Association Brain Food

Does everyone have a cup of coffee and a maple-glazed donut? No? Just me? No matter, it’s time to review the many learning opportunities scheduled for next week. Then, you know the drill, select and register for one and add it to your schedule. Make time to invest in your future.

Now, if your association or business hosts webinars or if you’re one of those smarty pants who regularly shares your expertise via webinars, this week’s list includes two items especially for you. Check out Wednesday’s The Art of Becoming a Great Webinar Presenter and Friday’s A Recipe for Creating Engaging Webinars.

If your company has a webinar scheduled in the next few weeks, please send me the link. I’ll be happy to feature it as long as it’s not too product-centric.

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Tue 9/20 at 2 p.m.* – The Highly Energized and Engaged Conference Experience

If your conference attendees are not engaged with your experience, what chance will they have to improve their job performance? Using the strategies identified in this presentation, every conference professional can create event experiences where engagement is the norm, not the exception.

You’ll learn how to identify the four questions you must address that participants ask themselves; why conference experiences must have a high level of inclusive, interactive energy experiences; and practical strategies that translate engagement research and theory into conference experience practice. More info/register.

Host: Velvet Chainsaw

Presenter: Jeff Hurt, EVP, Education and Engagement, Velvet Chainsaw

*all times are Eastern Daylight Saving Time

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Tue 9/20 at 2 p.m. – Association Chat Live: Communication Disruption (Arlington VA)

Hosted by KiKi L’Italien, founder of Amplified Growth, this week’s chat is live at the Higher Logic office in Arlington VA. Register to attend in person or watch the live stream as KiKi and her guests discuss: how communications and association experts are navigating massive social and technological changes for their organizations and clients; their top concerns and visions for the future; and how association executives can confidently and proactively move forward in marketing and PR initiatives. More info/register.

Guests:

• Robb Lee, CMO, ASAE
• Deb Fiscella, president, Center Stage Marketing
• Rachna Choudhry, co-founder, POPVOX
• Esteban Escobar, CEO & Executive Producer, 5:00 Films & Media

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Tue 9/20 at 2 p.m. – Transform Your Event ROI Story with Digital Engagement

Your event is a smashing success, but how do you prove it? Learn how to leverage the digital engagement at your event to demonstrate ROI; best practices for using a mobile app to realize instant cost savings; what metrics are available and how to interpret them; and actionable tips for sharing the value of the event with your team. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.

Host: MeetingsNet and CrowdCompass

Presenters:

• Brooke Gracey, Senior Mobile Events App Strategist, CrowdCompass by Cvent
• Adrea Hill, Training Program Manager, Haworth
• Lisa Hurley (Moderator), Content Director, Special Events magazine

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Tue 9/20 at 3 p.m. – Northern Virginia Small Association Forum for Executives (call in or Alexandria VA)

This round table is a free-flowing conversation about the most pressing issues facing executives with 9 or fewer employees. Participants discuss best practices and create a valuable cadre of professional resources. More info/register.

Host: ASAE Small Staff Association Committee

Facilitator: Shira Harrington, Founder & President, Purposeful Hire, Inc.

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Tue 9/20 at 5:15 p.m. – ANEX Happy Hour (McLean VA)

Join the DC/MD/VA association community for a casual happy hour where you’re welcome to pop in and pop out as your schedule allows. More info/register.

Event organizer: Scott Oser

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Wed 9/21 at 1 p.m. – 3 Strategies to Future-Proof Your Association

A panel of association industry technologists and association executives will discuss technological breakthroughs in mobile, eMarketing, data analytics and membership management that help associations transform their business and serve members more intelligently and profitably. You’ll hear about practices designed to help you: create unlimited event value; be where your members are; leverage your data; make it personal for members; and identify and drive new revenue opportunities. More info/register.

Host: Impexium

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Wed 9/21 at 2 p.m. – Should You Beware the New Meetings Block Buster?

Airbnb and other alternative accommodation services are making inroads into the leisure travel market, but meeting-goers will always want to stay in the headquarters hotel, right? Exclusive research by MeetingsNet and event housing specialist onPeak|GES suggests that may not in fact be the case—at least, not for much longer. Hear about the disconnect between how planners think their attendees are booking and what’s really happening; what event accommodations challenges are on the rise, and how to get on top of them; and the up- and downsides of making peer-to-peer accommodations providers your next best frenemy. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.

Host: MeetingsNet

Presenter: Lisa Hurley, Content Director, Special Events magazine

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Wed 9/21 at 2 p.m. – Making Abstract & Speaker Management (Almost) Painless

As an event planner, you have bigger problems to worry about than constantly reminding each speaker to submit their bio. This webinar will share tips to create a painless speaker management program. Learn how to increase the productivity of your events team by 67% using simple automation. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.

Hosts: Pathable and Hubb

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Wed 9/21 at 2 p.m. – The Art of Becoming a Great Webinar Presenter

One of the most common complaints people have about webinars is that the speaker(s) were boring so they don’t feel engaged. This results in low viewing time and low content retention. And, if they don’t like your presenters, they probably won’t like your brand. Learn how to find great webinar talent, how to prepare for a webinar, tips for directly engaging your audience, and new formats to spice up your webinars. More info/register.

Host: ON24, Inc.

Presenter: Mark Bornstein, Vice President, Content Marketing, ON24, Inc.

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Thu 9/22 at 12 p.m. – Marketing Automation Workshop (virtual or Washington DC)

How can you get your message out to people for whom you don’t have email addresses, target a market that uses social media, increase email open rates, or revitalize your email audience? A growing number of organizations use marketing automation to turn content into leads and gain a deeper understanding of members. This free interactive workshop (with lunch provided for on-site attendees) will educate you on marketing automation, assess your organization’s readiness, and help you prepare a realistic timeline and budget. 3 CAE credits. More info/register.

Host: ASAE Marketing Section

Presenters:

• Suzanne Carawan, CMO, HighRoad Solution
• Maneesha Manges, Director of Consulting, HighRoad Solution
• Adam Higgins, MarTech Consultant, HighRoad Solution

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Thu 9/22 at 1 p.m. – Making Virtual Events a Strategic Reality

Most organizations reach only a small slice of members with traditional place-based conferences. The rest of the membership gets nothing—or, worse, finds other sources for learning and networking. Virtual events can help you solve this problem, but they’re not a panacea. This webinar will look at a range of virtual events to help you evaluate which option, if any, might be the right fit for your association and members. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Hosts: Naylor Learning Solutions and Blue Sky eLearn

Presenters:

• Celisa Steele and Jeff Cobb, co-founders, Tagoras
• Phil Forte, CEO and founder, Blue Sky

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Thu 9/22 at 2 p.m. – The Future of Event Technology

The latest research suggests that events and trade shows are, by far, the highest category of spend for most marketers. But these events still remain isolated from the sophistication of most CRM and marketing automation processes. Learn how you can create world-class event experiences, driven by technology, while collecting valuable real-time customer data that can be shared with your sales and marketing clouds, and ultimately drive growth. 1 CEU credit. More info/register.

Host: PCMA and Lanyon

Presenter: Anthony Miller, CMO, Lanyon

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Thu 9/22 at 4 p.m. – PD Book Club

The Professional Development Book Club is meeting via Zoom to discuss Brain Rules by John Medina—a must read for anyone involved in professional development or who wants to understand how brains learn. More info/register.

Host: ASAE Professional Development Section

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Fri 9/23 at 1 p.m. – A Recipe for Creating Engaging Webinars

Here’s one for both association folks and the businesses that serve them: learn how to develop a reliable, repeatable process for delivering consistently engaging webinars. You’ll hear about best practices for: managing the process from planning to evaluation; determining how much coaching and support a subject matter expert needs to deliver an effective webinar; designing interactions that engage participants; and identifying steps you can take to avoid and troubleshoot common technical issues. More info/register.

Host: Blue Sky eLearn

Presenter: Karen Hyder, The eLearning Guild and Kaleidoscope Training and Consulting

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If you can’t attend a live webinar, go ahead and register if the topic interests you. Most webinar hosts send a link to the recording to all registrants.

Association Brain Food Weekly is published Friday mornings. If your organization offers professional development for the association community, please send me the link via email or Twitter.

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<Photo of South Mountain Park/Preserve in Phoenix where I spent a few hours on the trail Tuesday night>

This week kicks off with a webinar you won’t want to miss: Elizabeth Engel and Shelly Alcorn discussing their insightful new report, The Association Role in the New Education Paradigm. Unlike many association management reports, this paper isn’t just about associations, it’s about how associations can play a role in our larger world solving a serious issue, one that affects everyone reading this.

So much opportunity is there to be grabbed, but it will require associations to step up their game. Elizabeth and Shelly share the stories of some associations that have.

Intrigued but not into reading a paper? Listen to them talk about it on a recent episode of the Leading Learning podcast. Or, register for the webinar below. I bet you’ll change your mind about reading their paper.

If your company has a webinar scheduled in the next few weeks, please send me the link. I’ll be happy to feature it as long as it’s not too product-centric.

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Mon 9/12 at 12 p.m.* – Bridging the Gap: The Association Role in the New Education Paradigm

This discussion, based on their whitepaper, The Association Role in the New Education Paradigm, will cover the dramatic changes affecting education and employment (from rapidly rising costs and increasing student debt to challenges helping students develop 21st century skills), why these changes represent a tremendous opportunity for associations, and real stories of associations that are fully embracing their role in nurturing the next generation of professionals and members. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: CommPartners

Presenters:

• Shelly Alcorn, Principal, Alcorn Associates Management Consulting
• Elizabeth Weaver Engel, CEO & Chief Strategist, Spark Consulting

*all times are Eastern Daylight Saving Time

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Tue 9/13 at 12 p.m. – Overcome Collaborative Insanity by Finding Your Inner Rock Star!

Are you more like Lady Gaga or Jimmy Buffet when it comes to working with others? Take an assessment before attending this webinar so can discover a framework for making your collaborative process feel as good as the results. Learn how to use a common language to discuss people and process matters related to collaboration and engagement; understand your collaborative behavioral style; and, apply key collaborative concepts to increase engagement and productivity. More info/register.

Host: MPI

Presenter: Brant Christopher Menswar, Chief Experience Officer, Banding People Together

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Tue 9/13 at 1 p.m. – Gamify Your Fundraiser

Put the “fun” back in FUNdraising with gamification. Learn about game element fundamentals and mechanics, strategies to increase participation and engagement, and considerations for planning a gamified fundraiser. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: Professional Learning Academy

Presenter: Heather Farmakis, PhD, Founder and CEO, Professional Learning Academy

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Tue 9/13 at 2 p.m. – The Bad Word in Associations: Why You Need to Rethink Sales (Association Chat on Huzza)

The issue with developing “sales teams” in associations is a hot one right now. Associations are finally beginning to realize that they are sales organizations, even though “sales” has been a bad word in association management for a long time. And of course, the technology to support sales teams (even if it’s a team of one) is getting better and better.

Join host KiKi L’Italien, founder of Amplified Growth, and guest Wes Trochlil, president of Effective Database Management, as they put this into perspective. Participate live or view the recording.

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Tue 9/13 at 3:30 p.m. – Unified Learning Design Studio: Instructional Design

Pave a clear pathway to building better eLearning programs for your association with this monthly webinar series. The series is available in the iCohere Academy, a free, worldwide professional community of practice dedicated to the evolution of webinars, web meetings and courses, and hybrid/virtual conferences. More info/register.

Host: iCohere

Presenter: Dr. Amanda Batson, Founder, ADB Partners 

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Wed 9/14 at 1 p.m. – App-tastic 2016: 45 of the Best Productivity Apps You Should Be Using

Hear about 45 of the most useful meeting industry and business apps available. Understand how mobile solutions impact all areas of productivity, including site inspection and event management and how to use your mobile devices more effectively for meetings and events. More info/register.

Host: Meetings Today

Sponsor: Kalahari Resorts & Conventions

Presenter: Meetings industry tech expert Jim Spellos

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Wed 9/14 at 2 p.m. – Go Live with the Latest Live Streaming Tools

Livestreaming is the next big thing in social media. Become familiar with each streaming platform’s user-end operation, learn how to generate the interest that your online social media presence needs, and walk away with tips and tricks on how to choose the best moments to capture. 0.1 CEUs. More info/register.

Host: PCMA

Presenter: Stefania Conti-Vecchi, DES, Founder & CEO, EVENTagist

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Thursday and Friday, September 15 and 16 – AMS Fest

If it’s not already sold out – quick, check! – this is an event not to be missed. You must go if you plan to evaluate, update, or purchase a new AMS in the coming year. You’ll want to go if you wish to stay informed about where association technology is heading. If I wasn’t going to be hiking in Sedona (yes!), I would be there. More info/register.

Host: ReviewMyAMS.com

Presenters: Dozens of association and technology brainiacs

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Thu 9/15 at 12 p.m. – MGI Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report (Alexandria VA Brown Bag)

This monthly brown bag lunch meet-up features a review of the annual Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report from MGI. This report has provided important data and analysis about the health of membership organizations and the satisfaction of their members, for example: the primary challenges to association growth, how dues affect membership, why members join and renew, the common uses for social media, how your association compare with similar associations, and more. More info/register.

Host: ASAE Collaborate

Presenter: Erik Schonher, Vice President, Marketing General, Inc.

Location: MGI, Alexandria VA

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Thu 9/15 at 12 p.m. – Nine and a Half Tips for Creating Exceptional Digital Experiences

Learn step-by-step tips and actionable strategies for presenting content that makes your members’ digital experience both valuable and seamless across web, mobile, social media, and email. You can even have your association’s website reviewed during the session. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: ASAE Marketing Section

Presenters:

• Alexandra Mouw, CAE, Sr. Consultant, Strategic Web Solutions, Results Direct
• David Evener, CAE (moderator), Marketing Director, National Ground Water Association 

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Thu 9/15 at 12 p.m. – 10 Ways to Increase Your Reach on Social Media

Are your social media posts reaching the people who need your information or services? Learn about the outreach opportunities available via social media and the actions you can take right now to improve your organization’s reach. More info/register.

Host: Idealware

Presenter: Chris Tuttle, Tuttle Communications

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Thu 9/15 at 2 p.m. – How to Track Member Engagement (In Only 10 Minutes a Day)

Learn how engagement impacts critical metrics; what data you need and how you should use it to steer your strategies to increase member participation; how to determine which of your members are engaged and which aren’t; how to determine if your engagement efforts are working; and where you should focus your medium and long term engagement efforts. Info/register.

Host: Socious

Presenters:

• Scott Balthazor, Chief Customer Officer, Socious
• Katie Bapple, Senior Director of Community Management, Socious

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Thu 9/15 at 2 p.m. – Back to School: Membership Essentials

Explore key aspects of membership with the authors of ASAE’s updated and expanded guide to membership fundamentals, Membership Essentials: Recruitment, Retention, Roles, Responsibilities and Resources. Three core areas will be covered: organizing and developing the membership function to deliver value; collecting, managing and using member and prospect data; and recruitment and renewal strategies. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: ASAE Membership Section

Presenters:

• Sara Miller, PMP, CAE, Senior Director of Membership Operations, Association of Corporate Counsel
• Wes Trochil, Founder, Effective Database Management
• Tony Rossell, Senior Vice President, Marketing General Inc.
• Carolyn Hook (moderator), Membership & Engagement Director, New Jersey Society of CPAs

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Thu 9/15 at 4 p.m. – Planning for an Office Move

Hear about the best practices to pursue, and pitfalls to avoid when moving your office. The speakers have learned a thing or two about moving in their 20+ years of working with nonprofits, and want to help you get through it without tears. They’ll share their office move checklist to help keep you on track. More info/register.

Host: Community IT Innovators

Presenters: Rick Alloway and William Maxwell, Community IT Innovators

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Fri 9/16 at 1 p.m. – Delivering Flawless Virtual & Hybrid Conferences

Virtual conferences offer most of the benefits of an in-person event, and several benefits you won’t find at an in-person event. However, if you aren’t up to date on what attendees want, your organization is at great risk of failing. Hear about the ten most common pitfalls, as well as the tips and resources you need to avoid them. More info/register.

Host: iCohere

Presenter: Lance A. Simon, CVEP, Executive Vice President, iCohere.

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Fri 9/16 at 2 p.m. – Going Beyond Basic Webinars

Learn how to take your webinar out of basic boring mode. You’ll get tips for creating high quality content that attracts visitors, facilitation techniques that engage and move the audience to action, and new ideas for generating revenue. More info/register.

Host: iCohere

Presenter: Taylor Lambert, CVEP, Client Solutions, iCohere.

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If you can’t attend a live webinar, go ahead and register if the topic interests you. Most webinar hosts send a link to the recording to all registrants.

Association Brain Food Weekly is published Friday mornings. If your organization offers professional development for the association community, please send me the link via email or Twitter.

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<Creative Commons photo of the Lecture Theatre at Beelitz-Heilstätten, Germany by Paul>

120 days left in the year—what do you still want to accomplish? Have you contributed to the community as much as you’d like? If not, take 15 minutes to participate in the Association Leadership Study.

This study will find out what leadership practices nurture great boards, what behaviors and skills CEOs need to move their boards ahead, and more. Amanda Kaiser of Kaiser Insights (the brains behind the Smooth the Path blog) and AH (aka Association Headquarters, an NJ-based AMC) are conducting the study. You can learn more about the study and start the survey on the survey information page. The survey closes next Friday 9/9.

If your company has a webinar scheduled for the upcoming month, send me the link. I’ll be happy to feature it as long as it’s not too product-centric.

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Tue 9/6 at 1 p.m.* – 10 Tips to Boost Software User Adoption

If you don’t have a user adoption plan for new software, your new system is going to fail. Why? Because your software can’t do much without the people who need to put it to work on a daily basis. Learn how to help your staff become software champions. You’ll get tips and best practices that nonprofits across the country have used to turn their staff into proficient and enthusiastic users of their software systems. More info/register.

Host: Netsuite

Presenter: Karen Graham, Executive Director, Idealware

*all times are Eastern Daylight Saving Time

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Tue 9/6 at 2 p.m. – Associations and the New Education Paradigm (Association Chat on Huzza)

47% of jobs in the U.S. will be significantly impacted or replaced by artificial intelligence and automation within the next decade. Join Association Chat host KiKi L’Italien, founder of Amplified Growth, and her guests Elizabeth Weaver Engel (Spark Consulting) and Shelly Alcorn (Alcorn Associates) to discuss their newly released white paper about the chaotic climate the world is facing with education, the workforce, and the role associations could and should play. Participate live or view the recording.

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Wed 9/7 at 1 p.m. – Abolish Agenda Anxiety: A Painless Process for Crafting Conference Content

Piecing together speakers and content is the most time consuming part of the planning process. Learn tips and tricks to save time, proven project management milestones, how to incentivize your team and speakers to stay on track, and easy-to-implement advice on running your content creation like a well-oiled machine. More info/register.

Host: Cvent and Meetings Today

Presenter: Kevin Yanushefski, Product Marketing Manager, Cvent

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Thu 9/8 at 12 p.m. – Don’t Be Asleep at the Switch: Engage in 401k Best Practice Approaches Now to Avoid Pitfalls Later

Many associations that sponsor 401(k) plans are unaware of the duties and responsibilities required of them and the related risks they need to manage, and that’s scary with ERISA litigation increasing even for small plans. The first webinar in this series will cover basics regarding fiduciary responsibilities and best practice approaches. More info/register.

Host: ASAE Retirement Trust

Presenter: Alison Cohen, Senior Associate, Ferenczy Benefits Law Center

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Thu 9/8 at 12:30 p.m. – Innovation Rules! Fostering Innovation at Your Association

Innovation plays a critical role in your association’s race for relevance—it must be prioritized, sought out, and nurtured at every level of the association. Learn about the role of innovation at associations today, tips and techniques for fostering an innovation culture, and the role enterprise platforms play in AMS innovation. More info/register.

Host: NimbleUser

Presenters:

• Teri Carden, Founder, ReviewMyAMS.com
• Dan Stark, Director of Product Innovation, NimbleUser (and former association Executive Director)
• Sig VanDamme, Chief Customer Officer, NimbleUser

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Thu 9/8 at 2 p.m. – Website Personalization 101: Five Things to Consider Before Targeting Your CMS Content

Learn how to develop a targeted content strategy that deliberately puts users first. Hear tips for setting up your organization’s data sources and building a measurement plan. Get an understanding of personalization platforms, from robust “Experience Management Systems” to more modestly-priced plug-ins. More info/register.

Host: CMSWire

Presenter: Colin Eagan, User Experience Principal, ICF Olson

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Thu 9/8 at 2 p.m. – Discover Super Members II: Oh, the Stories Your Data Can Tell

Whether your association uses one system or 30 to manage members, thousands of data points are at your fingertips. If designed, integrated, and analyzed correctly, there’s a story to discover within those data points to help you better understand all your members and ultimately discover your Super Members. Join this conversation about software and data strategies that will give you a 360-degree view of your member data. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: Abila

Presenters:

• Debbie King, CEO, Association Analytics
• Carlos Restrepo, Senior Director, Abila

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Fri 9/9 at 3 p.m. – Using Interactive Content to Convert Prospects to Customers

For many organizations, digital marketing is a new undertaking. Associations want to know how to best staff their organizations, craft campaigns, and measure programs in the digital age. This webinar series helps associations evolve fully into digital and helps corporate marketers new to the association world understand what’s different. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: HighRoad Solution

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If you can’t attend a live webinar, go ahead and register if the topic interests you. Most webinar hosts send a link to the recording to all registrants.

Association Brain Food Weekly is published Friday mornings. If your organization offers professional development for the association community, please send me the link via email or Twitter.

<Creative Commons photo by Melody McClure>

Birthday weeks always put me in a reflective mood. Over the last few days, I’ve been thinking about…

…what I accomplished, or didn’t, this past year, and what I hope to achieve in the coming year.

…what habits I’ve developed, broken, and want to develop.

…how I’ve been spending my time, and how I rather spend my time.

…how I can help others because, well, it’s not all about me.

Do you take time every year to think about these things?

Do you write down the behavior you want to adopt or the goals you want to achieve? Studies have shown you’re more likely to achieve goals when you write them down. But don’t just write down the outcome—write down the actions or habits that will get you there.

If you want to spend more time learning, then add one of these webinars to your schedule. Ok, that’s enough advice from me!

If your company has a webinar scheduled for the upcoming month, send me the link. I’ll be happy to feature it as long as it’s not too product-centric.

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Tue 8/30 at 1 p.m.* – Simple but Effective Tips for Collecting High-Quality, Original Conference Content

Learn how to improve the abstract collection and review process for your conference, including how to: implement a plan to help increase submitter compliance, create an effective peer review process, prepare for an influx of last-minute submissions, and protect the integrity of your conference with plagiarism detection. More info/register.

Host: Omnipress

Speaker: Sean Lawler, Product Director of Digital Services, Omnipress

*all times are Eastern Daylight Saving Time

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Tue 8/30 at 2 p.m. – Don’t Just Make Video. Make Video That Works. (Association Chat on Huzza)

Want to know how to make more compelling video content for your organization, where and when to invest in video, and get some tips for DIY studios and livestreaming? Join Association Chat host KiKi L’Italien, founder of Amplified Growth, and special guest Esteban Escobar, CEO & Executive Producer at 5:00 Films & Media, as they dig into those questions and much more. Participate live or view the recording.

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Wed 8/31 at 12 p.m. – Small Staff Association Brown Bag Lunch Group (Washington DC)

At this monthly lunch, attendees share ideas and ask questions about other associations’ best practices. Please sign up to attend only if you are interested in making a long-term commitment to this group and if you currently work for a small staff association or AMC. More info/register.

Location: SmithBucklin, 2025 M Street, NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC

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Wed 8/31 at 1 p.m. – Ultimate Member Engagement: The Power of Data-Driven Decision Making

If you’re like most associations, your AMS contains a seemingly endless amount of historical, financial, social, and demographic data on members, former members, prospects, and more. Find out how to leverage visualizations and analytics to better understand your data, how mining the right data can improve your member’s experience, and how to determine a successful ROI on your collection and analysis of member data. More info/register.

Host: Impexium

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Wed 8/31 at 1 p.m. – Event Sponsorship Is Broken: 10 Tips to Fix It

For most organizations, merely selling exposure to sponsors doesn’t cut it anymore. Learn why the traditional sponsorship model is no longer relevant, how to sell effective sponsorship packages, and how technology can help make sponsorships measurable. More info/register.

Host: Eventbrite

Speaker: Julius Solaris, editor, Event Manager Blog

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Wed 8/31 at 2 p.m. – Creating and Sustaining Strategic Boards

The creation, care, and feeding of a strategic board of directors is one of the most significant leadership challenges facing association CEOs. Learn about the key findings from Association Laboratory’s white paper Creating and Sustaining a Strategic Board which incorporates ideas and insights from 25 association chief staff officers. Discuss the implications and practical application of the findings at your own association. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: Association Headquarters

Speaker: Dean West, FASAE, President, Association Laboratory

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Thu 9/1 at 3 p.m. – Loudoun County Idea Swap (Leesburg VA)

Registrants can provide agenda topics on issues they’re facing in their association. These topics will be addressed by participants in a round table format. In addition, every swap has a short presentation on a topic of interest to association attendees. This month’s topic: Effective Use of Video for Association Marketing, Branding, Communications and Events. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Speaker: Tom Madden, President, Visual Impact Productions

Location: American Roetgen Ray Society, 44211 Slatestone Ct, Leesburg, VA

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If you can’t attend a live webinar, go ahead and register if the topic interests you. Most webinar hosts send a link to the recording to all registrants.

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Association Brain Food Weekly is published Friday mornings. If your organization offers professional development for the association community, please send me the link via email or Twitter.

<Creative Commons photo by geopungo>

“I’ve got the sweetest hangover, I don’t want to get over…”

Not that kind of hangover. I’ve got the post-ASAE Annual buzz. This is the emotion you want to trigger when marketing your conference—that warm, happy, inspired, charged-up feeling of belonging to a tribe who gets what you do and loves what you love.

It’s that buzz you get from discovering and developing new ideas with people sitting across the room or around the table.

It’s that buzz you feel when your neurons start firing up and making connections.

It’s when you look around and see the smiling faces of friends and acquaintances and know you’re in for several days of learning and laughing.

How do you keep that feeling going throughout the year? That’s a toughie, but I’ll be thinking about it so you might see me revisit this topic soon.

In the meantime, we’re back in business with lots of good online content to absorb this week. If your company has a webinar scheduled for the upcoming month, send me the link. I’ll be happy to feature it as long as it’s not too product-centric.

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Tue 8/23 at 9 a.m.* – 10 Website Design and Email Marketing Best Practices for NGOs
This webinar will demonstrate the importance of embracing new website and email marketing design and call-to-action trends. Topics include: trends in nonprofit website design such as layout and strategic use of call-to-action buttons; how to format articles and blog posts to increase your click-through rate; how to ensure your website and email communications are mobile compatible; how to integrate social media into your website and email communications; and tips for building your email list. More info/register.

Host: On Good/Public Interest Registry

Presenter: Heather Mansfield, Nonprofit Tech for Good

*all times are Eastern Daylight Saving Time

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Tue 8/23 at 12 p.m. – Social Media 201: Content Curation, Time Management and Audience Engagement
If you’re not seeing any return on the time you’re spending on social platforms or if you’re not sure of next steps, this session is for you. Learn about tools to help you minimize the amount of time you’re spending on social media, while maximizing the size and engagement level of your audience. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.

Sponsor: Visit Mexico

Host: MPI

Presenter: Kristi Casey Sanders, Director of Digital Marketing, MPI

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Tue 8/23 at 2 p.m. – What I Know For Sure About Leadership (Association Chat on Huzza)

An association industry professional for more than 25 years, entrepreneur JP Moery’s favorite quote from racing legend Mario Andretti has seemingly set the course for his career path: “If everything seems under control, you’re just not going fast enough.” In this chat, hosted by KiKi L’Italien, founder of Amplified Growth, hear what Moery knows for sure about leadership. Ask questions and even jump on camera as JP and KiKi dig into what leadership means today and how to best face obstacles on a leader’s path. Participate live or view the recording.

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Wed 8/24 at 10 a.m. – Coffee, Tea, and PD! – A Happy “Half” Hour

Discuss professional develop (PD) success stories and lessons learned from the 2016 ASAE Annual Meeting. Bring your favorite mid-morning beverage and a plate of your tastiest bites of success, lessons, and exciting developments, to share with your association friends. More info/register.

Organizer: Adrienne Bryant, CAE and the ASAE Professional Development Council

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Wed 8/24 at 1 p.m. – Why the AMS Platform Supersedes All Else

With innovation moving today at light speed, you need to leverage a strong platform if you want to deliver a world-class member experience. Stop focusing on features, instead, learn how to: evaluate association management software based on important, often overlooked criteria; avoid hidden costs you may not see on the surface; and attract next generation thinkers and staff with a strong technology platform. More info/register.

Host: Nimble AMS

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Thu 8/25 at 12:30 p.m. – Building a Better Digital Strategy for Member-Based Organizations (Thirty on Thursday)

Building and executing a well-planned digital strategy for your member association can increase the quantity and quality of engagement among members, grow membership, and provide insights into the behaviors and interests of members. Learn key strategies and tactics for launching successful member-driven digital experiences and websites; considerations for developing your association’s digital strategy; important features to include in your web and mobile experience; and tips for monitoring, measuring and continually improving the member experience. More info/register.

Sponsor: Ingeniux

Host: .orgCommunity

Presenter: David DeLorenzo, CIO, DelCor Technology Solutions

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Thu 8/25 at 1 p.m. – Strategic Pricing for Educational Products

Pricing for education products is all over the map. But pricing is too essential to leave to guesswork. In this session, we look at strategic pricing practices and why you should embrace value-based pricing that focuses on the benefit you deliver to the buyers. We’ll also explore how your education products can be placed on a value continuum that lets you create pricing flexibility to benefit your customers and your bottom line. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: CommPartners

Presenters:

• Celisa Steele and Jeff Cobb, co-founders, Tagoras
• Rich Finstein, CEO, CommPartners

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Thu 8/25 at 1 p.m. – Increase Engagement and Drive Revenue with Marketing Automation

Learn how organizations are tackling member engagement challenges and achieving great results using email marketing and marketing automation. You’ll gain new perspective and walk away with fresh ideas based on three real life case studies, including how to efficiently welcome and engage new members, a strategic approach to developing a winning lapsed member campaign, and the importance of follow through for growing non dues revenue. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: ACGI Software

Presenter: Vivian Swertinski, Senior Digital Marketing Strategist, Informz

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Thu 8/25 at 2 p.m. – Shake It Off: Member Engagement Taylor Swift Style

Taylor Swift is a one-woman Engagement Machine: her fans receive personalized messages, her songs speak to their experiences, and the public is kept fascinated via a never-ending stream of social media updates. She’s sticky, viral, and audiences can’t seem to get enough. Discover the lessons to her success that can help your association make the most of your relationship with members, including how to use segmentation to target prospects and identify trends that will help you engage with members across all generations. More info/register.

Host: Abila

Presenter: Amanda Myers, Director of Member Strategy (and resident pop culture junkie), Abila

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Thu 8/25 at 4 p.m. – Planning and IT Project Management for Nonprofits

This presentation for those who manage nonprofit IT projects will address roles and responsibilities, planning, implementation, and follow up. The webinar will also discuss how to hire consultants, vet vendors, discover your business needs and link them to IT initiatives, gather metrics, and demonstrate ROI. More info/register.

Host: Community IT Innovators

Presenters:

• Johan Hammerstrom, President and CEO, Community IT Innovators
• Steve Longenecker, Director of IT Consulting, Community IT Innovators

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If you can’t attend a live webinar, go ahead and register if the topic interests you. Most webinar hosts send a link to the recording to all registrants.

Association Brain Food Weekly is published Friday mornings. If your organization offers professional development for the association community, please send me the link via email or Twitter.

I wouldn’t blame you for having conference envy right now. The lucky among us in the association community, including me, are heading off today or tomorrow to the ASAE Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City for several days of learning, hugging, chatting, drinking, eating, and hanging out with fellow association geeks.

The paltry list of webinars below is no substitute, I know, but you’ll be a few thousand dollars richer than I will by staying home. You can at least follow the conference hashtag on Twitter: #asae16.

If you’re exhibiting at Annual, please read my article on post-show emails before you send out yours. And, if your company has a webinar scheduled in the upcoming month, I’d be happy to feature it in future Brain Foods as long as it’s not product-centric.

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Tue 8/16 at 2 p.m.* – Association Chat Live from ASAE Annual 

This week’s chat, hosted by KiKi L’Italien, founder of Amplified Growth, is a very special one because it will be broadcast live from ASAE Annual. Who will show up? What hot topics will be discussed? I can’t wait to find out. Participate live or view the recording.

*all times are Eastern Daylight Saving Time

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Tue 8/16 at 12 p.m. – Estimating the ROI of Your Technology Projects

Learn how to think through the ROI for the tech projects on your list so you can prioritize them. Understand the potential costs—including hardware and software, implementation process, training time, and more—and how to weigh them against potential benefits such as money saved, time saved, and improved services, and advocacy. By the end of the hour, you’ll have the skills you need to confidently pursue the technology projects that make sense for your organization, constituents, and donors. More info/register.

Host: Idealware

Presenter: Eric Leland, Founder, FivePaths

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Wed 8/17 at 2 p.m. – 5 Ways to Build Your Brand on Social Media

Social media has transformed the way brands can interact with customers. It can be challenging to stand out in the crowd, but also extremely rewarding. Learn how to develop a winning social media brand strategy; leverage social media channels such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Snapchat; create fun, shareable social media campaigns; and engage with customers and influencers. More info/register.

<Ed. note: Although this webinar is aimed at brands, it looks like the content would benefit associations as well.>

Host: Marketo

Presenter: Lisa Marcyes, Social Media Marketing Manager, Marketo

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Thu 8/18 at 2:30 p.m. – Millennial Engagement Strategies for Associations

Millennials represent the future of association membership ranks. Learn about the unique work-life attributes of Millennials and how those attributes affect association member engagement, marketing, communications, and branding efforts. More info/register.

Host: Engage

Presenters:

• Gail Straus, Founder, GKS Consulting
• Jason Stone, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Engage

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Fri 8/19 at 1 p.m. – Increasing the Speed of Success: An Association’s eLearning Playbook

Establishing an effective eLearning program requires much more than selecting an LMS and authoring software. Let’s talk about your playbook and the key questions your association needs to address to increase the speed of your eLearning success. More info/register.

Host: Blue Sky eLearn

Presenter: Tracy King, Chief Learning Strategist & Founder, InspirEd

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If you can’t attend a live webinar, go ahead and register if the topic interests you. Most webinar hosts send a link to the recording to all registrants.

Association Brain Food Weekly is published Friday mornings. If your organization offers professional development for the association community, please send me the link via email or Twitter.

<Creative Commons photo of Provo Peak in Utah by Miguel Vieira>

Countdown to ASAE Annual in Salt Lake City! I’m looking forward to spending time with old friends and meeting new ones. If you see me wandering around looking like a space cadet—big meetings do that to me—please stop me and introduce yourself. I’d love to catch up with you or meet you.

I’m a social introvert—yes, such a thing does exist—so my adrenaline sizzles and my memory suffers at conferences. Please forgive me for that, especially when I reintroduce myself after I’ve met you a few times already. Yup, known to happen, embarrassing.

My plane lands on Friday afternoon, so if you’re arriving early, I’m planning to spend Saturday out and about, either hiking in nearby mountains (if I can figure out a destination and a way to get there) or roaming the city taking in history and good craft beer. Give me a shout-out at @deirdrereid or email me if you want to meet up.

Here’s the list of webinars and other events for the association community for the week of August 8. If your organization has a webinar scheduled for August, I’ll be happy to feature it as long as it’s not product-centric.

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Mon 8/8 at 2 p.m.* – Association Matchmaker: Building Lifelong Learning Relationships with Members

Don’t let your members go elsewhere for knowledge—show them you’re the perfect match for all the information they’re seeking. Discover the learning trends uncovered in Abila’s Member Engagement Study, strategies to blend continuing education with professional development, and tactics to design attractive credentialing and certification programs. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: Abila

Speakers:

• Amanda Myers, Director of Member Strategy, Abila
• Anna Toon, Product Marketer, Abila

*all times are Eastern Daylight Saving Time

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Tue 8/9 at 12 p.m. – Meetings Outlook: A Deep Dive into the Latest Business Trends

Meeting professionals are so over-taxed, they often forget—or don’t have the time—to look ahead. Get a preview of the future based on MPI’s most recent Meetings Outlook research and then discuss the trends that most affect you and your peers. Brainstorm ways to start planning for the uncertain future with case studies and best practices from around the globe. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.

Host: MPI

Speaker: Jessie States, Education Content Design Manager, MPI

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Tue 8/9 at 2 p.m. – When “Uberization” Collides with Associations (Association Chat on Huzza)

An IBM study reports the #1 fear of 65% of C-suite executives is the “uberization” of their industry. Tune in to hear Tom Morrison, CEO of the Metal Treatment Institute, share key data and strategies on the opportunity associations have to capitalize on marketplace disruption. Participate live or view the recording.

Host: KiKi L’Italien, founder, Amplified Growth

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Tue 8/9 at 2 p.m. – Meetings with Impact: How Leaders Create Strategic Conversations for Change

Standard meetings and brainstorming sessions don’t cut it in an era of shifting business models and increasing competitive pressures. They’re not conducive for dealing with messy, open-ended challenges or delivering the all-in participation required to wrestle with tough issues. In contrast, strategic conversations can turn time-sucking, energy-depleting meetings into inspiring, productive ones. Learn about the art and science of designing strategic conversations. More info/register.

Host: Velvet Chainsaw

Speaker: Jeff Hurt, EVP, Education and Engagement, Velvet Chainsaw

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Tue 8/9 at 3:30 p.m. – Unified Learning Design Studio: Curriculum – Ties That Bind

Curriculum can take eLearning from ho-hum to transformative. Learn about four types of curriculum and how to connect your eLearning curriculum to curated content. You’ll also receive a curriculum analysis tool. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: iCohere

Speaker: Dr. Amanda Batson, founder, ADB Partners

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Wed 8/10 at 2 p.m. – Improve Employee Engagement by Making HR Relevant Again

While most of what HR is asked to respond to is important to the business, it isn’t terribly relevant to driving the one thing the C-Suite really wants: growth. Redefine the role your “people people” play and improve employee engagement by giving HR the tools and resources they need as well as the ownership and responsibility for leveraging the one and only differentiator you might have: your culture. More info/register.

Host: QuestionPro

Speakers: Jamie Notter and Charlie Judy, co-founders, WorkXO

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Thu 8/11 at 1 p.m. – Effective Webinar Design and Facilitation

Ready to turn unproductive webinars into effective, engaging online events? Learn about effective design strategies and webinar facilitation techniques to help foster collaboration. Find out how to convert your webinars into valuable on-demand training sessions and an online resource center. 0.5 CAE credit. More info/register.

Host: iCohere

Speaker: Lance A. Simon, CVEP, Executive Vice President, iCohere

If you can’t attend a live webinar, go ahead and register if the topic interests you. Most webinar hosts send a link to the recording to all registrants.

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Association Brain Food Weekly is published Friday mornings. If your organization offers professional development for the association community, please send me the link via email or Twitter.

Creative Commons photo of Salt Lake City by Garrett

Here’s the list of webinars and other events for the association community for the week of August 1. The association webinar scene is quiet during vacation season and in the run-up to the ASAE Annual Meeting in a few weeks. Since the pickings are slim, please let me know if your organization has a webinar scheduled for August – I’ll be happy to feature it as long as it’s not product-centric.

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Tue 8/2 at 12 p.m.* – Epic Solutions: Meeting the Challenges of Meeting Professionals

Stakeholders, executives and audiences are tasking meeting and event professionals with creating groundbreaking meeting and event experiences with budgets and demands that require unique solutions. Learn how High-Altitude Leadership increases productivity and overall performance, the accelerating insight of The Priority Process, and the practical insights of Creating “Wow” Experiences. 1 CMP hour credit. More info/register.

Host: MPI

Speaker: Jerome Wade, Chief Epic Officer, The Epic Advantage

*all times are Eastern Daylight Saving Time

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Tue 8/2 at 12 p.m. – DC Small Staff Association Brown Bag Lunch Group (Washington DC)

Attend the first meeting of a casual lunch group of association colleagues who work at small staff associations. Bring your own lunch. Share ideas and ask questions about other associations’ best practices. You must be registered to participate. More info/register.

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Tue 8/2 at 1 p.m. – 10 Emerging Trends in Digital Communications and Fundraising

Learn what’s new and next in digital communications and fundraising so your nonprofit can prepare for the future and embrace being an early adopter. Topics include: what’s new in online and mobile fundraising; what’s next in social media and online community engagement; an exploration of real-time communications and fundraising; the Internet of Things and its impact nonprofit communications and fundraising; and demographic changes and their impact on the nonprofit sector. More info/register.

Host: Public Interest Registry

Speaker: Heather Mansfield, Nonprofit Tech for Good

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Tue 8/2 at 2 p.m. – How to Get the Best ROI out of Data Analytics (Association Chat on Blab)

This week’s chat, hosted by KiKi L’Italien, founder of Amplified Growth, features Galina Kozachenko, Director, Strategic Data Analytics at the Association for Financial Professionals, and Debbie King, CEO of Association Analytics. Galina and Debbie will share best practices and tips for ensuring the long-term success of your data analytics initiatives. From change management to continuous improvement, you’ll hear about lessons learned and learn how you can get the best ROI out of your data analytics initiative. Participate live or view the recording.

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Thu 8/4 at 3 p.m. – Associations Tableau User Group (Washington DC)

RSVP by August 2 for an afternoon of hands-on exercises, discussion, and networking. Anyone who is in the association community and uses Tableau (or is interested in using it) can attend. Space is limited. More info/register.

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Thu 8/4 at 3 p.m. – Association Mentoring: A Global Study of Best Practices and Key Findings for Program Success

Whether you already have a mentoring program or are searching for a solid framework to launch one, take an in-depth look at what makes a successful mentoring program based on the experience of hundreds of professional associations. Learn how associations currently implement mentoring programs (based on findings from their Global Research Study); 3 pillars of all successful mentoring programs; 7 steps of starting a mentoring program; and common program pitfalls. More info/register.

Host: Naylor LLC

Speakers:

• Melissa Richardson, Art of Mentoring
• Carrie McIntyre, Vice President, Naylor Association Solutions

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If you can’t attend a live webinar, go ahead and register if the topic interests you. Most webinar hosts send a link to the recording to all registrants.

Association Brain Food Weekly is published Friday mornings. If your organization offers professional development for the association community, please send me the link via email or Twitter.