Spark Consulting

AUGUST 1, 2016

Information overload – we all experience it personally, every day, with our emails and social media feeds and online media and print media and broadcast media, and that’s hard enough to manage. But in 2016, our associations ALSO struggle with information overload. We have many rich sources of data about our members, our other audiences, and our operations that we can mine in a dizzying variety of ways, so many, in fact, that it can be almost impossible to separate the signal from the

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Social Media Recruiting Recruitment Marketing 174

Higher Logic

AUGUST 1, 2016

Starting an online community can seem like a daunting task at first. It’s easy to think that you need experience with other online communities to build a successful one for your own organization. However, while communities on a screen seem like a new phenomenon, their goal is to mimic a real-life community. So, rather than seeing yourself as the community manager of an online group, try imagining you are the town planner in charge of helping a new town get off its feet.

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Eric Lanke

AUGUST 1, 2016

I've written a few times here about my experiment with The Four Disciplines of Execution, or 4DX, as it is often abbreviated. The last time I wrote about it, I was dissecting the experiment I've run to date, and offered up the three factors that caused us the most difficulty. If you're interested, go here for the full blog post. When talking about the second factor, an admission that it was unclear that all of the "Wildly Important Goals," or "WIGs," that we had chosen truly mattered for our org

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Smooth The Path

AUGUST 1, 2016

Associations are no longer a place to hide, if they ever were. Now everyone in every role needs to prepare for change, accept change and maybe even bring about change. External forces are ensuring that organizations can’t thrive by maintaining the status quo, or even survive. Each and every association is feeling the pressure. In the face of such swift and powerful pressure no one knows what to do.

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Idea Architects

AUGUST 1, 2016

In author Daniel Pink's most recent "infrequent and irreverent" enewsletter (you should subscribe), he highlighted six book recommendations in a simple, but powerful way: sharing a core idea from the book's content and his take (or one from the book) on how to put it in action. By making these takeaways explicit, Pink helped me determine if I might wish to read the book itself.

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.orgCommunity

AUGUST 1, 2016

From : Blog Entry >> Heather's Blog Entry Association management software/systems are arguably organizations’ largest technology investment. They provide membership organizations with vital functionality for delivering member services, and serve multiple business purposes—from operating as the core system of record to event and learning management, email marketing campaigns, and much more.

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Email Marketing Software System Technology 55

Associations Now

AUGUST 1, 2016

With the development of a new digital library, Tennessee high school students will be switching from print textbooks to online learning materials this school year. A team of education groups and private companies created a digital resource for Tennessee high school students and teachers that replaces textbooks and provides better education through accurate, up-to-date materials.

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Association Adviser

AUGUST 1, 2016

Did you know that 90 percent of information transmitted to the brain is visual, and visuals are processed 60,000 times faster in the brain than text? Amazing! Incorporate infographics within your association’s magazine, on your Web pages and in your emails to: Increase awareness of your association. Recruit new members and staff. Generate traffic to your association’s website.

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Tools Content Marketing Recruiting 60

Associations Now

AUGUST 1, 2016

An array of economic and geographic pressures have boosted Boston’s hotel rooms to extremely high rates. Also: Consider these tips on how to approach a niche social media platform, which could help you build your member base. When there aren’t enough hotels, travelers face a big headache. Case in point: the current situation in the Boston metro area.

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Events hold the power to create lasting impressions and meaningful connections. They are not only occasions for celebration but also valuable marketing opportunities. Event marketing has become an essential component of successful business strategies, enabling organizations to engage with their target audience and create memorable experiences. However, behind every successful event lies a well-thought-out marketing strategy.

Marketing

Associations Now

AUGUST 1, 2016

A new law that mandates GMO labeling for most foods continues to stir controversy. Advocacy groups say it allows food companies to obscure whether a product contains genetically modified organisms, while major trade groups say it gives manufacturers flexibility that a patchwork of state laws wouldn’t. The long-running GMO labeling saga, which has led to legal battles , conflicts over states’ rights , and debates over political tactics , may be over.

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Associations Now

AUGUST 1, 2016

When it comes to the business plan for a new service offering, start with The Business Model Canvas. Your board has been developing a new service offering for months and now you need a simple and straightforward business plan for it. Where do you start? Enter The Business Model Canvas, a one-page tool that was developed by Alexander Osterwalder in 2008.

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Revenue Project Cost Tools 40

Associations Now

AUGUST 1, 2016

After would-be presidential assassin John Hinckley Jr. was found not guilty by reason of insanity, three of the most prominent U.S. associations went to great lengths to debate the legal and public-interest issues the ruling created. A judge ruled last week to allow for Hinckley’s release from a mental hospital. John Hinckley Jr. is being released from a Washington, DC, mental hospital , 35 years after attempting to assassinate sitting President Ronald Reagan.

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Associations Now

AUGUST 1, 2016

Leaked Democratic Party email exposed a simple fact: People gossip. But in today’s cybersecurity environment, leaders would do well to recognize that a bigger crowd can listen. At this point, you may be so tired of hearing about emails that you’ve decided to stop using it—smoke signals, telegraphs, semaphore flags, whatever unhackable communications method works.

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Every decision that goes into your learning monetization strategy matters for your organization’s bottom line. Our research has shown a clear correlation between high program maturity (and ROI!) and choosing the right monetization strategy. This eBook contains clear, actionable ways to approach packaging and pricing models that will help your association grow revenue, improve profitability, and drive expansion into new markets.

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