Disruption Sunny Side Up
Disruption gets a bad rap. We are quick to see it as a faceless villain itching to lay waste to our future prospects. But shattering the status quo is positive and necessary. We call that type of change innovation. It happens when smart people with guts and irrepressible creative energy are left to their own […]
Virtual Conference Session Recordings: the Launchpad for Your Association’s Online Learning Programs
If your association is in the learning business, virtual conferences are a must. In the coming year, virtual conferences will be the most effective and safe way to provide the education and networking your members and market seek. Virtual conferences provide opportunities for member and customer engagement, non-dues revenue, and brand awareness. They attract more […]
Sometimes It takes a Dachshund to Make People Consider Change
Why did I use this cute pup to illustrate my post? You know what they say about babies and dogs, they get people to pay attention, and this message is important. Several weeks ago, I wrote about the results of a survey .orgSource conducted. That’s another reason for the dog. Survey results tend to make […]
Slay the Dragons Threatening Your Association’s Success
“Your financial metrics can be great, but if dragons are all over your organization, eventually the village will burn.” Jon Wolske, former Culture Evangelist at Zappos, Zappos Tours Lead, and international speaker I think, talk, and write a lot about organizational transformation. But I’m not always sure that the people who need to hear my […]
The Best Solution Begins With a Beautiful Question
What do you think these three questions have in common? “How might we survive and flourish amid tensions and contradictions?” “What is it about your business today that you can’t answer?” “What if competitors worked together?” In the eyes of author/journalist, Warren Berger, each of these questions is beautiful. Berger describes a beautiful question as […]
Anticipate the Unexpected—For Entrepreneurs Business as Usual Is not an Option. Learn About Our New Book!
Introducing Association 4.0™: An Entrepreneurial Approach to Risk, Courage and Transformation. Of all the experiences involved in writing a book, and there are many—both frustrating and fascinating, what you learn is the most rewarding. Association 4.0™: An Entrepreneurial Approach to Risk, Courage and Transformation, which I wrote with my business partner Kevin Ordonez, is my […]
Fast Track Your Way to Innovation
Is your association innovative enough to survive in the roaring twenties? Before you answer, name three strategies you use to promote creative thinking. If they don’t roll off your tongue, consider this: Blockbuster— had a chance to buy Netflix and didn’t. Toys R Us—let a contract with Amazon derail their ecommerce opportunities. Xerox—never capitalized on […]
.orgCommunity’s Solutions Day Honors Innovator in the Association Industry
News For Immediate Release Contact: Emily Hendershot, Managing Director 810.610.1512 emily@orgcommunity.com .orgCommunity’s Solutions Day Honors Innovator in the Association Industry Schaumburg, IL. September 19, 2019. Association professionals from across the country gathered at the American Society of Anesthesiologists in Schaumburg, Illinois for the 4th annual .orgCommunity Solutions Day. The program featured association […]
Association Disruption: What’s your Educational Moonshot?
How grand is your association’s vision for your educational programs? With all the disruption going on around us and in your industry, will incremental change bring your vision for professional development closer to realization? Thinking small isn’t going to turn your association into a market leader and innovator, but an educational moonshot will. A moonshot […]
Don’t Nickel-and-Dime Members: Ideas to Increase Non-Dues Revenue
Associations have traditionally used membership “as an excuse to sell more stuff at discounted prices to members,” said Garth Jordan, senior vice president of corporate strategy at the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA). But, HFMA has cast that old non-dues revenue practice aside. Their new membership model includes unlimited access to certifications, online education, newsletters, industry […]
10 Traits of an Innovation Mindset for Your Association
Associations can’t fulfill their missions without innovation. Innovation helps organizations create and improve processes, products, services, and experiences for their members, customers, staff, and audiences. Technology helps us turn innovative ideas into reality, but innovation is powered by organizational cultures that support and nurture an innovation mindset. 10 elements of the innovation mindset to nurture […]
Eliminate Roadblocks to Planning—Integration Transforms Strategy into Action
Strategy Meltdown—The screen play INT. The corner office of the Association for Ad Hoc Planning – Afternoon The executive director and membership team are seated at a conference table. They are hunched over laptops. The executive director is frowning. The membership manager looks like a deer in the headlights. Executive Director These numbers are (pause) […]