The weekly list of free educational events and resources for the association community…
Let’s start with this useful article by Alan Hoffler for both speakers and meeting planners about the questions a speaker should ask the planner before the event. By the way, if you’re looking for a speaker on speaking or a speaking trainer/coach, Alan’s your guy. I’ve seen him in action and he’s pretty darn great.
I don’t expect sites like Forbes to have quality articles—isn’t that sad?—but this one on building a content strategy is full of solid advice for any type of organization.
Gini Dietrich at Spin Sucks explains how to develop an interesting and effective thought leadership content strategy. Share your brilliance!
Who doesn’t love free samples? Give your prospects and members a taste of your online learning programs, says WBT Systems. After experiencing what you have to offer, they’ll come back for more as paying customers.
The Association for Vascular Access improved chapter data tracking and sharing, communication with chapters, and relationships with chapters. How? A chapter advisory task force helped but essentially they did it by not being afraid of the unknown and really listening to chapter leaders—Billhighway shares the details.
AIGA wants to double the number of female design leaders so it launched the Double or Nothing movement. They intend to “achieve gender equality by closing the wage gap, creating a supportive community, and holding organizations accountable.” Hey, did I just scoop Associations Now on this one? Heh heh.
Some quick hits before we get to the list of free webinars:
- Are octopuses from outer space? The theory is not as loony as it sounds. (Quartz)
- It’s good to see neighbors winning their case against the foul stinking manure spray and lagoons of North Carolina’s industrial pig farmers. (The Guardian)
- If you’re one to make noise, I’m not, this is a cause to get loud about. These poor women have been through enough: Boko Haram survivors starved and raped by Nigeria’s military, per an Amnesty International report. #TheyBetrayedUs (The Guardian, again)
Off-topic: Check out my Grabbing the Gusto blog for my post about the list of recipes I’ve made or plan to make in the coming week.
Now, the main event: free professional development events for the association community. If your organization has a free webinar or event coming up, please send me the link. I’ll be happy to feature it as long as it’s not product-centric.
Tue 5/29 at 12:30 p.m.* – Why Hire eLearning Business Consultants
Learn why your association might want to hire a consultant prior to setting up an online learning business, criteria to use to differentiate the consultants you are choosing from, and the common issues organizations need help with. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Web Courseworks
Presenters: Jon Aleckson, CEO, and Andy Hicken, Director of Quality and Strategy, Web Courseworks
*All times are Eastern Standard Time unless otherwise noted.
Tue 5/29 at 2 p.m. – How to Grow Your Organization by Getting Lots and Lots of Traffic to Your Website
Find out how to attract new members, volunteers, and donors by getting your website pages to the top of Google’s search results, including: the nine simple changes that will bump your articles to the top of Google’s search results, a simple playbook you can use to drastically improve your traffic this week, and the seven best practices to create the perfect article. More info/register.
Host: Wild Apricot
Presenter: Terry Ibele, Wild Apricot
Wed 5/30 at 1 p.m. – Master the Art of Planning International Meetings
Get a comprehensive list of essentials to consider when planning an international meeting. Gain a basic understanding of cultural differences in business. Know where and how to find information. Have more self-confidence in planning international meetings. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: Meetings Today
Presenter: meetings industry expert, speaker and author Eric Rozenberg
Wed 5/30 at 2 p.m. – Translating Your Planner Personality into Personal Attendee Experiences
Find out how understanding your planner personality can translate into memorable experiences for your attendees. Uncover why knowing who you are at your core, doubling down on your strengths, understanding your weaknesses, and going beyond your comfort zone will deliver personal and relevant results for your audience; and learn how event technology can make all of this possible. More info/register.
Host: BizBash
Presenter: Myllisa Patterson, Cvent
Thu 5/31 at 1 p.m. – From Policy to Performance: Ensuring Successful Teleworking
In an environment where virtual employees are becoming the norm, it’s essential that your association is intentional around creating the right policy, framework and engagement for your teleworking team. During this webinar, we’ll discuss best practices for creating a telework policy that reflects and helps thrive your culture; while also highlighting successes and lessons learned from other organizations along this journey. More info/register.
Host: ASAE FBO Section Council
Presenter: Heather de la Riva, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, sHRBP, Director of Virtual Outsourcing, Nonprofit HR
Thu 5/31 at 2 p.m. – New European Union Data Privacy Laws Could Cost Your Company Money (rebroadcast)
If you have data on even one member or customer in the EU, you need to understand the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) or face fines when it becomes enforceable. This could mean changes to the way you currently collect and disperse data and adjustments to the data you currently store. This session, originally presented at Convening Leaders in January of 2018, will arm you with critical information to aid in ensuring your organization’s full compliance with the regulations in effect on May 25. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: PCMA
Wed 6/6 at 12 p.m. CST – Chapter Roundtable in Chicago IL
Connect with fellow Component/Chapter Relations Professionals (CRPs) to network and discuss current chapter challenges, such as how to measure and increase the health of chapters; best practices for chapter operations (volunteer tools, processes, etc.); and how to get the right statistics to prevent national and chapter level members from leaving. Lunch provided. 1 CAE credit. Location: Chicago IL. More info/register.
Host: Billhighway
Tue 6/12 at 12 p.m. CST – Chapter Roundtable in Rosemont IL (new roundtable location!)
Connect with fellow Component/Chapter Relations Professionals (CRPs) to network and discuss current chapter challenges, such as how to measure and increase the health of chapters; best practices for chapter operations (volunteer tools, processes, etc.); and how to get the right statistics to prevent national and chapter level members from leaving. Lunch provided. 1 CAE credit. Location: Rosemont IL. More info/register.
Host: Billhighway
Thu 6/14 at 12 p.m. – Taking a ‘Trickle Up’ Approach to Chapter Engagement Programs
Every organization wants to provide its chapters with the tools and programs they need to create meaningful membership experiences. But each chapter is different and what sounds like a great idea from a national perspective isn’t always a good fit at the local level. Learn how to use the ‘trickle up’ approach to identify the best programs for consideration, different approaches to driving programs at a national level, and best practices when expanding a chapter-level program. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Billhighway
Tue 6/19 at 12 p.m. – Chapter Roundtable in Washington DC
Connect with fellow Component/Chapter Relations Professionals (CRPs) to network and discuss current chapter challenges, such as how to measure and increase the health of chapters; best practices for chapter operations (volunteer tools, processes, etc.); and how to get the right statistics to prevent national and chapter level members from leaving. Lunch provided. 1 CAE credit. Location: Washington DC. More info/register.
Host: Billhighway
Wed 6/20 at 12 p.m. – Chapter Roundtable in Alexandria VA
Connect with fellow Component/Chapter Relations Professionals (CRPs) to network and discuss current chapter challenges, such as how to measure and increase the health of chapters; best practices for chapter operations (volunteer tools, processes, etc.); and how to get the right statistics to prevent national and chapter level members from leaving. Lunch provided. 1 CAE credit. Location: Alexandria VA. More info/register.
Host: Billhighway
Thu 6/21 at 12 p.m. – Chapter Roundtable in Reston VA
Connect with fellow Component/Chapter Relations Professionals (CRPs) to network and discuss current chapter challenges, such as how to measure and increase the health of chapters; best practices for chapter operations (volunteer tools, processes, etc.); and how to get the right statistics to prevent national and chapter level members from leaving. Lunch provided. 1 CAE credit. Location: Reston VA. More info/register.
Host: Billhighway
That’s it for now. If you can’t attend a live webinar, go ahead and register if the topic interests you. Most webinar hosts send registrants a link to the recording.
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.
Creative Commons licensed photo by Ugne Vasyliute on Unsplash.
Association Brain Food 