A long week across country made me realize that associations face similar challenges…communicating a relevant reason for members to belong. From Palm Beach to Grand Forks, from Realtors® to Chiropractors both are working to discover, from the member – IN, their true value proposition. The traditional planning process begins from staff and leadership – out […]
Association Tips
Five Essential Decisions to Make Before You Conduct a Survey
1. Determine the big goals you want this survey to help with. 2. Decide what information you need most to make your next big decision that will deliver value or solve a problem. – That will determine the length of the survey. – There is no magic for short and simple surveys that solve involved […]
Uncover Unexpected Gems Among Your Members
Did you know that “North America offers some of the most unique, inspiring and colorful gems found on this Earth?” So says Noreen Paris, who sources one of my favorite jewelry brand, David Yurman. I contend you’ll find some unexpected gems in your membership when you bring everyday members to the table to help you […]
Approaching Association Planning With a Warrior Spirit
Warrior spirit is an uncommon term in business. In athletics – yes. In religion – yes. Even in psychology. Kathy Marlor describes a warrior spirit this way: If you ever worked hard to get a college term paper done and “Aced” it or simply set a goal and didn’t quit along the way no matter […]
What Annual Reports Mean for Associations
While it is uncommon to see annual reports as a general association practice, I know that a few of you create them. In the for-profit world, this is not a one-time publication; every year the annual report that looks back on key accomplishments (the goal). The audience is shareholders, customers, and prospective customers. That includes […]
Attracting and Delivering Value to Commercial Members
There are 99 NAR accredited commercial associations across the country. At AE Institute 2012, four diverse, qualified experts discussed what it takes to attract and deliver value to commercial members. I intended to synthesize the session into three key takeaways. I can’t narrow it down to three, so here is straight talk on six ways […]
