The weekly list of free educational events and resources for the association community…
I’ve referenced the New Member Engagement Study from Kaiser Insights and Dynamic Benchmarking for many of the posts I write for clients, so I’m happy to see they’re preparing to do another one. If your association has a new member onboarding, orientation, or welcoming program, please take 15 minutes to participate. Your community thanks you!
While we’re on the topic of onboarding, WBT Systems suggests several ways you can use your learning management system to improve the new member onboarding experience.
If you’re in the market for new technology, DelCor shares 11 questions you should ask during reference checks on an association technology vendor—and a little additional advice as well.
I saw a tweet about the AMC Institute’s virtual engagement lounge where members can connect and talk shop between F2F meetings. Looks like a great idea for other associations to copy.
Quick hits before we get to next week’s free webinars:
- Four essentials for a good project charter. (Achurch Consulting)
- Pumpkin spice data analytics: how many “pumpkin spice” branded foods actually live up to their names. (Christopher S. Penn, TrustInsights)
- From bullying and sexual assault to squalid living conditions and forced labor, working at sea can be a grim business—and one deep-sea fishing fleet is particularly notorious. You can stop supporting these atrocities by never buying Asian fish and seafood again—support local commercial fishing instead. (Ian Urbina, The Guardian)
Good eats: We spent several days in Baltimore this past week so I haven’t done much in the kitchen since last we met except refrigerator pasta. But we ate well in Baltimore. I’m only hoping all that crab was local and not from Asia. Didn’t ask, oops. The highlights were:
- Crab martini and crab cakes at Duda’s Tavern
- Mussels with garlic butter, and an arugula, beet, feta salad with citrus vinaigrette at Bertha’s Mussels
- Crab bisque at Bistro 300 in the Hyatt Regency Inner Harbor
- Crab bruschetta flatbread at Pratt Street Ale House
- The band Nothing But Trouble at Cat’s Eye Pub
- The beer list at Max’s Taproom
- The crowd at the Ravens game on Sunday
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 9/23 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 9/24 at 11 a.m. – 5 Ways to Generate More Leads from Your Webinars
Learn how to increase your lead generation from webinars, your webinar’s ROI, and your conversion rates from webinar leads. More info/register.
Host: WorkCast
Presenters: Stewart Kibby, CEO, and Melissa Hugel, Marketing Manager, WorkCast Inc.
Tue 9/24 at 12:30 p.m. – The 2 Must-Ask Questions of Member Affinity Programs
Bringing on an affinity program or partner can be an effective way of adding to the membership value proposition to support and improve recruitment and retention efforts. How can an organization ensure the relationship is balanced, equitable, and truly does attract and retain members? Learn about the two important questions you must ask about these shared collaborations to ensure your membership program experiences growth rather than decay. 0.5 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: The Next Steps LLC
Tue 9/24 at 1:30 p.m. – Idea Party Afterparty
At ASAE Annual, ten industry partners came together to host the Idea Party. During this event, we asked attendees, “If you could snap your fingers, what would technology enable for your organization?” Nearly all the responses we received surrounded aspects of better communication: people want technology to enable easier ways to get information at the time it’s needed. During this virtual session, we’ll be using the crowdsourced responses around connecting, delivering information, and networking as conversation fodder for our resident technology experts, who will reflect, expand upon, and provide insight. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Matchbox Virtual Media
Presenters:
- Teri Carden, CEO, 100Reviews
- Jim Thompson CAE, IOM, VP, Association Management & Strategic Development, Capitol Hill
- Garth Jordan CSM, CSPO, CDT, Chief Strategy Officer, SVP, The Healthcare Financial Management Association
- Arianna Rehak, CEO and Co-Founder, Matchbox Virtual Media
Tue 9/24 at 2 p.m. – 5 Ways to Build Buzz with Young Members on Instagram
Learn five quick and inexpensive ways you can use Instagram to find new members, engage them, and keep them. Find out how to attract more young members by creating Instagram posts that get noticed. Hear expert tips for incorporating Instagram into your broader campaigns for an even greater impact. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Wild Apricot
Presenter: Amanda Myers, Director of Product Growth, Personify
Tue 9/24 at 2 p.m. – How to Find and Plan the Perfect Event Spaces
Hear about best practices for making sure the event space you source matches the type of event you’re planning and the attendee experience expectations you’re managing so that your event produces the outcomes that you want. More info/register.
Host: Smart Meetings
Presenter: Laura Puglisi, Director, Venue Sourcing & Partnerships
Wed 9/25 at 11:30 a.m. – Overlooked Benefits of Outsourcing Nonprofit Accounting
Has your organization ever looked at outsourcing all or a portion of its accounting? If not, it is because you’re not sure how the organization would benefit from this decision. Since it is not a common practice for nonprofits to outsource its accounting, learn about the process and the overlooked benefits of outsourcing your nonprofit accounting. More info/register.
Host: Abila
Presenter: Financial Technologies & Management
Wed 9/25 at 12 p.m. – The Pros and Cons of Having Corporate Partners (Partnership Professionals Network Idea Exchange – Washington DC)
Sometimes associations and not-for-profit organizations have a “love-hate relationship” with corporate partners. This session will delineate the advantages and disadvantages of having corporate partners. Then we’ll discuss how to accentuate the advantages and overcome the disadvantages. Location: Washington DC. More info/register.
Organizer: Partnership Professionals Network
Wed 9/25 at 1 p.m. – Member-Facing Analytics: A New Potential Revenue Source for Associations
Most data analytics initiatives focus on data used internally by leadership and staff to better understand members and their interests. A new trend is emerging in which associations provide personalized data analytics directly to members, delivering added value and insights. This innovative concept places member-specific data visualizations on your website or mobile app—wherever members (or potential members) log in and access information. See real-world examples of how both trade and professional associations are monetizing member-facing analytics by charging directly for this new value and/or using it to sell existing offerings such as training, conference attendance, certifications, etc. More info/register.
Host: Gravitate Solutions/Nucleus
Wed 9/25 at 1 p.m. – The Perils and Promises of Blockchain for Association Members and Leaders
Get beyond the buzzwords and understand what blockchain is and how it actually works. Learn how blockchain might be applied to the business of associations and begin thinking about what you might want to investigate for your own association. Develop a better understanding of how blockchain will affect your members so you can begin planning how you will help your members adjust to and use this new technology. More info/register.
Host: Impexium
Presenters:
- Shelly Alcorn, CAE, Alcorn Associates Management Consulting
- Elizabeth Weaver Engel, MA, CAE, Spark Consulting
Wed 9/25 at 1 p.m. – Weekly Check-in: A Peek at the AIHA.org Site Refresh
Ben Rome, marketing manager at the American Industrial Hygiene Association, will chat with us about the member-focused strategy and content design behind the new AIHA site. Join the Content Forum first. More info/register.
Host: Content Forum
Wed 9/25 at 1 p.m. – Contract Strategies for the Evolving Marketplace
Learn about the current marketplace and how it affects a planners’ strategy during negotiations. Hear about key contract clauses and how to defend them to benefit your organizations bottom-line as well as variables that hotels consider when reviewing your overall business value. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: Meetings Today
Presenter: Robyn Mietkiewicz
Wed 9/25 at 1 p.m. – The Art of Event Feedback
Learn what does research suggests when it gets to event feedback and how to use technology strategically to collect feedback in new ways. Hear about the most actionable tactics to implement feedback at your events. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: Event Manager Blog
Presenter: Brian Ludwig, Senior Vice President, Sales, Cvent
Wed 9/25 at 1 p.m. – How to Budget and Plan Your 2020 Content Marketing Strategy
Learn why content marketing should be your No. 1 priority for 2020, how to budget for your content initiatives, which team members you’ll want to consider to help you drive these efforts, how to put together a documented content strategy, a process for creating content, and tech that will aid your efforts. More info/register.
Host: Influence & Co.
Presenters: Brittni Kinney Ratliff, Vice President, and Natalie Stezovsky, Vice President, Influence & Co.
Wed 9/25 at 2 p.m. – Association Site Search – How to Create an Amazing Search Experience
See multiple examples of great associations search tools. Walk through the steps necessary to get a great universal search for your organization, such as pulling data from different systems, ensuring the data stays updated, designing an interface, and “tuning” the search to ensure it returns the most relevant results. More info/register.
Hosts: ReviewMyAMS and BlueBolt
Presenter: Jason Lichon, Chief Solutions Officer, BlueBolt Inc.
Wed 9/25 at 2 p.m. – Diversity & Inclusion: Diversity Is More Than Demographics
Have you considered launching a Diversity and Inclusion benchmarking study for your association? Learn about recent trends in D&I benchmarking and why they matter to associations, key business benefits of having an inclusive work environment, how to measure D&I progress, and why D&I maturity models work. More info/register.
Host: Dynamic Benchmarking
Presenter: D&I expert Kim Drumgo, AICPA
Wed 9/25 at 10 p.m. – Wired to Become: The Neuroscience of Purpose
Hear about the latest research on the brain science of purpose and why it’s such a powerful force. Learn how you can leverage purpose to create a better work environment, more engaged employees, more effective leaders, and a positive culture that attracts and retains top talent. Leave with tips and strategies for weaving purpose into a wide range of learning and talent programs, all of which will contribute to your organization’s success. More info/register.
Host: Asia Pacific Career Development Association
Presenter: Dr. Britt Andreatta, PhD, CEO of 7th Mind, Inc.
Thu 9/26 at 11:30 a.m. – Associations’ Role in Education and Workforce Development (Lunch and Learn – Washington DC)
Everyone talks about connecting industry and education together but quite often associations are left out of the conversation. Hear about the role associations play in the skills gap, and the future of work and how associations are starting to play a bigger role in education and workforce development. Location: Washington DC. More info/register.
Host: Cue Career
Presenters:
- Jane Oates, president, Working Nation and former Obama Administration Assistant Secretary of Employment and Training, US Department of Labor
- Julia Freeland Fisher, director of education, Christensen Institute
- Lauren Harley, assistant director of education and certification, MCI Group
- Kiki L’Italien (moderator), host of Association Chat and founder, Amplified Growth
Thu 9/26 at 12 p.m. – How to Highlight Uncommon Skills with Digital Credentials
Learn how to create digital credentials that highlight uncommon skills, how creating digital credentials for uncommon skills creates a network of talent that can be used for employment or even volunteer opportunities, and how leading organizations have created digital credentials for uncommon skills and how their earners have used them in the real world. More info/register.
Host: Credly
Presenters: panelists from Esri and Tilt 365
Thu 9/26 at 1 p.m. – How to Elevate Your Sponsorship Game
Are you looking to take your sponsorship game to the next level? Learn about strategies for generating new sponsorship dollars, partnering on thought leadership opportunities, and sponsorship trends for 2020. More info/register.
Host: The Moery Company
Presenter: J.P. Moery, founder, The Moery Company
Thu 9/26 at 2 p.m. – Events as a Powerful Catalyst for Richer Intergenerational Dialogue
As event organizers focus more attention on growing Millennial and Gen Z attendance, the pendulum might be swinging too far these days. There are outstanding growth opportunities waiting to be seized with age 50+ segment, beginning with helping them figure out “What Next?” for their career. Designing experiences for forward-thinking Modern Elders also tees up more fruitful intergenerational dialogue at events. Take a closer look at what’s working, what’s not, and steps you can take to foster richer intergenerational exchanges to solve industry challenges, while growing attendance and loyalty across all generations. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: PCMA
Presenter: Donna Kastner, Founder of Retirepreneur
Thu 9/26 at 2 p.m. – The Hidden Value of Event Apps
With attendees rating a mobile app as the third most important factor contributing to a positive attendee experience, are you making the most out of your tech? Learn how to ensure the digital experience supports your overall event and enhances the attendee journey, providing greater insights into your attendee’s behaviors. More info/register.
Host: BizBash
Presenter: Lauren Turner, Manager of Mobile Solutions at Cvent
Wed 10/2 at 1 p.m. – Take Advantage of B2B Interchange Rates: Capturing Level II and III Data for a Considerable Savings in Merchant Processing
Get a definition of Level II and III Data and the steps needed for implementing it into your Association Management Software (AMS). With little to no change in procedures, capturing just a few lines of information has proven to save the typical association thousands of dollars in merchant processing fees every year. Learn about the workflow of a B2B transaction within an AMS and what is required to qualify transactions for Corporate Visa/MasterCard Interchange Rates, a significantly lower rate than standard merchant processing fees. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Hosts: MemberSuite and Priority I.S.
Wed 10/2 at 4:30 p.m. – PD Professionals Meet-Up (Washington DC)
Join professional development professionals in the DC/MD/VA area for a happy hour event at Bar Deco in DC’s Chinatown. This meet up will allow individuals who focus on professional development for their associations to meet and network with others with a similar focus in a fun and relaxed environment. Location: Washington DC. More info/register.
Organizer: ASAE Professional Development Professionals Advisory Council
Thu 10/3 at 2 p.m. – The Perils and Promises of Blockchain for Associations
Get beyond the buzzwords and understand what blockchain is and how it actually works. Learn how blockchain might be applied to the business of associations and begin thinking about what you might want to investigate for your own association. Develop a better understanding of how blockchain will affect your members so you can begin planning how you will help your members adjust to and use this new technology. More info/register.
Host: ReviewMyAMS
Presenters:
- Shelly Alcorn, CAE, Alcorn Associates Management Consulting
- Elizabeth Weaver Engel, MA, CAE, Spark Consulting
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.
Creative Commons image by Anastasiya Romanova via Unsplash
Association Brain Food 