AuSAE Digital Subscription Introductory Offer

For a limited time, you can access AuSAE's Digital Subscription for just $44 and join all five upcoming live AKP: In Practice webinars between now and the end of 2026, plus our library of on-demand webinars.

Each session is designed to give you practical ideas, honest lessons from association practitioners and approaches you can adapt within your own organisation.

Your $44 AuSAE Digital Subscription includes:

• Four (4) live AKP: In Practice webinars 
• Access to the webinar recordings if you can't attend live
• Practical insights from association leaders and experts
• Opportunities to ask questions and learn from your peers
• Access to the our library of on-demand webinars
• 1 CAE credit per webinar attended

CAE Exam between 1 - 14 December 2026 This course is for the December 2026 examination *Please note that the exam registration through ASAE is separate and is the delegates responsibility. AuSAE is here to help

Course cost - AuSAE Member $750 

Non member / Business partner  $950 includes  

• Course material ( Professional Practices in Association Management, 4th Edition)

• Cliff notes with practice exam questions for each domain

• Study group learnings and exam questions

• Practice exam exam

The Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential is an International marker of a committed association professional who has demonstrated the wide range of knowledge essential to manage an association in today’s challenging environment.

Have you got what it takes to go to the next level, AuSAE is here to help you!!
Applications close with ASAE 25 September  2026 for the exam

Program Starting Friday 25 September 2026

Week 1 - 25 September : CAE Orientation session and Systems thinking

Week’s 2 - 9: Covering the eight domains 1 hour each week (Friday)

• 2 October: Domain 1 Governance
• 9 October: Domain 2 Executive Leadership
• 16 October: Domain 3 Organisational Strategy
• 23 October: Domain 4 Operations
• 30 October: Domain 5 Business development
• 6 November: Domain 6 Member and Stakeholder Engagement and Management
• 13 November: Domain 7 Advocacy
• 20 November: Domain 8 Marketing and Communications

Week 10: Wednesday 25 November Practice exam in exam conditions (100 questions) 2 hours
Friday 27 November Open forum (1hour 30 mins)

• CAE Exam fee is separate and paid through ASAE when applying for the exam. Member cost $500 USD

How we approached strategic planning differently this year

Strategic planning in associations is often done out of obligation rather than genuine strategic intent, a board weekend away, a familiar SWOT analysis, and a document that gets filed until next year. But some associations are doing it very differently: shorter cycles, more member involvement, stronger links between strategy and operational decisions, and real accountability built into the process. In this session, a member CEO shares how they changed their approach to strategic planning and what difference it made, to the quality of the plan, to board engagement, and to execution.

What members can expect

• A brief walkthrough of the shift from a traditional strategic planning process to a redesigned approach
• Specific detail on process: who was involved, how long it took, what tools, frameworks, or methods were used
• An honest reflection on what the board found challenging and how competing priorities and tensions were worked through
• A 30 minute interactive Q&A to explore how this approach could be adapted to your own strategic planning cycle

Meet our Presenter

Jon Bisset, CAE 
Chief Executive Officer 
Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA)

Jon is passionate about the non-profit and charity sector having spent more than 30 years as a Chief Executive and non-executive director.
 
Jon is currently Chief Executive Officer of the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA) as well as CEO for Disability Media Australia, the peak body for the Radio Reading Network, community media empowering Australians with a print disability. The CBAA and Disability Media Australia's member stations actively broadcast nationwide to an audience of over 5 million people per week.
 
Jon is also a Non-Executive Director of the Community Council for Australia; a Non-Executive Director of Spots and Space Pty Ltd; a Non-Executive Director of Community Media Training Organisation and the Chair of the Local Independent News Association.

Cost Centre or Growth Engine? Why communications is now an association’s strategic advantage

For many associations, communications is still seen as the team that “gets the newsletter out”, manages social media, updates the website or makes things look polished. But in a tougher, faster, noisier environment, communications is no longer a support function, it is one of the most powerful levers an association has to prove value, build trust, influence decision-makers, retain members and drive commercial outcomes.

Key learnings:

• How to help your board understand communications as a strategic asset, not an operational expense.
• How to connect communications directly to member value, advocacy, revenue and reputation.
• How to shift from “sending more stuff” to creating clarity, influence and action.

Meet Our Presenter 

Felicity Zadro

Founder & Managing Director, Zadro

Felicity Zadro is a strategic advisor to leaders, boards and organisations navigating complexity, change and growth. She is the founder of multi-award-winning communications agency Zadro, now celebrating 19 years in business.

Since launching the agency, Felicity and her team have helped more than 450 organisations sharpen their positioning, build their brands and communicate with impact. Their work spans ASX-listed companies, associations and ambitious start-ups across Australia, Southeast Asia and Europe.

Drawing on sociology and anthropology, training in change management and leadership, and a strong commercial perspective, Felicity helps leaders see the bigger picture and turn complex challenges into clear priorities. She combines strategic advice with practical delivery, connecting what organisations want to achieve with what their audiences need to understand.

Zadro’s strategic communications planning tool, COMM*BAT™, has helped more than 150 businesses and organisations clarify their offering and translate strategy into action.

Felicity serves on boards, advises CEOs and speaks at conferences. She writes widely on communications, leadership and business, and has authored two books: A Brand is Not a Logo, written with the Zadro team, and a personal account of her grandfather’s life and philosophy.

For more information, visit zadroagency.com.au

Year in review: what the sector learned in 2026 

The final session of the year is both a celebration and a forward look. A panel of three to four members, drawn from across different association types, sizes, and career stages, reflects on the big themes that shaped the sector in 2026. What changed? What didn't change as much as expected? What's the one thing they'll carry into 2027? This session closes the year with a sense of community and shared experience, and plants the seeds for what's coming next.

What members can expect
This session brings together practical reflections from across the sector,  highlighting what’s shifted, what’s stuck, and what’s emerging for associations.

• Three to four association leaders share their biggest professional insight or shift from the year
• Reflections drawn on themes emerging across the AKP: In Practice program throughout the year
• A forward-looking close exploring what association professionals are watching as they move into 2027

Attendees receive 1 CAE credits. 

AuSAE is proud to be a CAE Approved Provider. As a CAE Approved Provider educational program related to the CAE exam content outline, this event may be applied for 1 credit toward your CAE application or renewal professional development requirements. For more information about the CAE credential or Approved Provider program, please visit www.asaecenter.org/cae.  

Register today!
The AKP: In Practice webinar series is exclusively available to AuSAE members and digital subscribers. 

Not a member? Join AuSAE or Become a Digital Subscriber today.