communicate with their friends online.

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Washington Innovation Tools Software 101