The weekly list of free educational events and resources for the association community
Education providers: Please send me all your scheduled June events no later than Wednesday, June 3. Because I’m heading west for a hiking vacation, the June 5 edition of Association Brain Food is the last one I’m publishing until June 26.
Good reads for the association community
Free course as marketing tool. Instructional design firm Apti recommends using a free short course as a content marketing strategy to attract prospective learners, warm them up for paid programs, support new member engagement, and provide sponsorship opportunities. Along with guidance on topic selection, length, and metrics, they address the objections you’ll likely hear from colleagues and leadership.
Peer learning success. In the second of this series of posts, Jackson Boyar (RallyBoard) explains how 2-million-member Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) became the most long-lasting peer-learning organization in history while spending only $14 annually per member in HQ overhead. He points to AA’s Twelve Traditions as the operating model that helped it scale without dues, sponsorships, or central authority, and translates these principles into six lessons for associations.
Membership value proposition. Most association value propositions highlight membership features when they should describe outcomes. Marketing General Inc. suggests a five-step, AI-assisted process for uncovering what drives member decisions and translating it into messaging that resonates. The guide includes a worksheet with AI prompts and fillable fields, along with a field-testing framework for email, web, and social.
Association automation use cases. Sending renewal reminders doesn’t work as well as building workflows that respond to what members actually do. Claire Fitzgerald (iMIS by ASI) describes five use cases—onboarding journeys, event recommendations, content personalization, CE pathway support, and renewal risk mitigation—where what members do drives what they hear from you next.
Member transformation. On Community Inc., Erin Simmons (Women in Tech SEO) says successful communities are environments where people feel safe enough to take a “trust leap” toward a new identity. Members who become someone new carry your community into rooms you’d never reach through marketing. She shares three questions to help you design a community where that kind of transformation can happen.
Change management. Most change projects fail because of employee resistance and weak management support. D2L’s guide to change management for associations walks through the full process, from building a vision to making new practices stick. The guide gives extra attention to the human side: how staff experience change, why resistance happens, and how to use early adopters to move the skeptics.
Celebrity keynotes. The same structural mistake that killed networking at receptions now plagues Tuesday morning keynotes, says David Adler (Gathering Point News). New Freeman research shows only 1 in 15 conference attendees wants to see a celebrity on the general session stage. 59% prefer industry experts instead. Celebrity speakers persist because governance structures—boards, sponsor contracts, committee tradition—haven’t caught up to the data.
Marketing to non-members. Most associations market to non-members over and over but never cultivate them. Christine Saunders (Halmyre) suggests reframing them as future members and explains how to reach them when you don’t have their email addresses or their trust. She offers practical tactics such as licensed lists, partnerships with adjacent organizations, and engaging early-career professionals before they need you.
Ghosting as a coping strategy. Therapist Terri Cole says last-minute cancellations reflect poor boundary-setting, not legitimate self-care. Habitual flaking makes someone emotionally untrustworthy in relationships. She’s writing about personal relationships, but if event or meeting no-shows are a problem for your association, the psychology she describes explains why attendees stay home.
Ten years of Fridays, no paywall. If you’ve gotten value from Association Brain Food and want to throw a little appreciation my way, buying me a beer is the way to do it. Thanks!
You never grow old at the table
Since we enjoyed it last time I made it, we had creamy Tuscan chicken for dinner again. I subbed bite-sized pieces of thighs for breasts, swapped onion for shallot, and used evaporated milk in place of cream. I also added roasted red bell pepper and mushrooms to the mix.
An old favorite for Sunday (and Tuesday) night: Portuguese fish skillet made with cod, ground linguiça sausage, kale, white beans, and other ingredients.
Chipotle salmon is always a hit. On the side, a roasted (actually, nuked) sweet potato and leftover roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon and onion.
It’s been a while since I’ve made banana bread, but I had two overly ripe bananas. So with one from the freezer, I was good to go. I usually use only whole wheat flour for this recipe, but this time I went with 2/3 whole wheat flour and 1/3 all-purpose flour.
Sunday morning, I made buttermilk pancakes. I’ve got leftover buttermilk to use up—thinking chipotle ranch salad dressing and maybe more pancakes.
About CAE credits: Per ASAE, “any continuing professional education offered by any professional entity may be accepted toward the [CAE] professional development requirement as long as it is directly related to either association or nonprofit management as defined by the CAE exam content outline.”
Education providers: 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 product-centric.
Mon 6/1 at 8 a.m.* – The 8th Measure of Success – Commitment to People (AANHPI Month, Radio Free 501c, the podcast of Rogue Tulips Consulting)
Every week, Rogue Tulips brings the association community intriguing guests who discuss vital topics affecting associations around the world. Episodes are published Monday mornings in both audio and video format, available on YouTube and the usual podcast channels.
Host: Cecilia Sepp, CAE, ACNP, LPEC, Principal & Founder, Rogue Tulips Consulting
Guest: Diana Tucker of Gr8 Measures Strategies
*All events are online at Eastern Time unless otherwise noted.
Tue 6/2 from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. CDT – Beyond Membership: The Revenue Shift Associations Can’t Afford to Ignore (Chicago IL)
Explore how forward-thinking organizations are shifting from dues dependency to revenue resilience. Examine practical strategies to diversify revenue, monetize education more effectively, and create scalable programs that drive both mission impact and financial growth. From certification programs and on-demand learning to sponsored education, partnerships, and digital content ecosystems, discover untapped opportunities to transform learning into a sustainable growth engine and strengthening member value while generating meaningful non-dues revenue. Location: Chicago IL. CAE credits. More info/register.
Host: D2L
Speaker: Bill Sheehan, Global Head of Association Strategy, D2L
Tue 6/2 at 12 p.m. – Reporting/Visualizations for Different Audiences (Data Analytics Network)
Discover how to transform a single data model—like conference registration numbers—into customized dashboards that speak directly to executives, program managers, and ops teams. Learn about the DAR (Dashboard, Analysis, Report) framework for killer dashboard design; how to match visualization styles to stakeholder needs; AI-driven insights that take your reports to the next level; and real-world examples from association data. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Data Analytics Network
Speakers:
- Christin Berry, CAE, ASAE
- Walker Mullin, Wipfli Advisory LLC
Tue 6/2 at 4 p.m. – Let’s Chat: Small Staff Associations – Strong Small Staff Culture
Small organizations can accomplish more by having strong internal cultures that foster trust, shared purpose and a sense of belonging that keeps their teams motivated. This hour will focus on how leaders and staffers can work together to build these types of environments. More info/register (ASAE members only).
Host: ASAE Small Staff Associations Advisory Committee
Wed 6/3 at 9 a.m. – Activate: The Marketing Event for Event Marketers
ACTIVATE is the virtual event that helps event marketers improve their marketing. No talk is longer than 10 minutes. It’s innovative ideas from thought leaders in the event industry to help you cut through the noise and get the marketing results you want. More info/register.
Host: Gleanin
Wed 6/3 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. – From Completion Data to Capability Evidence: How L&D Teams Build Skills Programs That Stick
Hear how to redesign learning programs from the employee [learner] backwards, so your program produces what employees can do, not just what they completed; use a three-stage progression model to turn course completion into demonstrated capability and usable skills data; and apply a five-point program audit to pinpoint where your current programs break down and what to fix first. More info/register.
Host: Training Industry
Speaker: Lauren Shapiro, Professional Services Lead, Accredible
Wed 6/3 at 11 a.m. – Conquer Impostor Syndrome to Advance Your Career
Learn about the internal and external forces that drive impostor syndrome; practical, actionable strategies to manage your inner critic; and tools to show up as a more confident, authentic leader and to support others in doing the same. More info/register.
Host: ASAE
Speaker: Kim Meninger, Keynote Speaker, Leadership Coach, Consultant, Human-Centered Leadership, WBENC Women’s Business Enterprise
Wed 6/3 at 11:30 a.m. – 5 Hidden Mistakes That Are Quietly Killing Your Member Retention
Most associations don’t lose members because of one big failure. It’s something more subtle. Learn about five hidden mistakes that many organizations make without even realizing it. From communication overload to lack of year-round value, these issues don’t always show up in reports, but they show up in your retention numbers. Get a new perspective on what might be holding your members back from renewing, engaging, and truly connecting with your organization. More info/register.
Host: iMIS by ASI
Wed 6/3 at 11:30 a.m. – Why Staff Retention Is Your New Member Retention Strategy
Inefficient, disconnected tech is burning out association staff. When staff struggle, member experience suffers. Learn why staff retention is your most powerful member‑retention strategy and a critical driver of long‑term association sustainability. Get a roadmap to reduce burnout, support your team, and ultimately create a stronger, more sustainable member experience. More info/register.
Host: Momentive Software
Speakers:
- Kerri McGovern, , MPP, CAE, AAiP, VP Membership, Engagement, and Volunteerism, Council for Advancement and Support of Education
- Teshieka Curtis-Pugh, Executive Director, South Carolina Nurses Association
- Rob Miller, MPA, CAE, SVP of Association Strategy, Momentive Software
Wed 6/3 at 12 p.m. – AMS Mythbusters: Ten Beliefs, Four Consultants, No Hedging
The association tech world runs on conventional wisdom. Some of it is useful. Some of it has been wrong for years and nobody’s bothered to check. The AIOT panel puts ten of the most common AMS beliefs on trial, including whether you actually need a consultant to select an AMS, if the RFP is really the best way to evaluate vendors or theater everyone agreed to perform, whether best-of-breed or all-in-one is the best AMS, if AI will replace the AMS, if you even need an AMS at all, plus five more. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: AIOT
Speakers: Moira Edwards (Ellipsis Partners), Vanessa Dennison (Dennison Associates / Beacon), Wes Trochlil (Effective Database Management) and Dave Schulman (Associations Rewired / Beacon)
Wed 6/3 at 1 p.m. – The AI Power Hour: 30 Tools in One Webinar
Learn how marketers can harness the latest wave of AI innovation to boost creativity, speed, and impact. Get a rapid tour of 30 cutting-edge tools spanning language, video, image, and audio generation. Hear how AI streamlines content creation, automating analytics, and transforming everyday workflows. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: UST Education
Speaker: Erica Salm Rench, MBA, CMO at Sidecar
Wed 6/3 at 1 p.m. – AI, Ads, and Associations: Google Ad Grant Best Practices
Learn what the Google Ad Grant is and how associations can use it, tips for making your landing page as Google-friendly as possible, and how you can incorporate AI into your advertising process (and pitfalls to avoid!). 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Fonteva
Speaker: Jessica King, Director, Getting Attention
Wed 6/3 at 2 p.m. – Cultivating Sponsor Partnerships
Learn about emerging trends in sponsor expectations; how to craft compelling sponsorship packages that go beyond traditional offerings; nurture long-term relationships; and demonstrate ROI through data, storytelling and post-event reporting. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: Northstar Meetings Group
Speaker: Jennifer D. Collins, CMP, President & CEO, JDC Events
Wed 6/3 at 2 p.m. – MasterTHIS: Content Orchestration
Most marketing teams have built content operations when what they actually need is content orchestration. Learn how to design the integrated systems that enable orchestration, transform your operating model to support it, and deliver right-time relevance at scale. Move from understanding why your current approach is breaking down to knowing exactly what to build, how to organize for it, and what it makes possible. More info/register.
Host: Content Marketing Institute
Speakers:
- Jake Athey, Vice President, Sales & Go-to-Market, DAM and PIM, Acquia
- Ariana Keil, Sr. Growth Marketing Manager, Canto
- Robert Rose, Chief Strategy Advisor, Content Marketing Institute
Thu 6/4 from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. – The AI Advantage: Driving Efficiency, Innovation, and Growth | Symposium
Find the session descriptions in the individual session listings below. Session
topics: Agents, Apps & Automations: The AAA Upgrade That Elevates Your Entire Association; Create an AI Roadmap! Let Us Show You How; From Disruption to Innovation: The Essential AI Toolkit for Association Leaders; and AI and the Future of Digital Experiences. 4 CAE credits. More info/register.
Host: UST Education
Speakers:
- Evan Hawkins, Association Executive, W Strategies LLC
- Lisa Rau, PhD, Founder, Fíonta
- Sherry Budziak, CEO, .orgSource
- Joanna M. Pineda, CEO & Chief Troublemaker, Matrix Group International
Thu 6/4 at 10 a.m. – Agents, Apps & Automations: The AAA Upgrade That Elevates Your Entire Association
Learn how agents, apps, and automations can improve efficiency and enhance member services within an association; how nontechnical staff can design and build internal tools on their own or with limited assistance by leveraging their knowledge of members and communities; where to automate routine tasks and implement AI-powered support for communication, data management, and service delivery; how to create external-facing tools that generate non-dues revenue and expand the association’s impact; and how to integrate accessible technologies that strengthen organizational performance and empower staff to innovate. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: UST Education
Speaker: Evan Hawkins, Association Executive, W Strategies LLC
Thu 6/4 from 11:02 a.m. to 4:55 p.m. – EVENTASTIC
EVENTASTIC is an events focused conference designed to help exceed your current strategies with actionable advice you can deploy same-day, informed by a deep pool of real-time user data. EVENTASTIC is designed to share the very latest trends from event design, marketing, event tech, sponsorship sales, engagement, swag, content planning and more. More info/register.
Host: Guru Media Hub
Thu 6/4 at 11 a.m. – AI in Action: What You Can Do with AI Today, and Why AI Education Matters More Than Ever
Explore practical, real-world AI applications that you can start using today to work more effectively and create greater impact. Examine the growing importance of AI education as a core professional and organizational priority. Get a grounded view of how AI is being used right now, where you can begin experimenting, and why building AI literacy and confidence is critical for future success. More info/register.
Host: Association Women Technology Champions
Speaker: Erica Salm Rench, CMO, Sidecar.ai
Thu 6/4 at 11 a.m. – Association AI Professional Certification (AAiP): What to Know
Explore the Association AI Professional (AAiP) Certification, including program structure, specialty tracks, curriculum, cost, eligibility, and the real-world value of building AI capability within your organization. More info/register.
Host: Association Latinos
Facilitators: Anabel Martinex, MBA, CAE, PMP, AAiP and David Murillo, CAE, IOM
Speakers: Mallory Mejias, AAiP and Erica Salm Rench, MBA, AAiP, CMO, Sidecar
Thu 6/4 at 11:15 a.m. – Create an AI Roadmap! Let Us Show You How
Learn how to develop strategies to define an actionable AI roadmap; identify common issues encountered in implementing AI; and apply best practices in continuing AI roadmap governance. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: UST Education
Speaker: Lisa Rau, PhD, Founder, Fíonta
Thu 6/4 at 12:45 p.m. – From Disruption to Innovation: The Essential AI Toolkit for Association Leaders
Learn about the top AI tools for associations that are reshaping productivity, innovation, and engagement. See demonstrations of AI tools driving personalized member interactions, creating visuals and videos, and streamlining operations. Hear how to incorporate AI tools into existing workflows to maximize their impact and deliver immediate value and lead your association into the AI-driven future. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: UST Education
Speaker: Sherry Budziak, CEO, .orgSource
Thu 6/4 at 1 p.m. – Engagement to Loyalty: Designing an AI-Ready Member Loyalty Ecosystem
Learn how associations can transform engagement data into intelligent, growth-driven loyalty strategies. Discover how structured engagement modules, behavioral insights, and AI-enabled personalization can help identify high-value members, predict advocacy potential, and drive sustained participation. Hear how to build the foundations required to move from measuring activity to creating truly loyal, growth-generating member communities. More info/register.
Host: Causeis
Thu 6/4 at 2 p.m. – Pixels, Pages & Practical Magic: Website & Graphics Tools That Actually Work
Learn about accessible, association-friendly tools for graphics and web work, practical strategies for getting better results without blowing your budget; and ideas for empowering non-technical staff to contribute to your digital presence. More info/register.
Host: 501 Works
Speakers: Jim Faris, Creative Director, and James Marquis, CIO, 501 Works
Thu 6/4 at 2 p.m. – AI and the Future of Digital Experiences
Learn how AI is changing member behavior, expectations, and digital discovery; how to deliver value using AI, including personalization, dynamic content, and real-time experiences; and how to evolve your digital strategy for an AI-driven experience. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: UST Education
Speaker: Joanna M. Pineda, CEO & Chief Troublemaker, Matrix Group International
Thu 6/4 at 3 p.m. – Analytics in the Age of AI
Learn what the rise of AI-powered analytics actually means for association executives and their teams: not the technology hype, but the strategic implications of deploying AI to drive organization-wide data literacy and access to business insights. Hear about the real bottleneck in association analytics and why it’s never been about software or budget, what AI genuinely changes and what it doesn’t, the strategic implications for your leadership team, and the harder questions most associations aren’t asking yet. More info/register.
Hosts: Skip and Sidecar
Speakers:
- Amith Nagarajan, Chairman, Blue Cypress
- Mark Patterson, CEO, Skip
Fri 6/5 from 11:02 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. – EVENTASTIC
EVENTASTIC is an events focused conference designed to help exceed your current strategies with actionable advice you can deploy same-day, informed by a deep pool of real-time user data. EVENTASTIC is designed to share the very latest trends from event design, marketing, event tech, sponsorship sales, engagement, swag, content planning and more. More info/register.
Host: Guru Media Hub
Fri 6/5 at 1 p.m. – Foresight Fridays: Member Value Is Shifting – Turn Your Programs into AI-Driven Experiences
Learn how associations can evolve their value proposition beyond static benefits. Explore how to create intelligent, personalized experiences that adapt to member needs in real time. Hear how existing programs, content, and systems can become the foundation for future-ready engagement. More info/register (ASAE members only).
Host: ASAE
Speakers:
- Farhad Khan, CEO of Member Lounge
- Mallory Mejias, AAiP, Co-Host and Producer of the Sidecar Sync Podcast
- Eden Dahlstrom, Vice President of Professional Development and Membership at EDUCAUSE
Tue 6/9 at 12 p.m. – Renovating Your Board: A Seven-Domain Framework for Governance Health
Good intentions don’t hold a board together. Strong governance does. Learn about the House of Governance™, a framework that examines seven core domains of governance health. Walk through the “rooms” of the house, identify where your governance system is solid, where it’s drafty, and where it needs renovation. Discover how decisions get made, how leaders understand their roles, and how the board and executive can stay aligned, so your organization keeps moving forward. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: GrowthZone
Speaker: Jim Thompson, Tying it Together Consulting
Wed 6/10 at 11 a.m. – How to Manage Vendors: Drive the Bus, Don’t Ride (Office Hours for LMS Buyers)
Learn what it takes to run a streamlined, defensible vendor selection process. Explore techniques for managing vendors, evaluating proposal responses, comparing prices, down-selecting vendors, and staying on schedule. More info/register.
Host: Talented Learning
Speaker: John Leh, CEO and Lead Analyst at Talented Learning
Wed 6/10 at 11 a.m. – Making Volunteer Selection Objective – Building Thoughtful Criteria
Volunteers are an association’s most engaged members. They regularly find the most value in their membership. Yet many associations obfuscate the process for becoming a volunteer, either relying on who they know, or creating a process that is difficult to navigate. Learn how associations can better outline their process for volunteer selection to help engage more members, providing more value to both members and the association. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: UST Education
Speaker: Justin Burniske, MBA, Principal Consultant, Co-Owner at Volunteer Me by Meta-Dao
Wed 6/10 from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Learning is the Value: Turning Continuing Education into Your Association’s Growth Engine (Washington DC)
Learn how to position your education strategy as a core driver of member value, engagement, and retention aligned to what your members need and will pay for. Discover practical ways to scale impact and monetize learning from certifications to digital offerings. Explore how you can leverage digital learning to expand reach, stay competitive, and deliver measurable outcomes across the member lifecycle. Location: Washington DC. CAE credits. More info/register.
Host: D2L
Speakers:
- Bill Sheehan, Global Head of Association Strategy, D2L
- Tobin Conley, VP of Client Education, DelCor
Wed 6/10 at 12 p.m. – Only Marketers in the Building: Successful Campaign Strategies for Associations
From growing membership and raising awareness to driving advocacy and supporting organizational goals, your campaigns carry serious weight and a one-size-fits-all approach simply doesn’t cut it. Learn how to craft campaigns that speak to member motivations and organizational mission; create strategies for recruitment, retention, and re-engagement; amplify your message across digital and traditional channels; measure success; and make the case for your marketing investments. More info/register.
Host: GrowthZone
Speaker: Nicole Araujo, Client Engagement Director, Mighty Citizen
Thu 6/11 at 11 a.m. – Insourcing vs. Outsourcing IT: Not an Either/Or Decision
Learn how to categorize the various components of IT management; examine the operational risks and opportunities tied to each component; compare common management models (insourced, outsourced, or co-managed IT); and outline key variables to consider when choosing the right model for your association. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: UST Education
Speakers: Heinan Landa, Founder & CEO, and Chris Abel, Manager of Consulting Services, Optimal Networks
Thu 6/11 at 12 p.m. – On The Hunt
A monthly, community-driven virtual gathering designed to support AWTC members who are exploring new opportunities, navigating a job search, or considering their next move. Connect with peers, share insights, exchange leads and resources, and stay encouraged through the job-hunting process. Each session includes informal discussion, optional themed topics, and space for participants to reflect on their next steps to create momentum while prioritizing connection, flexibility, and community support. More info/register.
Host: Association Women Technology Champions
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