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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
Membership Development in Focus
The best strategy for increasing your membership and engagement is to bring focus to your membership development efforts. This e-book outlines three ways to ensure forward momentum in your organization’s membership development.
Membership 1-2-3
Is your membership flat or lagging? The knee-jerk reaction is to come up with a brilliant plan to fix your recruitment problem. But the fact is recruitment is only one
Successful Failures
Now there’s a glaring contradiction if I’ve ever heard one. “Successful failure” makes about as much sense as low-calorie fudge, cool heat, cheap diamonds, or a healthy flu. I’m talking
Is Your Association Riding a Dead Horse?
That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard. Who would want to ride a dead horse? Who COULD ride a dead horse? Okay, I’m not being literal here; more symbolic. In
3 Clues Your Association Has Underappreciated Volunteers
Volunteers are the backbone of associations. Passionate members spend countless hours in tasks from the strategic to the tedious. Many volunteers follow a well-trod path of committee service or elected
Utilizing Video for Your Association’s Events and Education
Video is one of the most versatile tools available for online content creation. It’s more attention-grabbing than an article or an email, and done well, it is more clear and
How To Grow Your Association’s Membership in 15 Minutes or Less
We’ve all heard that time is money. But time can also mean membership! As a busy association volunteer, it’s easy to think you may not be able to make a
Top 5 Blog Posts You Should Read as an Association Volunteer
As an association volunteer, your time is limited. We’ve compiled five blogs you should read to help you more efficiently and effectively fill your role. 1. Four Things Association Board Members
5 Ways to Deal with a Bully Board Member
If you’ve worked with volunteer boards long enough, either as a professional or as a volunteer, you have certainly had to deal with this on some level — the bully
Three Tips to Better Manage Your Association’s Social Media
Most organizations have accepted the fact that a social media presence is vital for raising awareness, building relationships and establishing credibility. However, it can quickly become overwhelming, especially if you
5 Ways to Make Sure Members Read Your Association’s Emails
Email communication to your members is a double-edged sword. Complaints that inboxes are out-of-control and eating up time in the day are balanced by member surveys that indicate email is
5 Fantasies Conference Chairs Can Fall For
Being conference chair is a professional honor and recognition, right? You’ve got this! Here are some common conference chair fantasies put into reality. 1. You can do it ALL No
Association Management Companies Grow Associations
How can an association management company (AMC) help your organization? AMCs offer services for associations including event management, marketing, membership management and relations, finances, and more. Recently, the AMC Institute compiled statistics
Helping Your Volunteers Tell the Story of Your Association
Volunteers are often the first voice of your association, the first introduction outsiders have to your organization, and the first opportunity to make a great lasting impression. They are the
Five Questions to Ask as an Overcommitted Volunteer
Between work, family and our volunteer commitments, it is very easy to end up overcommitted. If you are like me, family comes first and work comes next. Those are two constants,
Does Your Association Need a Blog?
It seems like everyone has a blog, so now you’re considering creating one for your association. Blogging is becoming more and more popular for good reason. Consistent business blogging can have
The Fine Art of Managing and Eliminating Board Cliques
It’s human nature to gravitate towards people that are most like us. We like to associate with people who share our opinions, ideologies, and visions. Surrounding ourselves with like-minded people
Free E-Book – Board Training Checklist: Going Beyond the Orientation
The start of a new governance term can be an exciting time. Your board gains fresh ideas and perspectives. New board members start with energy and enthusiasm. Returning board members have renewed optimism. Capture that dynamic
Overcoming the 5 Excuses Halting Your Association Board Training
Association executives know the value of training and orientation for board members. They also know the struggle of finding time in busy schedules and packed agendas for “one more thing,”
4 Quick Tips on Running an Effective Committee Meeting
Running an effective committee meeting is not something any committee chair should take lightly. Like you, your committee members have volunteered their time, energy and expertise. As the committee chair,
Making Headlines: 3 Tips to Get Your Association in the News
The subtitle for this post should be “How to Get in the News Without Losing Sleep!” It’s not uncommon to find increased media coverage in an association’s strategic plan. Despite the
Embrace Millennials: 5 Tips for Your Recruitment and Retention Strategy
By 2020, 46% of the workplace will be comprised of Millennials (born 1981-1996), making them the largest generation in the workplace. There are already more Millennials than Boomers (born 1946-1964),
5 Books Leaders Need to Read This New Year
January is here and it’s time to start tackling your New Year’s resolutions. Did reading more and learning new things land on your resolution list this year? Studies have cited that leaders
Four New Year’s Resolutions for Association Boards
A few days ago, you probably made some personal resolutions to get the New Year off to a great start. When you made those resolutions, did you think about your
In Case You Missed It: Top Blogs of 2016
With 2016 winding down, it’s a good time to look back at our most popular blogs of the year. From financial management to event marketing to volunteering, here were the
Strategic Wins: Small Steps and Big Gains
Success is often a matter of degrees. It’s frequently the difference between making that final push—doing that something extra—versus proudly saying “well, we sure gave it our best shot.” How
How to Prevent Your Strategic Plan From Failing
This e-book will examine each of these potential pitfalls—as well as what you can do to avoid them and ensure that your strategic plan is successful now and well into the future.
Four Reasons You Need A Strategic Plan
Many organizations feel that, as long as things are going fine, they don’t need to invest the time and energy into a strategic plan. However, there are a number of
Building Your Association’s Brand (On A Budget)
Growing your association’s brand or developing one from scratch is a multifaceted process that can quickly become expensive. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be. Here’s a list of tips to
Three Tips For Engaging Event Volunteers
As an active volunteer myself, I know that it’s easy for volunteers to feel disconnected while working at association events. It’s also important to keep volunteers engaged once the conference or
5 Questions to Ask Before Agreeing to Serve as an Association Volunteer
As you move through your professional life, it is quite likely you’ll be asked to serve in a volunteer position with an association. Recent numbers show the rate of volunteerism
Reality Check: 10 Questions To Ask About The Future of Membership
Is it time for a reality check for your organization? For more years than most would like to admit, the talk around association board and staff meetings has included
So…You Want Your Board Members to Help Drive Engagement
Member engagement is the livelihood of an association. Active, engaged members renew their membership and help spread the word to bring new members to the association. While technically an association’s board
The Skinny on Meeting Contracts
Contracting in the meeting industry can be a real pain point for associations and corporations alike, especially in a sellers’ market. Staying abreast of the current trends is the best way