The weekly list of free educational events and resources for the association community…
AMS/CRM community. After a successful April gathering in Alexandria VA, 501Works, PerByte, and Adage Technologies are hosting another Ven-Con for AMS/CRM vendors and consultants in Chicago on Tuesday, June 11. Ven-Con’s goal is to drive positive change in the AMS/CRM and technology systems selection space. In facilitated conversations, participants will explore how the industry can come together to develop helpful resources for all stakeholders in the AMS/CRM selection process.
Gen Z. TopClass LMS explains why Gen Z is the most entrepreneurial generation and how associations can attract and support them with education, networking, and other membership benefits.
RFPs. Impexium published a really good guide to creating a request for proposals (RFP) for association management software, which includes advice from technology consultants Tobin Conley of DelCor Technology Solutions, Moira Edwards of Ellipsis Partners, George Rears of Achurch Consulting, and Wes Trochlil of Effective Database Management.
Event engagement. 360 Live Media explores three elements shaping the future of events: technology, sustainability, and a culture of trust. They describe how to embrace these trends to create future-focused experiences that empower your attendees and strengthen your community.
Marketing. In a recent episode of the Leading Learning podcast, Celisa Steele of Tagoras talked to Michelle Brien of Matchbox about authenticity and value in marketing, content marketing, generative AI, and more.
Events. Julius Solaris of Boldpush is a good follow on LinkedIn if you’re interested in event planning and marketing. He provides his own insights plus wise words from other experts, like “If you can do it on Zoom, don’t do it in the room.”
Credentialing prep groups. TopClass LMS describes the advantages of credentialing exam study groups for candidates and associations, such as boosting pass rates, introducing people to your other programs, and generating new revenue. They also share association examples of effective program elements.
Association magazines. m3Magazines offers advice for transforming your magazine into a valuable resource for members. They start by reviewing the benefits of a well-crafted print magazine—in case you need to make a case to your leadership team. They also explain how to develop a content strategy, identify the best time for a redesign, decrease costs, and increase revenue.
Association boards. Ten years ago, Jeff De Cagna introduced a new charge for association boards: the duty of foresight. At Naylor’s Association Adviser, he explains why this essential responsibility is still seen as a radical idea. Associations won’t survive the next ten years unless their boards take this duty seriously.
Member engagement. Julie Sciullo of Association Analytics describes three data-informed strategies for improving member engagement, with examples from the International Association of Exhibitions and Events.
Quick hits
The loneliness epidemic has given rise to a new crop of startups aiming to help people connect in real life. | by Lauren Johnson and Sydney Bradley, Business Insider
How to get past a paywall to read an article for free. | by Pranay Parab, Lifehacker
Like it or not, the age of the employee social ambassador is here. | by Katie Hicks, Marketing Brew
How to AI-proof your career as a knowledge worker. | by Henley Wing Chiu, Bloomberry
You never grow old at the table
Nothing to report because I was hiking with my family last week in Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area and Dinosaur National Monument in Utah and Colorado—highly recommended if you love the high desert and red rocks like I do. Besides frying eggs for breakfast, making breakfast burritos, prepping salad, and cutting up veggies for dip, I didn’t do any cooking. But that all changes tonight! Tune in next week.
If you’d like to subscribe, please complete the form in the sidebar or at the bottom of this post. I won’t share or sell your email address.
If you have a free webinar or event coming up, please send me the link by Wednesday afternoon the week before it’s scheduled. I’m happy to feature it as long as it’s not too product-centric.
Wed 5/29 at 12 p.m.* – Elevating Excellence: Chapter Benchmarking for Organizational Growth
If your association is looking to boost chapter performance, optimize operations, and elevate membership engagement, consider the power of benchmarking. Hear how AGC launched a chapter self-assessment and benchmarking program to enhance the performance and success of their 89 chapters. Learn about the role of benchmarking for chapters, some self-assessment techniques to identify strengths and areas of improvement, how to leverage benchmarking data to set goals and strategies, and identify benchmarking and assessment tools for chapters. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: AXC / Association Xchange
Speaker: Christi Beatty, Vice President of Chapter Services & Member Engagement at the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC)
*All events are online at Eastern Daylight Time unless otherwise noted.
Wed 5/29 at 12 p.m. – Nonprofit Governance Transformation: Leveraging Catalyst Points for Deep Change
Explore new perspectives and cutting-edge practices in governance, with a strong emphasis on bridging the gap between research and practical application. More info/register.
Host: ARNOVA Governance Section
Speakers:
- Beth Gazley, Ph.D., Professor, O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University
- Claudia Lach, M.A., Principal, Lach Training and Consulting
Wed 5/29 at 12 p.m. – The Messaging Campaign Model: Organize and Execute
Learn how to connect the channel assessment, comms policy, and content calendar; design multiple pieces of content from one root message; and create a cadence that prevents message overlap and inbox overwhelm. Hear about distribution channels and how they relate to audience segments. More info/register.
Host: L-12 Services Corp
Speaker: Lizabeth Wesely-Casella, Founder & CEO, L-12 Services Corp.
Wed 5/29 at 1 p.m. – The World of Wellness in Meetings and Events
Beyond practical tools and techniques, this program aims to provide insight into creating immersive, engaging and wellness-centric event experiences that prioritize the well-being of attendees while aligning with the client’s event goals and themes. Learn about the emerging trends of interactive game play such as virtual reality, forest bathing and more, and explore cutting edge techniques such as the spiral, neurological rewiring and more. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: Meetings Today
Speaker: Kristine Iverson, founder and president of Crow Practice
Wed 5/29 at 4:30 p.m. – MMC+Tech Welcome (Washington DC)
Come network with the AWTC community of women and allies. This IRL opportunity to socialize and network with your industry peers is brought to you by the generous support of our sponsors. Location: Washington DC. More info/register.
Host: Association Women Technology Champions
Thu 5/30 at 12 p.m. – 5 Ways to Boost Email Responses from Sponsorship Decision Makers
Learn how to stand out in crowded inboxes with five actionable tips that nonprofit organizations can use to help improve email response rates from sponsorship decision makers. Discover proven strategies to both craft compelling emails and encourage engagement. More info/register.
Host: Lori Zoss Kraska, MBA, CFRE, founder/CEO, Growth Owl
Thu 5/30 at 1 p.m. – Strategic Stakeholder Engagement in an Election Year
Navigating the extra challenges of an election year requires a strategic and thoughtful approach to stakeholder engagement to capitalize on the momentum of the election to achieve your goals before November and be ready with a robust post-election strategy. Learn how to build and prioritize relationships before the election rush, make a plan for every electoral outcome, leave a positive first impression with new lawmakers, and use meeting tracking tools to gauge (and boost) your influence. More info/register.
Host: Quorum
Fri 5/31 at 1 p.m. – Talk with CAEs
An online space for CAE candidates to ask questions about the CAE (e.g., exam preparations, eligibility, exam content outline, study strategies, practice questions, tips and advice, etc.) and current CAEs to share their knowledge and experience with the exam. More info/register.
Facilitators:
- Aaron Grau, CAE, President, Global Association Partners
- DeeJay Hastings, CAE, Executive Consultant, LEWIS, LLC
Fri 5/31 at 4 p.m. – Open Discussion/Best Practices Sharing: Dealing with Disruptive or Disengaged Board Members
Come prepared to share your stories about disruptive or disengaged board members and how your organization handled the situation. More info/register.
Host: Fridays@4
Tue 6/4 at 12 p.m. – Data Analytics Network
1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Data Analytics Network
Tue 6/4 at 2 p.m. – Before You Go: An Insider’s Guide to AMS Fest
If you are attending AMS Fest this year or thinking about a new AMS/CRM system in the next few years, it’s time to start preparing. Get the inside scoop on getting the most out of the AMS Fest experience and the AMS selection process. More info/register.
Hosts: 501Works and PerByte
Speakers:
- James Marquis, CIO, 501Works
- Olivia Wilkins, Business Analyst/Project Manager, PerByte
Thu 6/6 at 1 p.m. – The Power of Connection: The Foundations of Conversation
In a world driven by relationships, the ability to engage authentically and meaningfully with others is a fundamental asset. Delve into the art and science of conversation and become an adept conversationalist. Learn how to hone active listening skills, foster empathy, and master the dynamics of engaging dialogue. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: UST Education
Speaker: Kate Coffey, VP of Marketing and Events, US Transactions Corporation/UST Education
Thu 6/6 at 2 p.m. – Integrations 101
Hear real-world use cases where integrations helped associations improve their business processes and expose new user data and insights. Learn what an integration is and what it is not, why integrations are important for associations, the role of clean data for effective integrations, and what middleware is and whether you need it. More info/register.
Host: 501Works
Speakers:
- Josh Carlson, Founder & Chief Innovator, PerByte
- Richard Reyes, MBA, Vice President, Digital Strategy, ConnexFM
- James Marquis, CIO, 501Works
Association Brain Food Weekly is published Friday mornings. If your organization offers free professional development for the association community, please send me the link via email by Wednesday afternoon the week before it’s scheduled.
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Association Brain Food 
Hi Deirdre,
I hope you’re well and find your newsletter very helpful. I wanted to see if you’re aware of any ethics courses. It seems I’m due for CAE renewal this year and still need that one credit.
Thanks!
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Hi Nicole. Yes, Rogue Tulips Consulting (Cecilia Sepp) offers an ethics webinar: https://roguetulips.com/. Not free, but inexpensive and well worth the money.
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