The arrival of new Board members always brings a fresh burst of energy to an association. These individuals, with their diverse backgrounds, skills, and new perspectives bring new life into Board meetings that might otherwise become stale. In this article, I will explore the positive impacts new Board members [...]
It’s Monday morning, you are in line for coffee at your favorite local coffee shop and as the barista hands you your custom latté, they decide to ask: ‘What do you do for work’? Panic ensues as you try to boil down your position as an association coordinator using [...]
As a volunteer association leader, being present is not just about being seen, and physically showing up to wave the flag at your association’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), or Conference, it’s about being fully engaged in the moment. What Does it Mean to Be Present? Being present refers to [...]
Email Marketing is an excellent tool for an association marketing strategy. It allows you to connect with your members and helps you to engage and attract new members. What is Email Marketing? It is a digital marketing tool/channel where you can provide different promos, announcements, or news to your [...]
I recently took part in an association’s strategic planning session. The goal of the session was to create a three-year strategic plan. During the session, four priority areas were outlined by the association’s leaders. One of the priorities was to Maximize Service Delivery, which is defined as ‘to improve [...]
Association Boards must be constantly evolving and advancing to stay relevant in their respective industries. This article explains why the youth takeover should now be embraced and appreciated by association Boards and their long-time leaders, and how engaging the youth can only improve an association’s future. Youth are often [...]
“The unique and multifaceted relationship between the board and its executive is perhaps the most important relationship leading to organizational success or failure. Like the two partners in a skating competition, each side can either bring out the best in the other or prevent the other from skating well.” [...]
Key messages are often viewed by associations as the ‘break glass in case of emergency’ go-to tactic when in crisis communications mode or prepping for an unsavoury announcement. Not true! Key messages are the essential building blocks for all communications including annual strategic marketing communications (marcom) plans, campaign-specific plans, [...]
Let’s face it; no association wants to go into crisis communications mode. But ultimately most will face an internal or external issue requiring immediate attention. How an association fares during and post-crisis depends on how well-prepared it is to handle one. The key to successfully navigating through a crisis [...]
Coming out of the pandemic, I have noticed a divergence amongst Board members as to when they’re available to volunteer. Some opt to do all their volunteer work during office hours to preserve their personal time, while others don’t have flexibility in their schedule to volunteer during traditional work [...]
