How to Set Realistic Member Acquisition Goals
First of all, don't leave member acquisition decisions to your board or the membership committee. Trust me. Here's what can happen… Several years ago, I was working with an association when a new board chairman took over and declared his goal for membership was...
How Associations Must Adapt to the Generational Shift
There are a few things keeping association leaders up at night and one is declining membership numbers with the retirement of Baby Boomers. This is a reality for most organizations. And, data show in the next decade there will be more Millennials in the workforce than...
Keep Your Contacts Fresh
It may seem like an obvious thing to do, but I encourage everyone to take a look at their contacts and see how many could be “stale”. Being in sales, you get so used to working through your usual list of companies and contacts that you may not realize how often those...
Should You Give Trial Memberships a Shot?
I did a speaking engagement recently for a state organization and I received a great question about the value of trial memberships – a situation where you give a company a free membership for 6 months, or so. Here’s what I think about this: it’s okay to give a trial...
What Did Your Organization Serve up for Breakfast This Morning?
If we know culture is the most important part of any successful organization, what is your association doing to create a positive and healthy culture? How much are you spending on creating the culture they want? What are you spending in time? In money? In thought? In...
Why Does Membership Have to Be So Complicated?
We know associations want to grow – but all too often I see big barriers to that growth. Our membership applications are overly complicated, and the dues levels are antiquated and difficult for the prospect to figure out. I’ve seen membership applications that are 5...
Marketing 101: The Importance of Storytelling
My friend and colleague, Marty Baum of Edgewood Consulting Group (www.edgewoodcg.com), a firm that specializes in working with major consumer packaged goods manufacturers and their retail customers, wrote to agree with me about the importance of knowing your call to...
Associations Need to Focus Where They Excel: Their Members
Growing up the daughter of an association professional, I learned at a young age the world of not-for-profit management and maybe even more impressive, what all the letters on the side of the buildings in Old Town Alexandria were for. Truly this meant that when it...
Three Traits that Differentiate Today’s Top CEOs
For nearly 25 years, I've had the chance to work with and observe some of the best association CEOs in the business. Several traits differentiate the exceptional leaders – here are a few: First and foremost, the top CEOs have the best staff. These leaders aren’t...
Get Your Prospects to Open Your Emails!
When it comes to the daily grind, everyone can relate to an overcrowded inbox and how easily an important email gets pushed to the bottom. When it comes to being seen and opened, I follow a set of best practices when I am brainstorming email subject lines. Here are my...
