By-laws are a very important component of a not-for-profit association. All boards operate based on the member-approved by-laws of the organization. By-laws define how the organization is structured and run, and as mentioned in a previous blog, associations can also develop a series of policy statements, which add further [...]
Does the voice of a national association make your provincial association stronger? If so, what are the benefits of being a provincial association that has a national association representing your industry or profession? Provincial associations are made up of local members and stakeholders that have a need or common [...]
Strategic Planning is an important exercise that most, if not all, associations go through. When, and how often can depend on the industry you are in and how rapidly change occurs within your sector. One of the most important starting points for any association when undertaking strategic planning is [...]
Where do you get the biggest return for association marketing today - traditional or digital media? I was sitting in a typical board meeting the other day and the conversation was about ways to market the association and its members. This board has set up a committee to look [...]
Volunteers are the life-blood of most associations and are crucial to the overall success of the organization. What is their time worth? How do you assign value to association volunteers? Quantifying the Value of Association Volunteers Recently I attended the Canadian Society of Association Executives (CSAE) annual conference. One [...]
Generating revenue and controlling expenses are the keys to ensuring the overall health of your association. For national associations that meet throughout the year, controlling travel and meeting expenses can be a significant part of successfully maintaining your annual budget. As an association executive (chief staff officer) I rely [...]
Part of being an association manager or event planner is looking at ways to connect members of the association with suppliers and other stakeholders within the industry. Golf is a great mechanism to achieve this connection. The benefits of hosting a golf tournament for your association include: Accessibility - [...]
Evaluation of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO)/Executive Director (ED) is as important as evaluating your own board members and their performance as directors. The CEO/ED performance is key to achieving the goals of your association. As a board it is important to regularly evaluate your CEO/ED in a constructive [...]
Membership growth is top of mind for board members to ensure sustainability of an association. Is it always in the best interest of the association to grow? Does your board understand the reasons for growth, the implications of that growth and the resources necessary to sustain that growth? All [...]
Are you ready for your board meeting? Have you read the agenda and the supporting documents? Are there items that you want to discuss that don’t appear on the agenda? If not, then how do you get them on the agenda? All of the above are very good, and [...]