Career centers have been a “nice-to-have” feature for many associations, especially if they are charging fees for companies to list openings. During 2020, however, a greater number of members have turned to job boards – in many cases, to look for positions rather than post them. The growing importance of job boards presents association leaders with an opportunity to offer...
Association leaders are continually looking for ways to better serve members with enhanced events, new services, expanded networking opportunities, and professional education, but 2020 has changed the needs and expectations of members in ways that no one could anticipate. A recent study shows that while associations and their member companies scrambled to deal with working from home, virtual meetings, and...
It’s tough enough to be a speaker or event planner when a meeting or conference is live and in-person, but how do you know if your virtual conference “attendees” are really engaged in the discussion or presentation? Remember to start with a foundation of compelling content and excellent production quality, just as you would do with a live event. An...
One of the greatest benefits of association membership is the ability to reach out to similar types of businesses for advice on operational issues, strategies, or vendors. Online communities are a good avenue for members to share knowledge, but they may only benefit a small, narrowly defined group of members. If your association is not large enough to support a...
It does not matter how many programs your association offers, how many discounts are in your vendor referral program, or how well produced your magazine is if member interactions with association staff are less than ideal. Unfortunately, the challenge for all association leaders, and their member organizations as well, is the fact that it is hard to retain talented, ambitious,...