The weekly list of free educational events and resources for the association community…
I was all excited to share a must-read article from ASAE (members-only) by Kaihan Krippendorff about how your association can lead your industry in the blockchain revolution. But then I read about hackers stealing nearly $2 billion in cryptocurrency since the start of 2017. I suppose nothing’s truly secure these days. You should still read the ASAE article to get a sense of how the blockchain can be used in other ways beyond cryptocurrency.
Does your association have a popular conference workshop or training class you want to convert into an online learning program? WBT Systems shares five tips they learned from Diane Elkins of Artisan E-Learning on how to convert instructor-led training to e-learning.
If staff around your association headquarters grumble and complain about your chapters or affiliates, then you’ll want to read this advice from Billhighway about how to change the chapter/national relationship mindset.
Amanda Kaiser wrote an insightful article about the real value of associations: how you make members feel. What resonates the most is the sense of confidence, belonging and validation they get from their association experience. Think about your own membership experience and you’ll see how on point this is.
It’s time for a little intellectual humility for all of us know-it-alls. Brian Resnick at Vox explains why it’s important to know you might be wrong, why it’s so hard to see our own ignorance, and what to do about it.
Some quick hits before we get to the list of next week’s free webinars:
- Check out these changes in the CAE application and renewal requirements, including a 1-credit ethics requirement for renewals. Let’s get some webinars on that! (The Nonprofit Times)
- Love this idea. At my old association, the National Association of Home Builders, members submit their favorite recipes for a community cookbook that’s now in its second printing with all proceeds going to a scholarship fund. (Tim Ebner, Associations Now)
- A fascinating look back at the menus for White House state dinners in the last 86 years. (C.K. Hickey, Foreign Policy)
Now for the educational events scheduled for next week. If you have any free webinars or events coming up, please send me the link. I’ll be happy to feature it as long as it’s not product-centric.
Tue 2/26 at 12 p.m.* – The Role of Social Media in Advocacy (Washington DC Idea Swap)
Learn how associations can leverage social media to launch successful advocacy campaigns, create effective messaging that resonates with your target audiences, and measure your association’s social media advocacy efforts. 1 CAE credit. Location: Washington DC. More info/register.
Host: ASAE Government Relations Section Council
Presenter: Matthew Zablud, Partner, Beekeeper Group
*All times are Eastern Daylight Time unless otherwise noted.
Tue 2/26 at 12:30 p.m. – Visualizing Member ROI with Data Analytics
Show your members what they are getting for their association membership with an ROI Dashboard. Learn how 4A’s, an association for advertising agencies, combined data from their AMS, eCommerce, Learning Management System, business intelligence and other platforms to provide members with a Return on Investment Dashboard, and enhance your understanding of data analytics. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Web Courseworks
Presenters:
- Andy Hicken, Director of Quality and Strategy at Web Courseworks
- Don Worthley, Software Architect at Element Eleven
Tue 2/26 at 2 p.m. – Hotel Contract Clauses Planners Should Be Using but Probably Aren’t
Hear about cutting-edge clauses that ensure successful and hassle-free meetings and events, such as the “Purpose of the Meetings” clause, the “Overbooked Hotel Prior to Cut-Off Date” clause, and the “Audit Arrangements” clause. Find out how to avoid unapproved miscellaneous charges, and contract wording needed to protect the meeting sponsor under the new privacy laws, and much more. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: Meetings Net
Presenter: John S. Foster, Esq., CHME, attorney at Foster, Jensen & Gulley
Wed 2/27 at 12 p.m. – How to Get Organized Internally to Ensure Corporate Partnership Program Revenue Growth (Alexandria VA)
Find solutions for corporate sponsorship/partnership programs that suffer from “the enemy within” … internal challenges, silos, competition among departments for corporate support, and lack of collaboration. Location: Alexandria VA. RSVP.
Organizer: Partnerships Professional Network Idea Exchange
Wed 2/27 at 12 p.m. – Showing Them the Value
As an AMC, it can be difficult to show the value we bring to our client partners. Value can often be interpreted by just dollars and cents, but it goes farther than that when considering the impact your firm can have on the operations and success of an association. Join our panel of AMC Executives as they discuss how AMCs provide and share value with their client partners. More info/register.
Host: ASAE Association Management Company Section Council
Presenters:
- Joe Sapp, CAE (moderator), Director of Strategic Development, Talley Management Group
- Beth Quick-Andrews, CAE (moderator), Principal, Q&A Business Solutions
- JoAnn Taie, Owner/Partner, Global Management Partners LLC
- Nick Ruffin, CAE, President & CEO, AMR Management Services
- Mike Dwyer, CAE, Chief Relationship Officer, Association Headquarters Inc.
Wed 2/27 at 12:30 p.m. – Young Members 2.0
Many of yesterday’s young members, the Millennials, have grown in their careers and in their understanding of the value association membership provides. Meanwhile, the older members of Generation Z are coming into adulthood and are expected to constitute a fifth of the US workforce by 2021. Personify’s new benchmarking study, Young Members 2.0, seeks to expand our understanding of younger members. These findings can inform and support strategies designed to support the long-term growth and success of your organization. More info/register.
Host: Personify
Wed 2/27 at 1 p.m. – Mindful Events & Daily Rituals Inspired by the Season
Learn how to take what Mother Nature offers as a beautiful jumping off point to influence and inspire memorable, mindful events in everything from decor to food and drink to experiences. Discover event and meeting inspiration tips for spring and learn how to freshen and lighten up your events after those long winter days. More info/register.
Host: Meetings Today
Presenter: Deborah Gee, experience design lead for Lululemon
Wed 2/27 at 1 p.m. – How to Design Meaningful Event Experiences
Learn why best practices do not create transformational experiences. Understand the difference between experiential and experience design. Walk away with insights on how to begin approaching your event design differently. More info/register.
Host: Event Manager Blog
Presenter: Greg Bogues, Chief Experience Architect, Maritz Global Events
Thu 2/28 at 1 p.m. – Technology vs. Innovation: Association Learning Strategies in Practice
AI. AR. VR. Digital breakthroughs like these are capturing headlines every day. Clearly, these innovations are promising. But many associations are focused on making the most of learning technologies that are already in place. Learn about the push/pull relationship between technology and change. Find out how to develop an innovation roadmap that works for your organization, and how to avoid missteps when expanding your learning technology stack. Hear about tips for creating a business case your board will support, and guidelines for measuring results. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Talented Learning
Presenters:
- John Leh, CEO and Lead Analyst, Talented Learning
- Linda Bowers, Chief Technology Officer, WBT Systems
Thu 2/28 at 2 p.m. – How to Drive Social Media Engagement with Nonprofit Storytelling
Hear about examples of nonprofits using stories to supercharge their social media engagement, specific social media storytelling strategies that you can employ to connect with supporters, and tried and tested tools to use to rock your social media storytelling. More info/register.
Host: TechSoup
Presenter: Julia Campbell, Founder and Principal, J Campbell Social Marketing
Thu 2/28 at 2:30 p.m. – Does Your Data Hoard Spark Joy? (Alexandria VA)
In this day and age, data should be used for more than “Welcome to the website, [YOUR NAME]!” This workshop will help you identify and streamline critical information that’s squirreled away in your AMS, email marketing system, event registration and LMS systems so you can create an efficient, personalized website experience for your members and identify questions that you should answer when asking “What is personalization?” Location: Alexandria VA. More info/register.
Host: Association Women Technology Champions (AWTC)
That’s it for now. If you can’t attend a live webinar, go ahead and register if the topic interests you. Most webinar hosts send registrants a link to the recording.
Association Brain Food Weekly is published Friday mornings. If your organization offers free professional development for the association community, please send me the link via email or Twitter.
Creative Commons image by Hatham Al-Shabibi via Unsplash
Association Brain Food 