As a membership development staffer, one of my favorite tools was our annual calendar. It outlined the whole year and included meetings, events, education sessions, and renewal season. We knew when we would be talking to members, when we would go out with an activity, and when we will make sure certain messages were sent out. I love that it helped us plan the whole year and we always knew the points in the year, and in each quarter, that we were going to be directly speaking to our members.
This year has been pretty different and we’ve had the tendency to use the word should.
We should have been preparing to go to our annual meeting.
We should have been sending our dues or renewals.
We should be seeing each other in person.
However, the problem with should is that it reminds us of the uncertainty of the frustrations of this year and how difficult navigating some of these things has been. When in reality, at this point, we should be focusing on moving forward. We should be talking about how the association can help its members. How connecting with other members with similar companies could help to know what they’re doing and to share what you’re doing. Instead of talking about what we should be doing and reflecting on all the missed opportunities, let’s talk all about all the new opportunities that are coming. Maybe more virtual opportunities. Maybe there’s some option for new blog content or videos to connect with one another.
This new season provides many opportunities for all of us to connect in new ways. If we’re spending time on should we’re not spending time on things that are helping us move forward.
If you’d like to talk about some ideas on how to get should out of your emails, phone outreach, marketing messages, membership renewals, or ideas of how to connect with your members in new ways email me at Jackie@MoeryCompany.com.
Looking forward to hearing from you!