Seminar: How to Re-Evaluate Your Association's Programs, Products & Services

August 31st

Evaluation of association programs should be a continuing process, not a one-time only event that happens whenever a volunteer leader or the CEO questions the ROI on a program. It should be embraced, not feared. Of course, any association program should be geared towards the achievement of the organizational strategic plan. What, you say? You don’t have one of those? Or the one that you have has more dust on it than Edgar Allen Poe’s first novel? How can you accurately evaluate whether or not a program is providing organizational ROI if you don’t have a strategic plan to hold it up against?

In addition, there are those “sacred cow” programs that just won’t die! How do you jettison those? And not get beheaded in the process? (Or worse yet, fired.)

Our session will explore how you approach your board leaders and/or CEO to jumpstart an evaluation of your association’s programs, whether they be meetings, member communications, membership development and retention or non-dues revenue generation.

We’ll also provide tips on when it would be best to use a “third party evaluator” instead of internal association staff in these evaluations.

And you’ll have a chance to share with your colleagues best practices for doing program evaluations...and living to actually share those with your Indiana association community colleagues.

By the conclusion of this session, you should be able to:

understand the process for a successful program evaluation
identify a failing program
how to successfully deal with “sacred cows”
successfully “sell” your board and/or fellow staff on the need for a program to die or to begin
understand the D.A.R.E. process for evaluating communications programs
come away with new ideas from your colleagues on how to implement an ongoing evaluation process in your association

Presenter: Hugh Whaley, Executive Director of Strategic Alliances, Drake Company

Hugh is responsible for organizational consulting and strategic industry marketing, including advertising, public relations, reputation and issues management programs, for DrakeCo’s not-for-profit associations and industry-funded organizations clients.

In his career, Hugh has served as director, Industry & Association Relations for Broadhead + Co, and president, Association Business for Osborn & Barr, both marketing communications companies. He has also served as a senior staff director for the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO); the vice president of operations for Convention Management Resources, a meetings management firm serving large national medical associations; and director of education and corporate relations for the American Soybean Association. He has held numerous board and committee leadership positions with a wide variety of organizations including the American Society of Association Executives, Meeting Professionals International, the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB), the NAFB Foundation, the National Farm-City Council and the Center for Women in Transition. Hugh has also overseen organizational marketing communications programs for major national associations and government agencies. Through his work with those organizations, Hugh has become an experienced leader and trusted advisor to those he serves. Hugh received a Bachelors degree in Political Science from Purdue University, and is a U.S. Navy veteran.

Date: August 31st

Time: 8:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

8:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.: Registration & Breakfast

8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.: Program

Cost: ISAE Members $65; Non-Members $95

Location: Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity Headquarters; Map

Domain: Programs/Products/Services

CAE Hours: 4