How redefining engagement helped this association
I’m working closely with the American Nurses Association on a wide-ranging member engagement project, and I wanted to share with you some of their thoughts on the topic. Our work involved first helping them define what engagement means for them. From there, our collaborative work team did an extensive audit of all the engagement activities […]
Are you committed to continuous innovation?
The following is an excerpt from “The Membership Economy:” Innovation is motherhood and apple pie in nearly every type of organization, but for the Membership Economy, continuous innovation is especially important. The best Membership Economy organizations are constantly tinkering with their offerings. For example, American Express has offered all kinds of evolving benefits to its […]
How our lives will become demonetized
People are concerned about how AI and robotics are taking jobs and destroying livelihoods, reducing our earning capacity and subsequently destroying the economy. In anticipation, countries like Canada, India and Finland are running experiments to pilot the idea of “universal basic income” – the unconditional provision of a regular sum of money from the government […]
It’s time for national and local organizations to co-engage with members
For very many association members, ”engagement” includes experiences at the local level (frequently through a chapter/component), and at the national level, through the national association. There are obviously a lot of issues wrapped up in the national/component relationship, and I’m not attempting to address them all here. But I want to pull out an important […]
Why you’re measuring engagement wrong
I want to share a couple of stories about my personal engagement with some organizations. I am a member of La Barra Brava, which is the supporter’s group for the MLS soccer (football) team DC United. We’re the ones you see on TV chanting, banging drums and waving flags. Our common purpose is to be the […]
Associations are already part of the membership economy — but others are catching up
What do Amazon, Starbucks and Adobe have in common? They have all entered the “membership economy,” recognizing the advantage of forging long-term relationships with customers over simple one-time transactions. As an association, you can pat yourself on the back because you’re well ahead of this curve. However, as private sector companies gain consciousness of the […]
How to become a change leader
If you see the need to do things differently to get better results, you might be a change agent. Whether you’re brought in specifically to shake things up or you’ve accidentally stumbled into the role, you can’t just wave a magic wand and make things change. You have to get others to transform the way […]
What it means to be an association member is changing
In my post earlier this week, I pushed the issue of defining engagement. But the first half of the phrase “member engagement” could also use a little attention. We throw around the word “member” a lot, not acknowledging we have a lot of baggage that goes with it. Granted, we are membership organizations, so I […]
How does your association define engagement?
Everyone in the association world cares about member engagement (or should, anyway). And a lot of people in the association world are actively trying to measure engagement and improve engagement. Which is fine, except for one problem: Very few people have actually defined engagement. Maddie and I have done some long-term work with a couple […]
Trep Tip: How to Run your Life More Like a Business
It is common practice in the business world for owners to take time to work “on” their business instead of “in” it, to use frameworks and build strategies in order to achieve specific goals. Whether you are running a stand at a farmers market or hold a seat on an executive board, there is a […]