Association Strong

Why Have an Online Community to Connect Members

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.

Building Community and Trust That Engages Members

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.  

Innovative Thinking Through Asking Your Members What They Want

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.

Strategic Planning That Maximizes Value and Engagement

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.

Driving Innovation Through Asking Your Members

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.  

Driving Value Through Innovative Thinking

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.

Communication Strategy That Maximizes Engagement

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 Person Events & Meaningful Relationships

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.

Driving Value by Finding Your Uber

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. 

Greatest Hits From the First 20 Episodes

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.