Association Brain Food: 5.31.24

The weekly list of free educational events and resources for the association community…

Humans vs AI. At The Atlantic, Tyler Austin Harper highlights the big AI risk not enough people are seeing: “We need to adopt a more sophisticated approach to artificial intelligence, one that allows us to distinguish… which uses of artificial intelligence expand our basic human capabilities, and which cultivate incompetence and incapacity under the guise of empowerment.”

Connections. When flying, my nose is usually buried in my Kindle. But last week, I enjoyed chatting with the mature 12-year-old sitting next to me who was enjoying her book while traveling home on her own. Amanda Lea Kaiser describes how these conversations with strangers are often deep, meaningful, and life-changing. I’m looking forward to the rest of her series about helping strangers (members) connect—and wonder what my young seatmate took away from our chat.

Membership renewals. Impexium dives deep into the details of membership renewals, such as the difference between retention and renewal, metrics, reasons members don’t renew, and, best of all, solutions for your association’s renewal challenges.

Sunsetting. Hannah Carvalho at Associations Now shares the advice of Jennifer Blenkle of the American Physiological Society and Ankur Ponda of McKinley Advisors on how to build a smart sunsetting strategy for products and programs. So important if you want to make space for new initiatives.

Event design. At The Meeting Magazines, Lee Gimpel of Better Meetings and other planners offer excellent advice for using intentional design to improve your events. Lee said, “Being intentional requires thought, but a lot of events skip true intention-setting and then spend a lot of time and thought on details that aren’t connected to the purpose.”

Association videos. VideoRequest describes how associations use video to increase brand awareness, raise funds, engage volunteers, and promote events.

Content workflow. Jodi Harris at Content Marketing Institute explains how to map workflows for each content format and variation your team regularly produces. She also describes content processes that remove friction, confusion, and inefficiencies and make production more manageable.

Quick hits

Toward a politics of beauty. We can dream, right? | by John de Graaf, Front Porch Republic

Why don’t southern homes have basements? I wonder about this whenever we have a tornado warning. | by Jeremy Markovich, North Carolina Rabbit Hole

You never grow old at the table

It’s worth dragging out your slow cooker for this recipe from The Complete Slow Cooker by America’s Test Kitchen: Thai green curry with shrimp and sweet potatoes. So good. My adaptations: double the amount of green curry paste and add red bell and jalapeño pepper, onion, garlic, spinach, and a garnish of chopped peanuts. Serve over brown rice.

Here’s one for leftover jars of salsa. Sprinkle filets of speckled sea trout with garlic powder, s/p, and lime juice. Top with salsa and guacamole salsa. Bake. Garnish with chopped cilantro. On the side, the usual roasted broccoli with red onion, garlic powder, and s/p.

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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.

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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

*All events are online at Eastern Daylight Time unless otherwise noted.

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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

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Tue 6/4 at 12 p.m. – Rethinking Data Priorities: Preparing Associations for an AI-Driven Future

Historically, associations have primarily focused on capturing revenue-related data points, sometimes overlooking non-revenue data in the process. In the age of AI, this narrow approach to data collection and management can limit an organization’s ability to leverage AI tools effectively. Learn about the impact of a non-holistic approach to data and hear actionable insights on how associations can adjust their mentality and data practices to thrive in an AI-driven future. More info/register.

Host: fusionSpan

Speakers:

• Rebecca Achurch of Achurch Consulting
• Tobin Conley of Delcor
• Stephen St John of fusionSpan

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Tue 6/4 at 12 p.m. – Google Analytics 4 (GA4) Essentials: Data Analytics Network

GA4 is now the default web analytics for all websites as of July 2023. Learn GA4 essentials, like how to install and configure it so you can manage your web analytics and unlock custom insights. Find out what makes GA4 different, how to configure basic and advanced tracking, set goals and conversions, and build basic reports via Google Looker. Get a jump start from experts who have assisted associations in implementing best practices to confidently manage the GA4 transition. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: Data Analytics Network

Speakers:

• Ray van Hilst, Director of Client Strategy, Yoko Co
• Justin Scott (moderator), VP Innovation & Analytics, Metals Service Center Institute

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Tue 6/4 at 1 p.m. – Beyond ChatGPT: Elevating Marketing with AI-Generated Graphics, Audio, and Video

Discover a range of powerful use cases and AI tools designed to elevate your marketing efforts. Learn how AI can help you cultivate new skills and drive more impact for your organization. Understand how to evaluate AI’s efficacy and impact on marketing by measuring cost, time, performance, and creativity. Discover how AI is empowering marketers to generate high-impact video content without technical expertise. More info/register.

Host: American Marketing Association

Speakers:

• Clement Desmouceaux, Head of Marketing at PlayPlay
• Natalie Lambert, Founder and Managing Partner at GenEdge Consulting / ex-Googler

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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.

Note from Deirdre: If your association is planning to get a new AMS or CRM in the coming years, you will save time, money, and headaches and make the best choice possible by attending AMS Fest.

Hosts: 501Works and PerByte

Speakers:

• James Marquis, CIO, 501Works
• Olivia Wilkins, Business Analyst/Project Manager, PerByte

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Wed 6/5 at 12 p.m. – Balancing Innovation with Governance to Meet Member Expectations

Learn practical strategies to meet your members’ needs in the digital era. Find the correct balance between innovation and governance to provide value to your members. Gain valuable insights to rally stakeholder support and refine your strategies. More info/register.

Host: WorkerBee.TV

Speakers:

• Tom Morrison, CEO, Metal Treatment Institute
• Marcus Leite, Director, Sales and Marketing, WorkerBee.TV

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Wed 6/5 at 12 p.m. – It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad Association-Vendor World: How to Improve the Association-Vendor Relationship

Discuss the hurdles associations encounter during vendor selection. Hear about best practices for engaging busy association executives. Learn how to manage the flood of supplier outreach that bombards association leaders daily. Learn about the importance of vendors gaining insights into the daily challenges faced by association executives and get actionable advice on forging genuine connections with these decision-makers. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: AIOT

Speakers:

• Kelli Baxter, Executive Director, ATA
• Chuck Bowen, VP of Communications and Member Relations, OPEI
• Dianne Vance, Director of Sales, AOTA
• Dave Schulman (moderator), Associations Rewired
• Bill Sheehan (moderator), D2L

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Wed 6/5 at 1 p.m. – Demystifying SOPs: From Groan to Game-Changing

Learn how to identify appropriate formats and tools for your SOP needs, create a plan for usable and effective SOP storage, and maintain up-to-date SOPs with an ongoing program. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: Fonteva

Speakers:

• Vanessa Dennison, CAE, CBAP, Principal, Dennison & Associates
• Erin Lemons, Vice President of Marketing, Association Solutions, Fonteva & Protech

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Wed 6/5 at 1 p.m. – AI Made Easy: Practical Tools for Marketing Transformation

Hear about the concept of AI in marketing and a variety of accessible, low-cost tools that will set you on the path to AI integration without overwhelming your budget or your schedule. These tools are specifically designed to enhance marketing, advertising, and communications functions within your organization. More info/register.

Host: American Marketing Association

Speaker: Erica Salm Rench, Chief Operating Officer, rasa.io

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Wed 6/5 at 2 p.m. – Positioning Your Digital Initiatives to Mission-Driven Decision Makers

Struggling to get sponsorship for your initiatives? Learn how to connect with the right people who care about your mission. Hear how to find and reach out to the right contacts in companies, not just the top executives; build meaningful relationships with those who support your mission; and improve your sponsorship proposals to attract interest. More info/register.

Host: Matchbox

Speakers:

• Lori Zoss Kraska, founder, Growth Owl
• Michelle Brien, vice president marketing, Matchbox

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Wed 6/5 at 2 p.m. – Insights from ASAE’s Global Toolkit and Survey

Hear key insights from ASAE’s comprehensive toolkit designed to help U.S.-based associations move from ad-hoc to strategic as they develop or expand their international efforts. Learn about frameworks for assessing market potential and other action-oriented tips to help associations grow their international operations. More info/register (free for ASAE members only).

Host: ASAE

Speakers:

• Sylvia Gonner, CAE, President and Owner, CultureWiz
• Amy Hissrich, CAE, Vice President, International Affairs, ASAE: The Center For Association Leadership

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Thu 6/6 at 12 p.m. – Member ROI Group

The live discussions will be predominately in CAE education domains related to member ROI on the first and third Thursdays of the month with some exceptions. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: Ed Rigsbee

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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

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Fri 6/7 at 4 p.m. – Online Communities Series: Part 2 – Creating an Impactful Onboarding Campaign for an Association’s Online Community

1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: Fridays@4

Speaker: Catherine Hackney, online community consultant specializing in association member communities

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Tue 6/11 from 12 to 2 p.m. – AI Policy, Practice & Communication (Washington DC)

Hear three association case studies on using AI to create content, develop a special magazine issue on AI, and put together an internal AI use policy. Location: Washington DC. More info/register.

Host: AM&P Next community

Speakers:

• Matthew Cibellis, Learning First Alliance
• Cecily Garber, associate vice president, communications and member relations, NBOA: Business Leadership for Independent Schools
• Dani Gudakunst, managing editor, Police Chief, International Association of Chiefs of Police

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Tue 6/11 at 4:30 p.m. CDT – AWTC AMS Fest Chicago Welcome (Chicago IL)

Come network with the AWTC community of women and allies. Location: Chicago IL. More info/register.

Host: Association Women Technology Champions

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Wed 6/12 at 12 p.m. – Prepping Your Team for a Migration Journey

Migrating to new systems requires not only tactical planning and training, but knowing when to rally staff as they adopt new processes and manage change. Since technology, and more importantly, data is owned by more than one team, associations also have to figure out how best to move forward while maintaining business continuity. Learn what to watch out for and how you can update your association technology stack while minimizing disruption and ensuring continued ownership and improvements. More info/register.

Host: HighRoad Solutions

Speaker: Chandler Miller, Sr Digital Advisor, HighRoad Solutions

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Wed 6/12 at 1 p.m. – Lessons From Amazon: Mastering Data Analytics for Unmatched Customer Experience

Members expect personalized, responsive service that anticipates their needs and preferences. Amazon has set the gold standard by leveraging data analytics to create ultra-curated experiences for each customer. But how do they do it? Hear about Amazon’s strategies and actionable insights for organizations aspiring to deliver similar excellence. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: UST Education

Speaker: Rachel Mace, Director of Client Experience, Association Analytics

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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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