Growing Your Association’s Non-Dues Revenue: The Basics

The idea that all or most of your association’s revenue should come from membership dues is an outdated, inaccurate assumption. According to ASAE, dues made up only 30% of total revenue for professional associations in 2016, a steep drop from 95.7% in 1953. But if your association isn’t experienced with managing multiple revenue streams (or has only just begun to experiment by selling merchandise or event tickets), diversifying your sources of revenue might seem like a large, complex undertaking.

Pursuing new sources of revenue doesn’t have to be complicated, and it’s key to the health of both your finances and membership base. Revenue diversification not only increases your total revenue but also ensures your association isn’t too reliant on a single income source. This means that if one source of income dwindles, you’ll have other, reliable revenue streams available to fill in the gaps.

Unlocking Growth Potential: The Benefits of Working with a Marketing Agency

Whether you run a small business that's just starting out or an established business looking to expand, working with a marketing agency can help unlock your growth potential. Not only can a team of professionals help you find weaknesses in your current strategy, but they can also use their resources and connections to boost a new plan. In this blog post, the Indiana Society of Association Executives will outline the benefits of working with a marketing agency as you strive to increase your customer base and grow your business.

You'll Get Years of Experience

Working with an agency gives you access to an entire team of professionals who specialize in different areas, such as graphic design, content creation, SEO–which drives organic traffic from search engines–and more. This means that all of your needs are taken care of by experienced professionals who know how to get results. You'll also be able to choose which areas you want to focus on with your strategy, which would be much more difficult with a limited in-house team.

Designing a Compelling Events Page: 4 Effective Strategies

By: Ira Horowitz

If you want attendees at your association’s events, a compelling Events page on your website is a must. Whether you’re planning a networking event, fundraising event, webinar, or other event, the Events page is one of the most important marketing assets in your toolbox and can make or break your event marketing strategy.

4 Ways Meeting Planners Can Best Utilize CVBs

By Visit Hendricks County

When we seek information in the modern age, we typically head straight for Google. And who can blame us for that? If we’re adept keyword searchers, we would get exactly what we seek within seconds.

The primary downfall of this seeking method is information overload. As a meeting planner, it’s likely you juggle a lot of information: event schedules, activities, catering, and piles of bid proposals with countless hotels and event spaces. For those looking for assistance sifting through the information overload, you can turn to the Convention and Visitors Bureau in the destination you’re considering. CVBs can assist your search for that perfect meeting venue.

5 Web Design Tips to Make Your Association Website Stand Out

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. 

4 Tips for Maximizing Your Association’s Member Engagement

To grow your association, you’ll need new tools, dedicated staff, and a reliable membership base. This last element is especially important, as a key part of expanding your organization is maintaining and engaging the members you have. After all, new members are far more likely to be interested in joining and staying with associations that have a lively community they can participate in. 

Finding new ways to engage your members is part of maintaining your association’s long-term health. Providing new content and opportunities demonstrates your organization’s value, influencing members to renew their memberships and even recommend your association to friends, family, and colleagues. 

In one of the largest studies of burnout in history, Gallup found that 60% of people are detached at work, and 19% are miserable.

And that emotional detachment comes with a price tag. Low engagement costs the global economy US$7.8 TRILLION and accounts for 11% of global GDP (Gallup, 2022). The study further found that workers in the United States are some of the most stressed out in the world.

4 Tips to Build Your Membership Program's Digital Strategy

Connecting with all of your members online is key for maintaining an active and engaged audience. Although your association holds meaningful in-person events throughout the year, for most organizations, the bulk of communication with members will take place online. 

A comprehensive digital strategy not only helps you attract new members but retain and connect with your current base, strengthening their ties to your association. Building out a new digital strategy requires time and resources, but it will make up the return on investment in long-term support, new connections, and an overall increased value for your membership program. 

4 Best Practices for Creating an Inclusive Digital Strategy

Digital inclusivity has increasingly become a priority for associations, nonprofits, and other membership-based organizations. 

Digital inclusivity means every aspect of your online strategy, from your website to your social media and email marketing campaigns, is accessible to all of your audience members. This also means reflecting their lived experiences, which are the knowledge and perspectives a person has gained throughout their lives that affect their choices and actions. 

Hosting a Silent Auction: 5 Top Tips for Your Association

After sitting through so many virtual meetings, chances are your association members are thrilled to get back to in-person events and fundraisers. A silent auction is a great way to get back into the swing of things. Silent auctions have the potential to garner tons of revenue and generate excitement with members. 

3 Benefits of Micro-Credentials for Associations

Your association exists because of the many members who engage with and contribute to the organization. However, the pandemic led to a decrease in membership and member engagement for many associations.

Just as there are a number of reasons behind this decline, there are also multiple strategies that your organization can use to reverse the trend. For example, you may have created new networking opportunities and hosted additional events, all with the goal of recruiting new members and retaining your current ones.

Fundraising Events for Your Association: 5 Pros and Cons

Fundraising events are a fun and exciting way to bring in extra funds for your association. These events give your members and supporters the chance to get together for a good cause. Not only do fundraisers expand your association’s budget, but they can also boost member engagement.

5 Tips for Hosting a Successful Virtual Board Meeting 

The COVID-19 pandemic might have caused virtual board meetings to be a necessity for a time, but by now, your organization has likely caught on to the various other benefits of virtual gatherings. 

An Association Professional's Guide to Social Media

Did you know that approximately 4.5 billion individuals (the majority of the world’s population) are active social media users? While it’s easy to dismiss TikTok, Instagram, and other platforms as little more than digital playgrounds for people to kill time, the fact of the matter is that social media has become an incredibly powerful outlet for individuals and organizations alike to market themselves, share content, and connect with new audiences.

If your association hasn’t done so already, now is the time to take a deeper look at your organization’s social media strategies and consider how you can make the most of these versatile online tools.

Trade Associations/Business Leagues – Lobbying Activities and its Reporting Requirements 

Trade associations and business leagues that are tax-exempt under Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(6) are allowed unlimited lobbying..  In fact, many of these organizations have a significant amount of legislative and executive advocacy activities and expenditures.  However, trade associates and business leagues must follow certain IRS rules and regulations. 

4 Expert Tips for Improving Public Speaking Skills

If the thought of giving a speech or presentation in front of a crowd or group makes you break out in a cold sweat, you aren’t alone. 75% of adults express a fear of public speaking. 

Public speaking is a skill, and just like any skill, you can’t become an expert overnight. It takes planning and practice to make your presentations and speeches more engaging and impactful. 

Events that bring your association’s community together are a great way to bring your members together in an engaging and memorable way. Often, these events become recurring annual activities, giving your members something to look forward to every year, even during challenging times.