The weekly list of free educational events and resources for the association community…
Woke up this morning with
a terrific urge to lie in bed all day
and read. Fought against it for a minute.
Then looked out the window at the rain.
And gave over. Put myself entirely
in the keep of this rainy morning.
Would I live my life over again?
Make the same unforgivable mistakes?
Yes, given half a chance. Yes.
—Raymond Carver, “Rain”
Non-dues revenue. Associations have a tough road ahead of them. Glass half full: you’ll need a lot more money to invest in new programs and services, hire more staff, and better fulfill your mission. This challenge occupies my mind. I want to share better advice and ideas in the blog posts I write on behalf of clients. That’s one of the many reasons I’m looking forward to attending Non Due$-a-Palooza in early September. Check it out.
Adult learners. This week, WBT Systems focuses on seven practices that can help associations create a learning environment in which adult learners can flourish. They pulled these recommendations from a report by the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning.
Audience personas. Mercury Creative Group explains why you should have an ideal buyer in mind when crafting marketing content. Actually, this is a good idea when writing any content. They guide you through the steps for creating a persona or avatar who represents a segment of your ideal audience.
Change management. Gartner research says we’re much more resistant to change than we were before the pandemic. MemberSuite explores the reasons behind this resistance. They also share change management strategies for change-fatigued association professionals. Some of these strategies are new to me but look very promising.
Event marketing. This PCMA Convene article by Vanessa Page of mdg is essential and fascinating reading. She says it’s time to retire outdated and insider event marketing jargon. Associations need to speak the same language as their target audiences. We all know that and think we do it, but her examples show us how often we don’t.
Membership engagement. Your AMS should be a utility player on your membership team. Nimble AMS explains how an AMS can help your association recruit, engage and retain members by helping you better understand members, anticipate their needs and deliver personalized emails and content.
Creativity. Never underestimate your power to be creative, intentionally or unintentionally. Every smart person is creative. And since only smart people read this blog, yes, you’re creative. Own it! Dean West at Association Laboratory describes the many paths to creativity you walk every day—paths grounded in competency, experience, competition and dumb luck.
Good listens
On episode 27 of Associations Thrive podcast, Joanna Pineda of Matrix Group spoke with Sharon Kneebone, IOM, FASAE, CAE, a self-described governance geek. They talk about the American Academy of Pain Medicine’s focus on the human aspects of governance, membership model changes to reflect the multi-disciplinary nature of pain medicine, and a cool new program they’re doing in partnership with MIT’s Hacking Medicine.
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 6/9 at 10 a.m.* – Volunteer Engagement Best Practices for Chapter-Based Organizations | Coffee with Innovators: Association Design Circle
You will be interested in this topic if you engage with volunteers in any way. Mike has a unique perspective as an attorney, a certified scrum product owner, and Manager of Community Platforms for the Project Management Institute, the world’s leading project management organization with over 500,000 global members and over 300 local chapters internationally. More info/register.
Host: Product Design Community
Facilitator: Mike Liddy, Global Chapter Platform Lead for the Project Management Institute
*All events are online at Eastern Daylight Time unless otherwise noted.
Fri 6/9 at 12:30 p.m. – Conversations with Champions
Each conversation features an AWTC leader or AWTC Award winner, followed by breakout rooms with changing topics (selected by our featured guest). These intimate, virtual conversations are a chance to form meaningful connections with other women and allies in the association technology community. More info/register.
Host: Association Women Technology Champions
Guest: Nicole Araujo, CAE, Client Engagement Director, Mighty Citizen
Fri 6/9 at 4 p.m. – Career Coach Series: Shifting Leadership Style
There’s not one leadership style that works for all contexts. Adjusting your style based on the people you’re managing, the context in which you’re leading, and the outside pressures you’re under requires a good deal of self-awareness. Learn about the business case for leadership style flexibility, whether you tend to be more of a traditional leader or have a more adaptive fluid style, and micro-behaviors you can employ when situations demand you use a different style. More info/register.
Host: Fridays@4
Speaker: Dr. Nicole A. Bryan, certified leadership career strategist, executive coach, organizational consultant and psychotherapist
Mon 6/12 at 8 a.m. – Sustainability (Radio Free 501c)
Radio Free 501c, the podcast of Rogue Tulips Consulting (formerly Nonprofit Conversations) features guests from across the nonprofit community and the business world to share expertise on a variety of topics related to the practice of nonprofit management. Episodes are published Monday mornings in both audio and video format on most podcast services.
Guest: Joost Hasperhoven
Host: Cecilia Sepp, CAE, CNAP, principal and founder, Rogue Tulips LLC
Mon 6/12 at 12 p.m. – Membership Mondays
This month’s discussion will be focused on driving engagement for associations with limited budgets and resources, a problem that plagues us all regardless of staff size. More info/register.
Host: ASAE
Tue 6/13 at 11 a.m. – Reaching “Best in World” Status for the Content You Need to Attract and Retain Members
Learn how to shift from an article-first to a multimedia publishing organization. Hear about tools to make multimedia publishing possible and affordable, how to determine what mediums to publish your content, and when to use all mediums. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: UST Education
Speakers: Jeff Baker, Association Solutions, and Dan Stevens, President, WorkerBee.TV
Tue 6/13 at 12 p.m. – Introduction to Wellbeing in the Workplace
How are you focusing on your own wellbeing? How do you create a culture of wellbeing for yourself and your team in the workplace? Hear about wellbeing concepts and take part in a discussion around wellbeing 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 6/13 at 12 p.m. – AI and Tech Strategy. What is IT’s Role and Responsibility? (ASAE Tech Tuesdays)
Come join your colleagues to discuss: What are people experimenting with? What is/should be IT’s role and/or responsibility in their organization’s AI strategy? More info/register.
Host: ASAE
Tue 6/13 at 12 p.m. – LGBTQIA2+ Community Call
Please join us for this opportunity for association professionals (of all career levels!) to come together to share lunch time and discuss topics that are relevant and timely. Come prepared to join this judgment-free group with questions and issues that are top of mind for you in the LGBTQIA2+ association community. More info/register.
Host: ASAE LGBTQ Association Executives and Supporters
Tue 6/13 at 1 p.m. – Engagement Revolution Panel: Transforming Your Association’s Approach to Outshine the Competition
Associations have fierce competition when gaining the attention of members and potential members, like nimble AI and for-profit membership models. Your association must stay digitally savvy to the latest tech and trends and be able to quickly adapt to meet members where they are. Learn about new ways to define and measure engagement in today’s fast-paced digital landscape, untapped opportunities most associations miss when it comes to engaging their audiences, and five things your association should be doing to boost engagement right now. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Association Analytics
Speakers:
- Aidan Augustin, CRO & President, Feathr
- Alexa Kade, Chief Executive Officer, Clowder
- Dan Stevens, President, Workerbee.TV
- Brianne Wheeler, Director of Marketing, Propfuel
- Bill Conforti, SVP of Strategy & Solutions, Association Analytics
Tue 6/13 at 1 p.m. – No Soliciting! But We Want Your Sponsorship
How can an association build non-dues revenue and member engagement all at once? Hhear how an online marketplace can help you build non-dues revenue and member value through year-round relationships with your industry partners without adding so much as a chick pea to your already full plate. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: UST Education
Speakers:
- Barbara J. Armentrout, CAE, Managing Partner, Mesa Group
- Lucas Cioffi, CTO and Co-Founder, QiqoChat
- Sandra Nam, CEO and Co-Founder, QiqoChat
Tue 6/13 at 4:30 p.m. – AWTC Happy Hour at AMS Fest (Chicago IL)
Join AWTC for happy hour at AMS Fest. Come network with the AWTC community of women and allies. You don’t have to be registered for AMS Fest to attend. All are welcome! Location: Chicago IL. More info/register.
Host: Association Women Technology Champions
Tue 6/13 at 5 p.m. – Summer Social
Get ready to mix and mingle with fellow nonprofit and association professionals at a complimentary networking happy hour co-hosted by the ASAE FBO Council and FAR. More info/register.
Host: ASAE FBO Council & FAR
Wed 6/14 at 11 a.m. – Sales Enablement for Associations
Legacy strategies and mindsets have aligned association sales teams with traditional sponsorship and advertising goals, leaving membership acquisition and other programs out of the sales function altogether. It’s time to dispel the common myths about sales in associations and learn how to use the right marketing technology to collect insights and develop strategies to power up your sales capabilities, all while aligning your membership, marketing and sales to work in concert, together. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: UST Education
Speaker: Maneesha Manges, Director of Services, HighRoad Solutions
Wed 6/14 at 11:30 a.m. – Innovating for Impact: The Power of OKRs in Non-Profit Organizations (OKR Champions Roundtable #25)
Learn why defining ‘second-order OKRs’ that speak to the impact of your mission is critical, how to disrupt legacy processes and foster a culture of innovation in long-standing organizations, and why defining big picture themes before OKRs helps create greater executive alignment. More info/register.
Host: Dreams with Deadlines / Quantive
Speakers:
- Juan Sanchez, Chief Information Officer, Inteleos
- Jenny Herald, VP of Product Evangelism, Quantive
Wed 6/14 at 1 p.m. – Credentialing: Virtual Coffee/Lunch
An opportunity to connect over coffee/lunch. More info/register.
Host: ASAE Credentialing community
Wed 6/14 at 1 p.m. – Leadership Lessons from Martial Arts
Hear five leadership lessons learned from studying two martial arts (TaeKwonDo and HapKiDo): When it’s important to trade your black belt for a white belt. How to take a punch. How to lead and how to follow. Always define the next level of achievement (the next belt). Sometimes, you just have to “do something.” 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: UST Education
Speaker: Joanna M. Pineda, CEO & Chief Troublemaker, Matrix Group International, Inc.
Wed 6/14 at 1 p.m. – Finance & Business Operations Workshop: Finance/HR
Join a conversation about steps association executives are taking to address issues related to the debt ceiling, banking crisis, looming recession concerns, and any other finance topics of interest that may be on the top of your mind in the current environment. More info/register.
Host: ASAE Finance & Business Operations Section Council
Wed 6/14 at 2 p.m. – How To Make Social Advertising Work For Your Nonprofit
Learn how to maximize results on your social advertising campaigns, raise awareness, inspire action, and cultivate real connections. More info/register.
Host: Feathr
Speakers:
- Anne Hamming, Executive Director at Crossroads
- Chloe O’Rourke, Meta Senior Digital Specialist at Community Boost
Wed 6/14 at 2 p.m. – Accessibility and Event Technology: A Beginner’s Guide Webinar
As an event organizer, you can expand your attendee base, create richer customer connections, and drive your business goals further by creating an accessibility friendly experience for your events. Gain a deeper understanding of accessibility with facts, figures and definitions; develop an increased awareness of specific types of disabilities and how these can influence your event planning; and learn the surprising consequences of not incorporating accessibility concepts for your attendees. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: MeetingsNet
Speaker: Stephen Cutchins, Senior Product Manager – Accessibility, Cvent
Wed 6/14 at 2 p.m. – Selecting the Right Convention City Based on Costs, Safety and More
Get an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the data for the 2023 Convention Cities Index, the all-in-one resource to help planners of large events evaluate top cities that are ideally suited to hosting large conventions. Find out which 25 U.S. cities and 25 global cities scored the highest on this year’s list and how key factors like hotel costs and airlift are changing. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: Northstar Meetings Group
Speaker: Elise Schoening, Senior Editor, Northstar Meetings Group
Wed 6/14 at 5:30 p.m. – Black Association Executives Meet & Greet
If you’re in town for the Conscious Inclusion Summit, come and join us for a bite to eat. More info/register.
Host: ASAE Black Association Executives
Thu 6/15 at 11 a.m. – Culture Change Made Easy: Part 2, Lagging Transparency
Learn about transparency, something most cultures embrace, yet fail to implement with enough speed. Explore concrete actions you can take that will speed up your information flow both vertically and horizontally and improve decision-making organization wide. Get details from a case study organization that has turned this pattern around. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: UST Education
Speakers: Maddie Grant, CAE, Culture Designer and Digital Strategist, and Jamie Notter, Co-Founder and Culture Strategist, PROPEL
Thu 6/15 at 11:30 a.m. – Tapas Talks for Small Staff Association Executives
Associations often need specialists for essential functions, but the ongoing dedicated time required does not defend the hiring of an FTE. Visit with fractional service specialists in conversational, informative sessions, not a pitch party: “Secret Sauce to Spice Up Non Dues Revenue” with Barbara Armentrout (Mesa Group), “Talent with a Twist” with Jaime Hirschfeld (FlexProfessionals), and “Small, Nimble & Effective: How Smart Nonprofits Outperform the Big Guys” with Misha Getter (501evolved). Then in the Association Marketplace, digital marketing and technical experts, including Allegra Tasaki (National Association of Bond Lawyers), explain how to lead with effective content marketing. 0.5 CAE credit. More info/register.
Hosts: Sandra Nam and Lucas Cioffi, QiqoChat
Thu 6/15 at 12 p.m. – The Power of Personalization: Tips and Tricks for Driving Member Participation and Retention
Learn about the importance of personalization, especially as it relates to member engagement and building meaningful relationships with members; how to face challenges like limited member engagement, changing member needs, lack of personalization, and competition for attention; and best practices and practical tips for personalizing the member experience, such as segmenting member data and targeting messaging with personalization tokens and smart content. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Sidecar
Speakers:
- Allison Kral, Senior Consultant, Ready North
- Tony Paille, Former Chief Marketing Officer, AIIM
Thu 6/15 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 6/15 at 1 p.m. – Reboot Your In-Person Events
Learn how attendee expectations have changed—and ideas you can use to wow attendees; the five pillars of effective, measurable engagement; and ways event tech can support you in navigating social pressures on your events (sustainability, DEI, accessibility). More info/register.
Host: Meetings Today
Speaker: Angel Santiago, Director of Sales, Cvent
Thu 6/15 at 2 p.m. – Blockbuster on an Indie Budget: How the Film Festival Alliance Uses Their Tech Stack to Maximize Small Staff Efficiency
Hear how this association maximizes efficiency and achieves blockbuster results, all while operating on a limited staff (and budget). More info/register.
Host: Higher Logic
Speakers:
- Gray Rodriguez, Director of Communications at Film Festival Alliance
- David Jovel, Director of Sales at Higher Logic
Thu 6/15 at 2 p.m. – Association Investments: What’s the Secret Sauce?
No investor is happy with their returns for 2022 and now we have regional banks failing. Is there any place to put your association’s (or personal investments, for that matter) that is safe from the possible recession ahead? Tune in to hear from advisers who know our industry well talk about where to invest to take advantage of where the market is today. More info/register.
Host: ASAE
Speakers:
- Ahmed Farruk, CIMA, Principal, Regional Director and Senior Consultant, Fiducient Advisors
- Dennis Gogarty, CFP, AIF, President, Raffa Investment Advisers
- Dirk Hofschire Senior Vice President, Asset Allocation Research
- Mark Murphy, CFA, Chief Investment Officer, Raffa Investment Adviser
- Betsy Piper/Bach, JD, CFP, CIMA, President, ASAE Investment Services
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
Tue 6/20 at 12 p.m. – CRVM June Crunch and Munch
Come prepared to engage, participate and listen as we discuss current topics. More info/register.
Host: ASAE Component Relations and Volunteer Management Council (CRVM)
Tue 6/20 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
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 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
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
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.
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