When it comes to recruiting members, are you promoting the wrong value proposition?

If your association is still talking about benefits and ROI the way you always have, you may never reach your membership benchmarks. A fresh approach is needed in an environment where fewer employers paying for membership dues, and individuals having to justify their own out-of-pocket investment. It is absolutely crucial to zero in on the right messages and the right ways to communicate them, effectively and on budget.  Here’s where to start.

Even if your organization is on solid ground, it’s smart management to cut back-office expenses. If you’re on shaky ground, it’s critical.

But all too many organizations – especially nonprofits – get it wrong.  They wind up targeting expense reductions that reduce the organization’s ability to serve its members and its mission, deliver value and grow. Now an expense reduction expert will take the guesswork out of how back-office cost management can benefit the entire organization.  

In the struggle to meet growing needs with diminishing funds, nonprofit leaders and association board members are increasingly exploring strategic alliances and mergers with other groups.

Could an alliance help your organization improve services, increase funding, acquire new program expertise or expand its reach?  Unfortunately, the answers rarely come without the costs of consulting attorneys, accountants and HR and Association experts.

Now there’s an webinar that cuts these costs for you.  Join us to explore the risks and rewards of forging your own alliances.

Are you avoiding the media?

For plenty of government relations professional’s, avoidance is their strategy. But, with the media relations landscape changing rapidly, this is no longer an option.

From remarks taken out of context to botched interviews, interacting with the media can be extremely intimidating. But doing nothing can be even worse. Now is the time to engage with the media. Here’s how to do it on safe ground and on your terms …

Listen in now for Benchmarking Social Media: How Does Your Association Measure Up? In this 90-minute audioconference, you’ll use the results of the 2012 Association Social Media Survey to evaluate where your own social media program stands. Then, you’ll explore association best practices tips you can use right away to build your social media plan — and turn vibrant interaction into bottom-line results.

There’s very little wiggle room in today’s meeting and events budgets. That’s why you can’t afford to sign a hotel contract that doesn’t represent your best interests. You don’t need to be a legal expert, but you DO need to be 100% proactive in negotiating better room rates, weeding out hidden fees and converting overly restrictive cancellation policies into more fair and flexible terms. Get the step-by-step guidance you need to master the “legalese” and turn better contracts into better events.

On one hand, social media can generate good press, brand recognition, and new membership. On the other, it could get you into serious legal trouble. Requests for employees Facebook passwords became a human relations issue large enough to reach Congress.  Because the legal and regulatory landscape around employers' rights, employee free speech, and social media is still evolving, employers need to be up-to-date on the latest developments, and carefully craft social media policies that protect the company's reputation but will also stand up in court and before regulatory officials.

    
Dedicated people make great nonprofit Board members. But meeting fiduciary responsibility takes more than dedication–it takes serious financial know-how.

But what if your Board members aren’t CPAs? What if they don’t understand your financial structure? What if they don’t know how to use due diligence, cash flow strategies and other financial and accounting practices to keep your nonprofit in the black?

Having an unprepared board is frankly not an option. In light of today’s challenges, what your Board doesn’t know can hurt you. Here’s how to get everyone up to speed – fast

You’ve tried to boost event attendance, sponsorships, and dues revenue. But if you’re not seeing results (or you’re not seeing record results) there are seven strategies you haven’t tried.

Have you ever thought about creating a micro website and sub-brand to market your association’s products, services and secondary businesses?

You’re not alone. Nearly 50% of today’s associations support a micro site.  The challenge is that just creating a micro site and sub-brand isn’t enough.  In fact, if you don’t know the right way to launch -- and leverage -- one, the online exposure could actually weaken your main brand.

Don’t risk it!  Here’s what you need to know about branding and micro sites to help your entire organization grow.

Are your current benchmarking practices really better than plain guesswork? For many associations, they’re not. The association environment has changed drastically over the last year. If your benchmarking tools and methods haven’t kept pace, you might not be getting the apples-to-apples comparisons and the accurate, meaningful data that you need. And without them, can you be confident about what to prioritize and where to invest to drive growth? Using today’s smartest benchmarking tools and tactics is a must.  Here’s how to find – and use – them.

With growing costs and memberships that continually expect new and enhanced benefits, associations must develop innovative strategies to raise the funds they need to achieve their mission goals. 

Today’s most successful associations have already begun implementing a new style of strategic fundraising to provide the backing they need. Now you can use their example to develop your own plan for 2013.

Get the most comprehensive reference guide to the over 8,800 trade associations, professional societies, technical organizations, and labor unions who are organized statewide or regionally. Also profiled are the 19,000+ executives who run them.

In the largest, most in-depth study of lobbying practices and how they are received on the Hill, George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management and the publishers of the Original US Congress Handbook and Lobbyists.info have compiled inputs from over 2,200 lobbyists and 700 Congressional staffers. Packed with full-color charts, ready-to-use best practices and surprising insights into what no longer works, this report is a must-have for everyone seeking Hill access — and influence.