The weekly list of free educational events and resources for the association community…
DEI education. WBT Systems opens their most recent post with a quote from Maya Angelou: “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” Your association can help staff, volunteer leaders, and members know better by offering (and requiring for some) diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) education.
Inclusive leadership. Processes, policies and traditions are all areas of concern when it comes to DEI, but this meaty read, The Manager’s Guide to Inclusive Leadership — Small Habits That Make a Big Impact from First Round Review, describes small behavioral steps leaders can take to create a more inclusive workplace. Although written for managers, it’s full of good advice for all of us.
Future-facing. Stop saying “back to normal.” Alistair Croll wants us to think about what we might create, instead of mourning what we have lost. “A crisis not only makes us all early adopters, it also makes us more risk-tolerant… We need to focus on what is now possible, rather than lamenting what isn’t.”
Rethinking membership. Don’t you love watching how associations are taking on big changes like never before? Okay, they don’t have a choice but hopefully this mindset will persist. MemberSuite suggests taking advantage of this opportunity to assess and make changes to your association’s membership benefits or even your membership model.
CRP secret sauce. Billhighway uncovers the secret sauce for component relations professionals (CRPs)—the valuable skills and traits that CRPs themselves say they need to nurture the chapter/association relationship and help chapter leaders succeed.
Choo choo. You know the icebreaker… what would people be surprised to learn about you? I always find this difficult in real time because I take myself for granted. But then I saw something and thought, oh yeah, that’s one of those things. I’m a train geek, more specifically, I love getting a sleeper compartment for a long-distance train ride. I’ve done it three times across parts of the U.S., so I must admit, I’ve already watched some of these virtual train rides, but, please, be my guest. All aboard!
Quick hits before we get to the list of this week’s free education:
- Freedumb: an excellent word to describe the idiocy and selfishness of anti-maskers. Unfortunately, we have a lot of them in my state, North Carolina. (Damon Linker)
- Look how your project management skills can transform family dynamics: the Agile family meeting. (Bruce Feiler, Harvard Business Review)
- Good point about speakers… How to promote a virtual event, according to HubSpot marketers. (Pamela Bump, HubSpot)
- Forget White Fragility: here are ten books America should be reading about race. (Thomas Chatterton Williams, Spectator USA)
Good eats—skip down to the list of free webinars if you prefer take-out. If you’re a home cook, check out my weekly In The Kitchen posts on my Grabbing the Gusto blog for more.
- We don’t eat much salmon because we get a weekly fish share from the NC coast but when I saw this NY Times recipe for roasted dill salmon, I wanted to try it the next night with striped mullet. In keeping with the spirit of the original recipe, I used pomegranate molasses instead of maple syrup. Quick and excellent.
- Monkfish was on the menu the following night. I sautéed bacon, red onion, garlic, and tomatoes, put the monkfish on top and kept cooking (covered), then stirred in basil and sprinkled it all with fennel pollen at the end. Pretty darn good! Fennel pollen is one of those magical ingredients that elevates any dish.
- I call them covid-cravings, those cravings you give into now when you normally wouldn’t, like smoked salmon dip just because. Jim’s not a fan so guess who ate it all? Adding a heaping teaspoon of horseradish was the right move.
- The highlight of the week was Sunday breakfast because the roast beef hash I made from leftover roast beef was surprisingly delicious. I tossed chunks of roast beef along with leftover roasted potatoes and root vegetables into the food processor along with some garlic scallions from the garden. I spread the finely chopped mix evenly over the bottom of the pan, fried it until it got a bit crunchy, then tossed it around and fried it again. Oh my, so good with fried eggs. So good it convinced me to keep slabs of roast beef in the freezer so I can make this more often.
- For Sunday dinner, the Instant Pot got a workout first with a hearty pork ragù (tasty) and then cacio-e-pepe-style polenta. The polenta didn’t thicken up enough so I had to keep cooking it on the sauté setting until it got to the right consistency.
- You know it’s summer when all the ingredients for this veggie side are at the farmers market: a medley of summer squash varieties, red bell pepper, jalapeno, corn, basil and garlic. Give them a sauté and add Aleppo pepper, lemon juice and parmesan. Yum.
Here are the educational events scheduled for next week. If you have a free webinar or event coming up, please send me the link before Wednesday evening the week before it’s scheduled. I’ll be happy to feature it as long as it’s not too product-centric.
Until next week, stay awkward, brave and kind.*
*I picked this up from Brené Brown whose podcast I’ve been enjoying lately.
Fri 7/3 at 1 p.m.* – How to Go Virtual (While Still Creating an Engaging Experience)
Learn how to take events online in a way that is going to deliver high value, create an engaging experience, and preserve the outcomes you were seeking to achieve with your in-person conference. Hear about some major considerations for online engagement. Find out how to design for virtual-first experiences, satisfy the desire to network, and keep your members engaged. We’ll also touch on the tech because we know it’s on your mind! More info/register.
Host: Matchbox Virtual Media
Presenters:
- Graham Harvey, Chief Strategy Officer, Matchbox Virtual Media
- Allen Lloyd, CAE, Executive Director, Montana Society of CPAs
- Arianna Rehak, CEO & Co-Founder, Matchbox Virtual Media
- Jeff Cobb, Managing Director, Tagoras
*All times are Eastern Daylight Savings Time unless otherwise noted.
Mon 7/6 at 1 p.m. – Chatting with Agnes & Cecilia
This series of 15-minute videos cover hot topics and issues related to 501c organization management. A new episode is posted every Monday by 1 p.m. More info.
Hosts:
- Cecilia Sepp, CAE, CNAP, principal and founder, Rogue Tulips LLC
- Agnes Amos-Coleman, MBA, CMP, education, conference, event, certification consultant, Amos-Coleman
Tue 7/7 at 12 p.m. – Integrating your Data Universe (Association Data Analytics Brown Bag)
This opportunity is for association professionals who are responsible for reporting analytics to leadership, Boards of Directors, and other stakeholders, to come together in a free-flowing environment to share their lunchtime and discuss data analytics topics. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Organizer: Robert Taflinger
Tue 7/7 at 12 p.m. – Maximizing Member Engagement in the COVID-19 Era
Smart associations see the disruption of in-person events as an opportunity for growth and change. Learn how to make the most of these challenging times, for example, how to keep your members engaged with valuable content and online experiences, how to run a successful virtual conference for your association, including pricing and registration strategies, virtual event sponsorship — a non-dues revenue opportunity, and the unique role that medical associations play in the era of COVID-19. More info/register.
Host: Gather Voices
Presenters:
- Amy Thomasson, Marketing Director for the Congress of Neurological Surgeons
- Michael Hoffman, co-founder and CEO of Gather Voices
Tue 7/7 at 12 p.m. – The Future of In-Person Events: Safer Event Experiences
With hybrid and in-person events returning in the near future, event professionals need to make sure the safety and well-being of attendees and staff is the top priority. Learn how to gather information from attendees during the registration process, implement technology to create safer events, manage session capacity, quickly and easily communicate with attendees onsite, safely facilitate onsite meetings between attendees, and enable touchless contact sharing. More info/register.
Host: Cvent
Presenters: Cvent team
Tue 7/7 at 12 p.m. – All We Hear About Is Virtual Events. Let’s Understand What It Means, Let’s Understand the Future!
Virtual events. Virtual conferences. Hybrid events. AI. VR. What do these terms mean? How do they work? More info/register.
Host: Endless Events
Presenter: Will Curran of Endless Events
Tue 7/7 at 2 p.m. – Chat & Learn: What To DO if Crisis Strikes
Attendees test positive for COVID-19. Protesters arrive at your event. A mishap results in injuries. Now what? Learn how to sharpen your decision making and do what’s best for your brand when confronted with unexpected threats to your reputation. Hear about communication strategies that top crisis managers deploy to deal with the unplanned and get out of the news when it occurs. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: PCMA
Presenter: Hud Englehart, founding partner of Beacon Advisors, Inc.
Wed 7/8 at 11 a.m. – The Rise of the States – What it Means for Policy Going Forward
State and local governments have come to the forefront during the last three months and the road to recovery looks more dependent than ever on local leadership from governors to municipal leaders. Policy monitoring and effectively growing your state government affairs presence has never been more important. Hear about the future of state policy and power, as well as best practices and guidance on navigating the rest of the year at the state level. More info/register.
Host: FiscalNote
Presenters:
- DeLee Shoemaker, General Manager of State Government Relations, Microsoft
- Anthony Gad, National Director of Research, State Innovation Exchange
- Brandon Ray, Senior Manager of State and Local Government Affairs, Associated Builders and Contractors
Wed 7/8 at 1 p.m. – #ExpoChat on Twitter
ExpoChat is a Twitter-based conversation on topics related to the trade show industry. More info.
Wed 7/8 at 2 p.m. – How to Use Design Thinking to Improve Your Virtual Initiatives
Navigating both your business operations AND events remotely without prior planning has left many organizations operating on autopilot. The Design Thinking approach to tasks or problems explores understanding your users, challenging traditional assumptions, and finding innovative strategies that are less apparent under initial review in a computational way. Design Thinking can help you navigate a “new normal” and guide you to greater success supporting your team and your members. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Altai Systems
Presenter: Moira Edwards, founder, Ellipsis Partners
Wed 7/8 at 2 p.m. – How to Optimize Your Trade Show Lead Management Process
If you’re ready to take your exhibiting efforts to the next level, it may be time to thoroughly reevaluate your lead management process. Learn the absolutely essential, but often overlooked, first step towards effective lead management; what you should be focusing on in each stage of the exhibiting process; and deep dive questions to help you evaluate and improve your lead management efforts. More info/register.
Host: Trade Show Summer School
Presenter: Robyn Davis, founder, Exhibitors WINH LLC
Thu 7/9 at 1 p.m. – Virtual Events Generate Fantastic Member Engagement Scoring Data
Digital activity leaves digital footprints, and virtual conferences are a gold mine of member engagement information. See for yourself how your association can benefit from one of 2020’s member-industry megatrends, the shift to virtual events and online meetings. More info/register.
Host: Gravitate Solutions
Thu 7/9 at 1 p.m. – Basics of Accessible Form Design
Learn about the elements of an accessible form template created using Word that can then be saved as a tagged PDF. Once you have the tagged PDF, you can add the form controls in Adobe Acrobat Pro (although this webinar only covers the design considerations for the form template). More info/register.
Host: Open Access Technologies, Inc.
Presenter: Karen McCall, Senior Advisor, Open Access Technologies, Inc.
Thu 7/9 at 2 p.m. – How Nondues Revenue Can Help Associations Thrive During (and Beyond) COVID-19
Now is the time to rethink revenue opportunities so your association can fulfill the changing and growing needs of members and other stakeholders. Learn how to transition in-person conference sponsors to higher-value virtual conference sponsors and even higher-value year-long sponsors, raise funds for scholarships and research amid shifts in donor support, and gain board support for pursuing nondues revenue programs and opportunities. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: ASAE
Presenters:
- Stephen E. Peeler, CFRE, executive director, IDSA Foundation
- Bruce Rosenthal, corporate partnership and sponsorship consultant, Bruce Rosenthal Associates, LLC; founder and convener, Partnership Professionals Network
Thu 7/9 at 2 p.m. – 2020 Engagement Trends Report
What’s the average engagement rate for an online community? Is the 90-9-1 rule for online engagement still true? How should we define engagement? If you’ve ever wondered (or are wondering now) about the answers to these questions, join us for this upcoming webinar. More info/register.
Host: Higher Logic
Presenters: Heather McNair, Chief Community Officer, and Mikhail Opletayev, VP of Software Engineering and Data Services, Higher Logic
Thu 7/9 at 3 p.m. – Recommendation Systems for Associations
Associations are starting to leverage advanced technologies that can make smart recommendations about what content, products, and resources members might be interested in. This session will focus on examples of how associations can use technology to better personalize the member experience. More info/register.
Host: Association Analytics
Fri 7/10 at 12 p.m. – Contract Strategies for the Evolving Marketplace
The only thing constant in our industry is change. This workshop will arm you with tactical strategies that will help you to negotiate and defend your organization in this evolving market. In this high-level workshop, attendees will review key contract clauses, negotiations tips and strategies on how to get to “YES” and review variables that help influence a hotels decision to accept your business. 1 CMP credit. More info/register (fee for MPI non-members).
Host: MPI
Presenter: Robyn Mietkiewicz, CMP, CMM, Strategic Partner, INNOV8 Meetings + Events
Fri 7/10 at 1 p.m. – Beyond Covid-19: Identifying and Addressing Today’s and Tomorrow’s Critical Issues
Learn a step-by-step approach to identify and prepare for the next critical issues that your association will face. This process will help you both identify known and potential issues and also help you develop action plans on how to address them – even when, as with the current pandemic, the way forward isn’t entirely clear. More info/register.
Host: Tecker International
Presenters: Sharon Cox, Cheryl Williams and Jim Meffert, Tecker International
Fri 7/10 at 1 p.m. – How to Go Virtual (While Still Creating an Engaging Experience)
Learn how to take events online in a way that is going to deliver high value, create an engaging experience, and preserve the outcomes you were seeking to achieve with your in-person conference. Hear about some major considerations for online engagement. Find out how to design for virtual-first experiences, satisfy the desire to network, and keep your members engaged. We’ll also touch on the tech because we know it’s on your mind! More info/register.
Host: Matchbox Virtual Media
Presenters:
- Graham Harvey, Chief Strategy Officer, Matchbox Virtual Media
- Allen Lloyd, CAE, Executive Director, Montana Society of CPAs
- Arianna Rehak, CEO & Co-Founder, Matchbox Virtual Media
- Jeff Cobb, Managing Director, Tagoras
Tue 7/14 at 2 p.m. – Mo Rocca on The Chat: Laughter in the Time of Coronavirus
Many things have changed because of the current pandemic, but one thing has remained a constant for many of us: humor. Find out why humor is such an important facet of the human experience during a crisis from humorist, journalist and actor Mo Rocca. More info/register.
Host: KiKi L’Italien, founder, Amplified Growth, and senior consultant, Tecker International, LLC
Guest: Mo Rocca, correspondent for CBS Sunday Morning among other things
Tue 7/14 at 2 p.m. – Make Your Member Engagement Come A.L.I.V.E.
2020 has created all kinds of distractions for members. As they are fighting every day to stay afloat in these uncertain times, many are challenged with keeping members engaged to a level where the association is seen as a huge necessity and not a cost. Unpack the key elements of building value and maximizing engagement to where it transforms your association in every department. Tom, who has over 80% of his members involved in one or more of their 13 touch points, will breakdown his key concepts called A.L.I.V.E. and Dave will share the keys to creating a unilateral digital conversation with your members. More info/register.
Host: PropFuel
Presenters:
- Tom Morrison, CEO of the Metal Treating Institute
- Dave Will, President of PropFuel
Wed 7/15 at 1 p.m. – Setting You up for Success – Finding the Right AMS for your Association
Learn about the steps that lead to a successful system selection, including who to involve from your organization, the time and budget this process will take, the systems to consider, and how to evaluate options effectively. More info/register.
Host: Aplusify
Presenter: Moira Edwards, CAE, President of Ellipsis Partners
Thu 7/16 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. – Human Moments: Reimagining Our Gatherings (A Virtual Braindate Event)
The formula for how we gather—from big conferences down to community events—has transformed for good. But were events as we once knew them really…working? Maybe not. So we’re challenging you to see this transformative moment as an opportunity. It’s time to challenge one another to throw out our outdated ideas of events-as-we-once-knew-them —and to rebuild this thing, together. Come gather with us for a day of unlimited braindates: let’s reimagine our gatherings—and design them with moments of shared humanity in mind. More info/register with access code: humanmoments.
Host: e180
Thu 7/16 at 2 p.m. – Reduce and Reuse: Designing Structured Content that Gets Results and Future-Proofs Your Site
Structured content prepares your organization for digital, print, mobile, voice, AI, and whatever-is-next publishing. If you break down your content into the smallest reasonable elements, you enable the elements to be used and reused in any interface or publication. The technical process is relatively easy. The culture change that it requires? Not so much. But it’s worth the effort. Learn how one small nonprofit team broke the mold and built an award-winning site using structured content; tips to use content strategy principles and tactics to build buy-in with content owners, department heads, and C-suite; and how to create structured content models you can use in your organization. More info/register.
Host: Association Women Technology Champions
Presenters:
- Dina Lewis, CAE, founder, Distilled Logic, host of Content Forum and of Review My Content
- Courtney Reyers, Enterprise Digital Strategist at the American Society for Microbiology
Thu 7/16 at 2 p.m. – The Ethical Dimensions of the Board’s Duty of Foresight
At this time of global crisis, the duty of foresight is your board’s highest responsibility. The duty of foresight is both the core belief that integrates stewardship, governing, and foresight, and the next practice that enables boards and their staff partners to understand, anticipate, and carefully examine the long-term human and ethical implications of today’s decisions for stakeholders and successors. This thought-provoking webinar will challenge participants to understand the ethical dimensions of the board’s duty of foresight and adopt a fresh perspective on how they can build new board capacity for future-focused and principled decision-making. 1 CAE credit. More info/register ($34 for ASAE members, $45 for nonmembers).
I’m making an exception to my “has-to-be-free” rule because Jeff is always so insightful and thought-provoking.
Host: ASAE
Presenter: Jeff De Cagna, FRSA, FASAE, executive advisor for Foresight First LLC
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 Wednesday evening.
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