Professional excellence is a core value of RGI and knowledge-sharing supports that value. In August, RGI staff members spoke at the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) Annual Meeting & Exposition in Cleveland, OH. With a wide range of education and experience, they spoke on maximizing your impact as a small staff, DEI in the international association space, and elevating your meetings events on a budget.
Small Staff Victories: Optimizing Limited Resources for Maximum Impact
Speakers: Amanda Bureau, CAE, CVA, Executive Director and Wendy King, CAE, Executive Director
Small associations often face the misconception that limited resources hinder their ability to achieve significant results. However, this is far from the truth. Through creativity, efficiency, and strategic collaboration, even associations with five or fewer staff members can achieve remarkable results. In this session, Amanda and Wendy shared five compelling case studies on how small teams have overcome challenges and optimized their resources to drive innovation and success. Small staff associations can unlock their full potential by exploring strategies for maximizing limited budgets, staff, and time. This shift in perspective reveals that organizational size does not determine success, but rather the ability to leverage available resources effectively. As Wendy King, CAE, emphasizes, “Sharing strategies and insights on how to achieve big results with limited resources is a passion of mine, and empowering others with practical tools and inspiration to make a significant impact.” Amanda Bureau, CAE, CVA, adds, “It’s all-too easy for small staffs to believe they can’t achieve as much as large associations. With a little creativity, collaboration, and adaptability, we can all have big wins that create meaningful impact for our associations.”
DEI Across Borders: Crafting Inclusive Practices for International Associations
Speaker: Melissa Heeke, CAE, MLD, Membership Director
Enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within international associations is critical and requires a multifaceted approach. Organizations can start by examining survey data to understand the current DEI landscape, identify existing gaps, and develop an aspirational DEI statement. A thorough review and revision of policies is essential to ensure that candidate pools reflect diversity in leadership positions, as well as implement effective committee strategies for sustained representation. Practical action planning helps create a dynamic DEI roadmap that outlines specific steps for implementation. Insights gained from these processes can significantly contribute to fostering a sense of belonging and inclusion within global associations. Melissa Heeke emphasizes, “I love speaking about crafting inclusive practices for international associations because global associations are often overlooked in conversations about DEI. This session provided an opportunity to discuss these challenges in a supportive environment with peers managing global associations.”
Boujee on a Budget: Making Meetings Memorable on a Shoestring
Speaker: Emily Perkins, CMP, CAE, CMM, PMP, CED
Meeting budgets have remained stagnant while costs – and your participants’ expectations – have continued to rise. But, there are innovative ways to elevate your meetings without breaking the bank! There are cost-effective strategies, inspiring case studies, and creative approaches to make your meetings unforgettable. You must learn how to think outside the box and maximize your impact on a limited budget. From engaging activities to budget-friendly technologies, it’s important to create memorable and impactful meetings that leave a lasting impression. Emily Perkins highlights, “Creating an engaging experience for our members when we meet is critical to not only our associations success, but most certainly the members return on investment. As costs continue to rise, we are challenged to design memorable meetings while being good stewards of the associations budget – but it is possible!”
RGI staff members work hard to conduct knowledge-sharing with co-workers but also with peers through in-person presentations, blog posts, and consulting projects.
Madalyn Hill
As Communications Coordinator, Madalyn Hill specializes in digital marketing, which includes email marketing, content marketing, and social media management. Madalyn graduated from the University of Dayton with a Bachelor's of Science in Business Administration, majoring in Marketing. She also has a Certificate in Digital Marketing from Northwestern University.