Afleveringen

  • 1. Crafting a Winning Member Engagement Strategy:

    Navigating Challenges: The landscape of member engagement is evolving, presenting new challenges. The solution lies in a dual focus on delivering value and implementing effective engagement strategies.Diverse Engagement Tactics: Acknowledge the diversity within your membership, including those not fully embracing technology. Initiate a volunteer journey, starting with smaller roles, to cultivate engagement.

    2. Corporate Sponsorship Unveiled:

    Strategic Approaches: Moving corporate members into sponsorship programs requires a nuanced strategy. Understand their unique goals, involve them in the decision-making process, and gradually progress sponsorship levels.Customization is Key: Recognize that corporate goals evolve. Tailor engagement for sponsors, offering customized opportunities that align with their shifting objectives.Inclusive Conversations: Break away from traditional sponsorship models. Engage sponsors in meaningful conversations, making them integral to strategic planning and committees.

    3. Unraveling Member and Sponsor Objectives:

    Qualitative Research for Members: Dive deep into member experiences through qualitative research. Understand their challenges, goals, and preferences to create tailored programs that add significant value.Strategic Business Alignment: For sponsors, inquire about their business objectives, marketing goals, and preferred outreach methods. Align association offerings with their unique needs.Beyond Traditional Models: Shift the conversation beyond traditional sponsorship. Explore innovative, customized opportunities that cater to sponsors' evolving goals.

    4. Navigating the Technology Landscape:

    Challenge Assumptions: Rethink assumptions about member technology use. Bridge gaps by meeting members where they are, and employ a multichannel approach.Seamless Multichannel Engagement: Utilize various channels such as SMS and email to engage members seamlessly, respecting their channel preferences and ensuring a cohesive experience.

    5. Elevating Conference Sponsorships:

    Personalized Engagement: Steer clear of a one-size-fits-all approach in conference sponsorships. Understand each sponsor's unique goals and objectives for a personalized experience.Value Beyond Logos: Go beyond logo placements; sponsors desire active involvement. Make them part of the conversation, provide tangible value, and involve them in strategic discussions.

    6. Evolution in Continuous Engagement:

    Sustaining Dialogue: Establish ongoing dialogues with both members and sponsors. Regularly reassess their needs to adapt programs and ensure continued success.Dynamic Reassessment: Continuously revisit conversations with sponsors. Understand changes in their initiatives and audience focus, allowing for dynamic adjustments.

    About our panel members:

    Amanda Kaiser is a sought-after member engagement strategist. She is the Keynote Speaker & Engagement Strategist at Kaiser Insights LLC and the author of “Elevating Engagement: Uncommon Strategies for Creating a Thriving Member Community”.

    Bruce Rosenthal is the Founder & Convener at Partnership Professionals Network. Bruce is a corporate partnership and sponsorship guru with more than two decades of experience as a strategic advisor, consultant and education for trade and professional associations.

    About our host:

    Farhad Khan is a thought leader in membership websites and digital strategies for associations. He is the CEO & Membership Strategist at Grype Digital. He has helped numerous associations automate member engagement and retention over his career of 12+ years.

    As you embark on your association's journey, remember that Member Lounge is your steadfast ally, ready to support the implementation of these strategic insights for unparalleled success! 🌐💬 #MemberEngagement #SponsorshipSuccess #AssociationStrategies #LearningPost

    Special acknowledgement to our guests for providing powerful insights into membership management. 

    Follow our podcast for more free educational content.

    Visit memberlounge.app to learn more about us.

    Contact [email protected] for questions or support.

     

     

  • Multi-Touch Recruitment Strategies

    Emphasizes diverse communication channels.Focuses on personalized messaging to prospective members.

    Member Value Documentation

    Stresses the importance of understanding members' needs and values.Suggests regular updates and adaptations to these values.

    Technology in Member Engagement

    Discusses leveraging digital platforms for enhanced member interaction.Highlights the use of data analytics for better engagement strategies.

    Creating Vibrant Member Communities

    Advocates for building active, engaging online and offline member communities.Emphasizes regular events and forums for member interaction.

    Tailored Communication for Different Segments

    Addresses the need to understand various member segments.Suggests customized communication strategies for each segment.

    About our panel members:

    Scott Oser is the President of Scott Oser Associates Inc. Scott has spent the past 25 years working with hundreds of associations. He is an accomplished speaker, writer, and respected authority in the membership communication space.

    Farhad Khan is the CEO & Membership Strategist at Grype Digital. He is a thought leader in membership strategy and an expert in membership consultation helping associations automate member engagement and retention.

    Special acknowledgement to our guests for providing powerful insights into membership management. 

    Follow our podcast for more free educational content.

    Visit memberlounge.app to learn more about us.

    Contact [email protected] for questions or support.

     

     

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  • If you ever had second thoughts about your association management system, you should follow your gut feeling. Here’s what we talked about in our super insightful session with association technology experts Jeff Horne and Farhad Khan -

    Adopting more modern and interconnected tools to create a seamless member journey and boost team efficiency.Strategic approach to technology selection in your association to ensure it meets the needs of your members.Empower your team by choosing technology systems that boost job satisfaction and productivity.Navigating association management software challenges to maintain a high-quality member experience.Current trends and future of association management technology to enrich your association’s experience

    About Our Guest:

    Co-Founder & CEO of Wicket, Jeff is a passionate advocate and change agent for software solutions available to member-driven organizations. He has been working with digital technologies for over 20 years and has helped numerous associations and nonprofits increase member acquisition and engagement.

    About Our Host:

    Farhad Khan is the CEO & Membership Strategist at Grype Digital. He is one of the thought leaders in digital strategy consultation, helping associations automate member engagement and retention.

    Special acknowledgement to our guests for providing powerful insights into membership management. 

    Follow our podcast for more free educational content.

    Visit memberlounge.app to learn more about us.

    Contact [email protected] for questions or support.

     

     

  • About the panel discussion:

    Explore creative financial strategies to generate revenue for your association through automated marketing. Get invaluable insights into the best practices to engage and retain your stakeholders!

    Learn how to attract sponsors whose goals align with your association's mission while maintaining member happiness with the power of state-of-the-art marketing tools.

    Meet the experts in sponsorship, business development and marketing:

    Edward Byers is the Director of Membership at the Canadian Society of Association Executives. He is a passionate non-for-profit executive who has a significant role in boosting partnerships in the association realm.

    Lydia Israel is the marketing manager at Grype Digital, who is also an expert in agile marketing and business development. She has led both local and international organizations to immeasurable success in her 20 years of career.

    Connect with the Experts!

    The Member Lounge Discussion Community is not just a platform, it’s a hub of innovation and collaboration. Connect with the brightest minds in the association world and explore game-changing strategies to boost your association’s success.

    Engage in conversations to get the answers to your burning questions. Whether it’s pricing for your association or governance or technology planning, there’s a space for every topic!

    Special acknowledgement to our guests for providing powerful insights into membership management. 

    Follow our podcast for more free educational content.

    Visit memberlounge.app to learn more about us.

    Contact [email protected] for questions or support.

     

     

  • Do you find yourself asking "How can we create content that not only attracts new members, but also keeps them coming back for more?" If you want to keep your association members enchanted and engaged, content is the key to solve your retention woes! Discover the secret sauce to maximize your content to engage and retain members to make your association stand out from the crowd.

    About our Guest
    Leona Scott is a content connoisseur with passion and expertise in membership and content creation.

    She founded JEP Marketing Communication and has helped numerous member-based associations with content marketing needs.

    Leona has won the Dallas Fort Worth Association Executives (DFWAE) 2023 Award for her brilliant marketing and communication efforts in the association realm and the President's Award for her excellent skills in developing popular online monthly meetups that created incredible value for its members.

    Special acknowledgement to our guests for providing powerful insights into membership management. 

    Follow our podcast for more free educational content.

    Visit memberlounge.app to learn more about us.

    Contact [email protected] for questions or support.

     

     

  • In a world where innovation thrives on fresh perspectives, we're diving headfirst into the realm of young professionals and their paramount role in driving association growth. Listen to our live podcast as we’re unveiling the master plan for associations to flourish with member engagement and generational shift expert Sarah L. Sladek!Special acknowledgement to our guests for providing powerful insights
    into membership management. 

    Follow our podcast for more free educational content.

    Visit memberlounge.app to learn more about us.

    Contact [email protected] for questions or support.

     

     

  • Technology is ever more important now for associations. The key is to approach technology planning the right way and using it to drive revenue.

    But here’s the secret sauce: it’s not just about the dollars and cents. It’s about creating an unforgettable user experience. Let’s discover the perfect blend of technology and user-centric strategies to take your association to new heights with CEO coach, speaker, and author Mary Byers and host Farhad Khan.Special acknowledgement to our guests for providing powerful insights
    into membership management. 

    Follow our podcast for more free educational content.

    Visit memberlounge.app to learn more about us.

    Contact [email protected] for questions or support.

     

     

  • About This Episode

    Looking to level up your fundraising game? Try creative sponsorship options into your fundraising plan and create new opportunities for growth and revenue.

    With our proven strategies and tips, you'll learn how to create a winning formula that works. It's all about leveraging their content and tapping into their expertise to create even more value for your association and grow your membership.

    Don't miss out on the chance to take your fundraising to new heights!

    About Our Guest

    Bruce Rosenthal is a highly sought-after corporate partnerships strategic advisor, consultant, and educator who has been advancing corporate partnership programs for more than two decades.

    He is the co-convener of the Partnership Professionals Network (PPN), a national sponsorship/partnership organization, where he demonstrates leadership in identifying and cultivating partnership best practices, opportunities, and solutions.

    Bruce helps organizations develop customized corporate partnership programs that increase revenue, add member value, and foster organizational sustainability.


    We talked about

    How do I get started when my group has really not had a sponsorship program?What are sponsors looking for?What are some unique sponsorship ideas at events?How do we design win-win sponsorship packages?What would be some best practices to follow when creating sponsorship packages?How to differentiate, especially from the sponsor's perspective, the difference between sponsorship and advertising?What are some ways to attract sponsors outside of events and in just the day to day of operations?What other ways can you include corporate partnerships to better serve members?How to best use partner services to provide member benefits beyond just providing discounts?How to include corporate partners in the online community?How to include sponsors to engage and create value?How to Leverage content from your corporate sponsors to grow your membership?Is there a general rule on the maximum value of sponsorship revenues that an NFP should strive for? E.g., When seeking sponsorships for a particular event, should the sponsorships sought not exceed X% of the anticipated event cost?What are the first three steps to set up a sponsorship program?How to ensure your sponsorship levels or offerings are revenue positive?How do you avoid burning out your regular sponsors?How to differentiate, especially from the sponsor's perspective, the difference between sponsorship and advertising?Affinity partners (discounts to members) vs. sponsors. Is there a difference besides sponsorship is paid and affinity partnership is no cost? Is it recommended to maintain both? How do you get the Board in line with incorporating sponsorships?


    Register
    Register for our upcoming live podcast episodes!

    Special acknowledgement to our guests for providing powerful insights into membership management. 

    Follow our podcast for more free educational content.

    Visit memberlounge.app to learn more about us.

    Contact [email protected] for questions or support.

     

     

  • About This Episode

    Are you looking to take your association to the next level? Look no further! By prioritizing communication, collaboration, and member engagement you can be at the top.

    Strong connections are essential in building a community. With the right strategy you can increase engagement and ensure the long-term sustainability for your organization.

    Let's take your membership model to new heights and achieve success together!

    About our Guest

    Amanda Kaiser is at the forefront of exploring how member and attendee engagement is rapidly changing within professional communities. She authored the book Elevating Engagement: Uncommon Strategies for Creating a Thriving Member Community and shares her distinctive perspective and strategies for nurturing a dynamic and prosperous community.

    We talked about

    Why is a focus on engagement so important for associations right now?

    In your book you have broken down the stages of member engagement. Can you tell us about them in short?

    If we want to simplify the stages in 3 different member engagement levels - low, medium and high. How would you approach these 3 types of member segments?

    Association staff often have limited time for member engagement. Which areas are the most important to focus on?

    Can we talk about some key activities we can do to engage members?

    What is the role of a membership website in member engagement?

    Another key challenge we see is associations prepare an annual plan and there can be no deviation from that plan during the year. The world is changing faster than we can imagine. How can we be more agile?

    How do we engage younger members/professionals?

    How to organically gain new members without it always seeming like a sales pitch

    When staffing resources and time are extremely limited, how do we develop strategies in creating a self-sustaining community independent of the leadership from official staff team members to sustain it?

    How do we minimize the intervention of staff members to sustain the community to avoid the burnout that happens in this leadership role?

    Do professional newbies, experienced and expert members need their own groups, or is it all about connecting all?

    Is the idea of recognizing long-standing members dead?

    We onboard our members virtually. Onboarding email is the only means we use currently and the organizational email address receives it. Is there a way to improve our onboarding in a way that it extends our message to the entire organization and not solely the main contact person?

    How much segmentation is too much when communicating with new members?

    How long is a new member considered "new"?

    Any new ways to do outreach instead of just mass mailers?

    How do you adapt your recommendations for members who may only meet in the virtual world?

    What is a good + affordable way to reach outside our current audience?

    How to effectively onboard members with automatic communications?

    Special acknowledgement to our guests for providing powerful insights into membership management. 

    Follow our podcast for more free educational content.

    Visit memberlounge.app to learn more about us.

    Contact [email protected] for questions or support.

     

     

  • About This Episode

    Are you looking to take your association to the next level? Look no further! By prioritizing communication, collaboration, and member engagement you can increase your association's effectiveness and revenue.

    Effective leadership and regular evaluation are essential in achieving your association's objectives. With the right strategy you can increase revenue and ensure the long-term sustainability for your organization. Let's take your membership model to new heights and achieve success together!

    About our Guest

    Elisa Pratt, CEO and Chief Strategist of Brewer Pratt Solutions, is an influential strategic specialist who served as an impactful senior staff member for several trade and individual membership associations, both domestic and international. She leverages a record of transformative success and specializes in strategic planning, leadership development, and engagement.

    As an association management executive for more than 20 years, she delivers strategic and actionable innovations, future-focused member engagement solutions, and tactical operational effectiveness solutions.

    With a unique background in components, Pratt is a Certified Association Executive (CAE), has earned her Certified Virtual Facilitator designation from the International Institute for Facilitation (INIFAC), and holds a MA in Government from Johns Hopkins University.

    We talked about

    How do I find out where potential members hang out?

    How to get the buy-in from the decision-makers in your organization to invest in IT and digital marketing (understanding social media is not free)?

    How to prospect in different provinces?

    How do you get your BOD on board?

    How to get a buy-in from your membership at large to serve a new market?

    How to keep those first year members

    Beyond the financial benefits of membership, how best to sell the less tangible benefits of your association?

    How to grab the attention of our prospects when there is already so much noise (emails, newsletters, events etc).?

    How do you reach out to try and attract new members without coming across as spam?

    How to determine membership pricing when members are associations or businesses?

    Does membership recruitment require different tactics for Gen Z vs older age cohorts?

    How fluid are most recruitment campaigns that you've helped to create?

    Are they planned in advance with every step concretely established, or, are they adaptive based on the results of prior actions?

    What is the best channel for outreach?

    What do you do when your membership is limited by mission and bylaws?

    In the new digital world, how do renewals cut through the clutter and are calling and mailing invoice campaigns still effective for renewals/retention?

    What are your top three most successful membership recruitment procedures/campaigns?


    Special acknowledgement to our guests for providing powerful insights into membership management. 

    Follow our podcast for more free educational content.

    Visit memberlounge.app to learn more about us.

    Contact [email protected] for questions or support.

     

     

  • About This Episode

    Are You Ready to Be a Member-Centric Organization? Learn more about how to track and manage your member's from their perspective.

    Learn about the expanding list of member associations that have made their members the centre of their strategic planning. And start building an infrastructure that will improve your member's experiences and win member retention.

    Join us with our special guest Mark Levin and see how making your members the centre of your story can transform your association.

    About our Guest

    Mark Levin, CAE, CSP has more than 20 years of experience as an association executive and is also an internationally renowned speaker and consultant to the non-profit and association community. He currently serves as Executive Vice President of the Chain Link Fence Manufacturers Institute, an international trade association, and as President of B.A.I, Inc.

    He is also an award-winning author; his books have been successful on five continents and have received numerous recognitions for training and motivating membership volunteers, as well as being hailed as useful tools for retaining members year after year.

    We talked about

    What you need to know to discover strategic opportunities through the member journey.

    A streamlined onboarding process can save the association and its members time and money

    How to increase your membership satisfaction and loyalty.

    Audience Questions

    Are there strategic opportunities in off-boarding/cancellation process? Should this process be different base on how many years with association member had?

    What is the most important strategy/tactic proven to retain members?

    What are the best strategies to attract younger supporters, ensuring the next generation of the organization?

    Aside from member discounts on an annual event, what are some of the most useful member retention strategies that that other associations currently use to inspire loyalty?

    Are there any special considerations when the members are organizations (not individuals)?

    How do you manage your members' expectations in keeping them engaged and not putting yourself in a position to do all of the legwork for them?

    What are some strategies you can use with new members to retain them the following year?

    How to find the balance between membership cost and value?

    How do you take care of members without feeling overwhelmed?

    How can we use the learnings about member retention for member recruitment?

    How do you convert lapsed members that quit because of a challenge with former leadership?

    What are the best and worst type of tools to engage members?

    What's the best way to get and retain members?

    Special acknowledgement to our guests for providing powerful insights into membership management. 

    Follow our podcast for more free educational content.

    Visit memberlounge.app to learn more about us.

    Contact [email protected] for questions or support.

     

     

  • About This Episode

    People have been paying recurring fees in exchange for access to the benefits your association offers. How could you be sure the price you charge is profitable?

    Learn how to uncover the value you offer, conduct market research to discover expanded opportunities, attach the right price to the value your organization provides and communicate it to your audience.

    Join us and our special guest Dr. Michael Tatonetti and learn all you need to know about financial sustainability for your association.

    About our Guest

    Dr. Michael Tatonetti is the Founder and CEO of Pricing for Associations who loves to share his expertise on how associations, nonprofits and chambers can evolve their pricing strategy, leverage value to drive innovation, and align pricing and value with their mission.

    He is a Certified Association Executive and Pricing Professional as well as a proud Association Forum Forty Under 40 honoree for his dedication to the association field.

    We talked about

    How you can succeed with a profitable subscription based model.

    What you need to know to deliver ongoing value that supports a subscriber’s goal.

    Strategies to set the right price, and communicate your benefits. ​​​

    Key insights to get financial sustainability in your association.

    Audience Questions

    How do you decide when to use flat vs. tiered membership? And how do you create the tiers?

    How much is your value add as an association with staff and overhead?

    How do I balance individual membership vs organizations vs large organizations with different locations?

    How do you manage competition?

    How do you convince others in your organization that raising prices it’s the best thing to do?

    How to deal with objections when some members mayne individuals or businesses are not willing to pay the increased fees?

    Some associations had to increase their fees due to inflation - how do you communicate the changes to your members?

    What are you seeing as the trend for associations who raised their dues during

    Covid or are looking to raise them now?

    Special acknowledgement to our guests for providing powerful insights into membership management. 

    Follow our podcast for more free educational content.

    Visit memberlounge.app to learn more about us.

    Contact [email protected] for questions or support.

     

     

  • About This Episode

    The lack of member engagement is a common problem that many associations experience. How would it be possible to ensure your association is following the right path?

    It is time to analyze how culture is changing and start a digital transformation, find out the proper strategies that will keep your association at the top.

    Join us and our special guest Jamie Notter and learn all you need to know to have engagement solutions.


    About Our Guest

    Jamie Notter is the Co-Founder and Culture Designer at PROPEL with over 20 years of experience in consulting and speaking for organizations specializing in non-profit trade associations and professional associations.

    He is a published author and a business consultant with a focus on building amazing workplace cultures that achieve breakthrough performance and impact.

    Jamie shares his perspective about associations based on his expertise. His mission is to contribute with useful information that will help you to have more member engagement.

    We talked about

    Key insights to understand culture patterns.

    How to start implementing digital solutions in your association.

    How to stop things that are not working and fix things that are broken.

    The right practices to grow your engagement rate.

    Audience Questions

    Can you share a personal habit that has contributed the most to your success?

    What strategies can we use beyond email to increase engagement?

    Are there strategies to make our emails even more effective at driving engagement?

    How to measure success?

    How to encourage members in regards of the value that's being offered in the current membership area?

    How do you get the members that have been around a long time to commit to including the young members?

    How to get members involved at different levels of volunteering?


    Register
    Register for our upcoming live podcast episodes!

    Special acknowledgement to our guests for providing powerful insights into membership management. 

    Follow our podcast for more free educational content.

    Visit memberlounge.app to learn more about us.

    Contact [email protected] for questions or support.

     

     

  • About This Episode

    The lack of member focus is a common problem that many associations experience. How would it be possible to ensure that they are making member centric decisions?

    It is time to examine the ways associations can improve their practices to lead them to a higher level of member retention. Join us and our special guest Tom Abbott and learn all you need to know to have member centric solutions.


    About Our Guest

    Tom Abbott is president and board director of several nonprofit organizations with over 25 years of experience. He is the Co-founder & CEO of AMC NPO Solutions and an authority on Governance. Also he is a proven and certified motivational speaker and author who has motivated audiences in excess of 10,000 people and spoken in over 20 countries.

    Tom shares his international perspective about member focused associations based on his expertise. His mission is to contribute with useful information that will help you to obtain more member retention.

    We talked about

    Why is it difficult for associations to make member-centric decisions?

    The relevant information needed to increase member retention.

    How to have member-centric services and solutions.

    How to train the team to have member-focus daily activities. (How to inspire your team to take a member-centric approach.)

    The right practices to avoid the lack of member focus.


    Audience Questions

    What is the most effective way to encourage women to become involved ?

    Most effective tactic you have found?

    How do you deal with multi-generational members to focus or engage with them all?

    What is the best way to show member-centricity?

    How to discover what members want even if they haven't expressed the need.?

    How do you reconcile customer-centric with member-centric when non-dues revenue is increasingly important?

    How does the membership team communicate to staff that membership is everyone’s responsibility?

    How to get member feedback on what they would like to see in their member area other than surveys?

    How to better support our members which are affiliated organizations, rather than individual members?

    How to support members when we are a small association with very little resources?

    What are some KPI Private Clubs could use to measure membership success?



    Register
    Register for our upcoming live podcast episodes!

    Special acknowledgement to our guests for providing powerful insights into membership management. 

    Follow our podcast for more free educational content.

    Visit memberlounge.app to learn more about us.

    Contact [email protected] for questions or support.

     

     

  • About Our Podcast
    The Grype Podcast is all about membership growth. Farhad Khan, CEO of Grype Digital will answer your questions live in our upcoming podcast episode. Register for our events on our site to learn more about how to grow your association. Our podcast episodes are available on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast and YouTube. Follow us on our social media channels to learn when new episodes are available.

    Do you have a topic you want to hear about? Let us know!

    About This Episode
    In this episode, we will answer the top questions submitted by you. Submit your question online or jump on the mic with us live to find the answers to all your membership site questions!

    Join us as our CEO, Farhad Khan answers all your questions about membership sites and how to grow your association!


    About Our Host
    Farhad Khan, Membership Site Expert & CEO of Grype Digital, has coached and advised hundreds of associations to grow their membership. He is a tech entrepreneur specializing in creating membership sites for professional associations to increase member engagement.

    He started his own tech company in 2009 to help associations and nonprofits solve their challenges with his digital technology skills.

    Farhad’s awards and distinctions include Top 40 Under 40 by the Ottawa Business Journal, Bootstrap Award for Best Guerrilla Marketing and Named an Entrepreneurial Rising Star by Invest Ottawa.


    Full List Of Questions We Answered

    How do you make people "want" to join your Association instead of "needing" to join your Association?

    Where should member benefits be located in their website? What about membership information?

    How many emails is too many emails? How do you engage without pressure/annoying?

    A bulk of membership consists of existing members who are aware of your association and benefits already. How do we deliver more value to them as a member of our association?

    What tools and technology we can use to ensure membership growth and what membership systems can help automate/remind members?


    Audience Questions

    With how digitally saturated our audiences are, what have you found to be the most successful tool to grow membership?

    Is there a difference between retention strategies for digital members vs traditional members?

    Special acknowledgement to our guests for providing powerful insights into membership management. 

    Follow our podcast for more free educational content.

    Visit memberlounge.app to learn more about us.

    Contact [email protected] for questions or support.

     

     

  • About This Episode
    Everyone in the association world thinks they are member-centric, but there are things associations do that get in the way of prioritizing their members. It’s time to examine the ways associations mistakenly take their members for granted and how to fix it!

    Listen in as we discuss how to align the goals of your board, executive director, membership manager and your members. Let’s create a robust membership program that serves members and brings revenue to your association!

    About Our Guest
    Carol Hamilton is a strategic planning expert with over 20 years of experience with nonprofits and associations. She is a podcast host at Grace Social Sector Consulting and partners with associations and non-profits to help them envision their future direction and design key goals through strategic planning.

    Carol is an expert in strategic planning, organization development, and nonprofit management and is a frequent speaker and trainer on these topics. Her mission is to help associations to have a greater impact in fulfilling their mission.

    Full List Of Questions We Asked Carol
    Tell us about yourself and what you do?

    You say that strategic planning should be member-centric — why is that and why is that difficult for associations?

    What key member data is important to consider in strategic planning?

    If we don’t already have the data we need, what do we do?

    What is the difference between a member-focused association and one that is not? How does the management differ?

    Do you have a framework that you use for associations to be more member-centric?

    There is so much content online. What can associations do to set them apart from the sea of free content? How do we make value out of things that are free?

    Which staff roles are most important to include in the process and who do you listen to?

    We see it every day that membership managers want changes in the membership experience, but the staff that controls the budget won't green light it — is there a way to convince the higher-ups?

    What membership technology or tools should we use in making all this happen?

    What is the role of the association’s membership website?

    What about the members who are not engaged at all? How do you find out what they want?


    Audience Questions
    How can you show value to members that you are doing advocacy when they think you are doing it anyway, so why be a member?

    How can we convince members to actually fill in surveys?

    What is the best way to deliver/communicate a strategic plan to members other than newsletters or email?

    Do you have any suggestions on how to include membership marketing in the plan?

    How do we find out what members truly want?

    What is the best way to make data-driven decisions when members don’t provide input?

    What size organization do these ideas apply to?

    How do you address a member or group of members if they disagree with the strategic plan?

    How can an association bounce back from mistakes they have made and what measures can be put in place to make sure they don’t happen again?

    Can you over-communicate with members?

    Tell us about your tool, the strategy screen?

    What is the best way to influence decisions when you are not in charge?

    How to represent the needs of members that are not represented on the board?


    Closing Questions
    Key takeaway for the audience?

    Can you share a personal habit that has contributed the most to your success?

    How can people get in touch if they have any questions?

    Special acknowledgement to our guests for providing powerful insights into membership management. 

    Follow our podcast for more free educational content.

    Visit memberlounge.app to learn more about us.

    Contact [email protected] for questions or support.

     

     

  • About This Episode
    Member retention is not the very first step of member experience. Renewal is determined in the first 30-90 days. How do associations ensure that members will retain themselves?

    Our special guest, Chris Vaughan, Membership and Marketing Consultant answered this question and more during this exclusive podcast interview. Chris explained how retention is not a communication channel but an engagement channel and why engaged members retain themselves.

    About Our Guest
    Chris Vaughan is a high-level strategy, technology, and marketing consultant for growth-focused associations such as AARP, IEEE, AMA, and SAE International, with over 20 years of experience. His expertise has also been sought out by select Global 500 companies, including Google, IBM, and Allstate.

    He used to lead strategy at a big consulting firm, but left and launched his own firm to help associations grow membership and revenue. He is an expert in market research, strategic planning, and marketing strategy that can help deliver increased revenue, growth through innovation and an engaged and loyal membership.

    Full List Of Questions We Asked Chris
    Tell us about yourself and what you do?

    You mentioned Member Engagement leads to Retention, can you explain why this is?

    What are the top challenges associations face with member engagement?

    Let’s talk about the Lifetime value, and why it is important?

    It costs more to acquire new members than to keep existing members. Do you find this?

    About your new fly-zone for the first 90 days, what communication do you recommend?

    You mentioned the first 90 days are key, is there one golden strategy that words?

    You mentioned engagement scores. We can get fancy and track everything. What do you recommend? Track every try of engagement or bullet it out?

    You mentioned having 3 main buckets for topics? What is your approach?

    Do you recommend making a few phone calls to inform your survey?

    For large associations, we recommend calling 10 people to help you inform your understanding of your unengaged members. What do you think of this?

    What are programs that are actually working?

    How would you combine tech for associations in an ideal way?

    Is there a manual way to do engagement scoring?

    Do you have a formula or ratio you recommend to determine a reasonable budget for associations to invest in keeping their members happy?

    What is the secret to getting boards to approve a budget for tech?


    Audience Questions
    We will never have all members fully engaged, where do we focus our efforts?

    Are there simple tactics that can be implemented with little cost and effort?

    What can we learn about members who are not engaged in the first 60 days?

    How can we best engage members so they retain themselves?

    If your goal is to expand membership to underrepresented communities, how would you find out what they are looking for?

    How do you deal with Zoom fatigue?

    How to build a membership communication strategy?


    Closing Questions
    Key takeaway for the audience?

    Can you share a personal habit that has contributed the most to your success?

    How can people get in touch if they have any questions?

    Special acknowledgement to our guests for providing powerful insights into membership management. 

    Follow our podcast for more free educational content.

    Visit memberlounge.app to learn more about us.

    Contact [email protected] for questions or support.

     

     

  • About This Episode
    Associations are busy trying to make small changes to impress members and stay relevant, but is it enough? Our special guest, Randall Craig, Advisor on Digital Strategy and Hall of Fame Business Speaker, answers these questions and more during this exclusive podcast interview. Listen in as Randall shares his experience and explains how using digital trust strategies can improve member engagement and retention. Watch this episode to hear Randall share his unique perspective and question conventional wisdom.

    About Our Guest
    Randall Craig, Author and CEO of Pinetree Advisors, is a serial entrepreneur. He continues to carve a path as a digital innovator. Randall has taught at numerous executive education programs, hosts Professionally Speaking TV, and frequently appears as an expert in the media with over 350 national news network interviews. He has served at the board level for several national organizations, is a member of the Global Speakers Federation and has also been inducted into the Canadian Speaking Hall of Fame.

    Full List Of Questions We Asked Randall
    Tell us about yourself and what you do?

    Can you tell us why you think the membership model for many associations is broken?

    What do you see as successful strategic planning if not incremental change?

    We know that association leaders are very passionate and care, why the hesitancy to try a revolutionary strategic plan?

    If an association needed to do digital transformation at this time, where would you start?

    Can you tell us why you think the membership model for many associations is broken?

    Association leadership is hesitant to make changes that will help their members. Why do you think that is?

    Can you help explain for our audience what digital transformation means for associations?

    How should we approach our association marketing and what role does technology play here?

    What are the different elements of digital transformation that are key to increasing member engagement?

    Discuss the problems with one size fits all AMS systems and what are the different tools an association should use to deliver a great member experience.

    Let’s talk about the membership website. Which is different from the public website. We believe that a good member portal is instrumental in engaging members. What are your thoughts?

    What’s needed in a good membership website?

    How to use digital tools to build trust with members at scale?

    If part of your membership is not tech-savvy how do you reach them?


    Audience Questions
    We are facing challenges getting organization members to renew. Without them, we would have to sell many individual memberships to make up for the loss of revenue. Should we still focus on changing the organizational members?

    With so much free content and other learning opportunities out there, is providing learning opportunities still a priority?

    Do we really need a social media presence?

    Associations are using a mix of marketing tactics. Which ones do you see as most successful?

    Closing Questions
    Key takeaway for the audience?

    Can you share a personal habit that has contributed the most to your success?

    How can people get in touch if they have any questions?

    Special acknowledgement to our guests for providing powerful insights into membership management. 

    Follow our podcast for more free educational content.

    Visit memberlounge.app to learn more about us.

    Contact [email protected] for questions or support.

     

     

  • About This Episode
    Let's understand how to plan and execute a thriving membership program and what is required to achieve long-term membership resiliency. Our guest, Tony Rossell answers these questions and more during this exclusive podcast interview. Listen in as Tony shares practical guidance and reflections from his book, Membership Recruitment, which explains why an effective membership recruitment program is the key to association growth, financial health, and mission success.

    About Our Guest
    Tony Rossell serves as the Senior Vice President of Marketing General Incorporated, a Direct Marketing Agency in Alexandria, Virginia.

    A frequent writer and speaker, his recently published book, Membership Recruitment: How to Grow Recurring Revenue, Reach New Markets, and Advance Your Mission, offers a practical guide to help membership professionals. He is the past chair of the ASAE Membership Council. In his work at MGI, Tony launched the annual Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report and developed the membership framework he calls the “Membership Lifecycle.” Over his 30-year career, he has consulted with hundreds of associations helping them diagnose and solve their membership marketing challenges.

    Full List of Questions We Asked Tony
    Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do?

    Can you tell us a bit about your book on membership recruitment?

    Many technology companies are moving towards a recurring revenue model and I think associations are sitting on a goldmine with their loyal membership. Why do so many associations struggle to grow their membership?

    You talk about the economic driver for member marketing and why the investment must generate a return. Can you tell us more about it?

    You also talk about the value proposition - why should a prospect join and the power of a strong message! Can you tell us more about creating the value proposition?

    Is there any formula for value proposition that you follow?

    How would you create a member recruitment program for an association, say the association has some budget and some staff capacity to take on something new?

    How do you get buy-in from management to work on the recruitment program?

    Can you share some recruitment programs that have worked great for your clients?

    Where can associations find their target market?

    You developed the membership framework called the "membership lifecycle". In that lifecycle is there a way of sunsetting certain memberships so that we don’t chase after the wrong prospects?

    How do you find out who are not the right members for your association?

    Since we build membership websites for associations can you tell us about the importance of a membership website?

    What are your thoughts about public website and membership site or a members only area?

    You have an annual benchmarking report for membership marketing. How has covid-19 impacted association membership and will there be any long lasting effect on associations?

    You have a marketing benchmarking report for member recruitment. Can you tell us more about it?


    Audience Questions
    How do I find out where potential members hang out?

    How to get the buy-in from the decision-makers in your organization to invest in IT and digital marketing?

    Beyond financial benefits of membership, how best to sell the less tangible benefits of your association?

    How to do grab the attention of your prospects when there is already so much noise? How do you reach out to try and attract new members without coming across as spam?

    Does membership recruitment require different tactics for gen z vs older age cohorts?

    How fluid are most recruitment campaigns that you've helped to create? Are they planned in advance with every step concretely established, or, are they adaptive based on the results of prior actions?

    Can I use training opportunities to bring in new members, what does that look like?

    In the new digital world, how do renewals cut through the clutter and are calling and mailing invoice campaigns still effective for renewals/retention?

    For A/B testing emails, how much time you let pass before you decide which one to choose? Is one day sufficient?

    How do you align the membership and marketing arms if they are led by different people and have different priorities?

    What are your top three most successful membership recruitment procedures/campaigns?

    What is the recommended size of a membership team, and what are the specific roles to play when executing a membership?

    Closing Questions
    Key takeaway for the audience?

    Can you share a personal habit that has contributed the most to your success?

    How can people get in touch if they have any questions?

    Special acknowledgement to our guests for providing powerful insights into membership management. 

    Follow our podcast for more free educational content.

    Visit memberlounge.app to learn more about us.

    Contact [email protected] for questions or support.

     

     

  • About This Episode
    Let's understand how to scale your membership using a high-tech business model and member feedback to drive member engagement. Our guest, Laura Buhler, will share her expertise on how to create a vision that people want to be a part of. Laura believes that it is all about the people. You can grow your association by investing your time and resources in understanding your members and having a "product" mindset.

    About Our Guest
    Laura Buhler is the President and CEO of C100, a private San-Francisco-based nonprofit on a mission to galvanize global Canadians in technology to advance Canadian entrepreneurship and leadership in tech. Laura also serves on the Investment Committee for Luge Capital, a fintech-focused venture fund based in Toronto. She is a Board Director of Venture for Canada, a national charity which develops entrepreneurial leadership skills and also serves on the Advisory Board for the UCalgary Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurial Leadership.

    Full List of Questions We Asked Laura
    Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do?

    Can you share the names of some noteworthy companies that have participated in the C100 program?

    Big names we might know?

    What are some key ideas that associations can borrow from high-growth tech startups?

    Would you say that the product is finding out your members problems and offering solutions and the product is solving their problems?

    Your association serves a global community. How do you give your members a sense of human-touch and closeness when you are so big and spread out over the globe?

    Besides hosting your events, how much time does your staff spend managing your members, or can they self manage?

    What does a good member experience mean for your members?

    How would you define the success of individual products or events?

    You said you use a lot of new tech: how do you decide which platforms are good for your members at any given time?

    What do your members use to connect?

    How can I take action on these ideas if I’m not in a leadership role in our organization?

    What are some start up business models we can use to scale our association?

    What would you recommend in terms of an engagement with your members to connect one-on-one? Is there an ideal approach to this?

    Audience Questions
    How can I take action on these ideas when I'm not in a leadership role in my organization?

    Suggestions for maintaining memberships during covid when services are drastically reduced.

    What are business models that start ups use that can help me scale business development

    What do you recommend in terms of a monthly/quarterly/semi-annual outreach program to connect 1:1 with member organizations? Is there an ideal approach to this type of 1:1 relationship building?

    Closing Questions
    Key takeaway for the audience?

    Do you have any book recommendations?

    Can you share a personal habit that has contributed the most to your success?

    How can people get in touch if they have any questions?

    Special acknowledgement to our guests for providing powerful insights into membership management. 

    Follow our podcast for more free educational content.

    Visit memberlounge.app to learn more about us.

    Contact [email protected] for questions or support.