The weekly list of free educational events and resources for the association community
Good Reads for the Association Community
Build your education budget case. When a board member asks whether education pays for itself, an activity report full of charts isn’t the answer you want. TopClass explains how to build a single-page education value report that translates learning data into revenue and retention terms—the kind of report that makes a strong case for a bigger budget. You’ll also find a simple test for choosing which metrics belong on the page and learn why every number needs a target beside it.
When change piles up. Associations are juggling far more changes than they did a few years ago. Jamie Notter argues that most organizations still manage change with an old-school playbook, where experts design a program and roll it out from the top. The trouble, he says, is that a staff retirement or a new AI project can wipe out the assumptions your plan depends on. He recommends building your organization’s ability to test ideas and adjust course quickly.
Troubling membership trends. I look forward to Marketing General’s Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report every year, but this year’s findings are sobering: membership growth is slowing and renewal rates are softening. Lessons abound in the data, though. Growing associations, for example, communicate their value clearly and treat engagement and retention as seriously as recruitment. The report also tracks how associations are responding to generational change and AI.
Don’t let your sponsorship strategy haunt you. Is your association stuck in a witches’ brew of one-size-fits-all sponsor packages? This Halloween-themed guide from Lori Zoss Kraska and Bruce Rosenthal shows how to make sponsors light up like jack-o’-lanterns—from building custom programs around each sponsor’s goals to keeping sponsors from ghosting you. Stop hiding behind gold/silver/bronze tiers and start building long-term partnerships.
Ask about weaknesses and play to strengths. Mark Wallach (Engagement Mobile Strategies) makes the case for helping people get even better at what they do best, then pairing them with colleagues and technology that cover their weak spots. He also explains why admitting a weakness can give a board or client more confidence in you, as long as you can show how you’re handling it. And when you’re choosing a vendor, he suggests asking about a weakness they’ve addressed and how they know the fix worked.
Defend and refresh your member magazine. If the board keeps asking about magazine costs, m3Magazines shares an ROI case you can take to them. Their guide explains how a well-designed publication builds member trust and loyalty while pulling in non-dues revenue. It also includes a five-point checklist for spotting when your magazine needs a refresh and describes the kind of content that keeps members turning pages.
Renewal starts at onboarding. Chris Vaughan (Sequence Consulting) says a member’s renewal decision takes shape in their first few months, so onboarding needs to find out why they joined and deliver it, whether that’s a credential or a network in a new city. He recommends tracking a metric he calls “time to first value.” He also shows how an overall renewal average can hide a higher dropout rate among first-year members.
Feedback for younger staff. Gen Z employees want clear, frequent direction from their managers, and many feel anxious when they don’t get it. In The Wall Street Journal, Ray A. Smith reports on employers who are replacing annual reviews with regular two-way check-ins and coaching their managers to be as specific as possible. Some younger workers say they don’t need effusive praise, even though many managers assume they do. They’d prefer a manager who points out a mistake and offers a solution.
If Brain Food has been useful to you or your team, or helped promote your webinars, please buy me a beer. One beer is only $5, and there’s a box you can check to make it monthly. Thanks!
You Never Grow Old at the Table
One of my basil plants is still standing. We haven’t had a freeze yet, so I’ve put off harvesting the entire thing. I plucked some leaves for pan-seared cod fillets in a white wine, tomato, and basil sauce. On the side, I served my usual broccoli roasted with red onion, garlic powder, and smoked paprika, which I also enjoy in my breakfast burritos.
We hadn’t had pizza night in a long time, so I planned one for Friday when our grandkids were coming over. Short on time, I bought three pizza dough balls from Publix (recommended) and made a plain cheese for my grandson, a linguiça-only for my granddaughter, and one with linguiça, onion, red bell pepper, jalapeño, and garlic for the rest of us. I topped the pizzas with a mix of mozzarella, provolone, and parmesan cheese. The kids’ pizzas came out of the oven first, so the adults dug into those too.
For years, I’ve been adapting an old Fine Cooking (RIP) recipe for pork chops Marsala. This week’s version included butter, olive oil, onion, cremini mushrooms, red bell pepper, garlic, dried thyme, fresh rosemary, flour, Marsala, chicken broth, and evaporated milk.
Last time I made firecracker salmon, I had twice as much marinade as I needed, so I saved the extra for this past week. For our side, I sautéed green cabbage with bacon, onion, jalapeño, red bell pepper, carrot, garlic, and ham broth.
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.”
Hello, 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 11/2 at 8 a.m.* – The CSE Mindset (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: Cheryl Ronk, CAE, FASAE, SoRight LLC
*All events are online at Eastern Time unless otherwise noted.
Mon 11/2 at 11 a.m. – Designing AI Adoption Around How Teams Actually Work
Find out why AI speeds up individual tasks while the gains often stop at the team level, when AI use stays private, scattered and bolted onto old workflows. Hear how to redesign workflows around how people create value, decide which work is done heads-down and which needs people together, and set guardrails and incentives that make experimenting safe. Learn how to build peer champions and measure adoption beyond usage numbers. More info/register.
Host: Kadence
Speakers:
- Dave Cairns, VP Strategic Growth, Kadence
- Dr. Gleb Tsipursky, Behavioral Scientist and Author
Tue 11/3 at 11 a.m. – 3 Ways to Scale Events Without Losing Consistency
Hear how two organizations grew their programs without giving up quality or brand standards. Wounded Warrior Project’s in-house travel and events team supports more than 7,000 events a year, and a 1.5-person team at The University of Texas at Austin supports more than 100 departments on its campus-wide platform. Learn how shared templates and governance keep events on brand, how self-service requests cut manual work, and how registration and engagement data show program value. More info/register.
Host: Cvent
Speakers:
- Danielle Coker, Events Manager, Wounded Warrior Project
- Seth Curlee, Cvent UT System Administrator, The University of Texas at Austin
Tue 11/3 at 12 p.m. – Prove the ROI of Your Association and Chamber Events
Boards want evidence of results that goes beyond attendance numbers. Learn which questions reveal what your board, stakeholders, and members want from your events before you start planning. Set SMART objectives that support your organization’s mission and apply new metrics that show the reach and value of each event. You’ll come away ready to present event results as a strategic partner your leadership trusts. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: GrowthZone
Speaker: Jessie States, Meeting Professionals International
Tue 11/3 at 12 p.m. – Into the Mind of an Event Strategist
Learn how small, deliberate design decisions can change the way attendees experience an event, from a badge that asks a question to a keynote slot given to an attendee. Each panelist walks through one decision, the thinking behind it and the result. Find out what separates a deliberate design choice from an inherited default, which decisions in your own program carry the most weight, and how to explain design intent to stakeholders focused on logistics. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: PCMA Institute
Speakers:
- Devon Montgomery Pasha, CMP, CED (facilitator)
- JT Long, Vice President & Content Director, Smart Meetings
- Anthony Vade, CED, Chief Innovation Officer, Strategy Table Pathways Inc.
- Melissa Torres, Event Producer, International Finance Corporation
- Andrew Peters, Associate Director, Meetings, National Defense Industrial Association
Tue 11/3 at 2 p.m. – Association Event Strategies Your Execs Will Thank You For
Creative leadership is a requirement during times of change, and events can help an association grow and advance its mission. Learn how to align event design with your executives’ goals so your events deliver on the KPIs leadership watches. Find out how to plan for the long-term future while you manage day-to-day logistics, and how to communicate the value of your events effectively. More info/register.
Host: Smart Meetings
Speaker: Lynda Bouchard Patterson, FASAE, CAE, Founder and CEO, Association CEO
Tue 11/3 at 3 p.m. – Building an AI Ready Culture: Why Culture Decides AI Success
Most AI initiatives stall because of the culture around them, when teams resist change, boards hesitate, and leaders struggle to get people aligned. Get an introduction to the AI-Ready Culture Framework and use live polling to benchmark your own organization. Learn to diagnose the cultural strengths and weaknesses that affect AI readiness, tell the anchors holding your organization back from the speedboats moving it forward, and assess your environment for trust, communication, and experimentation. This 30-minute session opens a three-part series. 0.5 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: re:Members
Speaker: Sherry Whitaker Budziak, Founder and CEO, .orgSource
Tue 11/3 at 4 p.m. – Member Engagement: Small Staff Associations
Small staff associations face unique challenges that demand creativity, resilience and collaboration. Join an interactive session where we’ll celebrate success stories and discuss current challenges. Connect, ask questions, exchange experiences and gain insights to help drive your organization forward. More info/register (ASAE members only).
Host: ASAE Small Staff Associations Advisory Committee
Wed 11/4 at 12 p.m. – Best Practices for Association Mentoring Programs
Get practical guidance on what makes association mentoring programs succeed during an interactive, Q&A-style webinar. Drawing on more than 20 years of experience and four case studies, Christy Pettit covers the must-dos before, during, and after a program, from recruitment and matching to engagement, support, measurement, and follow-up. Learn how to avoid common challenges and design a six-month program that delivers member value without taking much staff time. Bring your own questions, whether you’re exploring mentoring, launching a program, or improving one. More info/register.
Host: Pollinate Networks
Speaker: Christy Pettit, CEO, Pollinate Networks
Wed 11/4 at 12 p.m. – From Long-Haul to Long-Term: Why Some Destinations Deliver More Than a Congress
When an association considers taking an event overseas, the conversation usually starts with flight times and costs. Learn to judge a destination by what it delivers after the event is over. Designed for association leaders evaluating international conferences, this webinar looks at what attendees value, how a destination opens doors to expertise and partnerships, and how a single event can strengthen regional engagement and develop future leaders. More info/register.
Host: Talley Management Group
Wed 11/4 at 12 p.m. – Associations at Day 2,500: Where We’ve Been, Where We Are, and Where We’re Going
Thursday, November 5, 2026, marks Day 2,500 of The Turbulent Twenties. On the eve of that milestone, consider what the association community has learned, or should have learned, during this decade, where it stands in late 2026, and where it’s headed in the final 36 months of the decade and into the 2030s. More info/register.
Host: AIOT
Speaker: Jeff De Cagna, AIMP, DAIG, FRSA, FASAE, FNI.Dir, Executive Advisor, Foresight First LLC
Wed 11/4 at 1 p.m. – How AIIM Uses Peer Cohorts to Extend the Annual Meeting
Find out how AIIM helped attendees feel part of the community before its AI+IM Global Summit and kept those connections going afterward. AIIM used AI-based member matching to place hundreds of attendees into 34 peer cohorts that met before, during, and after the event. Learn a three-phase model for extending an annual meeting, get practical guidance on matching timing, intake questions, and priorities, and hear why facilitators mattered most to a cohort’s success. Hear what AIIM plans to change next year. More info/register.
Host: RallyBoard
Speakers:
- Tori Miller Liu, President & CEO, AIIM
- Jackson Boyar, CEO, RallyBoard
Wed 11/4 at 1 p.m. – Making Your AMS Implementation Stick: 6 Keys to Success
Picking the right system is only half the work of a successful AMS implementation. Learn the keys to running an AMS or other association system project well, from setting up governance and defining scope to data migration, testing, training, and change management. Drawing on success stories and lessons learned, the speakers share what a well-run project looks like, where the most common breakdowns happen, and how to manage your vendor and internal team so everyone stays aligned. Leave with practical strategies and an implementation success checklist. More info/register.
Hosts: Aplusify and Dennison & Associates
Speakers:
- Marti J. Hejl, Director of Customer Experience, Aplusify LLC
- Susannah Mechem, Chief Operations Officer, Dennison & Associates
Wed 11/4 at 1 p.m. – Does It Ever Stop? Balancing Technology Innovation With Change Fatigue
Find out how to adopt new technology without overwhelming the staff who have to absorb the changes. Hear about change saturation, which happens when people face more changes at once than they can handle, often as new platforms, integrations and AI tools arrive. Learn to spot early signs of saturation before it leads to burnout and higher costs, apply a structured approach to evaluating technology investments, and tell which decisions are truly urgent. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Fonteva
Speaker: Rebecca Achurch, FASAE, PgMP, PMP, CSM, AAiP, CAE, Chief Executive Officer, Achurch Consulting
Wed 11/4 at 2 p.m. – Redefining Luxury for Today’s Events
Attendee expectations of luxury are shifting away from expensive, exclusive status symbols and toward attentive service and meaningful experiences. Find out how to deliver unique experiences your attendees and stakeholders will value, why the way participants feel can count for more than traditional luxury extras, and why meaning can outweigh cost when you design your next event. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: Northstar Meetings Group
Speakers:
- Neen James, leadership strategist, keynote speaker, and author of Exceptional Experiences
- Michael J. Shapiro (moderator), Director of Content and Industry Insights, Northstar Meetings Group U.S.
Thu 11/5 from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Leadership From the Inside Out: A Day of Learning for Association Staff
Spend a virtual day on leadership development designed for association staff. After Joanna Pineda’s opening keynote, four one-hour sessions follow. Learn how to make coaching a shared organizational practice tied to performance, retention, and decision-making, and how to build a resilient finance function for the association you’re becoming. Explore what it’s like to be led by you, including taking ownership, moving through uncertainty, and lifting others, then close the day with a session on rediscovering your inner greatness. Up to 4 CAE credits. More info/register.
Host: UST Education
Speakers:
- Joanna M. Pineda (keynote), CEO & Chief Troublemaker, Matrix Group International, Inc.
- Lori Bruhns, CEO/President, Lori Bruhns, LLC
- Teresa L. Henderson, CAE, CPA, Association Practice Leader, Your Part-Time Controller
- Brendan Leehe, Sr. Customer Growth & Retention Manager, Higher Logic
- Larry Long Jr, CSP, Founder and CEO, LLJR Enterprises
Thu 11/5 at 10 a.m. – Coaching Capital: How Coaching Transforms Leadership Into Advantage That Scales and Sticks
Learn how to make coaching a shared organizational asset that develops leaders across your association. Hear how to build leadership development into a practice that scales and lasts. Find out how coaching connects to performance, retention and decision-making, and take away first steps for setting up a coaching system in your own organization. This session is part of UST Education’s Leadership From the Inside Out symposium. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: UST Education
Speaker: Lori Bruhns, CEO/President, Lori Bruhns, LLC
Thu 11/5 at 11:15 a.m. – Building a Resilient Finance Function for the Association You’re Becoming
Find out how to build a finance function that can keep pace with where your association is headed. Hear about finance operations that hold steady through growth, staff transitions and new priorities, so leaders can count on accurate information when they make decisions. This session is part of UST Education’s Leadership From the Inside Out symposium. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: UST Education
Speaker: Teresa L. Henderson, CAE, CPA, Association Practice Leader, Your Part-Time Controller
Thu 11/5 at 12 p.m. – Got Gantt? Project Management in Associations
Compare notes with peers at the first meeting of a new discussion group on project management in associations and nonprofits. Talk through managing strategic initiatives, balancing competing priorities, coordinating across departments, and adapting project management practices to fit association culture. Expect an interactive peer discussion with no presentation, and the session won’t be recorded so people can speak candidly. It’s open to association and nonprofit staff, consultants, partners, PMO leaders, project managers, and anyone responsible for delivering strategic initiatives. More info/register.
Host: Susan Obarski, Sr. Director, Project Management Office, ISPE
Thu 11/5 at 12 p.m. – Marketing Upstream: Out of the Weeds Into Strategy
Join a peer discussion for association marketers who are often asked to promote a program after every decision about it has been made. Hear how some marketing teams got involved earlier in program planning, who owns the brand in practice, and where the time AI saves marketers should go. After a few opening remarks from the facilitators, the conversation opens up so you can share what has worked for you and what hasn’t. Bring a story or a question or come to listen. More info/register (ASAE members only).
Host: ASAE Marketing Professionals Advisory Council
Speakers:
- Phil Tretheway (facilitator), VP & Creative Director, Position
- Scott Kesselman (facilitator), Senior Director of Marketing and Communications, National Home Infusion Association
Thu 11/5 at 12:45 p.m. – What Is It Like to Be Led by You? Taking Ownership, Moving Through Uncertainty, and Lifting Others
Explore how other people experience your leadership, whatever your title. Hear about taking ownership without taking over, asking for support, and acting when you don’t have all the answers. Guided reflection helps you see how your leadership affects the people around you, and you’ll pick up ways to give credit to others and help them grow. This session is part of UST Education’s Leadership From the Inside Out symposium. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: UST Education
Speaker: Brendan Leehe, Sr. Customer Growth & Retention Manager, Higher Logic
Thu 11/5 at 1 p.m. – Behind the Pages of When It Mattered Most
Join a fireside conversation with Joanna Pineda about her book, When It Mattered Most, which collects 24 accounts of how associations helped their communities, professions, and industries through the COVID-19 pandemic. Hear what inspired the book, how leaders made decisions under uncertainty, and what their resilience and adaptability can teach association professionals today. More info/register.
Host: Association Women Technology Champions
Speakers:
- Joanna Pineda, CEO and Chief Troublemaker, Matrix Group International, and author of When It Mattered Most
- Rebecca Achurch, FASAE, PgMP, PMP, CSM, AAiP, CAE, Founder and CEO, Achurch Consulting
Thu 11/5 at 2 p.m. – JOLT! Your Life: Get Zapped Into Intentionality to Rediscover & Believe in Your Inner Greatness
Close out the symposium with a high-energy session on living and working with intention. Hear how to rediscover your strengths and believe in your own potential so you return to your work with renewed focus and motivation. This session is part of UST Education’s Leadership From the Inside Out symposium. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: UST Education
Speaker: Larry Long Jr, CSP, Founder and CEO, LLJR Enterprises
Thu 11/5 at 2 p.m. – Beyond Attendance: What Members Actually Want From Your Events
Strong attendance numbers don’t always mean members are getting what they value from your events. Explore the gap between attendance metrics, member expectations, and event budget realities. Learn what members value most from in-person events, why young professionals continue to prioritize in-person connection, and where event metrics miss the member experience. Find out how registration can become an early engagement touchpoint and how technology can take on logistics so your team can focus on attendees. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Momentive Software
Speakers:
- Rich Vallaster, MBA, CEM, AAiP, QAS, Senior Director, Industry Strategy, Momentive Software
- Marsha Flanagan, M.Ed., CEM, President and CEO, International Association of Exhibitions and Events
Thu 11/5 at 3:30 p.m. – Can Good Governance Give Your Association a Competitive Advantage?
Find out what good governance changes inside an association and how it can become an advantage. Kim Robinson, Micah Roderick and their FrontlineCo team share lessons from decades of working with associations, including where the lines between board and staff blur and why clear roles, accountability and trust make organizations more nimble. Learn how boards can think strategically about governance beyond following bylaws, and spot practical signs that your governance needs attention. More info/register.
Host: FrontlineCo
Speakers: Kim Robinson, CEO, and Micah Roderick, COO, FrontlineCo
Tue 11/10 at 11 a.m. – Till System Death Do Us Part: Lasting Partnerships
Find out how to avoid the costs of constant system churn by choosing technology partners you can stay with. Learn how to pin down the real problem and your requirements before you select a partner, and how governance routines keep the relationship healthy. Tobin Conley and David Stephenson explain why implementations go off the rails and share tools like scorecards and health checks for repairing a strained relationship and extending the life of your system. You’ll also hear how to resist shiny-object distractions. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: UST Education
Speakers:
- Tobin Conley, CAE, CIP, VP, Client Education, DelCor Technology Solutions
- David Stephenson, Senior Vice President of Technology, Entrepreneurs’ Organization
Tue 11/10 at 12 p.m. – Tech Tuesday: Killing the AI Buzz Without Being a Buzzkill
Between the nonstop headlines, new tools, and predictions about how AI will change everything, it’s easy to get caught up in the noise. But what happens when we stop treating AI like a major event and start making it part of how we work? Explore moving past the hype—separating practical opportunities from unnecessary noise; making AI part of everyday work—finding ways to use AI without adding complexity; and keeping it realistic—balancing expectations, concerns, and the human side of adopting AI. More info/register (ASAE members only).
Host: ASAE
Facilitators:
- Reggie Henry, CAE
- Dave Coriale, CAE, President, DelCor Technology Solutions
Tue 11/10 at 1 p.m. – Renewal Campaigns That Keep Members Coming Back
Find out why members often decide whether to renew before they see your first renewal notice. Hear about the Ask, Capture, Act approach, which starts conversations 90 days out and routes answers automatically so members on the fence get the right follow-up. Learn how one professional association turned a single renewal question into $956,000 in renewal value and about 12,000 conversions, and how a trade association began by confirming member contact information. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: UST Education
Speaker: Dave Will, Co-Founder and CEO, PropFuel
Tue 11/10 at 2 p.m. – Leading Across Borders: Strategies for a Changing World
Find out how to decide whether, where and how your association should expand internationally, and how to operate once you’re there. Learn how associations use local insights and trusted relationships to test assumptions, decide what stays consistent across borders and what adapts locally, and respond as economic and market conditions change. Leave with a framework for deciding when to enter, adapt, expand, continue or pause an international initiative. 1 CAE credit. More info/register (ASAE members only).
Host: ASAE
Speakers:
- Adam Thocher, SVP of Global Programs and Insights, Global Cold Chain Alliance
- Tarnbir Kaur, Vice President, Membership and Strategic Engagement, American Chemical Society
- Tiago Opazo Ricciardi, Regional Director, Latin America, Global Navigators
Tue 11/10 at 3 p.m. – Building an AI Ready Culture: Leading People Through the Shift
Learn how to lead your team through the cultural side of AI adoption. Hear about four blockers that stall progress, including fear of irrelevance, silence at the top, permission culture and innovation shame, along with an antidote for each. Find out how H.E.A.R.T.-powered leadership helps you move from control to empowerment, from certainty to curiosity, and from fixed plans to experiments. Live polling and rapid-fire scenarios let you practice responding to skeptics and resistance. Second in a three-part series. 0.5 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: re:Members
Speaker: Kevin Ordonez, President and Managing Director, Digital Strategy, .orgSource
Wed 11/11 at 11 a.m. – Office Hours for LMS Buyers: How to Replace an Aging LMS
Find out what to do when your LMS contract is up for renewal, your vendor gets acquired, adoption stays weak, or costs keep climbing. Learn about a decision framework to help you choose whether to renew, replace, or redesign your learning platform. Half of the 45-minute session is open Q&A, so bring your questions. Vendors are asked not to attend, which keeps the conversation focused on buyers. More info/register.
Host: Talented Learning
Speaker: John Leh, CEO and Lead Analyst, Talented Learning
Wed 11/11 at 11 a.m. – Beyond the Legacy AMS: Scaling Your Association With Flexible, Future-Ready CRM Solutions
Learn when a rigid legacy AMS starts holding your association back and how an enterprise CRM platform such as Microsoft Dynamics 365 or Salesforce can support growth. Hear about personalization, integrations, AI-driven workflows and predictive analytics, and explains how to evaluate ROI. Find out what a transition roadmap should include, from change management and data migration to getting staff to adopt the new system. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: UST Education
Speaker: Dustin Sitton, Principal, Incite Automation
Wed 11/11 at 1 p.m. – The Scorecard No One Shows You: Understanding Business Evaluation From Different Seats at the Table
Find out how destination organizations evaluate a meeting differently than a single hotel does. A destination looks at a meeting’s impact across the whole market, so an event that doesn’t fit one property may still be valuable to the city, opening doors to better dates, alternative venues, incentives, grants or marketing support. Learn why you should engage destinations earlier and how to use their economic-impact data in site selection, negotiations and the business case you make internally. More info/register.
Host: Meetings Today
Speaker: Emily Scheiderer, Scheiderer vice president of professional development, Destinations International
Wed 11/11 at 2 p.m. – Affordable Solutions When Everything Is #%#*! Expensive
Find out how to keep delivering strong events as costs climb for food, transportation, A/V and nearly every other meeting expense. Learn budget-friendly strategies for managing rising costs, negotiation tactics that stretch your event dollars, and ways to improve the attendee experience without spending more. You’ll also pick up tips for getting more value from suppliers, partners and sponsors. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.
Host: Northstar Meetings Group
Speaker: Sarah J.F. Braley (moderator), Managing Editor, Northstar Meetings Group
Thu 11/12 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. – GURU Conference 2026
Pick up practical email marketing advice at this free two-day virtual conference for email and digital marketers. Tracks cover nonprofits, B2B, AI tools, one-person teams, and SMS and social. Sessions include planning your 2027 email strategy, building an AI-powered email system, marketing automation, and donor storytelling for nonprofits. Hear from email experts along with celebrity keynotes from Dan Levy and Molly Ringwald. More info/register.
Host: GURU Media Hub
Some of the speakers over the two days:
- Jay Schwedelson (host), Founder, GURU Media Hub
- Ann Handley, Chief Content Officer, MarketingProfs
- Kath Pay, Lead Trainer, Holistic Email Academy
- Nancy Harhut, Chief Creative Officer, HBT Marketing
- Katelyn Baughan, Nonprofit Email Consultant, KB Digital
- Iana Robitaille, PhD, Communications Strategist, DonorPerfect
Thu 11/12 at 12 p.m. – Top Membership Challenges: Preparing for the New Year and Each Quarter
Learn the five reasons membership growth stalls and a quick fix for each. Hear how to identify your biggest bottleneck and why you should reassess it every quarter as you plan for the new year. Find out why “I don’t see the value” often signals a messaging problem and how member conversations can sharpen your message. You’ll leave with messaging homework to put the ideas to work. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: GrowthZone
Speaker: Shari Pash
Thu 11/12 at 1 p.m. – Using Pipeline Reports to Navigate Funding and Improve Sustainability
Find out how to build a funding pipeline report that tracks grants, major gifts, donors and contracts by stage. Learn how to use close rates and forecasts to spot gaps early and develop contingency plans. Learn how pipeline data can inform budget and program decisions and help you show the board how your organization will stay financially sustainable. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: UST Education
Speakers:
- A. Michael Gellman, CPA, CGMA, Co-Founder, Sustainability Education 4 Nonprofits
- Paul Preziotti, CPA, Partner, Johnson Lambert LLP
Thu 11/12 at 1 p.m. – Deferred Compensation Decoded: Practical 457(b) and 457(f) Strategies for Associations
Learn how deferred compensation plans can help your association compete for executive talent. Get two perspectives: HR’s view on participation and retention, and an advisor’s view on funding, investment structure and risk. Case studies show how associations used these plans to recruit a new CEO and keep a key executive. Find out how 457(b) and 457(f) plans differ, five questions to ask before you implement one, and a roadmap from board approval through administration, including who owns each step. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: Raffa Investment Advisers
Thu 11/12 at 2 p.m. – Before You Add AI: Should Your Association Build, Buy, or Partner?
Get a practical framework for deciding whether an AI initiative should be built in-house, purchased, pursued with a partner, or put on hold until the right foundation is in place. Learn how to pin down the problem you need to solve and the AI opportunities that add the most staff capacity or member value. Assess readiness factors such as workflow clarity, data, governance, staff capability and human oversight, and leave with one practical next decision for your association’s AI strategy. More info/register.
Host: ASAE
Speaker: Helanah Warren, Executive Coach, Organizational Consultant & AI/Leadership Strategist, Thrive By Design
Thu 11/12 at 2 p.m. – The Association Revenue Shift: How Enduring Trust, Impact and Value Will Redefine Growth
Find out why leaning heavily on dues is a risky long-term growth strategy as membership growth slows and members grow choosier about where they spend their time and money. Learn practical approaches to non-dues revenue through education, certifications, digital learning, sponsorships, premium content and workforce development. Explore how diversified revenue can reduce financial vulnerability, and leave with ideas for launching, expanding or improving revenue-generating programs at your association. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.
Host: ASAE
Speakers: Bill Sheehan, Global Head of Association Strategy, and Julia Park, Revenue Marketing Strategist, D2L
Thu 11/12 at 3 p.m. – AI Without Replacing Your AMS: What Connects and What Doesn’t
Find out how to start using AI with the AMS and other systems your association already has, even when no native integration exists. Learn how AI can reach your data, from simple exports and uploads to direct integrations and external connections. Learn where automation can live, what changes when tools connect directly, and what you can still do without a native integration, so you can see what your current technology stack may already support. More info/register.
Host: Member Lounge
Speaker: Farhad Khan, CEO, Member Lounge
Thu 11/12 at 3 p.m. – 3 Enduring Truths for Nonprofit Messaging
Learn three messaging principles that hold steady as AI, technology and digital trends keep changing how nonprofits raise money and market themselves. Hear how these truths build emotional connections with people across cultures and generations. Hear real-world examples of nonprofits that applied them and saw more donations, volunteer engagement and corporate partnerships, along with stronger donor and member loyalty. More info/register.
Host: Nonprofit Nav
Speaker: Jeff Terpstra, Founder, Scott Allen Creative
Thu Fri 11/13 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. – GURU Conference 2026
Pick up practical email marketing advice at this free two-day virtual conference for email and digital marketers. Tracks cover nonprofits, B2B, AI tools, one-person teams, and SMS and social. Sessions include planning your 2027 email strategy, building an AI-powered email system, marketing automation, and donor storytelling for nonprofits. Hear from email experts along with celebrity keynotes from Dan Levy and Molly Ringwald. More info/register.
Host: GURU Media Hub
Some of the speakers over the two days:
- Jay Schwedelson (host), Founder, GURU Media Hub
- Ann Handley, Chief Content Officer, MarketingProfs
- Kath Pay, Lead Trainer, Holistic Email Academy
- Nancy Harhut, Chief Creative Officer, HBT Marketing
- Katelyn Baughan, Nonprofit Email Consultant, KB Digital
- Iana Robitaille, PhD, Communications Strategist, DonorPerfect
Fri 11/13 at 1 p.m. – Foresight Fridays: One Election, Ten Drivers – What the 2026 Midterms Tell Associations About What’s Next
Find out how the results of the November 3 midterm elections could affect associations, their missions and their members. The ASAE ForesightWorks Advisory Group and a panel of association leaders connect the outcomes to ten ForesightWorks drivers of change and discuss whether policies from the new Congress, governors and state legislatures might speed some drivers up, slow others down, or send them in a new direction. Learn how to apply a foresight approach to political and policy uncertainty. More info/register (ASAE members only).
Host: ASAE ForesightWorks Advisory Group
Speakers:
- Michael Carr-Tatonetti, CPP, CAE (host), Founder, Pricing for Associations
- Tommy Goodwin, MBA, FASAE, CAE, PMP, CMP (host), President & Chief Executive Officer, Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance
- Mary Kate Cunningham, CAE, AAiP, Chief Public Policy and Governance Officer, ASAE
- Lindsay Currie, CAE, Executive Officer, Council for Undergraduate Education
- Matthew Ott, MS, FASAE, CAE, CMP, AAiP, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Momentum Association Management
- Oyango A. Snell, Esq., CAE, IOM, President & Chief Executive Officer, Corporate Legal Operations Consortium
- Andrea Wieters, Director of Strategic and Future Focused Research, ASAE
Lots going on. How about buying me a beer in appreciation of what you’ve learned from webinars I’ve shared in the past and what you’ll learn from these.
Association Brain Food Weekly is published Friday mornings. If you offer free professional development to the association community, please send me the link by Wednesday afternoon.
Creative Commons licensed photo by Karsten Würth via Unsplash
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