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How to Effectively Communicate with Members
There is a common marketing rule that says it takes seven touch points for a message to be effective and be remembered by the receiver. What does that mean for

Creating a Blog For Your Association
If your association wants to be considered a thought leader in your field, a blog can be a great place to start. While it may seem intimidating at first, blogging

4 Keys to Marketing Your Membership Benefits
It is a well known fact that membership benefits are important to your members, but did you know marketing those benefits may be just as crucial? Your association may have

Social Media Analytics: 5 Metrics to Track
Tracking social media analytics can be a bit daunting. There is so much analytical information you can access for free that it can become confusing on what stats to track.

4 Ways to Empower Your Volunteers
It is a well-known fact of association management that volunteers not only make the association run well, they are vital to fulfilling the mission. They are the “reach” of the

8 Quick Ways to Show Your Members Appreciation
Members are at the core of everything you do as an association professional. Whether those members are individuals, companies or even other associations, they drive everything you do. Showing consistent

The Membership Engagement Ladder
A membership engagement ladder could be the missing piece to your membership recruitment, engagement, and retention. But what is it? In an ideal world, someone who knows nothing about your

3 Ways to Innovate Annual Conference
Annual conference for any association is an exciting event. It’s a time to connect with peers, continue education, and have fun. It’s also a time for the association to show

Top Three Things Interns Need From Their Internship With Your Association
The world of internships is fast evolving. An ASAE Association Now article reports only 17 percent of college students had an internship back in 1992. Fast forward a quarter of

4 Strategies to Empower New Board Members
The beginning of a new board member’s role is both a time of excitement and a time of uncertainty. How will the board function with a new collection of people?

Benefit of Membership: Networking
Members depend on their association for a number of services – education, resources, talent development, etc. One of the lesser-discussed, yet invaluable benefits associations provide to their members is networking

How To Motivate Your Volunteers
Volunteers are an essential piece to a successful association structure. A volunteer program provides a competitive advantage and becomes a membership benefit to those who want to be more involved.

The 5 Reasons You’re Not Getting New Volunteers (And What Your Association Can Do About It)
We’ve all heard the 80/20 rule; 80 percent of the work is done by 20 percent of the people. But today, most associations are operating closer to a 90/10 ratio when it comes to volunteer engagement. Here are five reasons your organization isn’t getting new volunteers– and what you can do about it.

Free E-Book: The 5 Reasons You’re Not Getting New Volunteers (And What Your Association Can Do About It)
Is your association relying too much on too few volunteers? Is your association struggling to gain a larger, more committed volunteer base? We’ve come up with 5 reasons you’re not
RGI Team Member Earns Certified Association Executive Designation
Congratulations to our very own Brook Pritchett for passing the rigorous Certified Association Executive exam to earn the designation of CAE. The CAE credential, established by the American Society of

3 Steps to Starting a Micro-Volunteering Program
Micro-Volunteering is a way to get people involved with your association without having them commit a lot of time. Associations of all sizes have a long list of ways members

3 Things to Expect as a New Volunteer
You’ve volunteered for the first time with an organization you believe in, care about, and want to impact. What can you expect as a new volunteer? And what is expected

4 Ways to Utilize Social Media Stories at Your Annual Conference
While the concept of the social media story originated with Snapchat, both Facebook and Instagram have debuted similar functions. Now users and brands can facilitate better engagement by documenting their

9 Strategies to Avoid Analysis Paralysis
Making effective decisions is a key skill for any non-profit leader. The average adult makes an astonishing 35,000 decisions. According to a Harvard Business Review study, people who were described

Helping Members Get the Most Out of Membership
Many of us belong to several professional memberships, as well as all the personal memberships we use in our everyday life. Do we take advantage of all our memberships have

6 Key Components of an Association Website
Are you trying to decide on a new website design? Whether this is the first website your association has created or your association is in the middle of designing an

The 5 Benefits of Brainstorming
Are you trying to figure out how to improve a system or aspect of your association? Brainstorming could be your answer. A brainstorming session is a meeting where leadership can

5 Ways to Show Your Volunteers Appreciation
Your association has no doubt benefited from the time and work of volunteers. Even though volunteers knowingly sign up to help for nothing in return, it’s still important to let

Event Email Marketing: Communication to Registrants
Early in the event planning process, registration is a high priority. What happens after attendees start registering? A lot of effort is poured into getting people to register, but that

3 Ways to Power Up Your Social Media Channels
There are strategies everywhere to enhance each of your social media channels. For the purpose of this blog, we will focus on three things you can do across all channels

Text Marketing: What is it and How Can it Help My Association?
Do you ever receive text messages from your favorite store or restaurant? They might send them out to alert you of a sale on a jean jacket you have had

Making Your Event An Experience: 3 Tips from XDP
A robot doing tai-chi. A 6:30 a.m. POUND© workout with lime green drumsticks. Joan Jett. What do these things have in common? They were all part of the experiences offered

RGI Events Team Receives Honors
RGI’s events team took home top honors at the recent Meetings Professionals International (MPI) Indiana Chapter IMPRESS Awards.

RGI team member earns Healthcare Meeting Compliance Certificate
Congrats to RGI’s Vice President of Client and Conference Services Katie Riggs, who recently earned her Healthcare Meeting Compliance Certification (HMCC).

Which association staffing model is right for your organization?
If you’re serving on a board of directors that is considering changing your staffing model, the options may seem overwhelming. Here are a few key considerations to help you determine

Free Guide: A Busy Board Member’s Guide to Selecting a New AMC
Is your organization stalling on its goals? Are you coming up short on turning your vision into reality? Is your current staff not meeting expectations? Is your executive director preparing

A Busy Board Member’s Guide to Selecting an AMC
An AMC offers efficiencies that can help your board meet its goals while reducing the amount of volunteer resources required. This can translate to happier members, a more financially sound organization, and a more productive board. But when it comes to finding an AMC, where do you start?

Myth-Busting: What You Should Know About Association Management Companies
If your organization is considering making changes to its professional staff structure, an association management company (AMC) is a great solution. AMCs allow your organization to share staff, resources, office space

No More Excuses: 4 Ways to Solve Your Association’s Most Pressing Issue
As a board member, you recognize that your association has a constant stream of projects, programs, or structures that need to be established, changed or replaced. These longer-term issues are

2017 Recap: Our Most Popular Association Management Blogs
As 2018 begins, we want to take a moment to reflect on the trending topics in association management that shaped 2017. Here’s a look back at our top five blogs

RGI Celebrates Wins at ISAE STAR Awards
Last week, top association professionals were honored at the STAR Awards hosted by the Indiana Society of Association Executives (ISAE). The STAR Awards recognize excellence in the association management profession

3 Elements of Successful Board Orientations
If your organization’s leadership cycle operates on a calendar year, you are likely preparing to welcome new board members over the next few weeks. For most groups, this means a

3 New Year’s Resolutions for Board Presidents
With the holiday season approaching, it’s also the time of year when many associations transition to new leadership. If you’re a board president in 2018, here are three New Year’s

Five Ways To Welcome New Members
When someone joins your organization, you have a critical window to help shape their overall impression of your association. Here are five ways to help them feel welcomed and valued.

Three Tips for Choosing Your Annual Conference Location
For many associations, an Annual Conference represents a large portion of revenue. With so much on the line, you need to ensure your event location will boost event attendance rather

The National Federation of Paralegal Associations, Inc. Selects Raybourn Group International as New Management Company
Indianapolis (November 1, 2017) – Raybourn Group International (RGI), an Indianapolis-based association management, consulting and event planning firm, is pleased to have been selected as the new management company for

4 Ways to Make the Most of Your Next Board Meeting
Board meetings: If the phrase makes you groan, you’re probably doing it wrong. While no one enjoys meetings for the sake of meeting, there are ways to make sure your

3 Ways To Increase Attendee Satisfaction At Your Association Events
For many associations, the annual conference or trade show is a key member benefit. Often, members who attend these events become more engaged in the association, have stronger retention rates,

3 Ways to Engage your Association Members on Social Media
In an age where there are more than two billion monthly users on Facebook and 328 million monthly users on Twitter, it’s safe to say your content may be getting

Help Your Members Help Others
Over the past few weeks, the national conversation has focused on tragedies around the country. During these times, many associations find themselves in an internal debate: Do we operate business

3 Things Your Conference Sponsors Really Want
When it comes to conferences, sponsor support can make or break the attendee experience. It’s obvious that sponsors provide revenue and resources to offset costs, but sponsors provide other intangible

5 Tips to Better Event Email Marketing
Email marketing is a popular (arguably the most popular) way to communicate with potential attendees to your event. Social media and snail mail are legitimate options as well, but email

10 Ways to Help Your Volunteers Help Your Association
Help me if you can, I’m feeling downAnd I do appreciate you being ’roundHelp me get my feet back on the groundWon’t you please, please help me?– The Beatles No

Utilizing Your Association to Help in Times of Need
The recent event of Hurricane Harvey making landfall is putting a large spotlight on natural disasters and more importantly how those not in the disaster zone can help. The continued fallout

5 Tips to Running an Efficient Meeting
According to a survey of U.S. professionals by Salary.com, meetings ranked as the number one productivity killer. Most employees find them unnecessary. However, in the association world, meetings are how

How to Get the Most Out of Your Volunteer Time
There are many great reasons to volunteer. You can develop new skills and gain new experiences. You can meet new people, make new friend, and build your personal network. You

Earning Media Coverage for Your Association
We are a long past the day when news arrived with the morning paper or the evening news broadcast. A 2016 article in The Atlantic reported that on average Buzzfeed

5 Tips for New Board Members
You’re a new board member… now what? Stepping into a board position can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. These five tips will help you understand your new

3 Reasons Members Leave and What You Can Do About It
Gaining new members for your association is an important and necessary goal. It’s often a topic that dominates meetings and is at the forefront of association professionals’ minds. It’s one

4 Ways to Sell Your Annual Conference to New Members
Annual conferences are something many professionals and long-time members look forward to. However, new members may be questioning whether they should attend. Here are four selling points that could help

Balancing Work, Life, and Volunteering
Being busy is worn as a badge of accomplishment by many. Our culture often equates busyness to success and importance. This may have some truth to it to a degree,

Free Social Media Analytics Tools
The days of writing blogs to educate organizations of the importance of social media are over. Everyone knows what social media is and its importance. The problem comes after the

4 Qualities in a Valuable Volunteer
Good volunteers are hard to find…or so we tell ourselves. Maybe we just aren’t looking for the right combination of qualities that make someone a valuable association volunteer. Realistic time commitments

Want to Grow Membership? Ask Why
For membership-based organizations, one of the most common strategic goals is to grow membership. Around the board table, at staff meetings, and among members, there is always much discussion on

Free E-Book: Membership Development in Focus
Want to solve all your membership development challenges? A silver bullet to propel your recruitment and retention numbers skyward so you can sit back and bask in the glory as the smartest