Association Management

Associations have lots of events each year, and events have lots of speakers to manage. Some are old hands at the speaker circuit; others are existing members who have decided to step on the stage for the first time.

And both may find themselves having to deal with an additional layer they may not have in the past: a webcam and virtual event setup for a virtual or hybrid audience.

While associations are sometimes criticized as being slow to embrace change or different ways of working, a new survey shows that a lot of associations are going all in when it comes to hybrid and remote work options, as compared to other industries.

Innovation and discovery will fuel the delegate experience as we return to in-person meetings and events.

A new report shows associations did a fantastic job communicating with members during multiple crises, but a top challenge remains: How to better sustain member engagement. An association expert offers some ideas for breaking through the noise.

There’s an artful way to brag about yourself without having to condescend, one-up, or put down others. Use these tips to tout your accomplishments with grace.

Associations are doing important, worthy work. So why is it so difficult for some association professionals to talk about their own successes? Well, you’re just not supposed to do that. As the sayings go, “Let your work do the talking,” “It’s just not polite,” and for women in particular, “It’s not ladylike.”

Liz Garman discusses managing the flow of communications to keep members informed—but not overwhelmed.

Association volunteers are more engaged and fulfilled when they’re growing with the organization, not just filling chairs. One model proposes how staff can help them do that.

If you devote any amount of time to the care and feeding of volunteer leaders, eventually you’re going to confront a matrix. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s a good practice for associations to determine which skills it needs from potential volunteers and to codify those needs in a way that’s clear and visible.

Here are three ideas to breathe new life into your association’s earnings:

Job boards

The queen of soft skills is an essential element for leaders to cultivate. Get some pointers from our archives on how to get emotionally smarter.

Tough times call for a strong understanding of your own emotions, and the emotions of others, when making decisions.

With the events of 2020 requiring millions of workers to transition to working from their homes, many businesses have been forced to reconsider their definition of a workplace and how managers can effectively monitor, coach and communicate with remote and at-home workers.

As an increasing number of contact centres transition to working from home and coworking environments, the challenges regarding team management, customer care and scheduling their remote teams are also growing.