Back to top
Back to top

Top Ten Association Management Resources: February part 2

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Our latest round up of all the best and latest association management resources including tips to revive your email list, steps to clear your computer from clutter, suggestions for effective brainstorming sessions, and why associations need to turn their members' problems into opportunities.

  1. 3 Steps to Revive Your Email List (Getting Attention Blog)
    Email listserves’ tracking open rates provides an opportunity for organizations to revive their contacts. Karla Capers gives her three step process that attempts to engage those subscribers who have not opened emails recently. 
  2. Defrosting New Conference Connections (Velvet Chainsaw Consulting)
    While extroverts get the credit for working a room during networking events, Sarah Michel argues introverts will often establish the most meaningful connections. She gives ten simple questions to jumpstart a great conversation that will facilitate an extended relationship past the fast-paced conference. 
  3. New member welcome packets can help maximize already existing new-member enthusiasm. This blog post provides arguments for the practice and suggests items to include. 
  4. How to Clear Your Computer of Focus-Draining Distraction (Nir & Far)
    Piling items on your desktop for “reminders” is never a good idea. Nir Eyal gives several tips for decluttering your home screen and folders to increase your productivity.  
  5. It is easy to let social media become mindless consumption rather than productive engagement. Beth Kanter gives tips for dividing your daily tasks for maximum productivity while incorporating social media tasks. 
  6. The Magic of 30-Minute Meetings (Harvard Business Review)
    An hour tends to be the default time allotted for calls, meetings, and many other activities. Like switching his workout to 30 minutes has lead to increased intensity and effectiveness, Peter Bregman suggests compressing all of your appointments by half the usual allotted time for more productive meetings. 
  7. It is easy to get lost in information overload noise in our technology-centered world. Curating this knowledge to add meaning is essential. Chad Gorski, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, gives important starting questions for evaluating information, determining whether or not this will add to your organizations effectiveness and mission. 
  8. Instead of getting stuck in, “this is what we do,” associations must confront the growing needs of members to solve the problems they cannot solve on their own. While risky and uncertain, it is the way to innovation that will keep associations relevant. 
  9. Dan Rockwell suggests declining all “brainstorming” invitations unless there are guidelines for the conversation, limitations that enable focus, and commitment to actionable outcomes. His five suggestions for a productive brainstorming session will help you build a meaningful, productive meeting. 
  10. While association's business model is membership, Joe Rominiecki shows professionals dedicated to membership specifically is rare. Instead, some organizations are taking on membership tasks as a whole, specifically senior management, to make retention and customer service everyone’s job.