8 ways to make your next conference more engaging
We all have been there. We have registered for that conference, rearranged our work and personal schedules, stood in airport lines and managed flight delays – all with eager anticipation for a great two or three days of learning and networking. But something happens. The conference falls flat. We sit in stodgy windowless conference rooms with […]
Are we all just copying each other?
CAAAAW! CAAAAW! The crow’s “caw” sounded unnatural and abnormally human. Almost like he was reading a script written by another crow. He kind of was, in reality. A while back, I was at The National Aviary in Pittsburgh. I was in a foyer with three cages individually occupied by two parrots and a crow. The […]
Are you giving your members’ brains a workout?
You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Old habits die hard. Brain cells never regenerate. This is the conventional wisdom, and everyone has probably heard something like it at some point. But recent research and case studies are turning this so-called “conventional wisdom” on its head. More and more, studies are demonstrating our brains are […]
4 things your association volunteers want
Every association struggles with identifying and recruiting volunteers, then putting them to work on meaningful tasks. To improve how you seek out volunteers, look at it from their perspective: What do potential volunteers want? What will encourage them to lend their skills to your association? Each potential volunteer is unique and should be treated as […]
How we jumped into Design Thinking
If you are launching into this article unsure about what Design Thinking is, you can make your way to part one. This second part covers my association’s plunge into the deepend, and what happens when empathy becomes your starting point. There is no roadmap for implementing Design Thinking into your strategic plan. Indeed, given that to employ […]
Surge 2017 images for speakers
The images below can be used to update your Twitter and Facebook pages, and to send out alongside your social media posts. Speakers will also be sent, via email, a custom image detailing your session information to post and disseminate as you wish. TWITTER COVER FACEBOOK COVER EMAIL IMAGE ASSOCIATIONSUCCESS.ORG LOGO
The upside of failure
“If we were studying for a spelling bee,” Erik Qualman said, “we wouldn’t review easy words. We’d test ourselves with more difficult spellings.” Not to challenge ourselves before the competition would be considered a reckless and inefficient way to prepare to step onto the stage. In fact, a training process that isn’t full of mistakes […]
What does the future of online communities look like?
Since I moved to DC, I’ve had a lot more time to ponder and listen to podcasts as I wait in traffic on my way to/from work. While all that waiting can be torturous sometimes (every day, I see someone locked in the glass box of their car like an angry mime, beating the steering […]
Do we all have a seat at the table?
“I was both surprised and pleased to learn that the ratio of women leaders in the nonprofit sector is much less out-of-balance than expected. We are fortunate that the percent of nonprofits run by women is much higher than the percentage of businesses run by women in for-profit sector. Because the Academy is a health […]
3 unexpected association marketing campaigns
People love to be surprised. When our familiar contexts are re-arranged, or we are met by the unexpected, we are provoked into feeling something new and unanticipated. We also love to be entertained, and stimulating someone’s emotions and feelings often leaves more of a mark than targeting their more rational, intellectual responses. When it comes to […]