Using a Committee to Gather Collective Insight
Virtual events are more than just a convenient and fun means for education and engagement. While it is important to work hard to translate the in-person experience into the virtual space effectively, virtual events are in themselves a unique and valuable form of interaction (which I have written about before). Understanding your event attendees’ needs and creating […]
Corporate Partnership Challenges and Solutions – Let me count the ways
My colleague Dan Kowitz and I have studied and advised hundreds of association corporate partnership programs over the past two decades, both as senior-level staff with associations and as consultants to associations. A lot has changed – and continues to change – in the world of corporate sponsorships and partnerships: the role of associations continues […]
How to Avoid Dissatisfied Corporate Partners
I have written before about the importance of listening to industry voices in order to develop mutually beneficial corporate partnerships. This is true when it comes to what your partners want, but it is equally significant in revealing what they don’t want. I recently heard three stories about interactions between associations and corporate partners that revealed dissatisfied partners. In […]
On the Power of Prototyping
Previous pieces of mine might have hinted at my commitment to the principles of Design Thinking (if you haven’t got that hint yet, I invite you to have a read). On top of the flexibility and open-mindedness of this methodology, there’s another reason why an empathetic, iterative process of discovery makes for an excellent problem-solving tool: not all […]
Surveys, Research and Bias-Free Questions
The Association for Women in Science (AWIS) has been around for almost 50 years. We are multi-sector and multi-discipline with members in universities, corporations, government, non-profits, and all areas of science. Recently, we have noticed a change in the makeup of our membership, with many younger members joining the organization, in addition to our mid- to […]
An Association Rebrand From Start to Finish
WHY REBRAND? Identity At the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), we have over 40,000 members around the globe. The organization was founded in 1950 and nothing about the brand had changed since then. It became clear that changing the visual aspects of the association’s messaging was a high priority. Technology has changed and the way we […]
Introducing our Job Board!
AssociationSuccess.org lives entirely in the virtual world, and as such we have witnessed the relationships that can be built, the ideas that can be seeded, and the plans that can be scaffolded when the right people come together without any physical or geographical constraints. We are convinced of the distinct power of this unlimited online space, […]
The Afterlife Potential of Virtual Events
One of the great things about a virtual event location is that the ideas, insights and innovations sparked by the event do not disappear when the doors close. Given the fast pace of presentations, discussions and social media streams where interesting, rich and diverse ideas quickly fly by, capturing and then repurposing content offers you […]
Why Branding Matters – and How to Maximize Yours
As an association, thinking about the strength of your brand can often be a secondary concern. While social media and the business press are replete with themes surrounding “personal brands”, making the concept appear like nothing more than a vanity project, the importance of your brand can’t be understated. Without a strong brand, your organization […]
Data in Action: Acquisition and Analysis
When exploring new markets as an association, whether that be in new geographical regions or new types of services, it is imperative that you have a map to guide you. You can acquire the information you need before diving in and investing in a project through careful research and data analytics. I work for a […]