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Oct
29

5 sneaky ways to ask your members for referrals

All of us have at some point been on the receiving end of a referral campaign, and we all know how annoying it can be to feel like you’re being asked to do the work for an organization.  So, when coming up with our own referral programs, design them with this in mind: If you […]

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Oct
28

Are you a good leader? Then you have these 3 qualities

Good leaders tend to share three key qualities: competence, emotional quotient and adaptability. That’s according to business consultant John Spence, who outlined those attributes in a TEDx talk called “The Leader of the Future” in 2019. A good leader doesn’t have to be a genius, he or she just needs to be competent — both […]

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Oct
28

Why email success starts with a clean subscriber list

Nowadays, you can’t be too careful with who you communicate with online. This can be especially troublesome when you want to share exciting and resourceful information about your company and products. Way back when, before the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003, we were able to send out emails with the voracity of water coming out of a […]

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Oct
27

How free content can build brand awareness and attract new members

The internet has revolutionized the way we consume content. Though people once gladly paid for newspapers, books and magazines, today’s readers have a never-ending library of free content at their fingertips.  While much of this content is poor quality — riddled with factual errors, uninspiring viewpoints, or outdated information — a significant portion of it […]

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Oct
27

Why you should think before you send

Whether a family member, coworker or friend, odds are someone has upset you at some point — and in a split-second reaction maybe you’ve said or sent something you regretted. That’s okay. This happens to everyone at some point, but there are steps we can take to avoid the unwelcome repercussions of reacting too quickly. […]

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Oct
26

4 ways to attract younger members

Do you know who your members will be 10 years from now? By 2025, Millennials will account for 75 percent of the American workforce. By 2030, just 10 years from now, Generation Z will start to occupy senior leadership roles and indeed, Generation Alpha will be leaving school and starting their own careers. The intent […]

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Oct
26

Why you should be friends with the youngest person in the room

It’s common in many association sectors to emphasize seniority and experience when brainstorming new ideas, evaluating previous projects or making decisions that could affect the organization. But, as proven during “Making connections through non-traditional mentorship,” a SURGE Connect panel discussion, fostering relationships with and respecting the input of younger members and peers benefits association professionals […]

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Oct
23

5 ways associations can change their data for the better

Starting with three basic metrics all organizations should prioritize and including ways to increase engagement, revenue and recruitment, association professionals are looking at their data and searching for ways to change for the better as seen in this week’s Friday Five.  Every week, we pull five articles our audience liked most from our newsletters to […]

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Oct
22

How to plan for an uncertain 2021 association conference format

The 2020 annual conference season is largely complete, and it was certainly the most confusing, demanding, and complex event period in modern times. For many associations, 2020 marked their first large-scale virtual event. Next year’s big meetings will be even harder, fraught with even greater challenges — starting with which conference format to choose. Event […]

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Oct
22

Why organizations should celebrate employees’ small victories

A successful membership drive, unprecedented enrollment numbers in continuing education courses and record conference attendance are major accomplishments for an association that are worthy of celebration. But these kinds of achievements only happen after months of grinding. How do you show your team you value their contributions every step of the way? Business coach and […]

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