Modern associations and their communities thrive online. Online events, webinars, forums, blogs, and other digital engagement tools allow members to expand their knowledge and form beneficial relationships with fellow members. A flourishing online community and optimized association website ultimately promote member engagement, retention, and recruitment. 

Studies show that association membership is on the rise, a welcome change after rates fell dramatically during the pandemic. Thanks to positive market changes, members’ finances seem to be in a better place, which allows them to continue paying dues. However, there are a few factors that could be harming member engagement, retention, and overall growth.

You’re likely familiar with the planning chaos before a fundraising event like an auction: your team is scrambling to polish off details, items seem to be missing, and you’re in the midst of trying last-minute strategies to drive more registrations. This has probably left your team wondering, “How can we avoid these issues and streamline our planning in the future?” 

As an association professional, you understand the value of a strong website design. A well-designed website can help you attract new members, retain existing members, and firmly establish your brand identity online so you can build credibility for your organization. 

Inclusivity has increasingly become a central component of the digital strategies of a wide variety of associations and other membership organizations. 

Grassroots advocacy campaigns are built from groups of concerned individuals coming together to achieve a common goal. While successful advocacy movements rely on each and every supporter, campaigns don’t just spontaneously come together. Instead, they are guided by a strong advocacy leadership team. 

To attract new members and retain them year after year, you need to provide stand-out content that appeals to your association’s audience. Networking events and professional development opportunities are center stage when it comes to fostering the development of the future leaders in your group and maintaining their interest over time.

Functional expense reporting became a requirement a few years ago when nonprofits implemented Accounting Standard Update (ASU) 2016-14, Not-for-Profit Entities (Topic 958): Presentation of Financial Statement of Not-for-Profit Entities.  Have you given much thought since then to what you’re reporting? We’ve summarized some key points about functional expense reporting and some things to consider as you approach year end.

We’ve all sat through a boring training, class, or certification course. Maybe you used to fall asleep in college classes after staring at walls of text on a PowerPoint presentation, or you had a day-long volunteer training that felt like it lasted a year.

As an association, one of the most valuable benefits you provide to members is ongoing professional development opportunities. From networking events and conferences to certifications and multi-module courses, you provide a wide range of opportunities to create more value for your members.

While dues are certainly a key component of any association’s financial stability, the leaders at your organization — particularly those who work in finance and fundraising — understand that dues alone are not enough to keep an association afloat.

On March 11, 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced its proposed withdrawal of its previous rule[1] for evaluating an individual’s independent contractor status (“Final Rule”). The Final Rule was officially withdrawn as explained in the Federal Register on May 6, 2021.[2] The DOL’s stated reasoning for issuing the withdrawal is because the Final Rule would “significantly weaken protections afforded to American workers under the Fair Labor Standards Act [(FLSA)].” For employers, including not-for-profit organizations, the withdrawal creates uncertainty for classifying an independent contractor and the factors that the DOL or a court will evaluate to determine whether the classification is appropriate.

Nearly 100 association professionals and industry partners/suppliers gathered both in-person and virtually for a unique hybrid program on Thursday, October 29 at the Horizon Convention Center in Muncie, IN. "Back to Business: Planning Live Events During The Pandemic" was a collaboration between the Indiana Society of Association Executives (ISAE), Meeting Professionals International's Indiana Chapter (MPI Indiana) and Minorities in Hospitality (MIH).

Discover new ways to engage your attendees at your next virtual meeting! Remote games don't have to be time-consuming to create or even all that challenging to be FUN! Here are some suggestions for games you can create in minutes with your current event technologies (video conference platform, event app, survey tools).   

Attending the sessions at ICON2020 are sure to check a lot of boxes for you as you find the tools and information to fuel your association’s success during these challenging times. One challenge that is sure to outlive the pandemic is revenue generation.

Whether your organization is on a national scale with board members across the country or is a local chapter with board members in close proximity, your team can benefit from hosting virtual board meetings.

A few months ago, one of our volunteers approached us to inquire about education and networking for young professionals. While we could certainly provide a list of programs and resources appropriate for this segment of our membership, we realized there was a much larger opportunity to cultivate a community for members in this very important stage of their career.

The Indiana Society of Association Executives (ISAE) staff recognize the current COVID-19 situation and its impacts on our members, partners and the associations they represent. ISAE is committed to providing maximum support to our members during this time of crisis and uncertainty. We will continually provide updates as the association industry, ISAE events, committee meetings and other member gatherings are impacted.

I recently sat down with American Alliance of Orthopaedic Executives CEO Addy Kujawa, CAE, about sales and what she has learned from her ten years of selling for AAOE and taking their conference sponsorships from $30,000 to over $300,000 each year. Here are her top 5 tips to selling for your organization.

Value is at the core of member retention. If a member doesn’t feel like they’re getting value from your organization, they’re likely to let their membership lapse. But on the flip side, if they do feel like they’re getting value from your organization, they’re likely to renew — and engage more with your offerings.