Diversity Can’t Stand Alone—It Needs Equity and Inclusion To Matter
Like a string of beads, it is our unique differences and intricacies that make us so appealing and attractive. We would not be as beautiful if we were all the same. It’s the contrast and asymmetry that makes us worthwhile.— Lindsey Lunsford, M.E.M., eXtention Foundation, 2019 Impact Collaborative, DEI Fellow One of my early jobs was […]
Association 4.0™ – Find the Sweet Spot in Digital Markets
Is anyone else tired of dystopian predictions? Today, I’m going to consider perfection. This may not be what most people imagine as utopia. But the realm of Association 4.0™ is pretty close to my ideal for my clients and their organizations. Several years ago, .orgSource coined the phrase Association 4.0 to describe the approach needed […]
Have Your Cake and Eat It Too!—A Hybrid Model of Association Management
January 4, 2022Sherry Budziak Hybrid is not just for meetings anymore. The need to adapt to a changing environment has given creative legs to business thinking. We’re mixing, matching, and collaborating in remarkable new ways. Association CEOs and management firms are one example of a pairing that hasn’t always been viewed as a great date. […]
The Bright Side of Disruption—.orgCommunity’s 2021 Initiatives
The challenges of 2021 also brought opportunities to learn, grow, and shift perspective. .orgCommunity’s goal is to advance this bright side of disruption. The organization, our professional development and networking affiliate, was launched by my business partner Kevin Ordonez and me to help our colleagues solve their toughest problems. Our goal is to connect association […]
3 Ways to Elevate Your Learning Business in 2022
As we head into the new year, you’re busy planning— from your budget, to your event calendar, to your various networking and speaking engagements. With that planning comes your learning business strategy for the new year, including how you can scale up your offerings to provide more member and sponsor value, increase engagement, and raise […]
Lessons Learned from a Black Swan—Solutions Day Presenters Explore Pandemic Insights
Celebration isn’t a word I would typically use to describe a conference, but there was a festive feeling at .orgCommunity’s Solutions Day. Gathering with colleagues again was inspirational. Even online, the participants could sense the excitement. Presenter, Dean West, called the pandemic a black swan. The term comes from finance and is used to describe […]
Member Value Equals Sponsor Value
Digital Strategies Deliver the Goods If an abrupt pivot wasn’t part of your previous business experience, it’s on your radar now. One of my personal pandemic resets taught me that sometimes a sudden challenge is also an “aha moment”. Of the many shifts in strategy .orgCompanies made over the last year, .orgCommunity’s approach to sponsorship held one […]
In the Spotlight, the IDSA Foundation Finds Success
Most of us didn’t have viruses on our minds before 2020. Fortunately, some people make researching, preventing, and helping patients survive diseases like COVID-19 their life’s work. When the pandemic put the Infectious Diseases Society of America in the public eye, Stephen Peeler, CFRE, was determined to use that opportunity to gain support for the life-saving cause […]
October Events and Webinars
Welcome to our Latest Monthly Update As we settle on the last quarter of the year, we invite you to come join us at .orgCommunity’s annual Solutions Day on November 10! This event will showcase the association industry’s most resourceful providers of the knowledge, products, and services you need to compete and stay ahead of technology. From strategy […]
Grow Your Team’s Skills, But Don’t Forget Yourself
Smart CEOs understand that the quickest path to success is the one where the team travels with you. Skill-building across the organization isn’t just good leadership, it’s good for leaders. Professional development is a wise use of resources. Just be sure to make yourself part of the group. Your own growth shouldn’t be stunted because […]
One Foot in Two Worlds—Expert Advice on Hybrid Events, Podcasts, and AV Tech
Laird Crawford has straddled the virtual and in-person worlds for some time now. He edits the mumbles out of podcasts and makes people look better on video than they do in person. Over the last 25 years, Laird’s company, Ian Ryan Interactive, has been my go-to for audio-visual success. You can probably guess that […]
Integrated Planning Keeps the Glass Half-Full
In June, I thought the dust was settling. Now, with the onslaught of virulent Delta, not so much. We are still in the grip of disruption. The change seems to be that people are learning to cope. There is a shift from reactive to more deliberate approaches. Organizations are investigating technology acquisitions and launching new […]
Will Alexa Be a Regular at Your Future Meetings? — AI is Winning a Seat at the Conference Table
Artificial intelligence has moved into customer service departments. Whether it’s Alexa, Watson, or Hal, you can’t visit a website without a super-friendly little bot popping up on the right side of your screen. We are accustomed to the convenience of getting questions answered immediately. Associations haven’t been so quick to jump on the AI bandwagon. […]
A Day of Blue Sky Thinking—Recapping .orgCommunity’s 2021 Innovation Summit
Greg Larkin, our keynote speaker at .orgCommunity’s July 14 Innovation Summit, was quick to admit that he was feeling a little rusty being in front of an audience for the first time in over a year. “I’m freaking out,” was what he actually said. Personally, I counted down the days until my reentry to the conference world of […]
Empower Strategy by Incorporating Trends
Getting strategic planning right is challenging in the best of times. This season of disruption adds additional complexity and brings significant shifts in perspective that are important to recognize as associations prepare for the years ahead. I’ve been advising .orgSource clients to integrate strategy across organizational activities since long before the pandemic. If I ever […]