The weekly list of free educational events and resources for the association community…
Dave Lutz of Velvet Chainsaw Consulting says conferences are missing the boat by offering mostly novice or intermediate content. Instead, they should aim to meet the needs of advanced practitioners—and he’s seen survey results that back up his argument. “Early and mid-career professionals can catch on, and are in fact more attracted to challenging content and to making connections with experienced colleagues.”
Many parents don’t attend your conference because they can’t or can’t afford to leave their children behind at home. Cassie Werber at Quartz explains how the lack of childcare at conferences is an inclusion issue. Does your association have a blind spot on this one?
Rethink your leadership training programs, says WBT Systems, so you can develop leaders who not only lead your association into the future, but help lead their company (and industry) into the future too.
MemberSuite explains how to meet the unique needs of volunteer leaders—and increase their engagement and retention as volunteers and members.
If you want to be an organizational maverick instead of a wannabe or dysfunctional maverick, check out Scott Cowen’s advice at Knowledge@Wharton.
“Lacking generations of feudal tradition and clinging to the myth of being a classless society, Americans couldn’t just bring servants into their homes. So venture capitalists did it for them… all of these ‘gig’ economy companies simply created a giant pool of servants that you could call on demand. Crap, he (Indi Samarajiva) is right.
Quick hits before we get to next week’s free webinars:
- Scientific insight on why you never seem to have enough time. (Kira M. Newman, Greater Good Magazine)
- Seven ways to boost your newsletter open rate. (Michael Brenner, Content Marketing Institute)
- Here’s what you really need to know about quantum computing. (Greg Satell, Innovation Excellence)
Good eats:
- I haven’t been home for dinner much in the past week but on Tuesday I was and I needed something quick. I picked up a rotisserie chicken and made spiced couscous and chicken, a tasty Food Network recipe with almonds, golden raisins, carrots, scallions, cilantro and warm spices.
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.
Tue 10/15 at 1 p.m.* – 10 Online Communication & Fundraising Best Practices for Small NGOs
Packed with practical advice and customized for small NGOs on a limited budget, this webinar will stress the importance of engaging website design, strategic email marketing, and current trends in online fundraising and social media. Attendees will also gain insight by learning benchmarks for success as revealed in the 2019 Global NGO Technology Report. More info/register.
Host: Nonprofit Tech for Good
*All times are Eastern Daylight Time unless otherwise noted.
Tue 10/15 at 2 p.m. – Association Chat on Twitter (#assnchat)
The original #assnchat Twitter chat is back. Join an online tweet chat with fellow association professionals by following the #assnchat hashtag on Tuesdays at 2 p.m. More info.
This week’s moderator: Moira Edwards, president, Ellipsis Partners
Organizer: KiKi L’Italien, founder, Amplified Growth
Tue 10/15 at 3 p.m. – Are We Fully Leveraging the Value of Advocacy? (Zoom and Washington DC)
Join other public affairs and public relations leaders for a deep dive into the spectrum of advocacy communications issues – addressing diverse member views, tailoring messages, getting leadership buy-in, breaking down silos, increasing effectiveness, and measuring success. Locations: Zoom and Washington DC. More info/register.
Organizer: Associations Catalyzing Entrepreneurship
Presenters:
- Ed Barks, president of Barks Communications
- Tommy Goodwin, government relations manager for the Project Management Institute
- Dennis Sadler, chief operations officer for the National Association of Secondary School Principals
Wed 10/16 at 1 p.m. – Using Google Analytics
Come join the Novi team for a roundtable discussion on using Google Analytics to track and report on your website traffic. Bring your toughest questions, and feel free to show off the ways you’re using analytics. More info/register.
Host: Novi AMS
Wed 10/16 at 1 p.m. – To Be the Best, You Need to Learn From the Best
We’ve compiled data from our customers who see the highest levels of app adoption and engagement. Not only will you see how you stack up against other CrowdCompass users, but you will learn the tips and tricks our highest achievers are using to see such great results. If you are not currently using a mobile event app, no problem. This webinar will help you see how you can most effectively implement mobile technology to increase engagement at your next event. More info/register.
Host: Meetings Today
Presenter: Brooke Gracey, Marketing Manager, Campaigns and Podcast Host, Cvent
Wed 10/16 at 2 p.m. – Transform the Way Your Organization Engages & Communicates 365 Days a Year
Engaging with your attendees and members at your event is easy. But what happens the other 360 days of the year is just as important. Join us as we discuss valuable ways to keep them engaged year-round. More info/register.
Host: Community Brands
Wed 10/16 at 3 p.m. – 10 Free Cybersecurity Tools (and 3 Worth Paying For)
Learn about ten free cybersecurity risk-management tools available to nonprofits that want to increase security, how they operate, how to set them up, and how to train your staff to use them. Hear about three security tools to pay for, what they do, and why they offer a return on your investment. More info/register.
Host: Community IT
Presenter: Community IT Innovators’ CTO cybersecurity expert, Matt Eshleman
Thu 10/17 at 11:30 a.m. – 10 Ways to Maximize the Potential of Your Association’s Corporate Partnership Program (Alexandria VA Brown Bag)
Learn ten ways your association can maximize the value of your corporate partnership program. 1 CAE credit. Location: Alexandria VA. More info/register.
Organizer: Talisa Thomas-Hall, ACS ALB, VC5, The Association Whisperer
Presenters:
- Bruce Rosenthal, Bruce Rosenthal Associates, LLC
- Lewis Flax, Flax Associates
Thu 10/17 at 12 p.m. – Are You Ready for an Organizational Culture Check-Up? (Washington DC Idea Swap)
The best laid plans, ambitious goals and new initiatives will often flounder if they do not align with your organization’s culture. Learn what organizational culture is and explore different styles of organizational culture. Learn more about what healthy organizations do differently and how you might integrate new approaches to cultivate a healthier organizational culture. 1 CAE credit. Location: Washington DC. More info/register.
Organizer: ASAE Greater Washington / National Capital Community
Presenter: Carol Hamilton, principal at Grace Social Sector Consulting
Thu 10/17 at 1 p.m. – Tech That Matters *Now* for Learning Businesses
Emerging technologies like virtual reality and AI generate a lot of buzz, but, for most learning businesses, chasing after the latest and greatest is of questionable value. Learn about the technologies that matter most right now for learning businesses, the tech that can most help you meet modern learner expectations, support effective marketing, and achieve real learning impact. Hear about a framework for thinking about technology decisions and insight into which technology investments make the most sense. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Hosts: Tagoras
Presenters: Celisa Steele and Jeff Cobb, co-founders of Tagoras
Thu 10/17 at 1 p.m. – Digital Marketing to Exceed Your Marketing Goals
Learn how to use strategic digital marketing and intelligent sales techniques to attract and convert potential members to loyal members or grow your event attendance…all with verifiable ROI. We’ll talk about website design (how to maximize your SEO efforts), digital advertising (building campaigns to drive traffic and get stronger online presence), inbound marketing (understanding your members’ personas and the membership journey), lead generation to increase your membership, and sales enablement. More info/register.
Host: enSYNC Corporation
Presenter: Jake Fisher, co-founder of Bridges Strategies
Thu 10/17 at 2 p.m. – Data, Data Everywhere, and There Is A Lot to Drink
Learn how constituent and members data can be enriched by collecting demographics from your website or third-party vendors. Based on defined demographics, data AI can then be used to define best matching constituents and members for targeting sales campaigns around events, membership, fundraising, and product sales. More info/register.
Hosts: ReviewMyAMS, Higher Logic and benel Solutions
Presenters:
- El Mehdi Marhoum, President & CEO, benel Solutions
- Mikhail Opletayev, Vice President, Software Engineering and Data Services, Higher Logic
Thu 10/17 at 2 p.m. – Moving Beyond Empathy through VR
Imagine the possibility of seeing the world through the eyes of a child, a woman or a disabled person. Stanford and Columbia University Research labs have enabled this through virtual reality that creates experiential experiences in Empathy Machines. Join Dr. Courtney Cogburn as she navigates through the 1000 Cut Journey project in what could potentially be the key transformational tool of the future. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: PCMA
Presenter: Dr. Courtney D. Cogburn, assistant professor at the Columbia University School of Social Work and faculty of the Columbia Population Research Center
Fri 10/18 at 7:30 a.m. – Association Component Exchange (CEX)
The only conference designed exclusively for component relations professionals (CRPs), CEX is a one-day forum for association professionals who manage, nurture, and work with chapters to share successes, struggles, strategies, and innovations with your peers. 8 CAE credits. Location: Washington DC. More info/register.
Hosts: Billhighway and Mariner Management
<Yes, CEX is a paid event. I’m breaking my no-paid-events rule because I’m going. I went last year and it was well worth the time and the drive on 95. If you work with components, you will be among your people and will definitely get your time and money’s worth. Hope to see you there!>
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.
Host: Results Direct
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 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 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 ASAE Ethics 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)
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 