Your weekly list of free webinars and events for the association community…
The latest cybersecurity threat rampaging around the world is a cyber weapon, not ransomware, says the CEO of security awareness training firm KnowBe4. Should your association or company be concerned? Hell yes, we should all be concerned about any type of hacking exploit. Be extremely careful about what you click, open, and visit.
Ed Schipul, CEO of AMS firm Tendenci, found FBI testimony confirming that NGOs and associations are indeed targets of Russian hackers. So, yes, it’s just a matter of time before one of your employees makes a huge mistake and exposes your entire network to ransomware or one of its evil cousins.
What do you do? Prepare your association for the inevitable ransomware attack, say the guys at DelCor Technology Solutions, and, of course, they tell you how.
Are you worried about your members’ lack of knowledge about cybersecurity threats? Invite them to participate in a ten-day online learning challenge that teaches them the basics. LMS provider WBT Systems explains how to plan and market an online learning challenge that creates industry buzz and momentum for further learning.
Here’s hoping one day our AI will be better than the bad guys’ AI and we won’t have to worry about ransomware and its offspring. In the meantime, I like to think about more positive and exciting developments in technology, like chatbots and conversational intelligence.
If you need to make a business case to your board about investing in new technology, like chatbots, or more likely, association management software, check out the advice from Aptify.
Google Analytics isn’t my thing, but if it’s yours, this A-to-Z guide on The Convince & Convert Blog explains the basics of Google Analytics in language (and action items) that content marketers will understand.
And finally, here’s one for you my freelance friends: a post by Jocelyn Glei—who by the way has a good newsletter—about maintaining your sanity and productivity when you work alone all the time. How encouraging it is for this self-improvement nut to see I’ve fallen into many of these habits naturally over the years.
Thanks to our loooong weekend, this week’s list of learning events is much shorter than usual—which is why I took the liberty of sharing so many good reads. Please add anything I missed to the comments.
If your organization has a webinar scheduled in the near future, please send me the link. I’ll be happy to feature it as long as it’s not too product-centric.
Thu 7/6 at 12 p.m.* – Member Retention: The Many Faces of Engagement
Engagement isn’t solely defined by transaction—it comes from connecting with colleagues, volunteering for an organization, or thought leadership. Explore the many paths associations use to increase member involvement and subsequent retention. Learn how to define and measure engagement, and how to track that measurement based on retention and recruitment. Hear about varying dues models: getting people to want to belong, before you charge them to belong. 1 CAE credit. Duration: 1 hour. More info/register.
Host: Association Forum
Presenter: Lowell Aplebaum, CAE, strategic advisor, facilitator and CEO, Next Connextion
*All times are Eastern Daylight Time unless otherwise noted.
Thu 7/6 at 1 p.m. – Podcasts: Jumping Headfirst Without Fear
Explore how to quickly and effectively launch a podcast without fear and use it to build momentum around your learning initiatives. Learn how a podcast works and how to get started, the required technology and best practices, and marketing tactics to drive participation and build a following. 1 CAE credit. Duration: 1 hour. More info/register.
Host: CommPartners
Presenter: Doug Sandler, host of “Nice Guys on Business” podcast
Thu 7/6 at 1 p.m. – The Power of Live: How Data Driven Planners Are Driving Event Success
Live events generate an incredible amount of data and insights, but you have to commit to capturing, collecting, and using it. Learn about the tragedy of the ‘ghost attendee’ and what you can do about it, five ways to use data to better understand your event success, the available tools to capture event insights, real life examples of how planners are shaping the attendee journey, and actionable steps to get started. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: Meetings Today
Presenter: Kevin Yanushefski, product marketing manager, Cvent
Fri 7/7 at 12 p.m. – AIGA Slack: A New Tool for Chapter Leaders
Do your chapter leaders have an effective way to communicate and connect with National and each other? AIGA’s chapter leaders didn’t think so. Enter the picture: Slack. Learn how AIGA converted over 600 chapter leaders to using this new communication tool. Find out about their implementation and adoption processes as well as the key benefits and associated challenges. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Billhighway
Presenter: Kyle Bazzy, director of growth, Billhighway
Save the dates:
Wed 7/12 at 12 p.m. CDT – Chapter Roundtable in Chicago
Tue 7/18 at 12 p.m. – Chapter Roundtable in Washington DC
Wed 7/19 at 12 p.m. – Chapter Roundtable in Alexandria VA
Thu 7/20 at 12 p.m. – Chapter Roundtable in Reston VA
Connect with fellow Component/Chapter Relations Professionals (CRPs) to network and discuss current chapter challenges, such as how to measure and increase the health of chapters; best practices for chapter operations (volunteer tools, processes, etc.); and how to get the right statistics to prevent national and chapter level members from leaving. Lunch provided. 1 CAE credit. Duration: 1 hour.
More info/register for Chicago.
More info/register for Washington DC.
More info/register for Alexandria VA.
More info/register for Reston VA.
Host: Billhighway
That’s all I’ve got for this week. 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 professional development for the association community, please send me the link via email or Twitter.
Creative Commons image by Melissa Newkirk
Association Brain Food 