The weekly list of free educational events and resources for the association community…
“The main hope of a nation lies in the proper education of its youth.” —Erasmus
Podcasts. In the past few editions of Association Brain Food, I included a Good Listens section featuring association-focused podcasts. I left it out this week because I didn’t think you’d care about freelance writing, 18th century British writers, medieval nuns or creativity—but maybe I’m wrong!
I’d bet every industry has seen a growing number of podcasts like ours has, maybe even the industry your association serves. WBT Systems explains what associations need to know about launching a podcast and how a podcast can contribute to the success of your professional development programs.
Event planning. Is your event planning to-do list still up to snuff? Whether you’re new to the business or have been planning events forever, take a look at the post-pandemic event checklist put together by Impexium.
Workplace culture. We all know how much an organization’s culture influences its success. But where and how do you even begin to improve your culture? Propel explains how a culture assessment can reveal your organization’s change readiness and its place on the cultural spectrum from traditional to contemporary to futurist.
Team dynamics. Don’t let your team get consumed by an obsession with productivity. They should spend time developing the relationships and space for knowledge sharing, reflection and constructive conflict. Otherwise, says Sebastian Kowalski at Post*Shift, they have no chance of continuously improving.
Changing attendee profile. Surveys conducted by Freeman have uncovered the most dramatic shift in B2B event attendee demographics in three decades: attendees are getting younger. Barbara Palmer at PCMA Convene says these Next Gen Event Goers won’t settle for the standard event experience—they expect to be captivated.
Event marketing. Another finding from the Freeman survey: people are registering much later for events. Your marketing plan must work extra hard to convince your audience they should make the trip. GrowthZone explains what to do before, during and after an event to help increase registrations and attendance.
AI watch
With the release of generative AI tools, like ChatGPT, it’s an exciting time to be a writer—a human one. ChatGPT can definitely help professionals with tasks, but its output still requires a human touch. AI conversations continue to bubble up in our community as we grapple with its potential and risks. AI was the focus of ASAE’s Tech Tuesday discussion this week hosted by Reggie Henry (ASAE) and Tobin Conley (DelCor). You should also check out Sidecar’s online community dedicated to AI and Amith Nagarajan’s (Blue Cypress/Sidecar) new book, Ascend: Unlocking the Power of AI for Associations—I’m reading it now.
Thanks to subscribing to god-knows-how-many newsletters, my inbox is full of AI articles. This first one by Hailey Mensik at WorkLife raises an interesting and serious question: Will AI spur a loss of craft among Gen Z and early career professionals? We develop expertise from researching, thinking and writing. Don’t give that up!
PCMA is partnering with Gevme on the AI-based Project Spark for the events industry, which is free now, but I can see revenue potential. Think about ways AI can help your association monetize its knowledge base.
Quick hits
Good news! Much of America’s political divide is an illusion. Reducing fear between America’s tribal factions is the first step to alleviating the destructive effects of our polarization. (Michael Baharaeen, Persuasion)
Bad news! The “Nation’s Report Card” shows the sharpest ever decline in history and civics knowledge for 4th, 8th and 12th grade students. Ignorant kids becoming ignorant adults doesn’t bode well for our country’s future. (Paul du Quenoy, City Journal)
Pathetic news! Eat, pray, cringe: Elizabeth Gilbert cancels herself. She no longer has the courage of her convictions to write imaginatively, wildly and unapologetically, as she exhorted us to do in her book, Big Magic. (Kat Rosenfield, The Free Press)
Turn off the news! The “Tribe of One” mentality is spiritually and psychologically destructive. “Embrace what makes us different without losing sight of what binds us together.” (Julian Adorney and Mark Johnson, Foundation Against Intolerance & Racism/FAIR)
Good eats
Skip down to the list of free educational events if you prefer takeout or can’t stand fish.
Lots of fish on the menu this past week, starting with spiced southern fried flounder and bluefish with a veggie pesto on the side. Always satisfying.
Next, pan-seared almaco jack with avocado, soy, ginger and lime served alongside a cauliflower rice and veggie (red bell, red onion, broccoli floret/stems, jalapeño, carrot) stir fry with ginger, garlic, chile paste, Thai basil, mint and Vietnamese coriander. Yum.
I had two pounds of yellowfin tuna in the freezer and an extra container of olives in the frig so I created a one-skillet Mediterranean-style dish with onion, herbes de Provence, hot red pepper flakes, garlic, olives, roasted red bell, sun-dried tomatoes, pepperoncini, chickpeas, white wine, Ouzo and feta cheese. On the side, frozen asparagus sautéed with garlic powder, fennel pollen and Parmesan cheese. What a meal!
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’m happy to feature it as long as it’s not too product-centric.
Fri 6/16 at 4 p.m.* – Smart Brevity in the Association World (Book Discussion)
The power of saying more with less. Is it a system, a process, a style, a tool, or software? In Smart Brevity: The Power of Saying More with Less, Axios co-founders Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, and Roy Schwartz teach readers how to say more with less in virtually any format. They also share communications lessons learned from their decades of experience in media, business and communications. More info/register.
Host: Fridays@4
*All events are online at Eastern Daylight Time unless otherwise noted.
Mon 6/19 at 8 a.m. – The 200th Episode (Radio Free 501c, the podcast of Rogue Tulips Consulting)
Every week Rogue Tulips brings the nonprofit community intriguing guests discussing vital topics affecting nonprofit organizations around the world—and we have fun doing it! Episodes are published Monday mornings in both audio and video format, available on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, Apple Podcast, and Google Podcast (to name a few!).
Host: On this special 200th episode, Michael Butera, president and CEO, Association ActiVision, interviews Cecilia
Guest: Cecilia Sepp, CAE, CNP, principal and founder, Rogue Tulips Consulting, gives up her hosting chair to Michael
Tue 6/20 at 12 p.m. – CRVM June Crunch and Munch
This month we’ll be focusing on affinity groups—how your organization manages these relationships, the challenges and the opportunities. More info/register.
Host: ASAE Component Relations and Volunteer Management Council (CRVM)
Tue 6/20 at 12 p.m. – Do You Run Successful Postmortems?
Whenever you end a project or a client engagement, you probably do a retrospective analysis. You meet, examine and assess how it went. In many of these meetings, however, people spend most time assessing what worked well and what didn’t. They’re looking in the rear view, leaving little room to focus on what they will do differently. Learn about the most important aspect of any postmortem—and how, if you don’t seek to gain wisdom for future projects, the meeting might as well not even happen. More info/register.
Host/speaker: Charlene Li, Chief Research Officer, PA Consulting
Tue 6/20 at 3 p.m. – Leveraging AI in Government Affairs
It’s time to demystify Artificial Intelligence (AI) and unlock the power of AI in government affairs. Get a crash course on how AI functions and practical tips for integrating AI into your government affairs work. More info/register.
Host: Quorum
Speaker: Jonathan Marks, Co-Founder & CTO, Quorum
Tue 6/20 at 3 p.m. – Knowledge Transfer and Succession Planning Strategies for Your Event Tech
Don’t wait until people start resigning to implement a knowledge transfer strategy. A panel of former event technology clients, who are now members of the Cadmium staff, share insights on how knowledge transfers were implemented within their organizations. Learn how to prevent knowledge loss and equip your team with the necessary skills to leverage new event tech effectively. More info/register.
Host: Cadmium
Speakers: Alee Navarro, CMP, DES, Project Manager, EventTech, and Jennifer Vitek, Project Manager, EventTech, Cadmium
Wed 6/21 from 9:30 to 11:45 a.m. – Generative AI (Silver Spring MD)
What is generative AI and how can it disrupt and transform credentialing and credentialing testing? What is the current state and the future outlook for content ownership and intellectual property for AI-generated content? What issues in psychometrics and measurement should we be exploring now with respect to generative AI in high stakes assessment? Hear how these new technologies might change our ways of working. Location: Silver Spring MD. More info/register.
Host: Certification Network Group
Speakers:
- Ken Alba, Director of Product, Trivie
- Kirk Becker, Senior Research Scientist, Pearson VUE
- Jennifer Semko, Chair of Washington DC Litigation and Government Enforcement Practice, Baker & McKenzie LLP
- Eric D’Astolfo (moderator), Vice President of Professional Business Development, Pearson VUE
Wed 6/21 at 12 p.m. – Financial Straight Talk: Answers to Top Association Questions in Uncertain Times. (Alexandria VA)
Hear how today’s financial uncertainty affects your financial strategies, bank failures and the risk of potential reserve loss, emerging risks that should be on every association executive’s radar, federal grants, financial governance and more. Location: Alexandria VA. More info/register.
Hosts: Alexandria Association Senior Executive Session and AIOT
Speaker: Julie Jones, CPA, Marcum LLP
Wed 6/21 at 12 p.m. – Engage Your Audience Everywhere: Onsite, Online, On Demand
Everyone’s busy. So busy, in fact, that they’re registering later than ever for events. Learn how to make events more engaging so your audience can’t afford to miss them onsite, online, or on demand. Hear how to maximize your event ROI and deliver great results for your sponsors. More info/register.
Host: PCMA
Speakers:
- Joshua Butler, co-founder, Falcon Events
- Brian Monahan, vice president of business development, Prestige AV & Creative Services
Wed 6/21 at 2 p.m. – How to Sell More by Saying Less With the ABT Agile Narrative Framework
Your association and its membership are the source of amazing stories for your content marketing. But storytelling is hard to get right. Learn the proven ABT (And, But, Therefore) agile narrative framework that makes storytelling easy. Hear how to hack through the noise and hook the hearts of your prospects, members, colleagues and the communities you serve using the “The DNA of story,” the ABT… three words that will rock your world. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Professionals for Association Revenue
Speaker: Park Howell, founder, Business of Story
Wed 6/21 at 2 p.m. – How to Protect Your Organization from Cyber Threats
Cyber attacks are becoming more sophisticated, frequent, and destructive than ever before. No organization, regardless of size or industry, is immune. Learn about the most popular cyber attacks and threats in today’s world, the areas that are most vulnerable to hacks and attacks, top 5 ways to keep your organization safe from cyber threats, top 5 things that you can do as an individual to keep you and your family cyber safe, and our favorite tools to help protect against hacks. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Matrix Group
Speakers: Dave Hoernig, Director of Software Engineering; Jessica Parsley, Associate Director; and Joanna Pineda, CEO, Matrix Group
Wed 6/21 at 2 p.m. – Crisis Averted: How Advocacy Organizations Can Respond to Sudden Policy Shifts & News Events
Learn how to create a proactive strategy for managing uncertainty, seizing opportunities and effectively responding to unforeseen developments. Find out how to rally supporters and mobilize resources during a crisis, and hear timely examples from recent headlines about navigating the current landscape. More info/register.
Host: VoterVoice
Speakers:
- Jenna DiPaolo, Chief Communications Officer, Greenpeace USA
- Susan Lagana, Principal, Invariant
- Kate Tremont, Director of Community Advocacy, Razom For Ukraine
- Sue Zoldak, Founder & Owner, The Zoldak Agency
- Sherry Whitworth (moderator), Managing Director, Public Affairs and Advocacy, FiscalNote
Wed 6/21 at 3 p.m. – How AI will Impact Digital Marketing in 2023
Description not on website at publication time. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: UST Education
Speakers: Mitch Eisen, Owner, CTO, and Tom Pines, CEO, Contentware
Thu 6/22 at 8 a.m. – Associations & Artificial intelligence (AI): Part 2
At our webinar on Associations & AI in April, we promised we would provide the opportunity for associations to continue the discussion and keep sharing best practices on the fast development of AI and how associations learn to use it. Let’s keep learning about how we can best utilize AI in our organizations and how we get on with using tools and platforms. More info/register.
Host: Association World
Thu 6/22 at 11 a.m. – Harness the Power of AI in Community Management
Recalibrate your understanding of AI in community management. Learn how to elevate your productivity levels as a community manager with AI, enhance member experiences and foster deeper engagement, make smarter, data-driven decisions with AI insights, streamline your operations with efficient AI-powered tools, and understand why AI won’t take your job, but someone using AI might. More info/register.
Host: Hivebrite
Speakers:
- Todd Nilson, Community Strategist, Clocktower Advisors
- Morgan Wood, Head of Community, Hivebrite
Thu 6/22 at 12 p.m. – The Power of Tiers: Maximizing Growth and Member Engagement
Hear from chamber executives who have successfully implemented a tiered membership model. Learn about the process they followed, challenges they encountered during the rollout, outcomes achieved, and the valuable advice they have for other organizations considering a similar journey. More info/register.
Host: Hight Performance Group
Speakers:
- Margie Donnell, Operations Manager, Lancaster/Fairfield County (OH) Chamber of Commerce
- Missy Evans, President and CEO, Hartselle (AL) Area Chamber of Commerce
- Rich Millard, Executive Director, Royal Gorge (CO) Chamber Alliance
- Dawn Mushill, Executive Director, Troy/Maryville/St. Jacob/Marine (IL) Chamber of Commerce
- Barbara Rivera-Holmes, President and CEO, Albany (GA) Area Chamber of Commerce
- Cathi Hight (moderator), President, Hight Performance Group
Thu 6/22 at 12 p.m. – The Community Check-In
A weekly community chat on Slack for black professionals working in the events industry. More info/register.
Host: Black In Events Network
Thu 6/22 at 12:30 p.m. – Managing Nonprofit Affiliated Entities
Managing and working with affiliated entities—with different tax statuses and different missions—is seldom easy. Executives and counsel must grapple with maintaining the requisite separateness among the related entities while maximizing the efficiencies that should go along with having multiple entities under one umbrella. Hear important tips on managing tax exemption, legal, and operational risks through appropriate policies, agreements, and training. More info/register.
Host: Venable LLP
Speakers: Lindsay Nathan, Partner, and Ryan Kasdin, Counsel, Venable LLP
Thu 6/22 at 2 p.m. – Why Member Benefits Matter as Much as Punctuation
When’s the last time you double-checked your member benefit programs and how they align with your membership and the non-dues revenue needs of your organization? In this Expert Series, we will discuss how to create the right mix of member benefit options that keep your members coming back, and which ones provide your organization substantial non-dues revenue year over year. More info/register.
Host: Teri Carden, founder, Non Dues-a-Palooza
Guest: Tim McNichols, executive director, Partnerships at LIG Solutions
Thu 6/22 at 2 p.m. – Event Contract Negotiation Secrets from a Sourcing Pro
When space availability is compressed and the economy is uncertain, negotiating a contract that accounts for the risks of all parties requires a pro. Learn how the current marketplace affects a planner’s strategy during negotiations, specific clauses to help better protect your organization, ways to reduce your overall risk, and strategies to enhance your overall contracts and experience. More info/register.
Host: Smart Meetings
Speaker: Cheryl M. Payne, CMP, CMM, Strategic Partner at INNOV8 Meetings + Events
Thu 6/22 at 2 p.m. – Building a More Diverse Board
A diverse board brings a variety of perspectives and experiences to the table, which can lead to better decision-making and innovation. Learn about traditional blockers that keep boards from reaching diversity goals, best-practice actions boards can take to increase diversity, and building better board talent development pipelines. More info/register.
Host: OnBoard
Speakers: Breen Sullivan and Kat de Haën, co-founders of the Fourth Floor
Fri 6/23 at 12 p.m. – Exam Development Session-III
Learn how to design and administer exams that are valid and reliable while incorporating best practices in assessment design. Gain an understanding of the principles of good test construction, explore the different types of exams, and get hands on experience in constructing exams. Hear about the importance of item analysis, the role of feedback in exam development, and the need for test security. More info/register.
Host: Leverage Assessments, Inc.
Fri 6/2 at 2 p.m. – Decoding Belonging: The Global Belonging Index Transforming Events (Association Chat)
If the value of belonging is so important to association members, why don’t we understand it better? The Belonging Index identifies what Belonging means to people based on 750,000+ surveys in 152 languages across 180 countries. For now, it is a tool to help planners around the world to make inclusive events that resonate deeply with participants. Learn more about the Belonging Index, what it means for associations, and why association executives should care about it. More info/register.
Host: KiKi L’Italien, senior consultant, Tecker International
Guests:
- Naomi Clare Crellin, Founder and CEO of Storycraft Lab
- Megan Henshall, Global Events Strategic Solutions Lead at Google
Fri 6/23 at 4 p.m. – Nonprofit Management Series: Fundraising Fundamentals
This course designed for new fundraisers or those interested in learning about fundraising will will include an overview of the development process for securing private contributions (including individual giving, major gifts, events, foundations, and corporate giving) and where your best opportunities come from to raise money. More info/register.
Host: Fridays@4
Speaker: Carolyn Nopar, former Chief Development Officer for the YWCA Metro Chicago and Director of Development & Communications for Family Focus
Tue 6/27 at 12 p.m. – DEI of Non-Parents in the Workplace
How does pronatalism—the promotion of the reproduction of human life—Influence our workplace? How do we create welcoming workplaces for non-parents? Learn about pronatalism and its impact. Take away tools you can use to address pronatalism in the workplace. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Association Women Technology Champions
Speaker: Ruth Berkowitz MA, Well-being Coach, Meditation Teacher and Group Facilitator
Tue 6/27 at 12 p.m. – ASAE Component Relations and Volunteer Management (CRVM) Book Club
The Q2 CRVM Book Club selection is The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters by Priya Parker. Whether you’ve finished, are just a couple of chapters in, or want to hear what the book is about and how it applies to associations, we’d love for you to join us. More info/register.
Host: ASAE Component Relations and Volunteer Management Council
Facilitators: Elisa Pratt and Brian Calvary
Wed 6/28 at 1 p.m. – Renew: Is Your Member Renewal Journey Magical or Miserable?
Learn how to draw insights from your data, use personalization and automation to create a compelling, cohesive and frictionless member experience through the renewal process. Hear how to unlock a deeper understanding of the journey members go through to engage with your association and renew. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: iMIS by ASI
Thu 6/29 at 1 p.m. – June Think Tank
It’s been a busy month for us all! Let’s take this opportunity to get together to discuss our wins, challenges and questions. During this meetup, we’ll get together as a group to workshop each other’s questions and situations. More info/register.
Host: Sidecar
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, Twitter or LinkedIn by Wednesday afternoon the week before it’s scheduled.
Creative Commons licensed photo of Moki Dugway (now that’s a fun drive!) in UT by Emily Campbell via Unsplash
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