Association communicators routinely face the challenge of editing other people’s work, and their colleagues or members are not always the fabulous writers they imagine themselves to be. Some of the sticking points usually revolve around the use of AP Style Guidelines, commas before coordinating conjunctions, and the dreaded capitalization of every word in a job title, program name, and any...
Continuing education and skills training are critical services associations provide to individual members but how can an association support its industry’s need for well-trained employees who may not be members? Offering members a way to volunteer in the community and help their industry is especially appealing to younger members. A survey of more than 2,000 millennials found that almost 66%...
During the pandemic, the need to quickly make decisions and change course uncovered a number of opportunities for associations to identify changes that can be made to increase their value to members. In the original edition of Race for Relevance, the authors promote the establishment of a board that is sized and populated for the purpose of thoughtful, effective decision...
The national conversation about diversity, equity, and inclusion is a conversation that is also taking place throughout association board and staff meetings as well as among member organizations and individuals. The challenge for association communicators is finding a way to highlight the association’s, industry’s, and member’s efforts to be inclusive. Three associations that have addressed the issue from three different...
The switch from in-person to virtual events and a scramble to support members with financial challenges led to a re-vamping of event fees, membership fees, and even resource access that was previously limited to only members. These changes reflected associations’ efforts to both remain fiscally viable and to meet member needs, but one author cautions association leaders that it is...