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5 Ways to Make In-Person Conferences Worth It
As Association Professionals we are competing with an ever-increasing amount of professional development offerings for our members. From free sponsored webinars to LinkedIn Learning – everyone is vying for our
Four Tools to Encourage Volunteerism for Your Association
Volunteers play an essential role for any association. They have the inside scoop on the industry, they are present to hear the needs of members, and in the end, have
Micro-Volunteerism: Worthwhile or a Waste of Time?
Micro-volunteerism provides small tasks that volunteers can start and complete in a short amount of time. Though the term “micro-volunteerism” has only been around for about 15 years, it has
3 Ways Associations Help During a Recession
Are we in a recession (yet!) or not? As we each look at how industries were affected the past couple of years, we know that some prospered by thinking quickly
Why You Should Be Repurposing Your Association Content (And Where To Start)
It can be easy to take one piece of content and move on to the next task at hand. However, that one piece of content can be turned into a
Raybourn Group International’s Craig Banister Selected as ASAE NextGen Scholar
Craig Banister, Director of Marketing and Communications at Raybourn Group International (RGI), was recently selected as a NextGen Scholar by The American Society for Association Executives. He is one of
5 Ways Board Members Can Recruit Their Replacement
If you’re working today, you’re a talent scout. You need a talent for your company – and even more tricky, for your professional association. How do you find talent for
4 Marketing Tips to Increase Membership
Every day as marketing professionals working for associations, we constantly have on our minds the thought of “I need to increase membership.” [Insert ghost voice]. All jokes aside, this is
Free E-Book: Success with Leading Volunteers
Volunteer management is much more of an art than a science, so the goal of this e-book is to both provide you with some practical tips and to help you
3 Key Takeaways from President Leslie Murphy, FASAE, CAE on the Charitable Advisors’ Podcast
RGI President Leslie Murphy, FASAE, CAE, recently joined Bryan Orlander from Charitable Advisors’ Not-for-profit NEWS podcast to discuss how an association management company’s components translate to charitable non-profits. Here are
5 Things Association Treasurers Need to Know
Association treasurers are typically responsible for financial oversight, budgeting, fundraising, reporting and more. Finances are part of every aspect of an association, including membership, marketing programming and events. The treasurer
Free E-Book: How to Avoid Financial Pitfalls for Your Association
Embezzlement. Fraud. Financial crisis. As a stakeholder of a non-profit organization, these are words you never want to hear. But every day, non-profits find themselves facing these issues. Most had
RGI Staff Involvement at ISAE’s ICON Conference
The Indiana Society of Association Executives (ISAE) will host its annual convention, ICON 2022, from July 17-19 at Belterra Casino Resort in Florence, Indiana. RGI staff will be in attendance
Pause and Evaluate: How Your Budget Now Can Shape 2023
You’re six months into your fiscal year. There has been a lot going on with hosting the first in-person annual conference since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the continuation
How to Capitalize on Your Social Media Efforts – Three Ideas to Consider
If you could take a quick look at our association’s social media calendar, you’d see a variety of planned content. For example: what events are happening, new jobs posted on
Four Leadership Skills to Drive Success at the Board Table
Associations depend on their board, staff, and volunteers every step of the way. Volunteers get involved because of the personal and professional aspects of an association and that is exactly
How To Run a Meeting While Keeping Your Audience’s Attention
What is worse than scheduling a meeting only to have participants tune out of the conversation? We’ve all had this happen, whether it be a virtual meeting or an in-person
New Member Momentum: Four Ways to Engage First-Year Members of Your Trade Association
You have a creative website. You have a fun annual conference. Your trade association has several benefits, yet your member companies seem to drop after the first year. What do
Three Quick Ways to Increase Volunteerism in Your Association
Volunteers are the foundation of any non-profit. If you don’t have new volunteers coming into the mix on a regular basis, you’re missing a key leadership development opportunity to bring
Shift Your Thinking: Surviving to Thriving
For many association leaders, visions of growth and innovation took a backseat to a focus on maintenance and downright survival these past couple of years. For the world this was
Four Ways to Foster Member Connections Outside of Your Annual Conference
The annual conference for each association is a time for reconnecting with peers, industry-specific education, meeting new partners and more. It is a time for the association to address members
How to engage members in the off-season
Rest. Self-care. Reflection. There are benefits to recharging and resetting our minds (and bodies) when we allow ourselves to do so. Remember what a summer break felt like as a
Raybourn Group International Named Among Best Places to Work in Indiana for the Second Consecutive Year
INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Chamber of Commerce has revealed the rankings for its 2022 Best Places to Work in Indiana program, selecting Raybourn Group International (RGI), an Indianapolis-based association management,
Tips For On-boarding New Staff Members
We’ve all been there, we’ve all had our first day, and we all know the feeling of learning a new workplace and a new group of people that you may
Three Reasons to Reconsider Your Conference Theme
While reviewing my upcoming tasks in our master timeline, I saw the annual reminder to “ask next year’s conference chair for the theme and start logo design.” If your to-do
Emily Wrinkle, DES, Earns Recognition at the 2022 MPI Indiana IMPRESS Awards
INDIANAPOLIS (April 29, 2022) – Emily Wrinkle, DES, was recognized at the 2022 IMPRESS Awards hosted by the MPI Indiana Chapter. Wrinkle was awarded the One to Watch award as
Making Your Communications More Accessible
My client’s website recently went through a User Experience Evaluation, which helped us to better understand areas of our website that weren’t beneficial to our audience. One of the auditors
Volunteer Recruitment: Identifying Potential Volunteers
Most Associations do a big “call for volunteers” because not only do we want to recruit volunteers to fill all of our positions, we also want to make sure that
Raybourn Group International’s Emilie Perkins Named to CMP Fellow Inaugural Class
INDIANAPOLIS (April 7, 2022) - Emilie Perkins, CAE, CMP, CMM, PMP, CED, Director of Client and Conference Services at Raybourn Group International (RGI), was named to the inaugural CMP (Certified
How to have hard conversations around the board table
Every association is faced with tough conversations in the board room. Here are several strategies to help ensure discussions go smoothly and end in a positive result for the board
What do volunteers want to do? How does it align with our mission?
Volunteer recruitment seems to be a universal problem. We know it is a challenge to fill all of our committees but do we really understand why we are struggling? With
Event Planning in a Post-Pandemic World
Bring it back to basics. Throughout the pandemic, organizations have been challenged to evaluate and reimagine their programs and events. While the underlying reason was not positive, hopefully the outcome
Should my association start a podcast?
This question about podcasts is one I hear more and more frequently each year, and it’s a good one to ask. There are many benefits to launching a podcast, from
Staffing Benefits of an AMC
Staffing Benefits of Working with an Association Management Company One of the benefits of the association management company (AMC) model is shared resources across multiple associations under one roof. This
Quick SEO tips to increase your website’s organic search
A former marketing professor of mine once compared SEO to the stock market. When someone invests in the stock market, they expect their money to “work for them”, and not
Raybourn Group International a ‘Best Places to Work in Indiana’ for 2nd Consecutive Year
Contact: Craig Banister 800-362-2546 cbanister@raybourn.com Raybourn Group International a ‘Best Places to Work in Indiana’ recipient for 2nd consecutive year INDIANAPOLIS – Raybourn Group International (RGI), an Indianapolis-based association management, consulting
6 Ways to Get Members to Renew
Member renewals are one of the most important tasks of any association’s business. It is easier to keep a current member than to recruit a new one. Whether you have
3 Tips to make a Lifelong Member
Lifelong association members are likely some of the most well-regarded and active members in any field. They have learned from their peers, explored membership programs and services, and have almost
How can associations communicate being successful and active? “Brag about it!”
Years ago, when my son was around 8 years old, he asked me what brag meant. For a moment, I was thinking of ways to define brag to a young
RGI Celebrates Wins at the 2021 ISAE Star Awards
Last week, RGI joined the Indiana Society of Association Executives or its annual STAR Awards ceremony, recognizing the best and brightest in association management in 2021.
Making the Best of Virtual BOD Meetings
It’s quite possible that virtual board meetings may be part of the “new normal” for your association leadership for the foreseeable future. By being a purposeful planner, you’ll use technology to not just survive, but thrive.
7 Ways to Keep Your Organization Moving Forward Through Board Transition
As we approach the new year, you may find some new faces at your next board meeting. We have identified a few ways to ensure new members are effectively onboarded and your organization keeps moving forward through this transition.
Five Keys to the Board Nomination Process
It is more important than ever that you fill your board with volunteers who are passionate, committed and possess the skills needed to lead your association. Follow these five key steps to help your board nomination process.
3 Easy Ways to Make In-Person Attendees Feel Comfortable Again
As Association professionals we are constantly juggling the changing needs of various stakeholders. The return to in-person meetings is no exception. The last 18 months has taken a toll on the well-being of many of our members. In this post, we identify 3 easy ways to make attendees feel comfortable again.
Raybourn Group International’s Nick Estrada, CAE, CMP Receives Association Forum’s Forty Under 40 Recognition
Congratulations to Nick Estrada, CAE, CMP, Director of Membership for Raybourn Group International (RGI), was recently recognized by Association Forum as a 2021 Forty Under 40 recipient.
In-Person or Virtual? 4 Blogs to Prepare You for 2022 Events
2022 is quickly approaching and that means it is time to start looking at what events will look like for the next year. Will they return to in-person? Will they continue to be virtual?
How to Effectively Communicate the Benefits of Your Association
You may recall buying a new (or new-to-you) shiny car and having a crash course on using all the new bells and whistles at the dealership. Then you get home to fumble through how to use these bells and whistles and can’t remember how. Member benefits can be similar.
Recruiting and Motivating Volunteers: Tips for Creating a Successful Volunteer Program
We know we need volunteers to accomplish the goals of the association, but having a productive volunteer program is rarely its own goal. That’s especially dangerous as recruitment must be a constant effort. Remember: volunteering isn’t a member obligation – it’s a member benefit.
Steps to Finding an AMC
Steps to Finding an AMC Finding, selecting and contracting with an Association Management Company (AMC) is a valuable process in and of itself, but it does take time. For many
Sample Scope of Work
Sample Scope of Work When selecting an AMC, it’s important to ensure mutual clarification of the duties to be performed by the AMC. Click the link below to download a
AMC/Volunteer Responsibility Grid
AMC/Volunteer Responsibility Grid The AMC/Volunteer Responsibility Grid is an example of a tool that boards can use to determine appropriate responsibilities. This will allow you to list all the things
Free Step-by-Step Event Marketing Plan
This easy-to-use template will help an event marketing professional at any level conduct a successful marketing plan from start to finish.
How to Make Your Association’s Culture a Member Benefit
In “The Leader’s Guide to Corporate Culture”, an article in the Harvard Business Review, defines culture as what is encouraged, discouraged, accepted, or rejected within a group. It states that
3 Keys to Purposeful & Strategic Association Events
One of the key membership benefits of any association is the ability to participate in an Annual Meeting or Conference. In my last blog, 5 Trends Shaping the Future of
5 Trends Shaping the Future of Association Meetings and Events
Association professionals learned in March of 2020 that our crystal ball was broken. If you had asked back then what the future of meetings would be, we might have said
Takeaways From an In-Person Event
The following is a first person account of an in-person event held on April 12 & 13 by the Casket and Funeral Supply Association of America. This account is from
Raybourn Group International Named Among Best Places to Work in Indiana
Contact: Shelly Pfenninger, CAE800-362-2546spfenninger@raybourn.com Raybourn Group International Named Among Best Places to Work in Indiana Indianapolis – The Indiana Chamber of Commerce has revealed the rankings for its 2021
Conferences and Events: Lessons From the Last Year
In the past year, our fully virtual world has taught us a lot about conferences and events. There are takeaways for all parties involved in events as meeting planners, presenters
Why You’re Not Getting New Volunteers (And What You Can Do About It)
Volunteer leadership is an essential aspect of any association that wants be successful. And for associations who want to continue to adapt, bringing in new volunteers is key. They bring
Volunteer Appreciation: 10 Quick Tips for Saying Thank You
Successful associations need volunteers, appreciate their help, and thank them for their contributions. Volunteer time and expertise are valuable, so ensure your volunteers feel valued as well. Whether you thank