Blog
Strategic Planning
The great thing about strategic planning is that there is no one right way to do it.The complicated thing about strategic planning is that we often make it more difficult than it needs to be.The benefit of strategic planning is that once it's done, you'll have clarity...
It’s time to get rid of the membership grace period
Article reposted with permission, from Wes Trochlil, Effective Database Management, www.effectivedatabase.com/blog.I started my career as a membership assistant at a trade association. We had 500 organizational members, and dues renewals were run once per year, late...
Quotable Quotes: Good Strategy
"Good strategy requires leaders who are willing and able to say no to a wide variety of actions and interests. Strategy is at least as much about what an organization does not do as it is about what it does." -- Good Strategy/Bad Strategy, Richard P. Rumelt
Video: How pageantry hurts association meetings
Where is society moving that you and your members need to move? It’s a powerful question and one that your leaders should be asking regularly. Though members may not like what they hear, part of your value to them is inviting (and sometimes forcing) them to be...
Video: How do you engage younger members?
How do you engage younger members—even though your governance favors (and rewards) longevity in volunteer leadership? That’s the dilemma Adrienne White-Faines faced as Executive Director and CEO of the American Osteopathic Association. Though the association is over...
The Promise of Past Presidents
Former leaders are some of your most informed—and passionate—members. They often have an extraordinary commitment level to the association and a deep understanding of the issues facing the organization. Because of this, they offer a high level of promise when it comes...
The Power of Past Presidents
When I learn that a group of past presidents is working against an association change initiative, one of the first questions I ask is, “How did they learn about the change?” Often, the resistance isn’t to the change—but to the fact that they haven’t been kept in the...
The Problem, Power and Promise of Past Presidents
I attended two meetings this year in which I witnessed past-presidents—some of whom are retired and no longer even in the field—put the kibosh on forward progress for the associations they once proudly served. Thus, the problem of past presidents.They have power. They...
Video: You Need a Video Strategy & Here’s Why …
Your association needs a video strategy. Why? YouTube is now the second largest search engine and has over a billion users -- almost one-third of all people on the Internet. Every day people watch hundreds of millions of hours on YouTube. The platform reaches more...