Recent activity in the not-for-profit sector has made it clear that many organisations are beginning to operate in a more commercial manner.

With such changes occurring, not-for-profit organisations may wish to consider how to best protect their assets. Commercial ventures can, in some instances, create environments in which it is possible that customers or other third parties will sue, increasing the importance of asset-protection. Equally, the commercial activities run by not-for-profits can generate significant income, which is important to protect.

Separation of Operation and Assets

One of the foremost ways in which an organisation can protect its assets is by separating its structure into essentially two arms – an operational arm, and an asset-holding arm. The simplest way to do this tends to be by setting up a subsidiary organisation, or even several subsidiaries. Following the restructure, one of the entities in the corporate group can hold particular valuable (or even all) assets, and the other entity can run all of the operations.

If an organisation is to be sued, it almost invariably arises from its operations. If the organisational entity is sued, and the valuable assets are held by another asset-holding entity, it is less likely that the assets will be exposed in a litigation context. This is not always guaranteed, however, due to various legislative provisions. It is recommended that organisations seeking to restructure in order to protect their assets seek legal advice on how to best do so.

Types of Restructure

The seemingly most straightforward way of facilitating such a restructure is to keep all of the current assets in the existing entity, and to create a new entity (as a subsidiary) to which the operations will be transferred.

The benefit of this approach is that fewer items and assets need to be transferred, which can be logistically simpler. In this approach, some assets will still need to be transferred (or licensed) to the new subsidiary, such as intellectual property and employees, but this is not as complicated as needing to transfer across all assets.

Transfer of certain types of assets can attract significant taxation implications, such as stamp duty, capital gains tax, and possibly GST. Keeping the assets in the already established entity can help to mitigate this, by lessening what needs to be transferred (thereby potentially minimising any taxation liability). Before effecting a restructure, the taxation implications should be considered with reference to the types of assets being transferred, in which jurisdiction, and which laws will apply.

If an organisation does not currently hold significant assets, but plans to hold more in the future (such as real property), then the organisation may alternatively prefer to set up a new subsidiary to purchase assets, with the existing entity continuing to run the operations. Under this model, the new subsidiary can make its assets available to the current entity, through documented agreements such as leases or licences. The benefit of this approach is that fewer administrative changes will be required for the current operational entity. It will not, however, be appropriate if significant assets are already held in the corporate group.

Not-for-profit Status

When an organisation separates its assets and operations between two entities, once the new structure is set up it is almost inevitable that the two organisations will need to freely move assets between each other.

For instance, if the asset-holding entity holds the organisation’s monies, it may need to distribute these funds to the operational entity to allow the organisation to be able to fund its activities. If one entity in the group is a charity, it will need other entities to also be charities in order to legally make distributions to them. Charitable status provides taxation benefits, in particular if one is a deductible gift recipient.

This raises the question of whether moving monies or assets between the entities in the group will affect either entity’s charity status. Particularly relevant is that in such a structure, the parent will be a member of the subsidiary; charities are generally forbidden from making distributions to their members.

However, under taxation law, there is an exception for charities that make distributions to charitable body corporate members which have similar objects. In such a parent/subsidiary relationship, it is foreseeable that both will have similar (or even the same) objects, as they are both part of the same larger charitable group. This will allow them to legally make distributions between each other.

The ‘Word Investments Case’

In a corporate group following an asset-protection restructure, the asset-holding entity will essentially only exist to make its assets available to the other entity in the group.

The High Court case of Commissioner of Taxation v Word Investments Ltd [2008] HCA 55 (known as the Word Investments Case), considered the issue of whether an organisation that only fundraises for other charities, rather than directly conducting charitable activities itself, still has charitable objects and is eligible to have charitable registration.

This case stands as authority that such an organisation can be registered as a charity. This extends to particular types of charities; for instance, an organisation can be a public benevolent institution if its purpose is to raise funds for other public benevolent institutions. The same is also true for health promotion charities.

The relevant consequence of this is that an asset-holding subsidiary can still be a charity if it has charitable objects and only applies its funds for those objects, even if it does not directly conduct charitable activities.

Potential Taxation Issues

As mentioned above, there can be significant taxes that apply in a restructure. However, there are exceptions that can apply, which require detailed consideration on the particular facts.

The exception to GST of a ‘sale of a going concern’ can apply to a transfer where the transferor gives (or makes available to) the transferee everything that is needed to run the business. This can be difficult to satisfy, as if anything required to run the business is not transferred, then it may not be a sale of a going concern.

There are also stamp duty concessions for certain charities. Charities should bear in mind that as stamp duty is a state tax, ‘charity’ is not defined the same as by the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission. An organisation that is a registered charity may not be considered a charity (or sometimes even a not-for-profit) under the relevant state Duties Act. Only the transfer of certain types of assets gives rise to stamp duty, so this may not be an issue to begin with.

We recommend that an organisation which is seeking to restructure in order to protect its assets seeks legal advice on the various implications, such as protection in litigation, and also the taxation consequences.

This article was written by John Vaughan-Williams, Lawyer.

I recently drove 350 miles, one way, to visit a member of my association.

To be fair, it was more than just a "member visit." We're planning an activity in this member's community, they are helping to host and support it, and there were (and still are) a lot of logistical details that need to be identified and resolved. We got a great start on that business, but the trip provided me with another lesson of how important it is to get out of the four walls of my association office and visit my members in their natural environment.

Because of the timing of my arrival, the first thing we did was have lunch. I run a trade association, which means our members are companies, not individuals, and this company is one of our largest members, with their own cafeteria. As we sat around one of those common tables, in a room full of people, all employees of the member company, the small talk conversation perhaps naturally turned to the people I might know in the company.

You see, the folks I was meeting with were all relatively new to me. They were part of the planning group for the activity I described. So as I started listing off other people I knew in the company, it was reported to me where that person might be. Oh, he's in Europe today. Or, She's in. We should swing by and say hi. Or, Yes, he knows you're here today. He's going to try and come by our meeting later.

Then, the best thing happened. Someone I knew, but whose name I had forgotten to recite, walked by. I jumped up from the table and shook his hand. He was glad to see me. He hadn't been in the loop and hadn't known that I was going to be visiting.

It was then that I realized how many people I actually knew in the company--and, by extension, how deeply involved this company was in the activities of my association. This person is on our board, and that person chairs one of our committees. This person appeared in a promotional video our association produced, and that person comes to every education conference. This person relies on the market data reports we produce, and that person works within our standardization initiatives.

This company is not just a member of our association. It is a "power member," getting tremendous value out of the things we do and strongly supporting our initiatives and activities. I somewhat belatedly realized what a delight it was to have the opportunity to spend a day on their campus, greeting everyone I knew individually, and letting them know how much I appreciated their support.

Was it worth driving 700 miles in two days? Absolutely.

This article was originally sourced from Association Universe and written by Eric Lanke.

If you read [Mizz Information], you already know I have a tendency to skew kind of negative on things. Lol. Ok, so yes, maybe I’m stating that a bit more mildly than is precisely accurate but whatever…my point is that, people often accuse me of being too negative. I personally just call it being a realist, but that’s me.

Regardless, imagine my surprise when I read this post about the 12 not-so-great realities about nonprofits and social media and my immediate thought was “Ok, yes, some of these are true, but there are a lot of great things about nonprofits and social media.” Who am I now, an optimist? Apparently. Because while, yes, there are some real truths in that post and managing social media and/or online communities for nonprofits absolutely has its challenges, there are also some real upsides. While I don’t have time to go point-for-point with the 12 in that post because I only have a few minutes […] but here are five reasons I think that nonprofits have the edge when it comes to social media and online communities:

1. Nonprofits have great content to share. The second point in the post I’m referencing is that nonprofit social media managers are bombarded with depressing content. I personally think it’s just the opposite. Granted, your experience may vary, but in my time as social media manager for various associations I had the privilege of sharing really great, powerful content that really resonated with people–videos of babies hearing their mom’s voice for the first time (I defy you not to tear up watching that), great blog posts, breaking news that has the potential to save people’s lives, etc. Compare that with the content brands get to share–pictures of their products! Expensive professional videos that nobody cares about!–and I’ll take nonprofit content…and, frankly, so will most audiences.

2. Nonprofit social media managers get to deal with people who are passionate about their cause. Yes, every social media manager ever has to deal with her share of trolls and nasty people, but I’ve also had some really uplifting experiences managing social media for nonprofits. People who truly appreciate the hard, often thankless work of what is a 24/7 job that is mostly under-appreciated, under-funded (or not funded at all) and misunderstood within the org. How many brand social media managers have stuff like this to show for their work?

3. Going viral is BS anyway, so don’t worry about it. Yes, we’re all happy that the ALS Association went viral with their Ice Bucket Challenge a few years ago. And, despite my personal beef with the whole thing–mainly that people were blindly doing the challenge without giving so much as a thought to the what or the why–it raised a ton of money that went on to fuel great things. But, as the post I’m referencing points out in point #12, going viral hardly ever happens. The upside of that is WHO CARES? Not going viral isn’t as glamorous or headline-inducing, but you can still do a ton of good with slow and steady.

4. Online communities and nonprofits are made for each other. Granted, that article didn’t mention online communities, only social media, but I’m just adding it here because, as much as social media does have its challenges when it comes to nonprofits and brands have an advantage at least in terms of resources, online communities are one area where nonprofits–especially associations–have a distinct advantage over brands. Rather than reinvent the wheel writing about why here, I’ll just send you down the rabbit hole of my previous posts about associations and online communities. Many brands launch online communities then struggle to get people to find a reason to want to participate, but associations already encompass one of the key elements of online community success: people who want to interact and share content around a shared interest. They have already opted in to the org by joining–the same can’t be said for customers who have merely bought a product from a brand or maybe feel passionate about a particular product or service. Sure, I love Diet Pepsi, Dunkin’ Donuts and many other things, but do I want to participate in an online community around those things? No. But community management, association communications and other topics that interest me professionally–do I want to participate in communities with peers in those spaces? And do I find great value in the private communities of organizations I belong to around those topics? Absolutely, and there’s value for both me, the member and the org because of that.

5. There are lots of free or cheap tools and resources to do social media. Yes, managing social media for an organization with no budget for social media management, measurement or listening tools is a challenge. However, the good news is that there are lots of free or cheap tools available so, while maybe less than ideal, at least you can cobble together workable systems with little or no budget. Here are some posts I’ve written about free and cheap tools, social media measurement, and other resources that nonprofit social media managers can use:

• Small staff association resources
  
• Social media tools and resources for social learning
  
• Social media measurement resources for associations
  
• Making sense of social media analytics
  

Just to clarify–I’m not bashing Nonprofit Tech for Good’s post at all–there’s a lot of truth there. However, setting aside things that money can buy–social media advertising, expensive social media management platforms, graphic design and video production–the disadvantages specific to nonprofits with regard to social media end there, IMO. Well, unless you want to touch on the silo thing, the culture thing, the pay thing, etc…but I’ll digress and let you think I’ve turned into Sally Sunshine.

This article is originally sourced from Social Fish and written by Maggie McGary.

The Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA) President, David Templeman, is encouraged by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s announcement at the National Press Club this afternoon that the Australian Government will place “in 2017, a new focus on preventive health will give people the right tools and information to live active and healthy lives.”

“PHAA’s believes that health protection, promotion, prevention are essential to improving the health of individuals and populations,” said Mr Templeman.

“Preventive health care measures will be critical to reducing the coming impact of chronic disease on Australians and on our economy.”

“The evidence is in. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Australia’s health 2016 report shows that funding for health prevention initiatives in Australia has reduced from 2008 levels of 2.2% to 1.4%.”

“Combine this with the rise in chronic disease and the number of Australian’s with multiple chronic diseases also increasing, our health capacity and response capability is severely compromised.”

“A new focus is needed, particularly on the key drivers of increasing chronic disease in our society and start tackling the causes of the causes before people require major treatment interventions and hospitalisation.”

A 2014 report by the McKinsey Global Institute concluded that the costs caused by tobacco use, obesity and alcohol abuse were the 1st, 3rd and 4th most expensive social burdens on the world economy.

“So the Prime Minister’s commitment today that his government’s 2017 agenda includes a specific focus on preventive health is fantastic news,” said Mr Templeman.

“His government’s response could significantly improve the future wellbeing of all Australia’s individuals and families, as well as the productive strength of our economy.”

This media release was originally sourced from PHAA. 

Leading healthcare associations are working together to craft strategies for better engaging members. Even as the healthcare industry continues to change, a new report offers six recommendations to boost engagement that associations in all sectors can learn from.

It’s rare for someone to be excited about a doctor or dentist appointment. These routine check-ups are good for you, but they interfere with life, and they can be stressful or painful.

If you get cold sweats before entering the exam room, then maybe, just maybe, you can take some satisfaction in the fact that healthcare associations are likely to break a sweat thinking about membership engagement.

“Healthcare associations typically look at membership and engagement as a static solution, when in reality it’s a dynamic problem,” says Dean West, FASAE, president and founder of Association Laboratory, Inc., a consulting firm based in Chicago. “Historically, these associations needed very little modification, but emerging membership models have forced them to change and become more customizable and adaptable.”

At the same time that membership is changing, the healthcare industry is changing too—thanks in no small part to politics, technology, and generational trends. What isn’t changing, West says, are the demands on doctors’ time and attention. “It can be a chaotic and unpredictable environment for medical professionals, which is why associations are putting some serious thought toward their membership engagement strategy,” he says.

Whether you’re in the healthcare space or not, there are probably a few lessons to be learned from Association Laboratory’s recent whitepaper, “The Future of Healthcare Membership and Engagement” (ASAE log-in required). The report cites six common strategies that healthcare associations are using:

1. A robust market understanding
   
2. Customized engagement models
   
3. Integrated and sustained experiences for members
   
4. Community outreach and development
   
5. Sustained engagement throughout the membership lifecycle
   
6. Adaptive governance, staff, and operational systems
   

Nearly 50 healthcare trade and professional associations were analyzed for the study. The findings are helping organizations, like the American Dental Association (a study participant), to evolve their strategy.

“One thing about this report that I found interesting was that we all seem to have the same struggles, yet we don’t compete directly with each other,” says Bill Robinson, vice president of member and client services at ADA. “Associations go after different market segments, based on their profession, which is why I’m convinced that we have to solve membership engagement challenges together.”

Getting associations talking is the first step in the right direction, West says. ADA is using an adaptive strategy that’s currently being tested and piloted with membership.

It includes upfront engagements with dentists at the beginning of their career. ADA has a membership partnership with the American Student Dental Association, and it’s piloting a program where student ambassadors coordinate membership events between national and state-based dental associations.

“We also have strategies that target first-years coming right out of dental school,” Robinson says. “That transition—when someone is starting their career—is arguably when an association can be the most helpful.”

THINKING ‘COMMUNITY FIRST’

Usually when associations think about their engagement experience, they immediately think about their member first. But really, associations need to be thinking in broader terms, West says. They should be thinking about their members’ community and content understanding. By looking at membership in segments, associations can target each group’s unique challenges and needs.

One of the membership societies that West studied, the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, traditionally relied on conference tradeshows for revenue.

Under the leadership of President and CEO Stephen Lieber, HIMSS changed its focus to a “community first” model, creating and delivering content to specific membership segments when they needed it the most.

As a result, the association’s credibility and influence within the healthcare technology sector has increased, and revenue has grown by 765 percent in the last 15 years. Even today, HIMSS continues to grapple with the question: What are the resources and information that membership segments need at any given moment?

“You reverse-engineer your strategy, based on the audience and their needs, not on you and your organizational structure.” West says. “Members’ challenges are dynamic and evolving throughout their lifespan. If you don’t understand your community, then you can’t define a solution for each individual members.”

In some respects the healthcare association space has been immune to change. Senior leadership and the “cultural tailwinds” theory—the notion that medical school students will automatically join an association because of institutional forces—don’t challenge some associations to think differently, West says. “While much of that culture remains, there are new avenues for healthcare professionals to solve some of their biggest challenges and issues today,” he says.

For example, ADA is keenly aware that student debt is a primary concern for younger members, especially those just exiting dental school. ADA targets new members with debt consolidation services, as way to save members money. But ADA is also competing against a widening field of services, including online debt consolidation companies, which have grown in size and popularity in the last few years.

NO ‘ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL’ APPROACH

One of the biggest advantages and challenges for ADA when it comes to membership engagement is its tripartite structure: Enrollment guarantees membership at the local, state and national levels. But the membership experience can vary, particularly for state and local dental associations. Bigger states have more resources to engage their members than smaller states. For ADA, technology tools can help to level the playing field a bit.

“We think technology will help to tackle the variability in membership experiences,” Robinson says. “It’s not going to be a one size-fits-all approach. We want members to be able to select their levels of engagement with us.”

Right now, ADA is in the process of selecting a technology firm that will help to expand its digital footprint. The hope is that communications and online services can be tailored to members, regardless of where they live.

In many ways the six key findings in the Association Laboratory report can serve as a routine checkup for all associations to take, regardless of their industry or focus.

What problems does your association face when it comes to membership engagement? And, what strategies or tactics are you using to solve them?

This article was originally sourced from Associations Now and written by Tim Ebner.

The 2017 Directors’ Alert was issued this month by Deloitte Global. This year’s publication is based on the need for courageous actions in the boardroom, highlighting the benefits of diversity and discussing some of the main disrupting factors that boards must address: technology, transparency, innovation and culture. The report serves as a useful tool for boards to approach these issues.

We strongly recommend you at least read the key “Q’s for directors to ask” on strategy (page 7), Culture (page 11, and the table on page 10), technology (page 19), disruption (page 23) and diversity (page 39). Or we have attached the summaries in the Snapshot pdf here.

The insights and challenges equally apply to profit focused businesses and public benefit entities.

Related to the challenges facing all organisations is the generational disruption that millennials are to employers. The Deloitte Millennial Survey 2017 provides an update on how millennials view the world and work.

Last year, many millennials seemed to be planning near-term exits from their employers. But, after 12 months of political and social upheaval, those ambitions have been tempered, according to Deloitte Global’s sixth annual Millennial Survey. Young professionals now indicate they’re less likely to leave the security of their jobs, more concerned about uncertainty arising from conflict, and—especially in developed countries—not optimistic about their future prospects nor the directions their countries are going.

Next month we will cover benchmarking. As we have found that benchmarking has a very strong impact on organisation performance and also the outcomes achieved across the relevant industry. The highlighting of key differentiators in high and low performance can sometimes be surprising and definitely focus the efforts of an organisation to improve their outcomes!

Dunedin’s successful bid for the World Congress of Herpetology (the study of reptiles and amphibians) has helped put the city on the map as the wildlife and scientific capital of New Zealand, bringing with it a host of academic and economic benefits.

The congress, which will take place in 2020, is expected to showcase the scientific research out of the University of Otago, as well as local ecotourism experiences and iconic wildlife, to an influential international delegation.

The 9th World Congress of Herpetology will be hosted by University of Otago’s Department of Zoology, and Professor Phil Bishop says: “This is a fantastic win, not just for New Zealand, but specifically for Dunedin and the University of Otago. We will have the opportunity to showcase our university and city to hundreds of international biologists, as the wildlife and scientific capital of New Zealand.”

Moreover, the event is expected to attract up to 1,000 delegates to the city, translating to up to 6,000 room nights and bringing an estimated $2.1 million to the local economy.

The benefits will provide a major boost to the city, especially given that Bishop hadn’t previously considered bidding for an international conference. “I had no intention of ever taking on something like this, but our vice-chancellor and Tourism New Zealand hosted a lunch and there seemed to be a lot of support and enthusiasm for bringing large conferences like this to New Zealand,” he says. “I am very proud of New Zealand and Dunedin and thought this would be a good opportunity to showcase what we do to my colleagues.

“I think it's going to be a tremendous boost to the university's reputation internationally, and it’s a good chance for our students and those working on amphibian and reptile research around New Zealand to interact with an international audience.”

Dunedin won the event over competing bids from Kenya, Hungary, Morocco and Australia. Bishop notes: “We might not have as many species of reptiles and amphibians, but what we lack in quantity we make up for in quality. The species we do have are iconic, unique, and very unusual. Scientists like to tick things off their list. Tuatara is an order of reptiles that you cannot see anywhere else in the world and we also have amazing geckos, skinks and native frogs.

“Plus, New Zealand has an international reputation of being beautiful, clean, green and sustainable, and a wonderful place to visit. When I delivered the bid at the 8th World Congress in Hangzhou, China, a lot of people said: ‘Great, New Zealand’s on my bucket list, we’d love to come’.”

Bishop adds: “The support I received from Tourism New Zealand and Enterprise Dunedin, both financially and logistically, took all the hard work out of preparing the bid and together we produced highly professional brochures and an amazing presentation which blew away the competition! Tourism New Zealand printed all the bid documents and even had them posted to the hotel in China. They also helped me put together an event budget, which was important for the selection committee.

“Tourism New Zealand’s Conference Assistance Programme contributed to both my airfare and accommodation in China to present the bid. That support is extremely helpful in today’s economic climate where funds for conference participation are limited.”

Bishop says a tailored approach to the target audience would hopefully deliver international tourists to lesser-travelled destinations such as Stewart Island, Fiordland and Invercargill. “Our bid document really helped with the message ‘it's not as far away as you think’, and we provided lots of information about touring New Zealand, with amazing photos of animals you can see here. The main part of the conference will take place in early January, and we hope a lot of people will decide to come for Christmas and spend their break here. We will run tours in the greater Dunedin area to see reptiles and geckos, but we’ve suggested wider pre and post tours geared to scientists and biologists, not just typical tours, whether that is going to see the yellow-eyed penguins, national parks, Kaikoura, Orana Wildlife Park in Christchurch, or the Kiwi Birdlife Park in Queenstown.

“Tourism New Zealand has offered further support in assisting with attendance at other conferences to promote the event, to keep it alive and active in everyone's mind that they will be coming to Dunedin in 2020.”

If you would like to find out more about Tourism New Zealand, please visit www.businessevents.newzealand.com

Health insurers funded an additional $100 million in healthcare in 2016 as more Kiwis took out health cover, according to the latest figures from the Health Funds Association (HFANZ).

Claims paid for the year jumped 9.4 percent to $1.136 billion as insurers funded record levels of elective surgery, HFANZ chief executive Roger Styles said today.

“Insurers have reported strong growth in elective surgical claims over the year, as more operations are being funded by health insurance. This is a huge jump and reflects the sizable contribution private health insurance makes in the New Zealand healthcare system,” Mr Styles said.

There was also a surge in the number of New Zealanders getting health insurance – up nearly 20,000 over the year – which Mr Styles said was the strongest growth in a decade. The total number of New Zealanders with private health insurance cover stood at 1.36 million as at December 31, an increase of 1.4 percent on figures from the end of December 2015. In the December 2016 quarter, lives covered rose by 5900, or 0.4 percent.

“People value the fact that health insurance provides certainty and timely access to treatment. Taking out health insurance means they are making a positive contribution to their own healthcare, at the same time as helping to relieve pressure on the public system,” he said.

“New Zealanders with health insurance are literally saving the Government hundreds of millions of dollars each year.”

Today’s release was the first time HFANZ had included in its data a category for minor medical policies, which offered a more limited range of medical cover at a lower cost. These typically covered some reimbursable items such as glasses, physiotherapy and GP visits but had limited or no cover for major surgery. Such policies accounted for around 50,000 lives covered – around 3.5 percent of those with health insurance.

ENDS (Full release and four-page statistical summary can be found by clicking link below)

Read full summary here

This Media Release was originally sourced from Scoop.

The world is changing, and because of that, associations are facing several obstacles that they’ll need to overcome. Also: How to create content optimized for short attention spans.

Change is hard. But we all know associations have to adapt to industry and societal forces to stay relevant and valuable to members.

While organizations may be straining against change for hundreds of reasons, Velvet Chainsaw Consulting’s Midcourse Corrections Blog points out six common 21st-century challenges that many associations are struggling to meet.

The unrelenting digital transformation of the modern world is the biggest pressure point that many associations face.

“Our association’s success or failure hinges on digital tools and ultimately becoming digitally mature organizations,” writes blogger Jeff Hurt.

While the digital revolution has us more connected than ever, there is a downside to that information overload. “Connectivity—the measure at which people are connected to each other, networks, and the internet, and the ease or speed at which they converse—is replacing knowing,” Hurt contends.

He goes on to say, “In a world where information is commoditized and is boundless, associations can’t compete with just dispensing information. What’s scarce is feedback, understanding, and application.”

Associations must keep up with what people want to learn, because there’s a lot of competition out there. “Associations have to compete with other possibilities that are frankly more compelling, creative, and social than marching through a passive, one-way webinar, outdated newsfeed, lecture, or recording,” he says.

These days, attention spans last for mere seconds on average, and your group may not even get access to those precious seconds unless your content can rise above the messy fray. What is your association doing to create content that your audience will want to read?

HubSpot provides several ways to make sure you’re creating engaging content that will provide value to your members.

Ask yourself if you actually need to write that blog post. Writer Sophia Bernazzani says associations should validate content topics first by doing “industry and persona research and selecting keywords to target.” She says to audit your competition to learn what types of content have performed best across your industry.

Bernazzani also recommends meeting your readers halfway. They may give you only a few seconds of their time, so give them content that they can digest quickly. Use bullet points, headers, and bold fonts to make blog posts easy to read. Clearly indicate your takeaway section so readers can find it quickly when skimming.

Read more here.

This article was originally sourced from Associations Now and written by Raegan Johnson. 

It’s no secret that in this day and age, everything’s going digital. Meetings, events, methods of communication - you name it, it’s all going online.

That said, is an online event, such as a virtual conference, something your association should consider? What exactly are the benefits of hosting a virtual conference versus a traditional, in-person event?

Well, as it turns out, there are several. Take a look!

Benefit #1: They allow more people to potentially attend

Sometimes, in-person conferences can be difficult for people to attend. First, there’s the issue of having to get away from the office. Some people simply can’t swing that. But then, there’s also the issue of travel and hotel costs. Depending on where the conference is, some people can’t afford and/or justify that. A virtual conference eliminates those barriers, allowing more people to register and attend. (Plus, when it comes to networking, virtual conferences can be much less intimidating than in-person events - another draw for some people.)

Benefit #2: They can save you time and money, operationally

Think about how much time and money you spend planning an in-person conference. It’s a lot! Sure, virtual conferences still cost money, but not necessarily as much money. With a virtual event, you can cut back on costs for hotel room blocks, conference center rentals, food and drinks, onsite signage, and more.

Benefit #3: They leave you with evergreen content (and something to leverage)

Last but not least, virtual conferences provide you with valuable content to use in the future. Because virtual conferences take place entirely online, everything can easily be recorded. That means your association can then use that content and information for years and years to come. Your attendees should, of course, be able to access that content for free, but as far as non-attendees go, you may want to consider leveraging that information as a source of non-dues revenue for your association.

Ok, let’s say you’ve decided to host a virtual conference. What now? Where do you even begin when it comes to planning and executing?

Allow us to help! Check out our free guide, How to Plan a Virtual Conference at Your Association, below! It’s a step-by-step guide to ensure your association’s online event (from the content to the technology) is a MAJOR hit!

This article was originally sourced from Association Universe and written by Callie Walker.