Association Strong

WOW!   Don't miss this episode of Association Strong podcast as Tom and Dave interview award winning CEO, Sheri Jacobs.  She is founder and CEO of Avenue M Group.  Sheri breakdown amazing research and methodologies on the do's and don't of maximizing value and engagement within associations.

It doesn't matter how talented the association CEO or staff is.  If you have a dysfunctional board who isn't engaged, the board will stand in the way of progress, innovation and growth.  Listen in as Tom and Dave interview Hardly Smith, author of the book, Stop the Nonprofit Board Blame Game.  This book focuses on how to break the cycle of frustrating relationships and benefit from fully engaged board.  Hardy Smith brings a wealth of knowledge from his time a NASCAR and advocating for nonprofits.

All we can say is WOW on this one.  How would you like to triple your revenues in your association in 5 years?  Many might think that is impossible.  However, our guest Todd Hauptli, CEO of the Association of American Airport Executives did just that.  In 5 years he took AAAE from just over $30 million in revenues to over $100 million.  No matter what size your association is, there are great take a ways in this episode.  Listen in...

AI is taking the association industry by storm.  So may associations have concerns but many are jumping in and embracing the tools AI brings to make the impossible... possible.  Tom Morrison and Dave Will have a very engaging and thought provoking conversation with Robert Barnes, CEO of Betty Bot, a leading AI technology provider in the association space.  This is a must listen!

All we can say is WOW on this incredible episode.  Tom Morrison & Dave Will interview Amber Worthen, Founder of ASW Communications on EVERYTHING communications and email.  Amber unpacks the keys to email marketing, what to do, what not to do and how to frame messaging that gets action.  Must listen for any association professional.

Don't miss this episode of Association Strong as Dave Will from PropFuel digs into everything podcasting with other well know podcasters in the association space.

In this episode, Tom and Dave do a deep dive into how to drive and keep membership engagement high in the midst of leadership transition.  Tom and Dave interview Michael DiFrisco CAE, Executive Director of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry shares his journey of member engagement after being promoted to Executive Director  fo AACD after 10 years as Chief Marketing Director.

In this episode, Tom and Dave interview Sarah Sladek, CEO of Sarah Sladek and Company to talk about her new best selling book MemberSHIFT.  Sarah unpacks an array of trends, data and best practices on member value, recruitment and engagement.

Tom and Dave score another winning member engagement interview with Russ Webb, CEO of the Bar Area Apartment Association.  In this episode Russ unpacks how the engagement strategy their association when he was hired totally turned around their value proposition and grew membership and revenues at record levels.  This episode has a lot of energy and inspiration!

Don't miss this must hear episode as Tom and Dave interview Jay Owen, CEO of Business Builders, on everything AI!  Jay is a leading expert on digital technology and shares what AI is, what it is not, how to use it effectively in associations and best practices.  

One of the keys to success in any association is developing future leaders in both member companies as well as association volunteers.  In 2007, the Metal Treating Institute launched its YES Executive Management Training Program.  MTI's program has become one of the top management training programs in the association space and now sells out two years in advance.  Tom Morrison, CEO of MTI and Dave Will interview Kyle Howlin and John Borneman from The Corps Group, who have been the facilitators of the YES program for MTI since 2009.  Listen in as Tom, John and Kyle unpack the keys to leadership and how to create a successful training program that creates your future leaders.

No matter how great your engagement strategy is, if you don't market or communicate it effectively, it is doomed for failure.  In this episode, Tom and Dave interview Allegra Tasaki, Communications Director for the National Association of Bond Lawyers.  In this episode, Tom, Dave and Allegra share the keys to having an effective communications strategy that drives your member engagement.

In this episode, Tom and Dave hosts Kerri McGovern, Senior Director of Membership with the Association of Corporate Counsel.  In this episode, Tom, Dave and Kerri discuss building an engagement strategy that hits the mark with meeting member needs and wants and how to sustain it long term.

In this episode, Tom and Dave interview Jeff Rogan, Senior Director of Membership at the American Rental Association.  In this episode, Tom, Dave and Jeff breakdown the key elements to having an engagement strategy that is agile and ever evolving in the world of rapid change.

In this episode of Association Strong's series on maximizing engagement, Tom and Dave host Pat White, Member Engagement Manager from the American Society of NonDestructive Testing.  Tom, Dave and Pat do a deep dive into the key elements of what works and doesn't work in engaging members.

In this episode of Association Strong's series on maximizing engagement, Tom and Dave interview Keith Ellis, Chief Engagement & Growth Officer with the International Institute of Business Analyst.  Tom, Dave and Keith dig into the keys to engagement strategy when you have a diverse group of member needs all across the globe.

With the vast array of medical associations in any state, standing out among the competition takes an intentional and well thought out engagement strategy.  In this episode, Tom and Dave interview Michell Laws from the North Carolina Medical Society on how they engage their members in a fast changing environment within the medical community.

Does your association have multiple associations or competition that makes it tough to stand out?  So many industries like construction, healthcare and manufacturing has exactly that.  Tom Morrison and Dave Will interview Mark Gedris, Vice President of Member Engagement at the Construction Management Association of America on how CMAA provides incredible value to collaborate and stand out among the competition in the construction industry.

Taking your member engagement that turns your association into a powerhouse is not an easy under taking.  It takes strategy, teamwork and execution.  Tom Morrison and Dave Will interview Edson Olds from the International Student Exchange Program on how ISEP transformed its engagement strategy to send over 60,000 students across the world in an immersive, life changing, study abroad program. 

Ever thought about turning your membership model upside down, converting members into investors and even doing away with your networking events?  If not, you will not want to miss this session in our series on member engagement.  Tom Morrison and Dave Will interview Mark Field, Senior Vice President of Investor Development and Experience on how the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce did just that and experienced record growth.

Having a incredible vibe in your membership engagement strategy is what brings the secret sauce to your members that brings out their passion for the association.  Don't miss this highly informative and inspiring session as Tom Morrison and Dave Will unpack the keys to member engagement at the Global Business Association from Christina Salu, Vice President of Membership.

Don't miss this highly informative episode as Tom Morrison and Dave Will interview Amanda Kaiser on their latest study release on trends and best practices on maximizing member engagement.  Amanda also unpacks key elements from her new best selling book on membership engagement.

As associations look for creative ideas to develop new funding and non-dues revenue sources, many overlook the opportunities sponsorships and partnership programs bring.  Tom & Dave has a highly informative conversation with Bruce Rosenthal, a leader in helping associations drive innovation and value through sponsorships and partnerships.  Don't miss this discussion.

In today's associations change is happening at a hyper speed pace and demands on association professionals are coming at you from every angle.  This speed of change demands effective leadership and communications to your board and membership to help them navigate the future.  Tom and Dave discuss with Carrie Santos, CEO of Entrepreneur Organization on the keys to being the calm in the storm and living out your value that drives association brand loyalty and retention.

Associations who don't embrace a digital mindset for serving their members will quickly become irrelevant in the future.  Fast paced change, demand for real time information and a new generation are all driving everything in an association to be provided digitally.  Tom and Dave discuss the keys and steps to an effective digital transformation for any association in education, communication and member engagement.

Member relations plays a huge role in helping drive member value and engagement.  Don't miss this very informative podcast as Tom Morrison and Dave Will discuss the power of member relations in association engagement with Anne Pritchett, Senior VP of Policy and Research with emphasis on Member Relations with PhRMA.  Dave, Tom and Anne discuss how PhRMA connects their 33 members to their value proposition and over a hundred workgroups with industry issues and advocacy.

Designing an engagement strategy through members that drive membership engagement is every association's dream.  Don't miss this podcast as Tom Morrison and Dave Will unpack the keys behind building a successful member ambassador program with Paul Walsh from the European Business Aviation Association on how their association designed an ambassador program that drove their brand, value and engagement.

The labor drought every association and the memberships are struggling with is causing a lot of heart ache in the growth outlook for the future.  Top onto that the current trends on inflation and supply chain issues and the storm seems even worse.  Don't miss this highly informative podcast as Tom and Dave talk with Ron Hetrick, Chief Labor Economist at EMSI, on the long term impact of labor trends coming out of the pandemic and the impact of inflation and supply chain issues.  It is eye opening with a silver lining for the future.  

This highly energetic episode of Association Strong features Tom and and Dave interviewing Mandi Graziano from the Hospitality Performance Network on the trends and resurgence of meetings in 2022 and beyond.  Mandi is a long time meeting coach and professional planner.  Tom, Dave and Mandi cover everything you can imagine on the meeting front including new ways meetings are launching, meeting attendance, new engagement strategies and how to leverage third parties and CVBs to maximize your budgets, attendance and meeting resources.  

The likes of Yelp and Trip Advisor have been game changers in the B2C world of business.  Associations have the potential to sit in the driver seat of the next phase of review sites focused on B2B and create new levels of sponsorship and non-dues revenues.  In this episode, Tom Morrison and Dave Will interview Teri Carden, Founder of 100 Reviews, the association industry's leading provider for review sites.  Listen in as Tom, Dave and Teri unpack the future of review sites and what it means for associations. 

If it is one area of communication that the COVID area exposed, it was the lack of online community.  So many associations rely heavily on in-person meetings and connection.  And rightly so.  It is what many members want.  But during COVID, associations had to think differently about engagement and connection.  Online communities became a driving force for many to keep their members connected in a disconnected environment.  Listen in as Tom Morrison and Dave Will interview Ben Muscolino, President of Breezio, to hear the why, what and how to starting and driving an online community to maximize member engagement.

It is one thing to have an online community.  It is another to have vibrant activity built around trust within your community.  Tom Morrison and Dave will interview Kiki Litalien, founder and creator of Association Chat, one of the association industry's most vibrant communities over the last 12 years on the keys to driving an online community.  

One of the key elements in meeting members needs is through active listening.  It is through active listening that you hear your member's pain points, which is where the highest value opportunities are.  Listen in as Tom Morrison and Dave Will interview Guillermo Ortiz de Zarate, Chief Innovation and Information Officer for NCARB on how actively listening to members led them to creating a certification structure that drove value and engagement in their association.

All value and engagement in associations point back to a strategic plan that aligns goals, action steps, metrics and execution that work together to create a vibrant association that is making a difference for their members.  Strategy doesn't just happen.  It happens through a methodical yet creative process that drives boards and state to innovate within the changes going on in your industry.  Listen in as Tom Morrison and Dave Will interview one of the top facilitators and strategist in the association space, Lowell Aplebaum from Vista Cova on the keys to aligning strategy to value and engagement.

A great speaker said, "Information is power.  But the "feeling is the fuel."  Find the feeling of your members and they will buy.  Do you take the step to actually ask your members what they want... what their pain points are?  This is where the greatest value exist... in asking.  Or do you rely on your board to determine the value proposition with no member input. In this week's podcast, Tom and Dave interview Garth Jordan from the American Animal Hospital Association to unpack how Garth led his board through the process of asking their members what they need and using a process like design thinking to help them to see the ideas and move forward with action that will drive your value proposition.  

Wouldn't it be great if your association actually discovered that innovative piece of technology or service that transformed how your members get to do business?  Think about if the taxi association had discovered the Uber technology or if the hospitality association had discovered AirBnB.  Those industry associations would have sky rocketed in value to their members providing them new ways to do business.  In today's podcast Tom and Dave interview an association who discovered the industry changing technology that transformed their industry and the association.  Listen in as Tom and Dave talk connecting your members needs to innovative thinking with Brent McClendon, CEO of the National Wooden Pallet and Container Association.

With members being bombarded by content and associations having an unlimited supply of avenues to connect with members, having the right balance can be a huge challenge.  To maximize your engagement, you need to clearly communicate your value proposition in a way that members hear it, feel it and act on it.  In this episode of Association Strong, Tom and Dave interview Beth Arritt, Social Evangelist for Higher Logic to work through the keys to an effective communication strategy so you members hear your value proposition clearly, feel it and act on it.

In this week's episode of the Association Strong Podcast, Dave and Tom are joined by Jessica Levin, President of Seven Degrees and author of Perfect Pairings: The Art of Connecting People and Everyone Has Sh*t: Unsolicited Advice for Being Human. This week they're talking about getting back to in-person events and really taking networking from small talk to building true, meaningful connections.

On this week's episode of Association Strong, Dave and Tom are joined by Mark Dorsey, CEO of the Construction Specification Institute. From the ski slopes with the Professional Ski Instructors of American and the American Association of Snowboard Instructors to leading CSI in innovative new ways, Mark challenges association professionals to find your Uber, that thing that puts you ahead of the curve and sets you up for a future of innovation within your organization. 

In this week's edition of the Association Strong Podcast, Dave and Tom discuss their greatest hits and favorite hot topics from the past 20 episodes as well as some exciting new topics coming up for the podcast. 

This week, Dave and Tom talk to Ron Hetrick, a published a renowned labor economist on the current (and future) labor shortages in the American workforce. With a growing number of Baby Boomers exiting the workforce, and a lack of adequate replacement from subsequent generations to follow in their footsteps, this is a can't miss conversation for associations and their members that will allow you to learn how to strategize moving forward through this labor shortage issue. 

This week, Tom and Dave are joined by author of renowned book, Built to Sell; John Warrillow. He breaks down 8 helpful considerations in building your association just like an entrepreneur would build a business that they hope to sell and how the "build to sell" strategy can correlate to a stronger association as well. 

In this week's episode of the Association Strong podcast, Tom and Dave are joined by Amy Hemphill with ASAE to discuss how to help find that work-life balance especially in this post-COVID era where many people are still working remotely. While many people enjoy the flexibility that remote work brings, it also comes with it's own set of challenges such as defining the lines between your work life and your home life. 

In this week's episode Dave and Tom sit down with Design Extension's Jay Owen to talk about building your association's brand to really tell a story to your prospective members. From sales strategies to the movies, the world is drawn in by stories, and Jay teaches you some of the fundamentals you need to showcase your association as a story brand rather than just a sales pitch. 

In this week's episode, Dave and Tom talk with David Coriale, President of DelCor Technology Solutions about how associations can use technology to help propel them into the future as well as what the difference really is between IT, CIO, and CTO. 

In this week's episode of Association Strong, Dave and Tom have a conversation with CE and credentialing gurus, Keith and Adrienne Segundo of Limitless ASR. They discuss the importance and value of offering credentialing and continued education through your association as a means to not only boost non-dues revenue, but to add another layer of value for members. 

On this week's episode of the Association Strong podcast, Tom and Dave sit down with Association Analytics CEO, Julie Sciullo to talk about data analytics and why they're crucial to the success of your organization. One of the key takeaways from this discussion is how to connect your streamlined data analytics with a human component to allow your organization to really discover trends and be able to align your work with what truly matters to your members and prospects. 

In this episode, Tom and Dave speak with Reggie Henry of ASAE on how to truly gauge and meet the needs of your membership both on the organizational and individual level. They will discuss how to marry the use of technology and the personal relationship to cultivate a member experience that helps an association create members-for-life through adapting and communicating to meet member needs at every turn.

In this week's episode, Tom and Dave dive into leadership in a time of chaos with industry maven, Michelle Mason of Association Forum. In this episode, she shares about navigating through the unpredictable, encouraging and engaging her team to rally through challenges, and what it means to pivot well. Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic last March, we have all experienced changes and curve-balls and Michelle and her team are no exception. They're sharing what has helped them overcome these unprecedented times and plan ahead for the future. 

What do you think of when someone says the words “Strategic Plan”? Do you get excited or do you think of that document sitting on a shelf that was never implemented? Effective strategy should be the source and guide to any association about who they want to be and how they intend to get there. Tom Morrison's association formalized their strategic plan in 2006 and have revisited it every two years since. It has created over 2,600% growth in their net reserves since 2006 giving the board the freedom financially to develop some very compelling value for the members. Listen in as Dave and Tom share how to connect strategy with needs, value, and engagement in your association.  

Did you know there are over 100 million people in the U.S. between the age of 9 and 34 as of 2021? This is exciting news because most people join associations in their early 30's, so the future is bright for associations. Many people don't recognize it, but demographics are one of the top influencers of the economy, and consumer buying habits as well as association membership. Demographics, or the counting of people, allows you to effectively predict many opportunities and challenges your association will face now and in the future. Don't miss this episode as one of the leading demographers in America, Ken Gronbach joins Dave and Tom to openly discuss how the changing demographics of Baby Boomers, Gen-X, and Millennials are going to affect your association and the economy.