Association Chat: Thanking Volunteers

Thank You Charm by Beth on Flickr
https://flic.kr/p/7vybea

How do we show our volunteers that we appreciate them throughout the year? Certainly there are the reminders on our calendars. In April we celebrate National Volunteer Month (with National Volunteer Week taking the spotlight) and in November we celebrate Thanksgiving, which is a natural time to show our gratitude for all sorts of things including volunteers.

Some associations have created dynamic volunteer programs that do a good job of making the volunteer feel appreciated on a regular basis, but how do they do that? What kind of acknowledgement are volunteers really expecting from their associations? Why is it important that associations put thought into their volunteer programs?

We'll be discussing the importance of thanking volunteers throughout the year during this Association Chat.


Questions I'll ask:

1. What key features must a healthy volunteer program possess?
2. Why is thanking volunteers so important for organizations?
3. What kind of recognition do volunteers expect from an organization?
4. In what creative ways have you seen organizations thanking their volunteers?
5. How often should organizations thank their volunteers? 
6. How can organizations recognize different levels of volunteerism?
7. What would delight you as a volunteer?
8. How can you thank a volunteer today?
9. In what ways can you help your organization better thank volunteers in the future?

How to participate in Association Chat:
If you'd like to check out Association Chat, just remember to jump onto Twitter on Tuesdays at 2 pm EST using the hashtag #assnchat.

If you'd like an easy and relaxing experience with the chat, I like to use Nurph for easily following along. The Nurph link to use for Association Chat is http://nurph.com/assnchat.

Next Week's Chat Topic: Mentoring and Your Personal Growth (in honor of national "Thank a Teacher Day!")

Association Chat: Associations and Globalization

https://flic.kr/p/4rXRZh

As the world seems to get smaller with the aid of technology, many associations have already expanded internationally or are looking to grow overseas in the future. But what makes an association a "global" organization versus a national organization with international ties? How do associations balance growth in their home countries while investing in growth internationally? What considerations do associations need to take when going global?

These are some of the issues we'll be discussing in this week's Association Chat. 

Questions for this week's chat:

1. When should an association consider globalization?
2. What might be some red flags for organizations looking at globalization indicating they shouldn't proceed?
3. What are some considerations that need to be taken for leadership opportunities within an association attempting to go global?
4. How would globalization potentially impact an association's delivery of services and benefits?
5. What are some approaches that global associations use to make sure dues are fair for all members, no matter their location?
6. How would marketing and communication plans be affected by an association becoming global?
7. How might you develop strategic partnerships in other countries to support your organization's expansion?
8. What are the keys to long term success with globalization efforts?

How to participate in Association Chat:
If you'd like to check out Association Chat, just remember to jump onto Twitter on Tuesdays at 2 pm EST using the hashtag #assnchat.

If you'd like an easy and relaxing experience with the chat, I like to use Nurph for easily following along. The Nurph link to use for Association Chat is http://nurph.com/assnchat. 

Next Week's Chat Topic: Thanking Your Volunteers Year Round

Association Chat: Mobile Apps for Your Association Events

This week, I'll be moderating a panel of experts on the subject of event apps for the Potomac Chapter of Meeting Professionals International (PMPI). To go along with that theme, event apps will be the focus of this week's Association Chat...and there's a lot to talk about!

Julius Solaris, author of the eBook, The Event App Bible, shares some staggering statistics from his research that indicate a wide, but narrowing, gap between what meeting planners want from an event app and what the mobile app developers are providing.

Did you know?: '59 percent of event professionals do not currently have a mobile event app, although 53 percent of those "are looking to get one" in the near future.'

This week's Association Chat will center around identifying the questions that most association executives have about event apps, working with event app vendors, and knowing how to measure success.

Here are some of the questions I plan on asking during the chat:

1. What are your biggest concerns about adopting an event app?
2. What are the must-have features that you need in an event app?
3. What are some questions that every event planner must ask before settling on an event app as a solution?
4. Who in your organization must be a part of the decision-making team when it comes to selecting an event app?
5. How do you measure whether or not an event app is successful?
6. How do you make certain your event app will meet with success?
7. What kind of measurements/tracking do you want to get from your event app?
8. How do maintain a healthy relationship with your event app vendor?
9. How often should you evaluate your event app?

How to participate in Association Chat:
If you'd like to check out Association Chat, just remember to jump onto Twitter on Tuesdays at 2 pm EST using the hashtag #assnchat.

If you'd like an easy and relaxing experience with the chat, I like to use Nurph for easily following along. The Nurph link to use for Association Chat is http://nurph.com/assnchat. 

Next Week's Chat Topic: The Association and Globalization

Association Chat: Promoting Your Association

Cutting through the noise is one of the greatest challenges facing associations today. While social media provides tools helpful for getting messages out in creative new ways, the additional outlets for communication can also be overwhelming. Where does that leave nonprofits looking for the best way to communicate to their audiences?

This week's Association Chat will focus on asking questions that will help to dig down to the nitty gritty of promoting your organization's brand.

Here are the questions I'll ask this week:

1. What messaging do you want people to repeat about your organization?
2. Does your org target the right messages for the right people at the right time with the right communication tool? How?
3. Does your communication reflect the association's values? How do you ensure this is the case?
4. How do you find out what the most important issues are for your fans, members, and customers?
5. What times during the year do your customer and members groups think most about your organization?
6. What should be on your marketing "kill list" to weed out needless communications?
7. When is a time your org was deliberately controversial or counterintuitive?
8. How does your organization use social media listening to see trends and patterns?
9. How can you break down the silos in orgs that prevent being nimble in communication?
10. How could your org use an influencer strategy to maximize your messages?

How to participate in Association Chat:

If you'd like to check out Association Chat, just remember to jump onto Twitter on Tuesdays at 2 pm EST using the hashtag #assnchat.

If you'd like an easy and relaxing experience with the chat, I like to use Nurph for easily following along. The Nurph link to use for Association Chat is http://nurph.com/assnchat.

Resources for this week's Association Chat:

I just read the fabulous book by PR smarty Adele Cehrs, titled SPIKE Your Brand ROI: How to Maximize Reputation and Get Results. Her book inspired me to focus on promotion for this chat - I cannot recommend the book highly enough.

Storify of the chat (graciously provided by Kait Solomon)!

Next Week's Chat Topic: All About Meeting Apps for Associations