March, 2014

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36 Free Non-profit Webinars for April 2014

Wild Apricot

'This month, we''ve found 36 free non-profit webinars. Topics include: tips and tricks for seeking grants; non-profit CRM strategies; social media; non-profit tax law and more.

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Excitement, anticipation, and a week of great opportunities!

YourMembership

Today represents a milestone for YourMembership.com, with the kickoff of Xperience2014, our first customer conference. With more than 2,800 organizations using our software, representing 20 million members around the globe, our customers champion a highly diverse landscape of professions and causes. We are thrilled to welcome several hundred of them to Xperience2014 this week, and the significance of this conference is best said by J.P.

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Always the Last to Know: AllJoyn

Spark Consulting

'The Internet of Things is a really cool idea. The only problem is that, in order for it to happen, “things” have to be able to talk to each other, which is far from automatic. Different manufacturers, different operating systems, different control systems, different signals, different types of machine language. No communication. AllJoyn is an open source project that aims to bridge the language barrier, allowing a wide variety of Internet-connected devices to see each other, share i

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Lessons Learned from March Madness

Association Leaders

'There are many lessons we can learn from sports – both positive and negative. Just off the top of my head I am thinking about these – how to build a great team; how to coach, not preach; the virtues of ethical behavior and more. This weekend as I was participating in the annual ritual we have come to call “March Madness”, I witnessed another lesson, one I am calling “Gracious Losing” Now this NCAA basketball tournament has become known as “March Madnes

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Ultimate Guide to Monetizing Association Member Education

Unlock More Profit and Smarter Packaging for Member Learning Every decision that goes into your learning monetization strategy matters for your association’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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My Advice for Emerging Association Professionals

Reid All About it

'Here’s a post I wrote for MemberViews Monday, a collaboration of bloggers in the association world who have teamed up to share their experiences and knowledge with other association professionals. The first topic in this series hosted by MultiView blogs is Advice for the Emerging Association Professional. — I never expected to work in associations.

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More Trending

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Link Love Friday: Ditch the Boring; Why Prospects Don’t Join & More

Wild Apricot

'This week''s link round-up offers 5 posts on: effective board meetings; nonprofit e-Newsletters; "why prospects don''t join and members leave"; online community; and event fundraising.

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I know I’m smiling, so it must be time for a customer conference!

YourMembership

I just got back from speaking at CalSAE’s ELEVATE Conference in beautiful Palm Springs, CA, and I am quickly preparing to head to St. Petersburg for Xperience2014 , YourMembership.com’s first customer conference. It’s a little like my own March Madness, and I like it! These back-to-back events inspire me as I have the privilege to once again meet with the wonderful association professionals we serve, and share new ideas on how we can help them better serve their members with the technology and s

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Marketing on a Shoestring Budget: Crowdsourced Tips!

Spark Consulting

'We had a rockin’ session at CalSAE’s ELEVATE Conference yesterday morning on this topic (see the tips, slides, and bonus tips here), and the session participants were full of fantastic contributions as well: Barter! Trade ad space in a popular industry magazine for distributing that magazine to all your conference attendees. Trade signage at all your events for special sponsorship recognition.

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Do You Encourage Communicating Bad News?

Association Leaders

'“I have some bad news” What’s your reaction when you hear this phrase from a co-worker? I’ll tell you mine – I get a lump in my throat, a strange feeling in my gut, my palms start to sweat, my heart beats a little faster. I probably even roll my eyes and exhale loudly sometimes. Most people don’t like to receive bad news.

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2024 Association Survey Results Report

2024 Association Survey Results Report For the 10th year, association professionals across the U.S. and Canada provided a look at the inner workings of their organizations when they replied to GrowthZone’s annual survey. Read the 2024 survey results report to see how your association compares: Top Challenges Retention Rates Non-Renewal Reasons Automatic Renewals Reinstatement Strategies Member Engagement Changes & Strategies Why Members Join Non-Dues Revenue Sources Dues Increases, and more

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4 steps for moving to paperless board and committee meetings

Optimist Consulting

'I was recently asked by a client to look into what they would need to do to move to paperless committees for their board meetings. They are currently trialling their new system following my research project. Here are 4 steps you need to take if you want to do this at your organisation: 1. Involve your members. Start by talking to your board members about potentially changing your processes.

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Association e-learning: what you need to know

Aaron Wolowiec

'Sarah Lugo, digital marketing coordinator for Digitec Interactive. This month’s guest blog post is by Sarah Lugo, digital marketing coordinator for Digitec Interactive. Follow her on Twitter. Associations are beginning to grow their education departments by bringing member education online. Why? Selling courses and certifications online provides a new revenue source for the association while adding more value for members.

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Wild Apricot Software News March 2014 - Version 5 upgrade: The finish line is in sight!

Wild Apricot

'Version 5 is coming in May! We will be handling the upgrade differently this time - you will be able to change your scheduled upgrade date if needed. Please read the overview of the upgrade process.

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Hope Springs Eternal

YourMembership

It’s once again that wonderful time of year when the annual rites of spring are upon us. Major League Baseball’s Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues are in full swing, and opening day fast approaches – the National Past Time is alive and well. The beauty of each new season is that every team has the chance to wipe the slate clean and start anew, with eyes fully focused on the ultimate prize – the World Series.

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The Retention Ripple Effect: Nonprofit Staff and Donor Dynamics

Speaker: Andrew Olsen, CFRE - EVP, Fundraising Solutions at DickersonBakker | Kat Landa, CFRE, CSD - SVP, Talent Solutions at DickersonBakker

Across the nonprofit sector, organizations invest heavily in donor retention efforts, yet the struggle of cultivating lasting relationships remains. While attracting new donors is crucial, the lack of repeat donors poses significant financial risks. Through a comprehensive analysis of industry data, experts argue that there is a direct correlation between donor burnout, donor retention, and the talent retention crisis.

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Marketing on a Shoestring Budget: Bonus Tips!

Spark Consulting

'I’m presenting at Cal SAE’s ELEVATE Conference today, on the topic of membership marketing on a shoestring budget. During the presentation, I shared five tips. Below are the bonus tips I promised everyone in the session: Membership recruiting is an eternal program, not s series of intermittent campaigns. Have a plan! The same holds true for retention.

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Who's Your "Lead User" Community?

Eric Lanke

'image source I read this interesting post by Michael Schrage on the HBR blog this week. In it, he talks about the challenge Google is having with their new Google Glass product and their "lead user" community (i.e., the people out and about with advance versions of Google Glass, testing the user experience in the real world and, not unimportantly, creating buzz and excitement for the new product in the land of us muggles*).

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How personalised is your membership recruitment material?

Optimist Consulting

'I recently received this personalised printed membership invitation from the IoD. The good quality card invitation was printed with my name on it, which I felt was a nice touch: In addition, they offered a tailored website page with my name on it: I also liked the fact that they used an image of a woman, which I assume was intentional as I am female too.

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Missed Connections

Virtual

'I’m still pretty young (by my own standards). But I can remember the days of pink “while you were out” slips, calling in for messages from pay phones and (gasp) not having email at work. And every innovation carries with it the same promise—it will keep us more connected. In many ways, this is true. When I sit in a far away hotel room talking to my kids over Facetime (when they actually answer), it’s a remarkable display of the promise of the connected society.

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SME Relationships: Proven Solutions for Seamless Collaboration and Success

Speaker: Tim Buteyn, President of ThinkingKap Learning Solutions

💢 Do you find yourself stuck in never-ending review cycles? Are you wondering if your Subject Matter Expert actually got that last review request? Are you having trouble trying to decipher impractical or conflicting feedback? 💢 If any of these scenarios sounds familiar, you may benefit from a crash course on managing SME relationships!

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Can Non-profits Learn From Innovative Companies?

Wild Apricot

'The March Nonprofit Blog Carnival is about non-profit disruption and innovation. So we looked at Fast Company''s Most Innovative Companies for 2014 to see if there were lessons to guide non-profit innovation.

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Look Beyond the Renewal: The Best Sources of Non-Dues Revenue

YourMembership

This article originally appeared in the January/February edition of ASAE’s “Associations Now – Great Ideas from Industry Partners.” Dues-based associations, regardless of industry or size, need to identify ways to stay relevant and competitive in an environment where members and prospects want proof of value before they hand over their money to pay for membership.

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What I’m Reading

Spark Consulting

'Shelly Alcorn is hammering the “associations needs to position ourselves to fill the growing gap colleges and universities are leaving” topic again, and she’s not wrong. Is your association ready for the visual revolution ? “Oh, he’s just lucky.” Maybe not. What’s the deal with Twitter’s (possible) lack of impact ?

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Numbers and trends and data…oh my

Aaron Wolowiec

'In this day and age, we’re inundated with data. And some of us thrive on it. Especially event planners. Data are key to improving your events, to giving your customers and potential clients what they crave. But how do you know which data are important? It’s something called event intelligence, the subject of a new(ish) Professional Convention Management Association whitepaper by Eric Olson, CEO and president of Zerista, and Staci Clark, global marketing strategy manager for Cisco Systems.

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5 Habits of Growth-Oriented Associations

We’ve identified the five defining characteristics of future-focused associations. Adopting these traits allows your organization to chart a course for long-term growth and success. Find out: Why some organizations are more adept at navigating and overcoming challenges facing all associations. The success formula for thriving associations, including a behind-the-scenes peek at some flourishing organizations.

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5 future trends – from the MemberWise ‘Harnessing the Web’ report

Optimist Consulting

'The latest MemberWise network report has just been launched. ‘Harnessing the Web to Drive Membership Value and Growth’ is now in its second year. It takes into account the responses of over 400 membership-sector professionals. It was a really informative read; I encourage you to download a copy. I have pulled out five things that I think are signals of trends for the sector: ‘ Digital-only’ memberships will increas e – whilst only 12% of respondents currently offer digital-only membership, 35%

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Missed Connections

Virtual

'I’m still pretty young (by my own standards). But I can remember the days of pink “while you were out” slips, calling in for messages from pay phones and (gasp) not having email at work. And every innovation carries with it the same promise—it will keep us more connected. In many ways, this is true. When I sit in a far away hotel room talking to my kids over Facetime (when they actually answer), it’s a remarkable display of the promise of the connected society.

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Does Association Size Matter?

Wild Apricot

'Does association size impact your ability to meet your mission? Here are some thoughts on the impact of budget and membership size - and a reminder about our Small Membership Survey.

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Alright, Alright Alright!

YourMembership

While I was watching the Academy Awards the other night along with the 43 million other fans of all things Hollywood, I was struck by Matthew McConaughey’s acceptance speech for his Best Actor Award. McConaughey is somewhat of a favorite son here in Austin, where he attended the University of Texas, got his start in films with the locally shot movie, “Dazed and Confused”, and built a colorful reputation with his unique and carefree lifestyle at the Pecan Grove RV Park, located near the epicenter

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How to Design a Seamless & Personalized Digital Donor Journey

Speaker: Tim Sarrantonio

The average nonprofit uses five or more different software platforms to create their donor’s journey, making the experience clunky and disjointed. If you want to design a magical online giving experience for donors, making their journey as seamless as possible is key. In this webinar with expert Tim Sarrantonio, you’ll learn the fundamental steps to create an immersive and personalized online giving experience for your donors.