Spark Consulting

JULY 18, 2019

They were completely consumed with the process – renewal – to the exclusion of being able to focus on the goal – retention, and the authentic connection and sense of community that drives it. She asked the room for advice. Image credit: livesurvey.

Class 186

Class Team Price Process 186

Spark Consulting

JUNE 9, 2021

Review your legacy systems and processes (make sure you’ve got the “digitizing” part covered, for Ross/Mocker fans). Maddie Grant, my co-author for The No BS Guide to Digital Transformation: How Intentional Culture Change Can Propel Associations Forward , and I have you covered: Assess where you are now. Recruit your team.

Case Study 195

Case Study America Recruiting Recruitment 195

Spark Consulting

MAY 13, 2020

When Hilary Marsh and I talk about “content curation” in our new whitepaper, Cut Through the Clutter: Content Curation, Associations’ Secret Weapon Against Information Overload , what we’re referring to is something more akin to what museum curators do, a process called distillation , in which the curator selects from the available (..)

Content 243

Content Process Leadership 243

Spark Consulting

AUGUST 3, 2022

We obviously made a LOT of changes, but one of the most effective things we did was to resume sending a mail piece (which they’d previously stopped doing), in the form of a colorful postcard with a snappy member testimonial and a custom URL that led to a simplified renewal process. Was it just the postcard?

Tips 195

Tips Marketing Sample Library 195

Spark Consulting

JANUARY 14, 2019

You need to allow 3-4 weeks for a mailed notice to arrive, be read, be responded to, and for the check that member mailed back to you to be received and processed. When should we start renewal communications? Three months out, give or take. Mail is different. My favorite schedule? Send an email. A week later, generate your mail list.

Guidelines 284

Guidelines Class Communications Process 284

Spark Consulting

JUNE 10, 2020

In our session, you’ll learn how your association can use sophisticated content curation strategies effectively to move your association from a “nice-to-have” option into becoming a vital partner in your members’ professional success.

Content 195

Content Process Strategy 195

Spark Consulting

MARCH 3, 2023

Which, as you might imagine, can be a bit frustrating for people who are generally paid to identify and solve problems, but it’s a useful exercise to undergo, to suspend the need for an answer and just stay with the process of questioning for an entire weekend.

Industry 195

Industry Project Innovation Report 195

Spark Consulting

DECEMBER 9, 2013

Spotted thanks to Associations Now , Twitter is now letting users create custom-curated timelines (and taking on Storify in the process). At least in Tweet Deck, the process is pretty simple. Anyone using it yet for, say, visualizing annual meeting-related tweets?

Social Media 150

Social Media Process Technology Organization 150

Spark Consulting

SEPTEMBER 24, 2015

In 18+ years in association management, I’ve been on both sides of the Request For Proposal process more times than I can count. However, if you disregard my warning or can’t opt out and go ahead with an RFP anyway, there are some steps you can take to make the process less painful for everyone involved. You love bullet points?

Proposal 150

Proposal Project Discount Process 150

Spark Consulting

MAY 7, 2019

Engineering: How can we accelerate the construction process while also reducing risk? Government: If someone loses her documents or her papers are destroyed, how can she prove who she is? Law: How do we ensure that contracts are executed correctly, that all parties understand them, and that they remain safe and secure?

Cost 150

Cost Technology Industry Education 150

Spark Consulting

MAY 16, 2014

And part of your process better be a formal review of expected revenues. And senior leadership needs to be fully on board with this, and follow the process themselves. What has your association learned about innovation success? Image credit: Bottom Line Innovation Associates. innovation membership'

Innovation 150

Innovation Review Process Resources 150

Spark Consulting

OCTOBER 26, 2015

Lean startup methodology, which moves beyond lean six-sigma process innovation to address the challenge of innovation, has taken the business world by storm in the last several years, with businesses of all sizes and life stages using it to experience greater success. IEEE: The Power of the Pilot.

Innovation 150

Innovation Resources Content Process 150

Spark Consulting

JUNE 8, 2022

I still walk clients through this process today in creating renewal campaigns, answering questions about goals, audience(s), offer, message, tactics/platforms, resources, schedule and responsibilities, and metrics on the way to creating our campaign plan working document, because EVERY campaign is a working document.

Discount 195

Discount Examples System Resources 195

Spark Consulting

MAY 10, 2019

You can’t wait until then to start your educational process. When the time comes that the network effect hits the profession or industry your association serves, you will need to be nimble enough to make rapid decisions. Where do you start?

Social Media 150

Social Media System Education Technology 150

Spark Consulting

JULY 11, 2013

Is it just me, or is lean process trending? No more operating in secrecy until you have everything just right – invite your customers in as part of your design and development process, with the goal of making your product better. Associations Now recently addressed that, with an article looking at lean process in associations.

Review 150

Review Products Innovation Process 150

Spark Consulting

APRIL 13, 2017

Convert – this is when you invite the prospect to join, in a way that’s tailored to his interests and needs, which you know because you’ve been learning more about him as you build the relationship through the nurture process.

Cost 150

Cost Maine Content Process 150

Spark Consulting

JUNE 19, 2017

The groups have grown to the point where they now need application and vetting processes to handle the volume of volunteers they get every year. They had buttons printed that they wore at the meeting, and they spread the word via social media, paper flyers, and word-of-mouth. You can find more information at: www.astronomyallies.com.

Social Media 207

Social Media Committee Examples Process 207

Spark Consulting

APRIL 10, 2013

SFA focuses on contact management with the goal of supporting a formal process for moving leads through the purchase loop until they become customers. One of the major differences between CRM software and other types of databases is Sales Force Automation (SFA). Download your free copy at [link].

Software 150

Software Technology Process Marketing 150

Spark Consulting

MARCH 18, 2014

From the new Spark whitepaper, Risk: The Missing Link Connecting Strategy to Implementation , written with Jamie Notter and Leslie White: The risk management process involves the continuous identification, assessment, prioritization, and selection of risk management techniques; implementation; and monitoring of outcomes.

Leadership 150

Leadership Strategy Team Process 150

Spark Consulting

MARCH 9, 2017

Renewal is a process. Recruitment, no matter how successful, without a strong retention relationship-buiding program, is like pouring water into a bucket with a hole in it. It’s the mechanics of retention, the glue that holds this cycle together.

Recruiting 150

Recruiting Recruitment Process 150

Spark Consulting

AUGUST 29, 2013

My spouse is in the process of changing from an implementation engineering role to more of a business development role at his company, with the result that he’s having to do more presenting. And by “more,” I mean “any at all.”

Communications 150

Communications Tips Process 150

Spark Consulting

APRIL 21, 2014

In fact, the combination of data and tools available in 2014 theoretically allows us to move beyond the standard operational dashboards we’ve been using for years and get to the “good stuff,” where we can start asking meaningful, mission-driven questions and use data to inform our decision-making processes around them. But how do we do this?

Innovation 150

Innovation Leadership Tools Process 150

Spark Consulting

DECEMBER 11, 2013

Lack of exec support, bad culture, bad process, “we have always done it that way.” It requires leadership, clear goals, and a strong sense of mission. They’ve started! Top 10 Tech predictions for 2014. Reasons why innovation programs fail ? ” (Sound familiar, association peeps?). Trying to go visual with your content?

Social Media 150

Social Media Innovation Review Technology 150

Spark Consulting

DECEMBER 2, 2013

They are in the process of trying to develop a variety of technologies that support mesh networks in the developing world, remote areas, and areas that are recovering from natural disasters, and have a freely available app for Android. Does this strike you as a good idea? changeblogging cool technology video Technology Review'

Review 150

Review Video Technology Project 150

Spark Consulting

AUGUST 20, 2013

All sorts of businesses and industries are being re-imagined, from mail delivery to health care to education to payment processing to the sharing economy to R&D to entertainment media… cool technology innovation presentations Mary Meeker' China is increasingly where tech innovation is happening.

Innovation 150

Innovation Video Technology Education 150

Spark Consulting

OCTOBER 13, 2015

We think this same process can be used successfully by associations, and we have the case studies to back it up! We’ll be launching the whitepaper with a FREE webinar Wednesday, October 21 at noon ET as part of the YourMemebrship.com Thought Leader Series.

Innovation 150

Innovation Case Study Resources Products 150

Spark Consulting

JUNE 11, 2013

Our session participants came up with some great advice: One woman talked about her experiences as a soccer mom to point out that we need to be careful not to over-complicate or over-manage the process. If processes, procedures, goals, policies, etc. If people want to volunteer, make it easy for them to contribute and get involved.

Process 150

Process Conference Communications Report 150

Spark Consulting

MAY 14, 2013

Successful change needs good process. I think his best points include: Success isn’t about giving a person a fish or teaching her to fish – it’s about revolutionizing the fishing industry. We tend to measure outputs (how many widgets we sell). We should be measuring outcomes (how we changed the world).

Leadership 150

Leadership Process Industry 150

Spark Consulting

SEPTEMBER 5, 2013

One of our tasks is to help with the proposal process for the 2014 Marketing, Membership, and Communications Conference. Calling all marketing, membership, and communications professionals! What do you want to learn? I’m currently a member of ASAE’s Marketing Section Council.

Proposal 150

Proposal Communications Conference Marketing 150

Spark Consulting

NOVEMBER 20, 2013

Eric Lanke’s been documenting the process of putting together a new value statement for his association. An interesting take on the concept of paying it forward. Feds OK Google digitization of the world’s library. Think like a business? Jamie Notter points out that you ARE a business. He recently asked his staff for their input.

Library 150

Library Review Innovation Technology 150

Spark Consulting

APRIL 24, 2013

“Corporate antibodies” subverting your innovation process? US copyright law is having a chilling effect on the Digital Public Library project. Face to face meetings favor the powerful , according to new research shared by Associations Now. Get some advice on how to neutralize them.

Library 150

Library Review Innovation Project 150

Spark Consulting

MAY 16, 2013

They helped me see that because I process information quickly and play it pretty close to the vest while I’m doing so (in Sally Hogshead ‘s schema, I’m a “secret weapon”), from the outside it can look hasty. Finally, take everything you learned from this process and apply it to how you can improve in the future.

Process 150

Process Leadership Review Examples 150

Spark Consulting

OCTOBER 17, 2017

You’ll go through that same process of deepening effort, cost, and/or commitment that you did when converting a lead to membership, only with better insight into what to offer along the way. When you know that, you can begin constructing ladders that focus on your members’ most important goals and most pressing problems.

Recruiting 225

Recruiting Recruitment Cost Price 225

Spark Consulting

MARCH 16, 2021

Good thing I had already decided that now was the time to grow in the grey, but what was supposed to be a managed, gradual process turned into a Hard Grexit. But I haven’t had a hair cut in over a year.

Class 195

Class DC Sample Process 195

Spark Consulting

OCTOBER 10, 2013

We’re in the process of planning for 2014 now, so if you have topic or speaker suggestions, please email them to me for consideration. Membership sales. Association websites. Advertising sales. Did I also mention that every webinar is recorded and archived , and the archives are free, too?

Tips 150

Tips Innovation Leadership Association Management 150

Spark Consulting

DECEMBER 3, 2013

Spark: Did you learn anything that surprised you in the process of writing the Guide? Between the continued curiosity of association executives and growth of software options, the market is ripe for this paper. Online Community Results: In terms of the facts about the various platforms, we weren’t really surprised by too much.

Software 150

Software Social Media Review Process 150

Spark Consulting

MAY 28, 2013

I was honored to be one of the judges for the website category this year, and session organizers Rhonda Metheny and Bill Cramer have arranged for some of us judges to be present to share our thoughts on the process with the group. I hope to see you there!

Communications 150

Communications Conference Marketing Process 150