SCD Group

JANUARY 17, 2016

All association professionals need to remember this mantra: “It’s their organization not yours!” Last week, the National Football League’s Board of Governors voted to authorize the (Cleveland/Los Angeles/St. Louis) Rams to move (again) to Los Angeles. The decision upset fans in St. Louis. along with San Diego and Oakland (other franchises seeking to move.

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SCD Group

NOVEMBER 29, 2015

Choice Vs. Dual Membership via CreditUnion Times CUNA torn regarding decision to require local groups to belong to the national organization. If you are with a national association that has chapters or affiliated associations, follow this story. A Roadmap for Quintupling Membership By Joe Rominiecki via Associations Now The American Association for the Advancement of Science has set a lofty goal: 500,000 members.

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SCD Group

NOVEMBER 8, 2015

A carefully crafted, well delivered and strategically placed speech can serve as an important association PR and content marketing tool. Early in my association public relations career, I was writing as many as 60 speeches a year. Most were delivered by our volunteer leaders or our CEO. Crafting a Powerful Speech 1. Start with the end in mind Know what you want your audience to Do, Not Do or Let You Know after hearing your talk.

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Tools Tips Social Media Content 40

SCD Group

OCTOBER 4, 2015

If so, why? I’ve always worked with national/international associations and we did not have offices for board members. Perhaps large local associations provide officers for board members? I raise the issue because of the on-going saga here with the local school board and school superintendent. The school board seems dysfunctional. They have been through 6 superintendents in 18 years.

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SCD Group

SEPTEMBER 20, 2015

I went back to Columbus to an Ohio State football game last week. It happened to be Alumni Band Day and it incorporated alumni cheerleaders and recognition of former championship football and baseball teams. Here is a selection of Ohio State’s Game Day traditions: Skull Session: This is the band’s rehearsal and open to the public. It draws about 14,000 people for the hour.

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SCD Group

SEPTEMBER 2, 2015

Why a speaker shouldn’t “speak from the heart” — and a professional shouldn’t focus on passion… By Scott McKain via Create Distinction This is a really great article for association professionals! A key point: “The audience deserves your SKILL…not whatever condition your heart may be in at that particular juncture. And, they deserve the most skillful presenter that you can become.

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SCD Group

AUGUST 20, 2015

What is your most important job as an association CEO? When I was an AMC owner and association CEO, one of my most important jobs was catching people doing good. and giving frequent thank you notes. And, I was always gratified when I saw those notes posted on walls in staff offices! Turns out I must have known what I was doing! The Wall Street Journal reviewed research on appreciation in a recent story headlined, It Pays to Give Thanks at the Office.

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SCD Group

AUGUST 16, 2015

John Haydon posted the graphic above on Facebook: "Statistics Show That Teen Pregnancies Drop Drastically After The Age of 20." I laughed. It shows how ridiculous the media and Americans are when it comes to statistics. It reminds me of the old saying: “Figures lie and liars figure.” I’ve written before about the use of surveys and analysis of data and how they can lead associations astray.

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California Survey Analysis Member Research 40

SCD Group

AUGUST 2, 2015

Another request from an association professional: “We’re looking for a company that helps organizations re-brand themselves and even guide them towards a new name.” As a former AMC owner and association consultant, I’ve been through three association logo changes, three name changes and more. 3 Reasons to Consider Change: Because your market has changed and current name does not reflect your members/prospects Because your image is “old and stale” Because your name/design does not reflect your ne

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SCD Group

JUNE 29, 2015

Editor’s Note: Last Wednesday, I was inducted into the Ag Public Relations Hall of Fame. What follows are the tips from my career that I shared during the induction ceremony. Providing background for each tip makes this post extra long. but what the heck, how often do you get inducted into a Hall of Fame?! I’m going to share a few stories that I hope provide useful tips for your professional career.

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SCD Group

JUNE 15, 2015

I love the strategic thinking behind Kids Skate Free! Kids Skate Free represents a great example of a locally-initiated, association-managed cause marketing campaign that benefits a struggling industry. It demonstrates how associations can use cause marketing to enhance their members while benefitting a cause. And, with another generation (“Gen Z”) emerging, what better way to introduce your member businesses to millions of potential new customers.

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Association Management Memphis Marketing Recruiting 40

SCD Group

MAY 28, 2015

Local Chapters are Building Blocks for Association Engagement I was going to write today about declining church memberships and closing colleges and suggest they could be a forerunner of trends impacting associations too. But then, my son, brothers, cousins and nephew attended the Memorial Day services at Dorton United Methodist Church in Crossville, Tennessee.

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SCD Group

APRIL 20, 2015

'Back in 1965, a researcher by the name of Gordon E. Moore published an article titled Cramming more components onto integrated circuits in Electronics magazine. The future of integrated electronics is the future of electronics itself. The advantages of integration will bring about a proliferation of electronics, pushing this science into many new areas.

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millennials Review Communications Technology 40

SCD Group

FEBRUARY 22, 2015

'Dissent is good and dangerous. I’ve watched as board members and/or chapters – frustrated with the parent group – lash out and/or pull out when they don’t get their way from the parent organization. Such abuse of power often splits the organization. Sometimes this form of dissent is a power grab. During such dissent, I often wonder who is looking out for members.

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SCD Group

JANUARY 8, 2015

'In a radio interview several years ago, football broadcaster and NFL Hall of Famer Dan Dierdorf was asked why Ohio State, Michigan and other Big 10 teams were not winning football games on the national stage. I found Dierdorf’s response interesting and as I recall, was this: “Michigan recruits and builds its team to beat Ohio State. And, Ohio State recruits and builds its team to beat Michigan.

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SCD Group

JANUARY 6, 2015

'Go or Sick: A Choice for Associations I watched as a couple of four-year-olds raced ahead of mom on a sidewalk. It reminded me of a parents’ phrase from years ago: For kids that age there are two speeds: go and sick. Associations seem to have a go or (not and) sick mentality. I’ve watched over the years as some – usually successful – associations are in the “go” mode. in member development, in education and conferences, in board development and more.

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SCD Group

JANUARY 4, 2015

'While University of Michigan fans excitedly applauded the hiring of Jim Harbaugh as the university’s new football coach, some questioned the mega million dollar contract he will be paid. By the way, news reports say Harbaugh turned down $7 million a year in favor of a $5 million a year contract. Social media lit up questioning the money and wondering if the University paid any of its professors that amount.

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SCD Group

JANUARY 1, 2015

'Happy New Year! This is the time of the year that prognosticators love to tell us what is likely to happen in 2015. Here are four lists that apply to associations and nonprofits. Five Bad Marketing Habits To Give Up In 2015 By Rachel Balik via MarketingLand Don’t Drown In Data Don’t Talk About Yourself Don’t Put Advertising On The Back Burner Don’t Take It Slow Don’t Guess 60 Content Marketing Predictions for 2015 By Joe Pulizzi via Content Marketing Institute In total, we have compiled 60 cont

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SCD Group

DECEMBER 30, 2014

'As a year-end post, I reviewed SCDdaily’s 141 blogs posted in 2014. Here are the top nine – based on readership; #1 6 Ways to Engage Xers and Millenials on Your Board 2/11/14 #2 5 Ideas About Information Overload for Association Members/Donors 2/18/14 #3 How Will Association Boards Recruit New Leaders? 2/9/14 #4 Association Boa s That Fai l 5/6/14 #5 The Long Tail of Association Content and Social Media 4/19/14 #6 Unwritten Rules of Association Board and Staff Determine Its Culture 2/27/14 #7 A

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SCD Group

DECEMBER 28, 2014

'I spotted this quote in the local paper this weekend: “Money is like manure. If you pile it up, it stinks. If you spread it out, it makes things grow.” – Peter Kleist (I also see this quote attributed to J. Paul Getty.) It made me think of a quote from a board member 30 years ago: “Nothing ruins a good organization like too much money. – Wilf Illingworth In my nearly 40 years experience in associations and nonprofits, I’ve found both to be true.

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SCD Group

NOVEMBER 16, 2014

'Anything Missing from Your Key Association/Foundation Messages My wife (and proof reader) shared this email and asked me, “What’s wrong with this email?” Ignore the typos! Did you find it? Ok, it is so obvious it may be hard to see. If you want to make a donation, where do you send the check? Even with the best message possible, you''re returns will be much lower if you don''t tell your potential donors how to donate!

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Tips Review Communications Marketing 40

SCD Group

NOVEMBER 13, 2014

'Managing the Membership Journey via Silverbear Member Solutions As with any journey in life, the membership journey has a beginning, a middle and an end. The member moves through the initial engagement to becoming a member, until such time as they reach the end of their journey. A strategic membership organization will look to engage with its members based upon where they are in their membership journey and where they should, logically, look to go next.

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SCD Group

NOVEMBER 11, 2014

'One day''s snail mail (Left); Inserts in Sunday paper (right) You’ve crafted a well-designed, well-worded appeal to recruit new members. The call to action grabs the recipient. But, despite these superior marketing aspects, your response rate is well below expectations. What is going on here? In a word: clutter. Note the two photos above: on the left, our snail mail for just one day (no political campaign mail in this!).

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SCD Group

OCTOBER 21, 2014

'Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella In a story headlined “Interview: How Nadella plans to upend Microsoft,” USA Today’s Marco della Cava, gave excellent insight. Here are three paragraphs that I thought valuable for association executives: "You need new concepts with new innovation, and you have to have new capability and culture to go after those new concepts," he says.

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SCD Group

OCTOBER 16, 2014

'A local auto dealer has been running a tv commercial in which the staff sits frustrated in the board room waiting for the chairman to arrive. Meanwhile she is driving through the ranch in her new vehicle. Cute commercial, right? Not really. I can’t help but think about all the wasted staff resources. It, unfortunately, reminds me of staff meetings and board meetings that failed to start on time because we were waiting for a key person (or more) to arrive.

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SCD Group

OCTOBER 14, 2014

'How to Overcome the ''No Time to Create Content'' Challenge By Joe Chernov via MarketingProfs.com How can we maximize our content output in the minimum amount of time? The answer, it turns out, isn''t particularly complex: Spend time only on content that works. HubSpot recently surveyed nearly 3,600 marketing and sales professionals for our annual State of Inbound report (available at link; email required), and asked several questions related to content creation and impact.

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Video Content millennials Minnesota 40

SCD Group

SEPTEMBER 21, 2014

'Association board members often struggle with the Duty of Loyalty. Here’s a definition from our association attorney: The Duty of Loyalty dictates that officers and directors must act in good faith: A director shall avoid advancing their own personal interests in ways that may injure or take advantage of the Association. A director shall exercise honesty and must not allow his/her personal interests to prevail over the interests of the organization.

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SCD Group

SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

'One major challenge facing many associations is “killing” a failing program. A program that doesn’t meet today’s member needs. A program that costs way more than the organization can afford. A program that just doesn’t add member value the way it used to. So, why don’t we eliminate these programs and use the resources for something of more value? it may be a “sacred cow” of one or two board members or perhaps the entire organization. it may be considered a program that the association can’t do

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SCD Group

AUGUST 26, 2014

'I was networking with an association communications and membership professional at the ASAE2014 annual meeting. She laid out her frustrations with her boss, the association’s new CEO. Some of the items I remember: He reviews and changes the association’s magazine. causing delays in publication and costly changes during the printing process. He revises the annual convention program. after contracts have been signed. causing increased costs.

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Cost Review Communications Process 40

SCD Group

AUGUST 24, 2014

'Guest Post by Greg Schultz of The Sherwood Group, Inc. Name of Association: National professional society Description of the Organization: 2,500 member professional society of survey and research professionals Annual budget of $1.25 million The Problem: The board members defined their jobs as management, not leadership, and they didn’t see the distinction.

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SCD Group

AUGUST 21, 2014

'Guest Post by Russ Lemieux, Kellen Company Description of the Organization: The Research Chefs Association is a 2,000 member professional society of chefs and food scientists working in R&D in food industry. Governed by a 16-member Board of Directors. Annual budget: $1.75 million. The Problem: Early in its existence, the association was served well by a very entrepreneurial Board of Directors.

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SCD Group

JULY 29, 2014

'A fellow association management professional’s comment yesterday surprised me. He said a search firm executive was conducting a screening interview for an opening for at association. Her opening question was: “What five (5) blogs do you read each day?” Since he is in the 50+ age protected class, he took the screening question as a substitute for asking, “How old are you?

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Class Social Media Association Management 40

SCD Group

JULY 27, 2014

'As you may recall, I wrote recently about #ThrowbackThursdays and the opportunity it presents associations and nonprofits. The other day, my wife shared a #TestimonialTuesday Facebook note. correctly thinking that I might use it for an SCDdaily blog post! While #ThrowbackThursday (also known as #TBT) represents a great tool for retaining members (by reminding them of great things your organization has done in the past), #TestimonialTuesday represents an online member recruitment tool.

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SCD Group

JULY 24, 2014

'Whether hiring a key executive or selecting an agency or AMC, associations and other organizations normally involve a committee and ask candidates to interview. Many set an interview schedule that involves having three to five candidates come the same day. Colleagues often ask me. Should they be interviewed first or last? Should they to be first or last to present to a potential new client?

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SCD Group

JULY 8, 2014

'Photo of Courtney Anderson of University of South Florida A photo of a high jumper in the NCAA finals sent my mind drifting back to the early 1960s. Prior to 1965, the "best practice" in the high jump track & field event was the straddle jump. Then, along came Dick Fosbury. Given the new technology (deep foam matting had replaced sand pits as the landing area), Fosbury ignored the old best practice for high jumping and created what became known as the Fosbury Flop.

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SCD Group

JULY 6, 2014

'I’m speaking in July to a group whose members are seeking ways to engage millenials in their small businesses. The other day, I found an Associated Press story titled Small businesses get sales using Instagram. The members of this association offer visual events that could result in “selfies” posted on Instagram. What about your members? Are they using Instagram?

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SCD Group

JULY 3, 2014

'Wishing you a Happy 4th of July. Independence Day. Let''s all remember the sacrifices folks make to obtain our freedom back in the 1770s. and our ability to enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit happiness! Be safe and enjoy your weekend.

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