Association Brain Food Weekly: 12.15.17

The weekly list of free educational events for the association community…

Thanks to all of you who told me during the ASAE Tech Conference that you read Brain Food. I meant it, you made my day.

I’m getting tired of all the “sky is falling” articles about AI. Sure, some jobs will be phased out—historically, some jobs have always been phased out, that’s how the world rolls. But, AI is also going to make work more productive and rewarding for many people, as rasa.io explains in their post about the winning combination of AI + people.

Aptify discusses the huge role association management systems (AMS) play in marketing to prospective members and customers and to existing members and customers. If your AMS can’t do what their post is talking about, it’s time for you to start thinking about replacing it.

Some association staff never miss an opportunity to bitch about chapters—so tiresome and so toxic to the national/chapter relationship. Billhighway recently wrote about a chapter ROI metric developed by association CRP (component relations professional) Patrick Algyer that provided the numbers he needed when he heard the “why do we have chapters” question.

Another scourge: employers who don’t provide a professional development budget to their staff. Ugh, Neanderthals. WBT Systems explains why many employers are so lame about professional development and how your association can help them evolve.

I’m sharing a lot of reads because only a few webinars are scheduled for next week. And, you’ll have lots of reading time over the holidays. Here are some quick hits.

• For the first time, a robot passed a medical licensing exam. (Futurism)
• Interested in any of these 21 jobs that humans will have after robots take over? (Business Insider)
• “Everyone will have 5 years to get their car off the road or sell it for scrap.” Really? (Automotive News)
• What if we didn’t have members? (Indiana SAE)
• Email is not dead. Younger generations expect to use email more in the future than they do now. (Marketing Charts)
• Make journaling one of the best things you do in 2018—14 ways to make that habit stick. (Ryan Holiday)

I shared this one before, but it’s worth sharing again now that Bitcoin is making headlines every week: an explainer on blockchain technology from CB Insights.

Jay Younger from McKinley Advisors identifies five major drivers of change that he’s seen this year in the association sector. These should all be regular topics on staff meeting agendas.

Is your organization actually set up to support your strategy? Although this Harvard Business Review article is written for a corporate audience, the main points apply to associations as well.

As you would expect during the holiday season, there’s not much going on in the way of professional development next week. 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.

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Tue 12/19 at 1 p.m.* – Technology Disconnect: Examining the Gap Between Member Expectations and Association Technology

Community Brands surveyed both members and association staff in the U.S. to better understand current member experiences and the technology that supports them. Their insights help identify the growing disconnect between member expectations and the experiences organizations are delivering today. Get a first look at the study findings and dig deeper into the role technology plays in member loyalty, digital behavior and technology adoption trends, and how to prepare your organization for rising member expectations. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: Community Brands

Presenters:

• Jenna Jameson, Research Manager, Community Brands
• Sig VanDamme, Membership Software Evangelist, Community Brands

*All times are Eastern Standard Time unless otherwise noted.

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Wed 12/20 at 1 p.m. – How to Use Social Insights to Build a Content Strategy

Learn the five steps to creating a winning content marketing strategy, one that’s built with insights culled from a holistic view of your audience—a rich data set illuminating the most relevant topics, time of day and even type of content that engages your audience. More info/register.

Host: American Marketing Association

Presenters:

• Chris Woody, Director of Partner Strategy, Networked Insights
• Sabina Bhasin, Marketing Content Manager, Networked Insights

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Wed 12/20 at 2 p.m. – How to Enhance Safety & Security at Your Event

Learn why your event or your attendees might (or might not) be targeted for a potential terrorist attack or more personalized, street attacks. Understand the common pitfalls and stereotypes that can have us looking for the wrong things and the wrong people that could pose either harm to us or others. Learn tactics that can be used to distract us or even lure us into harm’s way. Hear about best practices that can be implemented to mitigate such risks. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.

Host: Pathable

Presenter: Jeff McKissack, President, Defense By Design

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Thu 12/21 at 2 p.m. – Chapters vs. National: Combat the Conflict

Hear about practical strategies you can start using immediately to unify your own organization. Learn how to spot disconnects between chapters and national, from misperceptions to strategic misalignment in vision. Discover how to use communications and process changes to defuse tension, while harnessing solid governance and technology to rebuild trust and respect across the organization. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: Billhighway

Presenter: Kyle Bazzy, director of growth, Billhighway

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That’s it 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.

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Creative Commons licensed photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash