Sat.Apr 05, 2014 - Fri.Apr 11, 2014

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Are Virtual and Micro-volunteering the New Normal?

Wild Apricot

'Here''s a preview of a new article in our Membership Knowledge Hub (by Tobi Johnson) that provides insight into and tips for managing and supporting offsite and virtual volunteers.

Tips 240
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Economically engaging

Aaron Wolowiec

'Things were humming along pretty well a few years ago. Gas was, well, relatively affordable, grocery bills were somewhat manageable and people were working. And then 2007 hit. As the economy came crashing down, many of us lost jobs, houses and much more. Stocks and investments plummeted. Luxuries fell by the wayside. Fast forward seven years, and the U.S. is slowly coming back, experts say.

Maine 165
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Xperience2014 is over. Now what? Everything!

YourMembership

It’s easy and more than a little tempting following a successful conference to spend just a little time patting yourself on the back. After all, we all like to celebrate our victories, especially when our customers (or members) are pleased with our efforts. You meeting planners out there know exactly what I am talking about. When you’re a company, or organization, with a 15-year history like YourMembership.com, you can sometimes overlook the important moments while you rush on to the next big th

Florida 150
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Takeaways from Humainze

Eric Lanke

'WSAE is hosting an education session in Green Bay this Monday and Tuesday, and our speakers are the co-authors of Humanize , Jamie Notter and Maddie Grant. In preparing for the session, I decided to go back and review the blog posts I wrote that summarized some of my major takeaways from the book. They include: Stop Calling It Strategic Planning Inspired by a take-down of strategic planning in Humanize , I pledge to stop using that term to describe the messy, constantly evolving process my asso

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Ultimate Guide to Monetizing Association Member Education

Unlock More Profit and Smarter Packaging for Member Learning Every decision that goes into your learning monetization strategy matters for your association’s bottom line. Our research has shown a clear correlation between high program maturity (and ROI!) and choosing the right monetization strategy. This eBook contains clear, actionable ways to approach packaging and pricing models that will help your association grow revenue, improve profitability, and drive expansion into new markets.

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Say A Big Thank You To Your Volunteers

Wild Apricot

'It''s National Volunteer Week in the U.S. and Canada. Here are some ideas and resources for celebrating your volunteers this year.

Resources 247

More Trending

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The “Right” Organizational Structure

Jamie Notter

'There is none. Sorry to disappoint you, but I think it’s time we admitted the truth here. There is no “correct” organizational structure. Deep down, we crave that right answer, that perfect solution to the problem of structure. Should marketing people report to a marketing department, or to a business unit manager? And what about these new software companies that seem to be abandoning structure altogether and have everyone working in one, noisy room.

Software 108
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Hug a Volunteer: It’s National Volunteer Week

Associations Now

'Sunday marked the beginning of National Volunteer Week, a 40-year tradition of honoring the work and service of U.S. volunteers. Here’s how several associations are both saluting their volunteers and fostering the volunteer spirit this week. This week marks the 40th anniversary of National Volunteer Week in the United States. Across our country, volunteers open doors of opportunity, pave avenues of success, fortify their communities, and lay the foundation for tomorrow’s growth and prospe

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Wild Apricot Customers Are NOT Affected By The 'Heartbleed' Security Bug

Wild Apricot

'You may have heard about an Internet security vulnerability known as the ''Heartbleed bug''. Wild Apricot are not affected - read on for more information.

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What Will Associations Monetize In The Future?

Velvet Chainsaw

'Associations offer more than education opportunities. They provide industry research, membership, certification and standards, networking and advocacy. And all of these services have been monetized in order to provide additional services for their members. Yet, today, many of these services have become commoditized. Others produce these products, often at higher quality, with value-adds, at lower costs or even free.

Mooc 85
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2024 Association Survey Results Report

2024 Association Survey Results Report For the 10th year, association professionals across the U.S. and Canada provided a look at the inner workings of their organizations when they replied to GrowthZone’s annual survey. Read the 2024 survey results report to see how your association compares: Top Challenges Retention Rates Non-Renewal Reasons Automatic Renewals Reinstatement Strategies Member Engagement Changes & Strategies Why Members Join Non-Dues Revenue Sources Dues Increases, and more

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The Problem with Smart People

Jamie Notter

'What do you do with that person in your organization who is incredibly smart, incredibly knowledgeable, and incredibly good at their job–but also has very negative behaviors like bullying others, constantly criticizing, hoarding information…(fill in the blank)? Most of us end up tolerating the bad behaviors. We try to coach them on it. We bring it up in performance reviews (but not too harshly; what would happen if they got mad and quit?!).

Review 102
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Construction Industry Courts Next Generation of Workers

Associations Now

'44 % The percentage of workers in the construction industry who are 45 or older, according to U.S. Census Bureau numbers reported by the Associated Press. Nearly 20 percent of construction workers are over 55, according to the report. The report notes that many who would otherwise go into the construction field at a young age are choosing college instead.

Denver 86
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So Long LinkedIn Products & Services Tab

Wild Apricot

'On April 14th LinkedIn will "retire" the products & services tab. Here are the details and what it might mean for your organization.

Products 229
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Escape Your Conference Comfort Zone To Become Happier And Smarter

Velvet Chainsaw

'Conference organizers, whatever scares you when planning your event, plan to do it now! That’s right, run to your fear and escape your conference comfort zone! Why? Busting out of your conference comfort zone leads to a longer, happier, smarter life with increased confidence, gratification and satisfaction, to paraphrase author Ken Budd. Boredom Kills.

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The Retention Ripple Effect: Nonprofit Staff and Donor Dynamics

Speaker: Andrew Olsen, CFRE - EVP, Fundraising Solutions at DickersonBakker | Kat Landa, CFRE, CSD - SVP, Talent Solutions at DickersonBakker

Across the nonprofit sector, organizations invest heavily in donor retention efforts, yet the struggle of cultivating lasting relationships remains. While attracting new donors is crucial, the lack of repeat donors poses significant financial risks. Through a comprehensive analysis of industry data, experts argue that there is a direct correlation between donor burnout, donor retention, and the talent retention crisis.

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How to Showcase Online Community Wins for Membership Marketing

Mizz Information

'Reading this article about Sermo, an online community for physicians, reaching 260,000 members, a part that jumped out at me was this one: “Over the years, physicians collaborated on tens of thousands of cases and although many successes go unreported, over 50% of iConsult cases posted are “Solved on Sermo.” Our average solve time is just 20 hours and most cases receive a first reply within 10 minutes.

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Planners Beware: Be on the Lookout for Room Block Pirates

Associations Now

'Unofficial housing companies use various tactics to woo meeting attendees to book outside the official room block, causing associations to pay costly attrition fees. What are associations and the broader meetings industry doing to combat these poachers? Eye patches. Captain Hook. Argh. Jack Sparrow. Ahoy Matey! Johnny Depp. Swashbuckler. All are the usual words and phrases people think of when it comes to pirates.

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Shaking Things Up With Transparent Reviews: An Interview With Teri Carden of ReviewMyAMS.com

Association Mavens

'Teri Carden is behind a new online resource called ReviewMyAMS.com and we talk about the reason why she started the site, what the response has been from the association industry—plus a ton more about the need for such a review site. Don’t miss this discussion! Other Downloads: MP3 Version. Video Transcription: Bryan: Hey, everybody. This is Bryan Kelly from Association Mavens, the place to get direct access to some of the foremost thinkers and teachers in the association industry.

Review 70
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Conference Education Should Drive Business Growth

Velvet Chainsaw

'The only reason that conference education sessions exist is to drive a business’ outcomes. (paraphrase author Rita Smith.). Ok, sure some conference education sessions exist for personal development, hobbies or pleasure. But most of us attend conferences to learn and grow professionally. Yet, in many cases, the business, meaning an attendees’ employer and business, is the primary customer of a conference’s education.

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SME Relationships: Proven Solutions for Seamless Collaboration and Success

Speaker: Tim Buteyn, President of ThinkingKap Learning Solutions

💢 Do you find yourself stuck in never-ending review cycles? Are you wondering if your Subject Matter Expert actually got that last review request? Are you having trouble trying to decipher impractical or conflicting feedback? 💢 If any of these scenarios sounds familiar, you may benefit from a crash course on managing SME relationships!

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Associations & Nonprofits: Big Boards. Big Bureaucracy. Big Problems?

SCD Group

'Some time ago, I met an association executive who talked about her “committee on committees” as a tool to get a handle on the bureaucracy within her board of directors. I spent 15 years as an association executive at a large (200 staff, $40+ million budget) national association. (Keep in mind, this was in the “pre-internet” era.) As much as we tried to avoid it, staff size and board size (two boards totaling 89 directors) became a bureaucracy.

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How Much Do Your Employees Know About Their Benefits?

Associations Now

'A new survey found many employees don’t read their employee handbooks. Here’s a look at how to better communicate benefits information. How do you tell your staff about their employee benefits? If it’s via a handbook, chances are a lot of your employees may not be getting all the information. According to a new survey [PDF] by employee engagement and communications company GuideSpark, 43 percent of millennials and 30 percent of non-millennials are not reading most of their handbooks.

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WTF Influence?

Mizz Information

'Am I the only one who’s wondering when the whole concept of “Influence” totally just jumped the rails? Not that I ever credited Influence platforms like Klout and/or Kred much to begin with.ok, I didn’t credit them. At all. But lately? The whole concept of influence just seems to have gone from iffy to just downright crazy. Take Klout. Their whole alleged point used to be that they were “the Standard for Online Influence.

Content 52
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The Secret To Social Media Engagement: Kiss A Squirrel!

Beth Kanter

'“I kissed a squirrel & I liked it” #ReplaceGirlWithSquirrelInASong. — Billboard (@billboard) April 4, 2014. I’m preparing for a webinar and with any training I begin the instructional design with surveying participants to understand their level, learning goals, and attitudes about the subject matter. Then I build out the content and discussion questions.

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Measuring the ROI of Enterprise Learning for Customers, Partners, and Professionals

Prove the ROI of Learning Struggling to measure the business impact of learning initiatives? Try our three-pillar approach to show the true value of learning, backed by stories from real businesses like yours. Make 2024 the year of ROI!

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Do you put your Association’s “bakery” up front?

SCD Group

'The other day my wife returned from the grocery store and mentioned the power of the wonderful aroma of the bakery. which, of course, is at the front of the store. And, why not? All the research (see Paco Underhill’s Why We Buy ) shows that aroma is a powerful motivator. That is one reason grocers put milk at the back of the store and the bakery at the front.

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Patent Reform Faces a Fresh Fight in the Senate

Associations Now

'A Side Player One sphere where there is general opposition to patent reform—and that doesn’t draw as much notice as corporate interests—is the academic world. A piece for Legal Newsline notes that weaker patents could put research efforts at risk. “Every now and then, a university has a blockbuster patent and they can get significant revenue from that,” Association of American Universities Executive Vice President John Vaughn told the publication.

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How to Create a Custom Short URL with Bitly

Beekeeper Group

'If you’re like me, you get a little twinge of social media envy each time you see someone using a custom short URL. Not only do they help track and shorten links, but short URLS also highlight your brand and—let’s face it—they just look cool. Recently, we had the opportunity to help a client set up their own branded short domain. During the process, we found many outdated articles on the topic, but few that reflected some updated policies […] The post How to Create a Custom Short URL wit

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New Tips from the Giving Day Playbook on Crowdfunding Campaigns

Beth Kanter

'From GiveMN Case Study - Click for Case Study. Note from Beth: I’m working with the Knight Foundation to facilitate a peer learning exchange that will help their community foundation partners learn and spread best practices in planning and implementing Giving Days. This learning approach has two ways to capture knowledge. The first is The Giving Day Play books which a collective archive of formally documented processes, examples, check lists, and case studies planning and hosting giving day

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Here’s a Powerful Marketing Tool Designed for Associations

Show the Benefits of Membership to Your Toughest Prospects. Download this FREE infographic from GrowthZone AMS, Why Join an Association, and start using it as your go-to recruitment and retention marketing tool. Post it on your website. Use it in sales presentations. Or use it as inspiration to create your own version. Infographics have power. They're a quick read.