The weekly list of free educational events and resources for the association community…
Staffing issues. If member companies are struggling to recruit and keep staff, they will be reluctant to let employees attend conferences or volunteer for your association. WBT Systems suggests strategies to attract talent to your association’s industry and help member companies improve their hiring and retention practices.
Office myths. When announcing a return to the office, many association leaders are living in magical reality. Mark Athitakis at Associations Now says these leaders hope to get “back to pre-pandemic standards and rituals”—rituals they incorrectly assume lead to better results for the organization and its staff. He says, “If you want people to change how they work, you need to be prepared to tell them why”—and those reasons should be based in fact, not myths.
Unproductive meetings. I’m astounded by the research I read on the increase in remote meetings. Meetings are broken, says Rebecca Hinds at Inc., so it’s time for a Meeting Doomsday, a tactic her team used at Asana. Maybe if you help members eliminate Zoom fatigue, they’ll be more likely to attend your virtual programs.
AMS expectations. Nimble AMS describes how an AMS helps membership directors better understand members, anticipate their needs, and deliver an optimal online experience and personalized communications and content. If your AMS doesn’t help you recruit, engage and retain members, you better start shopping for a new one.
Board governance. Paul Jansen and Helen Hatch at the Stanford Social Innovation Review suggest nonprofits add a Chief Governance Officer (CGO) to their boards. The CGO is charged with catalyzing improved board performance. Although you’ll see mentions of fundraising in this post, the points they raise apply to association boards too. The authors describe reasons for governance challenges, benefits of appointing one director as a CGO, and the CGO selection and implementation process.
Digital ageism. Digital ageism goes both ways. Mark Schaefer says, “As a [50-something] person working in a youth-oriented profession, I’m aware of the subtle cultural torpedos of ageism.” But that’s not the only ageism he sees. “Youthful digital natives are driving much of the change in the business world through bold and creative technology adoption. They are teaching us new ways to connect, collaborate, and create.” He says we should seek and accept wisdom wherever it exists, including out of the mouths of babes.
Data security. When it comes to cybersecurity, association execs should keep in mind the old saying about not knowing what you don’t know. If you’re not a security expert, how do you know if your IT team is following the best data security practices? This concise guide from Wicket gives you the lowdown on data security practices to avoid, staff training issues, a recovery plan template and more.
Quick hits
The most obvious content strategy that no one uses: give your blog posts a unifying structure by gathering your content into a curriculum. (Andy Crestodina, Orbit Media Studios)
One of the things I missed most during the pandemic: Why talking to strangers is the best thing you can do for your mental health. (Chris Bourn, Mel)
An unknown, extraordinarily ancient (11-13,000 years old) civilization buried under eastern Turkey. (Sean Thomas, The Spectator)
Good eats
Skip down to the list of free educational events if you prefer takeout.
I should’ve halved the jalapeño-avocado dressing recipe I made last week for a potato salad. But I’ve been finding ways to use it ever since, like smearing it all over baked mahi mahi and yellowfin tuna.
Long ago, Jim bought a bottle of Ouzo because he needed some for a dish he was making. It’s been hanging around ever since, so I’m going to build some menus around it. First up, this Greek (of course) fish dish. I added onion, Kalamata olives and fresh herbs to my version with almaco jack. On the side, an asparagus sauté with bacon, red bell pepper, red onion and fresh basil.
A one-pan meal for Sunday—and lots of leftovers: ground turkey, ground chorizo, sweet potato, greens and black bean skillet.
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 6/10 at 12 p.m.* – AWTC Mindful Networking
Held the second Friday of each month, these intimate, virtual conversations are a chance to form meaningful connections with other women and allies in the association technology community. Each Mindful Networking will feature one of our amazing AWTC award winners, followed by breakout rooms with changing topics (selected by our featured guest). More info/register.
Host: Association Women Technology Champions (AWTC)
Guest: Villy Savino, Vice President of Technology Transformation for CoreNet Global
*All events are online at Eastern Daylight Time unless otherwise noted.
Fri 6/10 at 12 p.m. – 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 6/10 at 4 p.m. – Find Your Why: A Practical Guide for Discovering Purpose for You and Your Team (Book Club Discussion)
Join us for our inaugural session of the three-part summer book club series. We will discuss the book Find Your Why: A Practical Guide to Discovering Purpose for You and Your Team by Simon Sinek. Reading the book in advance is encouraged, but it’s not required. Plan to attend a lively discussion on how to find your, your team’s and your organization’s underlying purpose. More info/register.
Host: Fridays@4
Mon 6/13 at 1 p.m. – Workplace Wellness (Nonprofit Conversations with Cecilia Sepp, CAE)
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: Fern Carbonell, Midlife Wellness Coach
Host: Cecilia Sepp, CAE, CNAP, principal and founder, Rogue Tulips LLC
Mon 6/13 at 1:30 p.m. – 30-Minute Monday | Pivot to Pirouette
Many in our industry are pivoting right now. Are you new to meetings and events? Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed like you’re not sure how you ended up in the industry? You may have “pivoted” to us but we can help you “pirouette” into your new role in the field. Learn how you can turn your pivot into a graceful and applause worthy pirouette. 0.5 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: MPI
Presenters: Melissa Eggert and Nikki Gonzales from Soundings
Tue 6/14 at 11 a.m. – Marketing Automation: Best Practices
Correlation doesn’t always equal causation, however, better marketing automation capabilities are strongly correlated with better market performance. This session will cover several marketing automation best practices and how industry leaders get value out of their marketing automation investment. 1.5 CAE credits. More info/register.
Host: U.S. Transactions Corp.
Presenter: Abi Abraham-Ajayi, Senior Consultant, Marketing Automation, fusionSpan
Tue 6/14 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. – REvolve: Designing Smarter In-Person Events
Learn how to forecast the results of your next in-person event in an ever-changing environment, stay on top of your role as an event organizer when the industry is moving so quickly, maintain your sanity as your resources are reduced while your workload is increasing, plan for an event venue when you can’t predict attendee numbers, and manage rising costs and inflation as you organize your next in-person event. More info/register.
Host: Evolve Community
Tue 6/14 at 12 p.m. – The Great Resignation Doesn’t Have to Threaten Your DEI Efforts
Organizations are struggling to “win” in an extremely competitive talent market. As a result, the desire to quickly fill a role with any qualified candidate has overtaken previous commitments to increasing the representation of candidates from historically marginalized backgrounds. By reverting to old behaviors, organizations risk losing ground on their diversity efforts. Learn how to attract and recruit qualified, diverse candidates in a competitive talent market and navigate DEI during the Great Resignation. More info/register.
Host: OpenSesame
Presenters:
- April Allen, Senior Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Peacehealth
- Tara Cooper, Equity Diversity & Inclusion Strategist
Wed 6/15 at 11 a.m. – Looking Forward 2022 (Solutions): The Association Strategies Essential to Success
Get the first look at the data from the most current and comprehensive examination of association strategy. Looking Forward® 2022 (Solutions) is yearly research that tests 120 strategies to discover the ideas that association leaders believe are most critical to success. Learn which key strategies are so essential to the future of associations and why, what principal challenges are facing associations as the sector continues to change in relation to current events, and how to access the Looking Forward Dashboard, filter for the specific information you need, and download reports to share with your staff or board. 1.5 CAE credits. More info/register.
Host: Association Laboratory
Presenters: Nikki Golden, CAE, strategist; Meg Whedbee, senior analyst; and Dean West, founder and president, Association Laboratory
Wed 6/15 at 12 p.m. – CRP Idea Swap: Helping Chapters Embrace Change
We need chapter leaders to make changes: huge ones like shifting structures; medium like embracing new volunteer models, support services and affiliate agreements; or easy like changing your schedule. Resistance to change is natural. Anytime you introduce a new process or technology, you have to think about change management from the very start. Unfortunately, we underestimate how our leader training can support us in leading that change. This idea swap will explore how we can use our current and future training opportunities to help chapters embrace change. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Hosts: Billhighway and Mariner Management
Wed 6/15 at 1 p.m. – Content By Members, For Members
Learn how you can make sure you are utilizing the right engagement channels to reach members and attain new ones. We will discuss generational gaps, engagement tactics, and how to present your message. 1.5 CAE credits. More info/register.
Host: U.S. Transactions Corp.
Presenter: Alfred McKelvy, Sr. Director, Strategic Partnerships, Multiview
Wed 6/15 at 1 p.m. – 4 Outdated Email Practices & How to Modernize your Email Marketing Program
Learn about four email marketing practices that may be hurting more than helping, and the steps to take to supercharge your email program and drive more conversions. Find out how to deliver better, more personalized email campaigns by incorporating subscriber feedback and engagement signals; level up your email creative strategy by leveraging machine learning and AI; and measure the things that matter by ditching antiquated vanity metrics and diving below the surface with your campaign reporting and analytics to understand what’s really going on with your subscribers. More info/register.
Host: American Marketing Association
Presenters: Danielle Gallant and Megan Farquharson, Email Strategists from Validity
Wed 6/15 at 1 p.m. – Mastering the New Ecosystem: How to Keep Pace With the Changing World of Events
As teams are stretched to their limits and job roles expand and become more complex, the need is emerging for planners to have a new network of resources, expertise, and support. This event ecosystem can help fill skills and capabilities gaps and offers planning teams new avenues for successfully managing and executing their events. Learn how an event ecosystem can assist you in mastering the new event landscape, including the elements of an ecosystem (spoiler alert – it’s more than just tech) and tips for using an ecosystem to overcome gaps in skills or capabilities. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: Meetings Today
Presenters: Mike Dietrich, Vice President of Product Marketing, and Julie Haddix, Senior Director, Industry Solutions, Cvent
Wed 6/15 at 1 p.m. – The Key to Event Personalization
To test how organizations could use preferences to personalize experiences, Google Xi recently partnered with Storycraft Lab and its “Experience Profiles” tool. Learn about the connection between personalization, participation, and engagement—and how tapping into personal preferences can translate into a more inclusive experience. Join this fireside chat to hear about their experiments with putting personalization into practice. More info/register.
Host: Bizzabo
Presenters:
- Megan Henshall, Global Events Strategic Solutions Lead at Google
- Naomi Clare-Crellin, Founder and CEO of Storycraft Lab
Wed 6/15 at 2 p.m. – How Associations Make Mission Critical Connections on LinkedIn: Tactics, Ideas and Stories Your Teams Need to Know
LinkedIn is the most impactful professional network in existence. This virtual workshop will give you and your association actionable steps to improve your LinkedIn presence, including embracing and positioning your association’s value proposition on LinkedIn; strategies for Groups, Events, Company Pages and connection outreach; planning for content that connects; building bridges to new association revenue opportunities; and why your team’s individual posts impact hiring and talent acquisition. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Professionals for Association Revenue
Presenters:
- Larry Eason, Senior Strategist
- Colleen McKenna, CEO and Founder, Intero Advisory
Wed 6/15 at 2 p.m. – The Biggest Policy Brewing in Healthcare & How to Stay Ahead in an Election Year
With a surge of legislative and regulatory activity focused on healthcare due to the pandemic, and multiple stakeholders in the industry to influence during an election year, is your team prepared to tackle these issues? Learn how to manage healthcare policy developments as they emerge, engage with key stakeholders, and tackle the top issues on your agenda. More info/register.
Host: FiscalNote
Presenters:
- Pepin Tuma, Senior Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
- Angela Shuman, Director of State Government Affairs, American College of Cardiology
- Jessica Wehrman (moderator), Health Policy Editor, CQ Roll Call
Thu 6/16 at 10 a.m. – Revenue, Renewals & ROI: How 4 Associations Made it Happen with a Mobile App
Mobile is now a “must have” for associations to connect and engage members—and generate ROI. Hear proven strategies and successes from INFORMS, American Association of Airport Executives, Institute of Quarrying, and British Orthopaedic Association for growing revenue, renewals, and ROI through member and event apps. 0.5 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Results Direct
Thu 6/16 at 3 p.m. – Data Bites & Happy Hour: Tips and Tricks on How to Talk Data (Arlington VA)
Have you ever wanted to be a little more comfortable when talking data? We will share a brief overview on the most important things you should know so you can be just dangerous enough to talk data, and follow with an AMA (Ask Me Anything) session. Then, we’ll wrap up with interactive working groups around tips for speaking about data and the biggest data problems facing us in 2022, including suggested ways to overcome them and take the next step in your data journey. 1 CAE credit. More info/register. Location: Arlington VA.
Hosts: Association Women Technology Champions and Association Analytics
Thu 6/16 at 9 a.m. – Reenergize Your Event Revenue
Learn how to squeeze more revenue from your in-person events, and generate more leads and improve ROI for your exhibitors and sponsors, to increase rebooking. Hear about the latest trends on packaging digital products. More info/register.
Host: Grip
Presenter: Frederic Malgoire, Managing Partner of E3 (Energy Events Experts)
Fri 6/17 at 12 p.m. – 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 6/17 at 4 p.m. – Job Search Series: How to Respond to Difficult Interview Questions
Anyone can interview well with a lot of preparation. Many times, candidates don’t think through which difficult questions might be asked in an interview. During an interview, you must communicate your skills and experience in a way that directly relates to the employer’s needs and how you can add value to their organization. This program will provide the tough questions and best way to answer for a successful interview. More info/register.
Host: Fridays@4
Presenter: Shelly Trent, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, CAE, JCTC, JCDC, HR and career development professional
Tue 6/21 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Community Platforms Demo Day
Join us for the just-in-time virtual community platform demo day featuring presentations from a limited number of industry partners that offer community platforms. Community experts will be showcasing platforms and sharing their knowledge with the association market. More info/register.
Host: ASAE
Tue 6/21 at 12 p.m. – Component Relations and Volunteer Management Crunch and Munch Session
Join the council for best practice sharing and idea generation. Come with your questions and goals and be ready to share your experiences with others seeking advice. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: ASAE Component Relations and Volunteer Management Advisory Council
Tue 6/21 at 1 p.m. – AP Automation: Processing Global Payments, Eliminating Fraud, and Segregating Roles and Responsibilities to Reduce Risk
Get an overview of challenges and trends impacting financial processes in Accounts Payable departments. Hear how automation can drive new levels of efficiency and how digital transformation can improve payment analytics and eliminate manual errors. Best practices to be discussed include processing global payments to any country in any currency, strengthening fraud prevention, and segregating roles and responsibilities to ensure corporate accounting compliance. 1.5 CAE credits. More info/register.
Host: U.S. Transactions Corp.
Presenter: Al Ladha, CEO and Founder, iCloudAuthority
Wed 6/22 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – UST Ed Symposium (Washington DC)
We have combined four dynamic sessions for an in-person one day event to learn, earn, & network with your peers: Everything you wanted to know about engagement scoring (but didn’t know to ask); IT Zen: how to create harmony across leadership, business and technology; Understanding the payments ecosystem of your association/nonprofit; and membership engagement: pass the pen. 5 CAE credits. Location: Washington DC. More info/register. Cost: $25. I’m making an exception by listing this paid event but it includes lunch and happy hour, so that’s practically free.
Host: U.S. Transactions Corp.
Wed 6/22 at 2 p.m. – Workplace Wellness – Why it Matters & What You Need to Know
Learn the latest and most significant trends in workplace wellness today, explore why this conversation matters (particularly regarding how it affects mental health at work), and the role of senior leaders and managers in helping their teams work better together in a remote/hybrid environment. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Achurch Consulting
Presenter: Laura Putnam, CEO of Motion Infusion
Thu 6/23 at 12 p.m. – PDAC Town Hall: Virtual Meetings Are Here to Stay: What You Need to Know
Join your professional development colleagues in a facilitated experience-sharing discussion on planning and managing virtual meetings, lessons learned along the way, and what your organization is looking toward in 2022 and beyond. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: ASAE Professional Development Professionals Community
Facilitators:
- Hannah Andrews, CAE, Director of Digital Learning, Endocrine Society
- Rebecca Campbell, CAE, COO and CLO, Colorado Society for CPAs
- Jack Coursen, Senior Director of ASHA Professional Development, American Speech-Hearing-Language Association
- Kyle Lambert London, CAE, Manager, Leadership Development and Engagement, National Association of Realtors
Thu 6/23 at 1 p.m. – The Elements of Member Value
What members value from their association isn’t always obvious and can be psychologically difficult to pin down. However, universal building blocks of value can show associations opportunities to improve their performance and where to break into new opportunities. Understanding the elements of value can lead to stronger member loyalty, a greater willingness to participate with your association, and sustained growth. Learn about the Elements of Member Value and how associations can benefit from incorporating them into how you think about your association’s mission and what leads to a closer connection to members. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Altai Systems
Presenter: Moira Edwards, founder, Ellipsis Partners
Thu 6/23 at 2 p.m. – Take Charge of Your Content: Know What You Have and How to Improve It
The key to enhancing the effectiveness of your website content is combining hard data (analytics) with human analysis (you). Learn how to keep your digital content organized through a content audit and how to analyze your member’s behavioral and demographic data to identify what content is most valuable to which members. Combining an audit with data will help you uncover gaps in your content so you can make meaningful, strategic changes for improved member engagement. It will also allow you to stop creating content that’s doing nothing. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Association Analytics
Presenters:
- Andrew Buck, Associate Creative Director – Copy, Mighty Citizen
- Bill Conforti, SVP of Strategy & Solutions, Association Analytics
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.
Creative Commons licensed photo by Leslie Cross via Unsplash
Association Brain Food 