The weekly list of free educational events and resources for the association community…
AMS/CRM software selection survey. 501Works, in partnership with Branching Knowledge, is inviting association staff, vendors and consultants to participate in a survey whose purpose is to improve this industry’s friction-ridden and fractured process for selecting, implementing and using AMS/CRM solutions. The goal is to better understand pain points and consequently uncover best practices that would lead to better buying decisions, processes and systems for associations and non-profits.
A mindset for change. You will transform your association (and your life) by following the advice in this post from Amith Nagarajan at Sidecar. He explains how a growth mindset can unlock change. A willingness to change is not enough, that’s where the growth mindset comes in. He suggests ways to cultivate that mindset at your organization—and it starts with learning.
Education pricing. When is “free” okay? WBT Systems wrestles with that question and comes up with several situations where it’s okay, and not okay, to give away educational content.
Age diversity. Sarah Sladek appreciates the intent to rid the world of generational stereotypes but “all too often, conversations about age diversity are considered too controversial and too difficult, and the perspectives of younger generations consistently end up being dismissed or ignored.”
Humanizing technology. It’s easy for an association or nonprofit to get lost in all the digital noise out there. Fionta explains how you can use technology to make your organization seem a whole lot more human during Giving Tuesday season, but their advice applies to any time of the year and with any audience.
Inspire action. Annie Neimand describes how to build a transformative narrative that will rally people to a cause, make them care and inspire them to act. Her method draws on social and behavioral sciences and the art of storytelling. Lots of good stuff in here for marketers or anyone else who needs to influence behavior for a living.
Quick hits
- 20 pandemic-related changes to make in the in-person attendee journey. (Ryan Costello, Event Farm)
- If you think watercooler moments unlock creativity in a hybrid workplace, you’re focusing on the wrong thing. (Dominic Price, Atlassian)
- This massive Google doc compiled by Rob Walker contains every icebreaker question you’ll ever need. (Jessica Stillman, Inc.)
Good eats
Skip down to the list of free webinars if you prefer takeout.
- It’s been a while since we’ve had flour, spicy buttermilk and cornmeal (with garlic powder)-dredged pan-fried fish fillets, so I made some with red drum last week. The only problem: not enough leftovers for lunchtime fish sandwiches.
- This recipe soooo good: creamy piccata swordfish (or your fish of choice). On the side, a sauté of mixed greens (collards, kale, kohlrabi and arugula) with bacon, red bell, onion, and jalapeño.
- Fish for Sunday (and Tuesday) dinner too: striped bass with choo chee Thai curry sauce. My recipe is from Nancie McDermott’s Quick & Easy Thai: 70 Everyday Recipes, but I bet you can find something similar online. Look for coconut milk, red curry paste, fish and soy sauce, green onions, herbs (I use Thai basil and Vietnamese coriander from my deck garden) and peanuts.
Here are the educational events scheduled for next week. If you have a free webinar or event coming up, please send me the link by Wednesday afternoon the week before it’s scheduled. I’ll be happy to feature it as long as it’s not too product-centric.
Fri 11/5 at 9:30 a.m. EDT* – NYSAE Engagement Lounge: How to Show Up as a Leader
People are often promoted into positions of leadership and management without having formal training in ether. Leadership is something you can work on and develop over time. Even if you’re a born leader, your skills can be improved if you’re willing to be self-reflective. Learn about some of the necessary skills and behaviors that will help you show up as a leader, regardless of where you are in your career or on the organizational chart. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: New York Society of Association Executives
Presenter: Linda Aronson
*All events are at Eastern Standard Time and online unless otherwise noted.
Fri 11/5 at 10:30 a.m. EDT – Small Steps to Big Change: Online Chat with Bobby Heard, COO for ACEP
Join us for a chat with a change-maker COO to share how he is engaging audiences in the digital and hybrid arena for the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). More info/register.
Host: Juno
Presenter: Bobby Heard, MBA, CAE, COO, ACEP
Fri 11/5 at 12 p.m. EDT – EventTech Chat
A weekly conversation about meeting and event technology, including software, hardware, and audiovisual for in-person and online events. More info/register.
Host: Brandt Krueger, founder Event Technology Consulting
Fri 11/5 at 4 p.m. EDT – What’s Your Favorite TED Talk?
What’s your favorite TED talk? Join your Fridays@4 colleagues for an open networking session, where as we talk about our favorite TED Talks and how they impacted the way we look at the world. More info/register—must join before registering.
Host: Fridays@4
Moderator: Heather Story, consultant, Volunteer Strategies
Mon 11/8 at 11 a.m. – Publications: How are Societies Approaching Innovation and Revenue Diversification? (Fireside Chat)
Hear from leaders in publications at three societies who are all thinking deeply about the challenges of not just revenue diversification, but innovating more widely. Learn about their thinking and experiences in leading their societies through change: not just thinking deeply about content and its value, but also thinking about culture, risk, and having an innovation mind-set. More info/register.
Host: Society Street
Presenters:
- Erin Landis, Vice President of Publications at the American Gastroenterological Association
- Jennifer Regala, Director of Publications and Executive Editor at the American Urological Association
- Dana Compton, the Managing Director and Publisher at the American Society of Civil Engineers
Mon 11/8 at 1 p.m. – Best Practices for Product Development (Chatting with Agnes & Cecilia)
This series of 15- to 20-minute videos covers hot topics and issues related to 501c organization management. New episodes are posted around 1 p.m. every Monday. Check out Cecilia’s Nonprofit Executive Spotlight series too.
Guest: Theo Harris
Hosts:
- Cecilia Sepp, CAE, CNAP, principal and founder, Rogue Tulips LLC
- Agnes Amos-Coleman, MBA, CMP, education, conference, event, certification consultant, Amos-Coleman
Tue 11/9 at 11 a.m. – Keynote Speaker Series: Strategic Evolution: Driving Superior Growth and Performance in your Organization
Understand why traditional strategic planning failure rates are very high. Learn a new framework for your strategic planning process which is based on scientific and evidence-based research. Understand how to separate strategy from tactics. Learn to use elements such as Strategic Intuition, Creating a Compelling Saga, and Stimulating Tribal-alignment. 1.5 CAE credits. More info/register.
Host: U.S. Transactions Corp.
Presenter: Don Schmincke, Author and Speaker
Tue 11/9 at 11 a.m. – Hybrid & Virtual Events Playbook: Priceless Lessons from an Impossible Year
Watch as two leading event strategists open their playbooks to share valuable takeaways from a year filled with challenges and surprising opportunities. For one association, the learning runway spanned more than a decade, as they were pioneers in live streaming event content. For the other, discoveries were compressed within a single year, yet the takeaways were just as rich. From platforms, tools and production considerations to innovative pricing models and fostering collaborative environments where vendors work beautifully together, you’ll come away with proven ideas you can add to your own playbook for 2022 and beyond. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: PCMA
Presenters:
- Todd Helton, Senior Director, Global Conferences & Events, Association of International Certified Professional Accountants
- Robin Preston, Director, Meetings Operations, American Chemical Society
Tue 11/9 at 11 a.m. – Putting a Price on It: The Changing Nature of Society Publishing
Join a group of industry experts for a roundtable discussion on the future of society publishing, including the rise of sponsored content, balancing trust and revenue, the sustainability of OA, and much more. More info/register.
Host: Silverchair
Presenters:
- Rod Cookson, IWA Publishing
- Ann Michael, Delta Think
- Sean Sanders, AAAS
- Miranda Walker, Wolters Kluwer Health Inc.
Tue 11/9 at 12 p.m. – Event Promotions 101: Proven Tactics that Drive Registrations and Deliver Attendees
Find out how to make your event communications more effective to increase attendance and extend the reach of your events. Learn best practices for marketing before, during, and after events; alternative marketing channels which are now (or will be) the new norm; and how to extend and harness the power of your events. 1 CMP credit. More info/register—possible fee for non-members.
Host: MPI
Tue 11/9 at 1 p.m. – The Evolution of Office Space and Technology in the Roaring 2020s
Progressive employers are turning toward hybrid work environments to facilitate flexibility and retain top talent. Learn how to reevaluate the way your team uses office space, best practices and types of technology needed for working in a hybrid environment, and how best to use office space to maximize efficiency from your teams. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Achurch Consulting
Presenters:
- Erik Haas, designDATA
- Dan Shapiro, Cresa
- Rae Ann Johnson, Achurch Consulting
Tue 11/9 at 1 p.m. – Navigating Vaccine Mandates in Professional Development Settings (ASAE PD Town Hall)
As we plan for meetings through the end of 2021 and into 2022, vaccine mandates and adjusting for COVID remains top of mind for many in professional education. Join this townhall for an open discussion amongst your peers to talk about what your plans are to address social distancing in instructional design, how mandates are being communicated to staff, speakers and stakeholders, what best practices are emerging around access to hybrid/recorded content and more. More info/register.
Host: ASAE Professional Development Professionals Community
Presenters:
- Tanika Coates, Senior Director, American Health Law Association
- Steve Legault, Director of Knowledge, Learning and Assessment at American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians
Tue 11/9 at 1 p.m. – Non-Profit/Association Accounting Webinar Series: Basics and Best Practices
Learn about industry best practices for optimizing your accounting system. We will cover the chart of accounts, customer structure, documented policies and procedures, the financial calendar, and other ways you can get the most out of your accounting. 1.5 CAE credits. More info/register.
Host: U.S. Transactions Corp.
Presenters:
- Gerardo Martinez, Accounting Consultant, The McKelvey Group, Inc.
- Traci Vagnucci, Controller, The McKelvey Group
Tue 11/9 at 2 p.m. – Building an Advocacy Year-End Report Your Leadership Team Will Love
Hear about best practices to track and measure your advocacy efforts year-round, tips to evaluate advocacy success for your organization, key advocacy metrics you should track and report on, and real-life examples from advocacy organizations getting reporting right. More info/register.
Host: FiscalNote
Presenters:
- Thao Nguyễn, Vice President of Advocacy, Feeding America
- Amanda Karhuse, Director, Policy & Advocacy, National Association of Secondary School Principals
- Joe Hirabayashi, Grassroots Program Manager, National Federation of Independent Business
- Sherry Whitworth, Managing Director, VoterVoice
Tue 11/9 at 4 p.m. – World Café
In 2021, in a series of moderated conversations, association executives led a conversation centered on some of the key areas to consider when building new and sustaining existing international efforts, including mission, vision, and governance; strategy and operations; and resources and implementation. Join us as we continue the virtual conversation in informal, small-group conversations. More info/register.
Host: ASAE International Associations Advisory Council
Wed 11/10 at 11 a.m. – Looking Forward® (DEI): Perceptions, Challenges and Solutions for DEI in Associations
Conversations about DEI are taking place every day among our volunteer leaders and staff. Unfortunately, these conversations are taking place without the data to guide decisions or monitor progress. Hear the findings from Looking Forward® (DEI), a ground-breaking study by Association Laboratory that collects insights from the association sector on the perceptions, challenges and solutions to DEI issues. 1.5 CAE credits. More info/register.
Host: Association Laboratory
Presenters: Dean A West, FASAE, Nicolette Haton Shanks, MBA, CAE, Meg Whedbee, MPP, Nikki Golden, and Miranda Barrett, CAE, PMP, Association Laboratory
Wed 11/10 at 11 a.m. – The Balancing Act: Managing a Credential Portfolio
Whether you’re managing a credential portfolio for the first time or a seasoned veteran, gain new insights on processes and metrics for evaluating the performance of your portfolio, getting buy-in from board and volunteer leaders on changes to the portfolio, making the decision to discontinue a credential—and how to do it, and what makes a credential successful (or not). More info/register.
Host: Knapp & Associates International
Presenter: Dr. Lily Bi, PhD, CIA, QIAL, CRMA, CISA, Executive Vice President, Standards, Certifications & Global Relations, The Institute for Internal Auditors
Wed 11/10 at 11 a.m. – Live Q&A: Show Me The Money! Budget Planning for Virtual and Hybrid Events
Every great event starts with a good plan and a budget. Then things change. And change again. How do you accurately budget for virtual and hybrid events with so many moving parts? Have costs for live video streaming increased? Will integration with our existing platforms cost extra? Get your questions answered about budgeting for digital events. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: PCMA
Presenter: Chantel Megaffin, DES, Director, Event Alchemy, Endless Events
Wed 11/10 at 12 p.m. – Give a Marketing Team of 3 the Power of 15
Lean marketing teams have to figure out how to deliver on goals with less resources and dedicated time. Learn how to use your martech stack so you can focus on the value-added activities instead of the time-intensive ones. Hear about a new way to approach, manage and automate your marketing funnel. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: HighRoad Solutions
Presenter: Aimee Pagano, Sr. Digital Advisor, HighRoad Solutions
Wed 11/10 at 12 p.m. – How to Use Event Data to Drive ROI
The newfound access to rich data and analytics has created new challenges for event professionals to connect the dots amid a sea of data, break it down by segment and figure out where to double down to drive maximum ROI. The good news is that depending on the technology in use, you can gather granular data around key aspects that will help you answer a wide range of questions around audience engagement, sponsorship enablement, session engagement, and event experience, to name a few. More info/register.
Hosts: Trade Show News Network and Hubilo
Presenters:
- Joseph Colangelo, CEO & Co-Founder at Bear Analytics Inc.
- Liesl Leary, Vice President, Corporate Marketing at Hubilo
- Michael Arp, President at Bright AV
Wed 11/10 at 12:30 p.m. – Race for Relevance Book Discussion
Join a live Q&A with the authors. More info/register.
Hosts: Eileen Acker and Abby Mund
Presenters: Mary Byers, CAE and Harrison Coerver
Wed 11/10 at 1 p.m. – Prepping & Priming for Conference Engagement: What Associations Can Learn from Amazon’s EMEA Talent Acquisition Team Day
How do you make everyone feel special when there are hundreds of them and one of you? Learn how PropFuel’s recipe for conversational engagement helped create interest, shape session design and let us track session outcomes, all while giving each of 200+ Amazon CTA EMEA team members what felt like a custom experience. We’ll cover the creative brief for the gathering, the unique challenge, and how we leveraged PropFuel’s “Registrant Soup” recipe to prep and prime the Team Day event. More info/register.
Host: Matchbox Virtual Media
Presenters:
- Tim Parsons, Chief Innovation Officer, Matchbox Virtual Media
- Dave Will, co-founder and CEO, PropFuel
- Mishka Rehak, Content Lead, Matchbox Virtual Media
Wed 11/10 at 1 p.m. – #ExpoChat on Twitter
ExpoChat is a Twitter-based conversation on topics related to the trade show industry. More info.
Wed 11/10 at 2:30 p.m. – Building Your 2022 Communications Plan
Discover everything that needs to go into your 2022 communications plan, and learn how to set goals that bring value, define activities and tactics for your goals, identify key audiences, and manage your plan throughout the year (no matter what it brings!). An annual communications plan template and marketing and communications budget template will also be provided. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Mighty Citizen
Presenters:
- Rachel Clemens, CMO at Mighty Citizen
- Nicole Araujo, Client Engagement Director at Mighty Citizen
Thu 11/11 at 3 p.m. – Marketing Techniques Being Used Against Your Association
Learn strategies competitors are using against you—and how to use these same strategies to turn the tables. You’ll identify new ways to profit from digital tactics like going beyond demographics and segment audiences by real-time behavior, applying personalization at scale, running a look-alike campaign to recruit more (ideal!) members, and using nurture sequences to warm an audience to an event or product. More info/register.
Host: Hum
Presenters: Laura Simis, Digital Marketing Manager of Hum, and Dustin Smith, President & Co-Founder of Hum
Fri 11/12 at 4 p.m. – Career Management and Lifelong Learning: How to Create and Follow Your Professional Development Plan
To achieve your goals, you must articulate what they are and how you will reach them in specific terms. What’s the gap between where you are now and where you want to be? How do you get there? This program will provide step-by-step instructions on creating your own career development plan and following it until you reach your goals. More info/register (must join before registering).
Host: Fridays@4
Presenter: HR and career development professional Shelly Trent, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, CAE, JCTC, JCDC
Tue 11/16 at 11 a.m. – 7 Tools to Create a Healthy Hybrid Workplace
You know there must be a better way to balance work, life and distractions that get in your way more often than they help you focus on mission-critical activities. Get an overview of the latest apps and strategies for workplace mindfulness, wellness and productivity. Hear about best practices for reclaiming your time, effective collaboration and communication in the hybrid workplace, and strategies for using apps to improve wellness and productivity for yourself and your team in the hybrid workplace. More info/register.
Host: Sidecar
Presenter: Meico Marquette Whitlock, Founder and CEO of Mindful Techie
Tue 11/16 at 12 p.m. – The Future Is Not as Simple as Just Going Hybrid
Event organizers are quickly realizing that hybrid isn’t cheap and requires a lot more work. While hybrid can improve reach, it doesn’t necessarily serve your top customers. The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) has hosted nine live events of varying sizes since August and will share learnings, pros, cons and alternatives to explore for your 2022 event portfolio. Hear about criteria for determining whether or not to offer hybrid, five lesser known truths about hybrid meetings, and strategies for differentiating your hybrid or digital offering. More info/register.
Host: Velvet Chainsaw Consulting
Presenters:
- Tracey Steiner, NRECA’s senior vice president for education, training and events
- Dave Lutz, managing director, Velvet Chainsaw Consulting
Tue 11/16 at 12 p.m. – Component Relations and Volunteer Management Section Council Crunch and Munch Monthly Chat
Grab your lunch or coffee and join us as we discuss the latest topics on our community board and meet your new Component Relations and Volunteer Management Section Council. More info/register.
Host: ASAE Component Relations and Volunteer Management Section Council
Tue 11/16 at 12:30 p.m. – Meetings of Membership Minds
These impromptu, casual discussions about membership concepts, issues, and challenges are conducted live online and open to membership professionals to comment and offer insights. More info/register.
Hosts: Dan Ratner, The Business of Membership, and Scott Oser, Scott Oser Associates
Tue 11/16 at 2 p.m. – Up the Event Hype: How to Generate (New) Buzz, Excitement, and Engagement in your Meetings
Hear about the secret sauce for creating an event experience that is dynamic, exciting and authentic, and how you can keep the energy flowing long after the event is over. Learn about new ways to use video, how to up the production value of your meetings, how to create micro-communities, and so much more! Get examples and case studies from associations that are seeing unprecedented meeting success, regardless of format, thanks to these tactics. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Matrix Group
Presenters:
- Frank Humada, Chief Business Development Officer, Association Briefings
- Joanna Pineda, CEO & Chief Troublemaker, Matrix Group
- Joel Resnik, Chief Revenue Officer, Gather Voices
Wed 11/17 at 10 a.m. – What’s Working Now: Ask Me Anything About Websites
Are you considering a website redesign but not sure where to start? Ask our panel of website experts anything about websites and preparing for a redesign process, including building an RFP, budget guidance, the latest redesign trends, measuring website performance, and CMS selection tips. More info/register.
Host: Results Direct
Presenters: Alexandra Mouw, CAE, Principal Digital Strategist, and Laura Johnson, Sr. Solutions Consultant, Results Direct
Wed 11/17 at 2 p.m. – The Right Non-Dues Revenue Program with the Right Solution for Members
Health coverage was one of the most frequently requested services by the United States Professional Tennis Association members, but finding the right program was challenging. Discover how they found a national solution for USPTA members, their families, business owners, and their employees while providing non-dues revenue and added member benefit for the association. More info/register.
Hosts: Non-Dues-a-Palooza and LIG Solutions
Presenter: Tim McNichols, Executive Director of Partnerships, LIG Solutions
Wed 11/17 at 2 p.m. – Ask the Experts: Best Practices for Producing Great Board Meeting Minutes
Learn how to ensure that your board meeting minutes—the official and legal record of your organization’s board meetings—are the best they can be. Gain tips on how to strike the right balance between including too much and too little information. Hear about current best practices around board meeting minutes. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: ASAE
Presenters: Adarsh Mantravadi, General Council & Director of Business Development, and Doug Wilson, Vice President of Product, OnBoard
Wed 11/17 at 3 p.m. – Association Insights Survey Part 2: Analysis and Action with Survey Data
During Part 1, we revealed the results from our 2021 associations insights survey and discussed the thought process behind the questions, as well as the overall survey design. Now that you know what questions to ask and how to ask them, learn how to interpret your survey data and leverage the responses in meaningful ways. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Association Analytics
Presenters:
- Bill Conforti, SVP of Strategy & Solutions, Association Analytics
- Greg Pollack, VP of Sales, Association Analytics
Thu 11/18 at 1 p.m. – The 2022 Learning Business Landscape
Look back at key developments that impacted the learning business in 2021 and look ahead to what’s coming in 2022 and beyond. The session will incorporate survey data from practitioners working in the business of lifelong learning, continuing education and professional development. Hear how organizations are investing in learning and get insights into specific areas of focus like personalization, AI, social learning, data, and more. Learn about developments your learning business peers consider important so you can start thinking about how these trends will and should impact your own organization’s portfolio of educational offerings. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Leading Learning
Presenters:
- Jeff Cobb and Celisa Steele, co-founders of Tagoras and Leading Learning
- Andy Hicken, VP of technology solutions, Web Courseworks
Fri 11/19 at 4 p.m. – Book Discussion: Race for Relevance: 5 Radical Changes for Associations
Take a bold, no-nonsense look at the realities of today’s marketplace—and what it will take for associations to prosper tomorrow. Join a discussion about the challenges facing associations today, strategies for creating a sustainable future, and what’s working and want’s not in your own organization. More info/register (must join before registering).
Host: Fridays@4
Presenter: Mary Byers, CAE, co-author of Race for Relevance: 5 Radical Changes for Associations
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 by Wednesday afternoon.
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