Local Perspective: Brussels
No matter where you are in the world, associations are encountering similar challenges, and finding similar opportunities. Globalization presents us with opportunities to collaborate and flourish, but also has its own set of bottlenecks that aren’t necessarily seen locally. Differences can range from barely noticeable to rather remarkable from one geographical region to another, or […]
DATA: OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE
Much of the general conversation around data is about how it can be used to shape or shift the subject’s behavior. I would argue that we should be expending as much, if not more, effort in interpreting the data and using it to shift and shape our behavior to better meet the needs of our members and customers. We’re […]
THE THREE AREAS ENHANCED BY PARTNERSHIPS
Though the world may be big, even across oceans, the association community is small and powerful. Across the globe, associations tackle similar challenges and opportunities: how to grow membership, how to provide dynamic learning and meetings, what is good governance and how do we advocate on behalf of the industries we serve, to name a few. […]
SURGE GROWTH SPEAKERS WANTED
What began as a notion in November 2017 has now confidently become a certainty: that the best, brightest, and boldest ideas come from minds meeting. Along with thousands of association professionals, AssociationSuccess.org saw this thesis in action, and over the past 2 years our free virtual conference has evolved. It’s gone from a vanguard experiment to […]
HOW TO EMPOWER A COMMUNITY OF PROBLEM SOLVERS
Despite our best efforts, it can be easy for associations to fall into a siloed way of working. We can get so wrapped up in only thinking about problems and challenges we face specific to the work we are tasked with doing that often times we do not see the downstream impacts until much later. This causes […]
IMPROVING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PEOPLE AND TECHNOLOGY
When trying to bring in new technology into an organization, it is guaranteed that you will be met with resistance, because any sort of change often is. You need that buy-in from people first, otherwise there’s going to be struggle in incorporating the technology into operations. This is why there needs to be a focus on the […]
GEOSPATIAL ANALYSIS AND PREDICTING THE FUTURE
What does it mean not to be behind the geospatial curve? In the previous article we say that the State Department was left behind in the conversation about how to handle the war in Afghanistan. They were behind the geospatial curve. So, Most importantly, the phrase means an organization does not simply look at its work in the […]
DON’T FEAR THE G-WORD: UNDERSTANDING YOUR ORGANIZATION THROUGH COLORFUL MAPS
The words “geospatial analysis” sound intimidating. But let’s be honest: the ability to look at an organization’s work across the country or around the world is pretty powerful. Despite its pretensions, “geospatial analysis” simply means using maps, graphs and statistics to visualize and understand member and customer behavior across geographic locations and make better business decisions. […]
DISTINGUISHING POINTS OF VIEW
Distinguishing point of views (POVs) can help better frame one’s value and appreciate the contribution of others. Consider this: Our POV is the world we live in. it’s neither right or wrong, good or bad! However, our POV has us often more committed to being right about something in order to look good, be comfortable, […]
TELLING THE ADVOCACY STORY: MOVING MEMBERS FROM “ME” TO “WE”
For some association leaders and practitioners, advocacy remains a “black box.” While advocacy has always been one of the most powerful ways that associations engage their members, some associations struggle to link and communicate that work back to their members in a way that shows them that “My association is fighting for me!” In a previous article, I […]