The weekly list of free educational events and resources for the association community…
Here’s one for the accidental project managers. If you’ve ever been in charge of a technology implementation project without the benefit of project management experience, then you know what a wild ride it is. Looking back, you probably wish you knew then what you know now. WBT Systems shares some project management basics, like why you need a charter and sponsor, and what you should think about during the project planning phase.
It’s so sad to meet an association professionals whose boss doesn’t provide a budget for professional development—how cruelly ironic considering associations are in the lifelong learning business. I usually tell the person to start job-hunting, but Gwen Moran at Fast Company has other ideas about what to do if your boss is professionally ‘breadcrumbing’ you—a new phrase for me, it means “being strung along by small reinforcements without true commitment,” like providing professional development.
Four Harvard Business School smarty-pants explain why asking for advice is more effective than asking for feedback. I can see how members and customers might be more apt to reply to a request for advice than a request for membership or program feedback.
B-to-B social review sites are becoming more mainstream and influential, says Ian Bruce at SiriusDecisions. Sites like ReviewMyAMS and ReviewMyLMS are certainly popular in the association community. Find out what your company needs to know about engagement (paid or otherwise) with these sites.
Quick hits before we get to next week’s free webinars:
- Is your marketing mediocre? Peruse this checklist to find out. (Ann Handley, Emma)
- The best reason to do content marketing is organic search–but you’ll reap other benefits as well. (Michael Brenner, Content Marketing Institute)
- 7 cybersecurity threats that can sneak up on you. (David Nield, Wired)
Good eats:
- Blackened fish is a stand-by recipe that never disappoints. Here’s my spice rub for one pound of fish: 1-1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika; 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, onion powder, garlic powder, dried thyme and dried basil; 1/4 teaspoon each of dried oregano and cayenne pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper.
- Last week, we got three dozen Pirate Pearls oysters in our North Carolina seafood share so I roasted them and served them alongside a Vivian Howard recipe for brown butter spiked with hot sauce, lemon juice and lemon zest. I veered off from her recipe by not chilling the butter, and serving it melty warm instead.
- It feels like fall, finally, so I took out the Instant Pot and three-plus pounds of short ribs from the freezer to make this New York Times recipe. I followed the comments and did 50 minutes of pressure followed by a natural release—smart idea. I also doubled the red wine, thinking I’d need it to prevent a “burn” signal, but that was a mistake, too much wine. Next time, I’ll use beef (or mushroom) broth in addition to the wine.
Here are 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.
Mon 10/21 at 1 p.m.* – Chatting with Agnes & Cecilia
Check out this 15-minute web series covering hot topics and issues related to 501c organization management. A new episode is posted every Monday by 1 p.m., or subscribe for updates. More info.
Host: Rogue Tulips LLC
Presenters:
- Agnes Amos-Coleman, MBA, CMP, education, conference, event, certification consultant, Amos-Coleman
- Cecilia Sepp, CAE, CNAP, principal and founder, Rogue Tulips LLC
*All times are Eastern Daylight Time unless otherwise noted.
Tue 10/22 usually at 8:30 a.m. – Coffee Talks with Results Direct (usually in Alexandria VA)
Save the date and check their website for more information. Location: Alexandria VA.
Host: Results Direct
Tue 10/22 at 12:30 p.m. – Elements of an Effective Membership Brochure
Even with all the technological innovations revolutionizing membership recruitment strategies in today’s world, the membership brochure remains a mainstay of membership marketing. Learn about the components of an efficient and compelling membership brochure. 0.5 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: The Next Steps, LLC
Tue 10/22 at 1 p.m. – Integrating Online Communications into Your Fundraising Campaign
Learn how to successfully use online communication tools to enhance your fundraising efforts in inexpensive and time-effective ways. More info/register.
Host: Idealware
Presenter: Chris Tuttle, Principal Consultant at TuttleCo
Tue 10/22 at 2 p.m. – Post-Social Media Association (Association Chat on Twitter #assnchat)
Join an online tweet chat with fellow association professionals by following the #assnchat hashtag on Tuesdays at 2 p.m. This week: When people can find and connect with others like them for free, what does it mean for associations? More info.
Host: KiKi L’Italien, founder, Amplified Growth
Tue 10/22 at 2 p.m. – What GivingTuesday Data Is Telling Us About Effective Fundraising
With more than 60 participating organizations in the U.S. and teams in more than 50 countries, the GivingTuesday Data Collaborative is the largest-ever philanthropic data initiative. Hear about the threats and opportunities this work is revealing and key findings from the U.S. and around the world about how, when and why people give. Learn about the implications these important shifts in behavior will likely have when it comes to the future of fundraising. More info/register.
Host: TechSoup
Presenter: Woodrow Rosenbaum, President & CEO, With Intent
Wed 10/23 at 11:30 a.m. – Associations’ Role in Education and Workforce Development (Lunch & Learn in Alexandria VA)
Everyone talks about connecting industry and education but quite often associations are left out of the conversation. Hear what role associations play in the skills gap, the future of work and how associations are starting to play a bigger role in education and workforce development. Location: Alexandria VA. More info/register.
Host: Cue Career
Presenters:
- Heather Dean, Chief Operating Officer at the National School Boards Association
- Steve DeWitt, Deputy Executive Director at Association for Career and Technical Education
- John Dyer, Director, Workforce and Economic Development at American Association of Community Colleges
- Kiki L’Italien (moderator), Host of Association Chat
Wed 10/23 at 12 p.m. – Protecting Trade Secrets and Confidential Information: Tips for Nonprofit Organizations
Nonprofit organizations maintain a large amount of confidential information, including donor information, member lists, confidential documents, and trade secrets. Organizations need to be careful in taking steps to protect this information and in taking appropriate actions when such information has been misappropriated. This seminar will cover: why more trade secret lawsuits are being filed; what information is entitled to trade secret status; how to minimize loss of trade secret status and theft of confidential information; how to minimize being accused of misappropriating someone else’s trade secrets; and how to deal with employee theft of confidential information. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Venable LLP
Presenters:
- Chris Borello, Partner, Venable LLP
- Nick Reiter, Partner, Venable LLP
Wed 10/23 at 1 p.m. – Using Slack as Association Staff
Come join a roundtable discussion on using Slack (a cloud-based team collaboration software) for your internal communications. Bring your toughest questions, and feel free to show off the ways you’re using Slack to streamline your team’s interoffice conversations. More info/register.
Host: Novi AMS
Wed 10/23 at 1 p.m. – How to Promote Your Brand with Digital Credentials
Hear how AICPA and IBM have used digital credentials to put their brands in front of new eyes and as part of their marketing campaigns to effectively promote their organizations. Learn how digital credentials can maximize your marketing budget, how to increase digital credential earner engagement through marketing campaigns, and how digital credentials can help protect your brand identity. More info/register.
Host: Credly
Wed 10/23 at 2 p.m. – Neuroscaping Your Event: How to Optimize Experiences with Science
Explore how Neuroscaping applies neuroscience, psychology and data sciences to optimize events, learning, and human interactions. Uncover why it is critical to approach events and communications with greater insight into the human mind. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: PCMA
Presenter: Ben Moorsom, founder, Neuroscaping Design Inc.
Wed 10/23 at 2 p.m. – Creating Compelling Events for Today’s Healthcare Professionals
Using research results from a recent white paper by Ashfield Meetings & Events, three medical-meeting specialists will discuss how physician preferences at meetings and congresses are evolving, and why. The panel will address the future format for scientific congresses from the pre-event, on-site, and post-event experiences, as well as the role that pharma and medical-device companies and associations must play in HCPs’ education. More info/register.
Host: Meetings Net
Presenters: Katie Koziol, Director of Client Services, Kelby Hicks, Senior Account Manager, and Melissa Welch, Senior Operations Manager, Ashfield Meetings & Events
Thu 10/24 usually at 8:30 a.m. – Coffee Talks with Results Direct (usually in Reston VA)
Save the date and check their website for more information.
Host: Results Direct
Thu 10/24 at 12 p.m. – Effectively Promote Your Organization’s Content Online
Subscribers have extremely high interest in their organization’s publications, but how can they engage with your news and articles if they don’t even know you’ve published content? Learn effective methods to promote your internal content, including SEO basics for more effective content promotion, personalizing and automatically sending email blasts with your recently published content, and the best ways to leverage your social media profiles and other free promotional channels. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: ASAE
Presenter: Erica Salm Rench, Director of Customer Success at rasa.io
Thu 10/24 at 12:30 p.m. – What is the Future State of Credentialing?
There has been a lot of industry talk recently about “the changing face of credentialing” or how “the disruption is coming.” Learn about this disruption and hear insights for navigating these changes that can benefit any credentialing program. 0.5 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: .orgCommunity
Presenter: Carlos Restrepo, MS, CAE, Chief Revenue Officer, Agilutions
Thu 10/24 at 1 p.m. – Inside the Customer Learning Lifecycle: How Continuous Education Drives Lasting Value
Customer experience has become a business obsession—and with good reason. When organizations get it right they enjoy more profitable, loyal customer relationships, which in turn create a competitive advantage. But where does education fit-in? Learn how to prioritize fluid customer education needs; how to build a convincing business case; guidelines for choosing effective tools and technologies; tips for quick deployment and continuous improvement; successful “lifecycle” content strategies; and metrics to evaluate program impact over time. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: SAP Litmos
Presenters:
- John Leh, CEO and Lead Analyst at Talented Learning
- Mike Martin, CLO at SAP Litmos
Thu 10/24 at 2 p.m. – The 4 C’s of Engagement: Capture, Customize, Curate & Communicate
Hear about the findings from the 2019 Association Communications Benchmarking Report, along with recommendations and tips based on the top challenges and trends identified. Learn how to effectively incorporate and manage the 4 C’s of engagement into your 2020 communications program. Hear from the American Society for Quality—the highest scorer across all categories in their 2019 Association Communications Best Practices Report Card—about the strategies and approaches they use to ensure a successful communications program. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Association Adviser/Naylor Association Solutions
Presenters:
- Dawn Caous, Director, Marketing Communications, American Society for Quality
- Sarah Sain, Director of Content, Member Communications, Naylor Association Solutions
Thu 10/24 at 3:30 p.m. – Association Ethics Toolkit & Happy Hour (McLean VA)
Learn about the new Ethics Toolkit that was recently developed by ASAE’s Ethics Committee to create more ethical practices in association management. Walk through how to use the Toolkit to assess your organization and to plan future strategy to create a more ethical workplace. The program will be immediately followed by a networking reception/happy hour. 1.5 CAE credit (meets new CAE ethics education requirement). Location: McLean VA. More info/register.
Host: Northern Virginia Chamber
Presenters:
- Billy M. Williams, CAE, Vice President, Ethics, Diversity and Inclusion, American Geophysical Union
- Bob Skelton, CAE, Chief Administrative Officer, ASAE
Tue 10/29 and Wed 10/30 – Live Review
Live Review is a two-day, entirely online event that allows you to efficiently, effectively and affordably get targeted demos of learning platforms from 14 vendors focused on learning businesses and committed to serving organizations that market and sell lifelong learning, continuing education and professional development. More info/register.
Host: ReviewMyLMS (Tagoras)
Tue 10/29 at 1 p.m. – Leading Member Engagement from the Outside-In
Learn a new definition of engagement, and hear specific stories of organizations that have positioned themselves for success by becoming value-generating partners for their members. Learn how refocusing engagement efforts on what matters most to your stakeholders will allow you to generate real value for your audiences while also advancing your chapters’ goals. Find out how to shift your perspective on engagement from seeing it as an activity that is siloed in the membership department to understanding its role at the heart of business strategy. More info/register.
Host: Engage
Presenter: Elizabeth Engel, CAE, CEO and Chief Strategist, Spark Consulting
Wed 10/30 at 2 p.m. – AMS Implementation Horror Stories
We’ll try not to spook you too much, but it’s that time of the year and we have a few scary stories to tell you about how you can avoid implementation nightmares. Don’t worry, all names have been changed to protect the innocent. It would be ghoulish of us not to provide a treat, so we’ll be focusing on how to avoid these pitfalls so you can survive to tell your own story. More info/register.
Hosts: ReviewMyAMS and Cobalt
Presenters:
- Chris Capistran, President of Cobalt
- Teri Carden (moderator), CEO of ReviewMyAMS
Wed 11/6, Thu 11/7 and Fri 11/8, sessions on the hour from 12 to 4 p.m. – SURGE Growth
SURGE is a free virtual conference where association professionals assemble from all corners of the world for productive conversations around innovation and change. During each session, a chat runs simultaneously, allowing attendees to contribute thoughts and talk with each other, as well as with speakers. The subject of sustainable growth is multi-faceted, and the industry can truly benefit from these conversations by carefully examining potential areas for expansion. SURGE Growth is about maximizing each of the major factors that influence sustainable development and doing so with the right professionals to maximize your takeaways and, ultimately, your associations’ progression. CAE/CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: Association Success
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 before Thursday afternoon.
Association Brain Food 