Association Brain Food Weekly: 5.12.17

Your weekly list of free webinars and events for the association community…

How are associations using learning technologies? Don’t you want to know? I do. If you work for a membership organization, please participate in the Association Learning + Technology survey. Even if your organization doesn’t currently use or plan to use technology to deliver learning products, and regardless of your size or budget, please take 10 minutes to contribute. The community will be thankful when Tagoras publishes the survey report later this year. 

I love this post by Cecilia Sepp, CAE on AssociationSuccess.org about the screwed-up (my words, but I bet she’d agree) membership model used by most associations. She likens it to Costco where “you pay an annual fee to be a member so that you can go to their store and spend money.” Sounds familiar, right? Let’s figure out a better way.

Maybe start with a useful (so useful it’s indispensable) app for your members—oh, and it better be free. A tall order but so much is going to be within your grasp soon. Just look at what Domino’s is doing with their app and IFTTT. Ok, some of it is just plain silly but I’m sure you can think of dozens of ways you can be indispensable to your members every single day. But you have to invest in the brains as well as the tech to make that happen.

If you anticipate having to make the case to your board for a new AMS or for any type of new software, check out this advice from Aptify.

It’s interesting how we think about luck—how lucky or unlucky we are. I agree with this article that lucky people keep themselves open to opportunity. I also believe it has a lot to do with how you think about your life—whether you operate from a place of abundance or a place of lack and wanting, whether you’re satisfied or thirsty. Woowoo.

And if you live in North Carolina, free the Mimosa (and the Bloody Mary too).

Here’s the list of next week’s learning events. If your organization has a webinar scheduled in the near future, please send me the link. I’ll be happy to feature it as long as it’s not too product-centric.

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Tue 5/16 at 1 p.m.* – Companies Don’t Disrupt, People Do

Learn what it takes to apply disruptive thinking to your own career, recognize what you’re good at, and find unexpected ways to apply those strengths to the marketplace. Find out how you can find meaningful work/life balance while challenging your personal status quo. More info/register.

Host: Hubspot

Presenter: Whitney Johnson, expert on disruptive innovation and personal disruption

*All times are Eastern Daylight Time unless otherwise noted.

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Tue 5/16 at 2 p.m. – Buying an LMS Today to Meet the Learning Needs of Tomorrow

With the constant shift of learning trends and technologies, keeping up with your learners’ needs is not an easy task. Hear about the future of learning technologies and how to support learning needs in 2017 and beyond, including: key insights into the future of eLearning; the importance of having the right technology to keep up with your learners’ needs; LMS features and capabilities to support next-level trends, including social, mobile, AI, etc. More info/register.

Host: Docebo

Presenter: Craig Weiss, CEO & lead analyst, Craig Weiss Group

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Tue 5/16 at 2 p.m. – CIO 3.0 (Association Chat)

The new CIO is more than a technology manager. They have an adeptness for business strategy and more. Hear from tech leaders in the industry and get ready to talk about the evolving expectations of the CIO 3.0 role and what you need to do to be prepared. Watch/participate live or view the recording.

Host: KiKi L’Italien, founder, Amplified Growth

Guests:

• David DeLorenzo, CIO, technology management, DelCor Technology Solutions
• Prabhash Shrestha, PMP, CAE, VP of technology, American Gastroenterological Association
• Thad Lurie, CAE, CIP, MSEd., VP operations and CIO, EduCause

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Tue 5/16 at 2 p.m. – Become a Network Ninja with PSAV

Gain a better understanding of what is needed to deliver a rich Internet experience for your event and the associated costs that go along with it, including bandwidth, and what it means; infrastructure, and why it’s important; and support, and why it’s critical. More info/register.

Host: SmartMeetings

Presenter: Bill Fluharty, sales engineer, PSAV

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Wed 5/17 at 1 p.m. – Mindful Meetings

Find out what mindfulness really is and how mindfulness programs and practices benefit individuals both personally and professionally. Learn how mindfulness is implemented in meetings and how it can impact attendees in a technology-driven world. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.

Host: Meetings Today

Presenter: Lee Papa, mindfulness expert

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Wed 5/17 at 2 p.m. – 2017 Membership Trends: How to Grow Your Program in a Changing Environment
Find out how the Handbell Missions of America changed their programs and benefits to meet the needs of their members, how they use communication and membership tools to encourage renewals, and what membership trends are on our minds. More info/register.

Host: Neon

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Wed 5/17 at 2 p.m. – Introduction to Reading the Waves of Change

Learn a simple approach to help you identify potential impacts for your association. Find out how to identify potential waves of change to explore, analyze an individual wave for possible impacts, and explore for potential opportunities and challenges for your association. More info/register.

Host: Cynthia D’Amour MBA, author of The Lazy Leader’s Guide to Outrageous Results and founder of “Wake Up Wednesdays”

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Wed 5/17 at 2 p.m. – Measuring Your Members’ Engagement

With attendance at meetings decreasing and people’s attention spans seemingly getting smaller and smaller, it’s often difficult for an organization to gauge how engaged their members really are in their organization. Learn about membership trends and valuable tools to help you measure the engagement of your members. More info/register.

Host: Altai Systems

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Wed 5/17 at 2 p.m. – Association Leadership Study: What Makes Up a High-Performing Board

Hear about the results from a comprehensive two-part qualitative and quantitative benchmarking study on association leadership. Learn about the unique relationship between the board and the executive director/CEO, common challenges association leadership has and how they overcome them, what makes the most successful boards excel, and what engagement truly means. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: Association Headquarters

Presenter: Amy Williams, CAE, MPA, IOM, vice president of business development and consulting, Association Headquarters

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Wed 5/17 at 2 p.m. – Secret Tech Weapons for Association Event Planners & Executives

Discover how to use free and bargain technology tools you never knew existed to work more efficiently with your colleagues, create professional-level graphics and wow your members and attendees. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.

Host: Pathable

Presenter: Beth Ziesenis, founder, Your Nerdy Best Friend

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Wed 5/17 at 4 p.m. – Successful Nonprofit Technology Change Management

50% of technology projects fail—the technology moves forward, but the organization does not. Most technology projects have non-technological goals: raise more money, serve more program participants, or become more efficient. To reach those goals, the habits and behaviors of system users must change—sometimes significantly. Learn a simple but powerful framework to examine the impacts of a technology change, how to address those impacts, and identify the steps required for the organization to change with the technology. More info/register.

Host: Community IT Innovators

Presenter: Peter Gross, partner, Build Consulting

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Thu 5/18 at 10 a.m. – Coffee, Tea, and PD!

Whether you have a long-time mentor, new one, or a “virtual” mentor ala lessons from Oprah or even Mr. Miyagi from the Karate Kid, mentors can play a powerful role in professional development. Join us for a quick coffee break as we explore these questions, and more: What value have you found working with a mentor? What role do they play for you? How do you mentor others? More info/register.

Host: ASAE Professional Development Section

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Thu 5/18 at 12 p.m. – How to Fuel Exceptional New Member Experiences

Members think far differently about joining, engaging and renewing than associations do. Contrary to our traditional notion of the one-year membership cycle, the decision to renew is highly influenced by the new member’s experience when they first join. Learn how associations are successfully engaging all members by focusing far more on their newest members, providing them with the specific value they need, and making great first impressions, which propels engagement. More info/register.

Host: AssociationSuccess.org

Presenter: Amanda Kaiser, chief path finder, Kaiser Insights LLC

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Thu 5/18 at 1 p.m. – Life without AMS? We’ll Die Trying…

Over the past few years, a lot has been said about the love/hate (or hate/hate) relationship that associations have with their Association Management Systems (AMS). AIIM, the information management association, has been vocal on this subject for years. Recently, they decided to test how far they could ‘unbundle’ their most critical business processes from their AMS. Find out what finally prompted them to disprove the notion that the AMS had to be the ‘master’ data system, and what processes were driven to a best-of-breed application that is well used and well loved. More info/register.

Hosts/Presenters:

• Teri Carden, founder, ReviewMyAMS
• Eric Nelson, managing principal, Synaptitude
• Peggy Winton, president/CEO, AIIM International

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Thu 5/18 at 1 p.m. – Typography in Marketing

Type is an expression of a brand. It gives an immediate picture of an organization and its attributes. What does your brand typography say about your organization? See how different fonts and typography communicate beyond the words they form. Understand how creating a custom font can uniquely help your brand tell its story. Learn a process for deciding how to identify what font is right for any given design project. More info/register.

Host: American Marketing Association

Presenter: Terrance Weinzierl, type designer, Monotype

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Thu 5/18 at 2 p.m. – Marketing Automation for Associations

Recruiting new members is important, but existing members are the lifeblood of your association. In this age of overflowing inboxes, it’s even more challenging to stay in front of them. Break through the clutter by making your email and social messages more targeted, relevant, and focused on individual interests. Learn how to use marketing automation to improve member retention and renewals, increase attendance for webinars and live events, and track engagement for members and prospects. More info/register.

Host: Real Magnet

Presenter: Mitch Eisen, co-founder, Real Magnet

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Thu 5/18 at 2:30 p.m. – 5 Tips for Sponsorship Packages and Pricing Optimization

Selling sponsorships is hard work. Learn about the key considerations in developing sponsorship packages and pricing, utilizing data for pricing, clustering sponsorships to optimize sales, and marketing your program to shorten the sales cycle. More info/register.

Host: The Moery Company

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Thu 5/18 at 3 p.m. – ASAE Technology Section Roundtable: Digital Transformation (New York City)

What does digital transformation really mean and what can it do for your association? Hear case studies from the Food and Drug Law Institute and the International Trademark Association and then engage in a lively discussion about how association technology leaders can transform their associations to conduct business successfully in the digital world. Location: New York NY. More info/register.
Presenters:

• Emilio Arocho, director, technology and digital strategy, Food and Drug Law Institute
• Erik Hartman, director of IT and business solutions, International Trademark Association
• Todd M. Tolbert, chief administrative officer, Internet Society

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Thu 5/18 at 3 p.m. – Maximize Your Revenue with Conversion Optimization: Website Best Practices

Conversion optimization provides an opportunity to significantly increase the flow of good leads or ecommerce revenue with existing traffic levels. Learn how site speed can affect conversion rates. Understand why responsive design impacts conversions for mobile users. See how having a multimedia strategy can increase customer engagement. More info/register.

Host: American Marketing Association

Presenter: Kent Lewis, president and founder, Anvil Media

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Fri 5/19 at 12 p.m. – AENC CEO Luncheon (Raleigh NC)

Bring your issues as well as your successes to share in this association CEO Think Tank. 1 CAE credit. Location: Raleigh NC. More info/register.

Facilitator: Joe Stewart, executive director, NC Free Enterprise Foundation

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Fri 5/19 at 12 p.m. – Building Women Association Leaders: Key Is Confidence (DC Swap Lunch & Learn)

Women comprise 75% of the association and nonprofit workforce, but hold only 45% of the top leadership positions. This can be attributed to a confidence gender gap—and research shows that confidence correlates just as closely with success as competence. Join in a discussion about how association leaders are closing this gap by tying their competence to their confidence. 1 CAE credit. Location: Washington DC. More info/register.

Presenter: Carol Vernon, certified executive coach, trainer, and founder, Leading Women in Associations

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Fri 5/19 at 3 p.m. – Using Digital Advertising for Membership Growth

1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: HighRoad Solution

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Save the date: Wed 5/24 at 1 p.m. – How to Get a Restful Night’s Sleep During Your Membership Software Implementation

Membership software implementation doesn’t have to be one big headache. It can be a smooth, predictable, and efficient process. Learn how to create a successful implementation team, how Aptify handles the internal hand-off from engagement to consulting, what an implementation timeline looks like, and how to stay on budget. More info/register.

Host: Aptify

Presenters: Eric McDonald, engagement manager, and Dray McFarlane, solution architect, Aptify

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Save the dates: Wed/Thu June 7-8 – AMS Fest in Chicago

I’m looking forward to two loaded days of discussions about nothing but AMS/CRM. If you’re thinking about a new AMS, implementing an AMS, or work closely with an AMS, you should join me. Speakers include high-profile association experimenters, rule breakers, and action takers. Location: Chicago IL. More info/register.

Host: ReviewMyAMS.com

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That’s it for this week. 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 professional development for the association community, please send me the link via email or Twitter.

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