On the Take 5 with Associations show presented in partnership with ASI, we chat with Charles Cameron, Chief Executive Officer of the Recruitment, Consulting and Staffing Association Australia & New Zealand (RCSA), to see how they are shape tomorrow's talent landscape.

Our host Paul Ramsbottom, Managing Director of ASI, talks with Charles about their engagement score and how RCSA integrates digital technology solutions for their members and organisation.

RCSA has been working closely with Causeis to develop their big engagement score within their engagement management system, IMIS, to understand the blood pressure of RCSA and its membership. By doing this, RSCA can see who are the most engaged and who are the least engaged members. This means every time they have a conversation, they deliver a solution, and every time they hold an event, information is captured in the database. By measuring the engagement score of each member, RSCA can quickly identify members who have low blood pressure and need engaging.

Charles says, "We're a human entity. We are living, breathing organisms, and when the blood stops pumping, we've got a problem."

"When it comes to digital technologies, it's about the tech stack. There are many solutions out there, and it's important to be able to integrate them and roll them out successfully across the team. The big engagement score is a really important part."

RCSA also focuses on social media tracking and marketing automation using Higher Logic. As a result, RCSA has a stronger social media profile, more exposure online, better connection with members, and enhanced organisation reputation.

Charles shares campaign insights and says, "We've run campaigns to target and connect with new startup companies on the back of COVID; there's heaps of new recruitment and staffing firms. We are also working with the Department of Health to place workers into aged care impacted by COVID. RCSA is developing technology on the back of that to try and connect our members with clients and workers to try and get people to save lives, which is awesome as well."

A well-defined tech stack and measuring engagement allow RCSA to respond quickly to member needs and shape tomorrow's talent landscape. Click the link to give it a watch.

About Recruitment, Consulting and Staffing Association Australia & New Zealand

The Recruitment, Consulting and Staffing Association Australia & New Zealand (RCSA) is the peak body for the recruitment and staffing industry in Australia and New Zealand.

About Advanced Solutions International

Advanced Solutions International (ASI) is a leading global provider of cloud software and services for associations and non-profits. We help clients digitally transform, streamline operations, and grow revenue through industry expertise, best-practice advice, and high-quality solutions. Our portfolio of solutions includes iMIS for association and non-profit management, TopClass LMS for learning management, and OpenWater for submission and review management. 

ASI is an AuSAE Premium Alliance Partner - www.imis.com/ausae

Last night the Incorporated society Bill was tabled in Parliament  'In Committee' stage. A Supplementary Order Paper (SOP) was submitted having three (3) necessary changes to the bill.  All of these changes were debated and then passed by the house unopposed – which is great news and in some cases will make many of our lives are less tedious.

1/  Consent to become a member (Body Corp ) "clause 72 of the bill, currently, requires that the body corporate's consent to joining be confirmed by two of its directors." The proposed change was "consent can be given on a body corporate's behalf by a person acting under the body corporate's express or implied authority." And that provision will align with section 181B of the Companies Act and will make it simpler for a body corporate to join in an incorporated society.

2/ New Incorporated societies this is in regard to reporting standards and now "that for newer societies that do not yet have two accounting periods under their belt, total operating payments and total current assets will be assessed based simply on the current financial year for which they are preparing their accounts"

3/ Reregistering: The Supplementary Order Paper 130 proposes to provide the registrar with the power to waive minor or technical non-compliance issues with applications, and a power to allow re-registration subject to conditions such as an obligation to provide certain information within a month.

I am yet to receive copies of the amended bill, once I have this I will publicise it to all members. And look forward to the next step in the Parliamentary process

The videos can be watched here

Here’s how to take your learning program to the next level and deliver greater member value. 

Your association is a trusted source for professional education and training. In the 2021 Association Trends Study by Community Brands, two thirds of members in the study’s survey say they’re required to take professional education and training courses to comply with industry standards. Of those members, most turn to their employer or their professional organization for education and training.  

But are you doing all you can to provide member value in this area?  

Here are four things you can do to step up your professional education program and deliver more of what members want: 

1. Offer a wider variety of learning options.

Findings from the 2021 Association Trends Study show that members are interested in more learning modalities than their professional organization currently offers. This suggests an opportunity to provide more learning options for your members.

For example, members say they are interested in a wide variety of professional education and training opportunities, including: 

• On-demand learning   
• Mobile learning  
• Just-in-time learning  
• Short videos  
• Social learning  

The takeaway: Your annual conference and in-person events should no longer be the only sources of continuing education and training. Deliver greater member value by offering a wide variety of year-round learning opportunities to address members’ budgets, schedules, educational and certification needs, and learning preferences. 

2. Invest in a modern learning management system (LMS).

Delivering on-demand content to learners can be a challenge – especially without the right technology to support a robust professional education program. Consider investing in online learning software that allows you to provide an engaging learning experience through a single platform. This type of investment can deliver multiple benefits to your organization, including:

• Improving member value – You can provide more value by helping your members to achieve their career goals.      
• Efficiently manage content – You can manage, track, organize, store, and deliver on-demand content more efficiently.
• Driving non-dues revenue – You can increase revenue by turning your content into a year-round revenue generator.   

TIP: You can integrate the association management software (AMS), Nimble AMS, with Crowd Wisdom LMS by Community Brands to help you deliver an elevated learning experience for your members.  

3. Target your learning opportunities.

You can increase participation (and revenue!) for your professional education program using artificial intelligence (AI) and predictive analytics technology. For example, use this functionality to predict which members are most likely to register for a specific course or certificate program based on their past engagement with your organization, and then send them targeted marketing messages for those learning activities.  

TIP: Nimble AMS Predictions in Nimble AMS uses the AI technology Salesforce Einstein to make it easy for associations to get started with AI and predictive analytics

4. Make it easy to enroll.  

Your members are used to utilizing your member portal to complete member activities. Whether renewing their membership, registering for an event, or purchasing learning courses, these experiences should be consistent. Remove any barriers to enrollment in courses by integrating your LMS and AMS. 

Take your organisation to the next level.

Originally posted here

Looking to the future, anticipating business needs, and a time-honored back pocket strategy helped lead the Association of Proposal Management Professionals to sustainable success—even during a pandemic.

By Lisa Boylan Feb 22, 2022

Rick Harris, CEO of the Association of Proposal Management Professionals, is always looking for ways to grow his association.

“The best CEOs are going to look forward to find the niches and deliver,” Harris said. For example, a McKinsey & Co. report [PDF] revealed that a lot of organizations have a skills and professional development gap. In addition, a Korn Ferry study estimated that there will be a global human talent shortage of more than 85 million people by 2030, which could result in about $8.5 trillion in unrealized annual revenues.

Those pieces of data were key to mapping out a strategy that showed what direction APMP should be headed. “Associations have this unbelievable treasure trove of power that corporations are looking for,” Harris said. “We can serve [corporations] in a way they can’t themselves.”

Become the Go-To Association

Corporations are worried about how to serve their customers, but they don’t always have the time to focus on how to close that skills gap and provide professional development for their staff. “That’s something associations are well-positioned to do,” Harris said.

Those trends and data led Harris to think about how APMP could be more like a trade association and revamp its membership model to include an organizational category that would provide corporations with the services that they need but weren’t getting. APMP immediately started focusing on attracting corporate members.

The group doubled down and hired additional membership staff to provide white-glove, concierge-like service to its corporate members and formed a Member Value Team five years ago. “It’s all about relationship building with our customer,” Harris said. “We wanted to give corporate members a confidence, a place to go, and service they’ve never had before.”

The Member Value team built relationships with the corporate members and asked them what they were looking for, which revealed a need for more specialized certification programs. The team aggregated their responses and came up with a couple of certification programs to meet those needs, then conducted a member survey at the end to test it. APMP launched both programs during the pandemic and they have taken off. “It’s because we went to the customer and knew what they wanted to do,” Harris said.

The idea was to become the association the corporations thought of first, so they would be more inclined to automatically renew based on the bespoke relationship fostered by not just the Member Value Team but also the entire organization. “Our plan worked, and it would work for any association in general to identify gaps and see where your association can fill those gaps,” Harris said.

Eleven years ago, APMP had 18 corporate members, and now it has 186, which represents a 900 percent growth increase. Even the pandemic could not stop its momentum. APMP’s corporate membership portfolio grew by 44 percent, while its individual membership grew by 9 percent.

Harris credits his ability to branch out and try new things on a piece of advice he got from a CEO 33 years ago: “Always do what the board wants you to do, but always have a wild card.”

But it must be a well-researched wild card that you are confident is going to work. Because when you deliver on the wild card, the board will give you more and more space.

“We look at things like the pandemic, not as a brick wall that we have to stop and start reducing and cutting,” Harris said. “We look at it like a speed bump—and how we can take advantage of that using the model we have built.”

Originally posted here

At this point in the pandemic, we have a good sense for what protocols we’ll face at in-person gatherings. But what about the more nuanced social aspects of meetings? Use these tips to acclimate to meetings etiquette in 2022.

By Michael Hickey Feb 22, 2022

Things that were no-brainers in meetings two years ago are now fraught with public health and etiquette concerns. How do you ask whether someone is OK shaking hands? How do you indicate that you yourself aren’t comfortable—or that you are? How do you indicate someone is too physically close for comfort?

Before walking into what might be your first in-person meeting in a while, consider these insights to draw your own safety standards without impinging on why you’re going back to the conference space: connecting with others in real time.

Be Polite, But Speak Up

Just because you’re comfortable enough to return to in-person meetings doesn’t mean that you’ll be comfortable with acting like it’s 2019. What felt like an appropriate personal distance back then might feel unsafe to you now, and you could be put in a situation where your fellow attendees don’t give you enough space. It may be uncomfortable to ask others for more space, but with your safety in mind, it’s best to push through this awkwardness and say something. The Emily Post Institute offers a few phrases you can use to speak up without ruffling feathers, such as:

• “Sorry, I’m trying to keep 6 feet away.” (While stepping back)
• “I’ll wait and catch the next elevator.”
• “Do you mind giving us just a little bit more space, please?” (Hopefully followed by a: “Thank you so much.”)

“You want to have an upbeat tone to your delivery, no edge whatsoever,” the Emily Post Institute wrote.

Follow Cough Etiquette

Sneezing, sniffles, and coughs certainly carry more weight than they used to, and will raise more concerns and turn more heads than the last time you were at an in-person gathering. So, if you’re unmasked during the event, remember to follow proper coughing etiquette, which includes:

• Covering your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
• Coughing or sneezing into your elbow, not your hands, if you don’t have a tissue.
• Throwing used tissues in the trash.
• Immediately washing your hands after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.

While following cough etiquette has always been the way to conduct yourself, being diligent with your hygiene will go a long way toward making everyone comfortable during in-person meetings in 2022.

Ask—Don’t Assume—When Greeting Others

When greeting fellow attendees, keep in mind that some will be OK with hugs and handshakes, while others might still be uncomfortable. Don’t assume that the person you’re talking to has gone back to pre-COVID greetings. Instead, say something like “Hi, nice to see you. [Are we shaking hands/Can I hug you?]” If this feels a little awkward, it might help just to acknowledge that awkwardness with the person you’re talking to.

“It makes the person feel better,” said Vanessa Bohns, a professor of organizational behavior at Cornell University, in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. “When the other person feels better, they like you more.”

Why Is Punctuality Important?

The event’s organizers have probably gone to great lengths to put together a safe in-person meeting. Don’t be late! Of course, attending an in-person gathering takes more prep than a virtual one, where you could just open your laptop from home. Now that you‘re back in person, give yourself enough time to arrive, park, check in, find your room, go through any safety protocols, and grab a seat.

Originally posted here

New Zealand will be showcasing its new venues and activities to the Asia Pacific meetings and events industry with a new hybrid stand at this year’s AIME trade show.

Tourism New Zealand will be anchoring the stand with an increased number of New Zealand partners, both in person and via a virtual hub on-stand, to showcase the country’s latest business events developments.

Representatives of the three new generation convention centres in New Zealand - Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre, Tākina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre and the New Zealand International Convention Centre in Auckland - will be physically on stand.

There will also be in-person attendance from key destinations Auckland Convention Bureau, Business Events Wellington, Dunedin Business Events, and Queenstown Convention Bureau, as well as industry body BEIA, and hotel presence from Cordis Auckland and Millennium Hotels and Resorts.

Show attendees will be able to live chat virtually with Hamilton & Waikato Tourism, Southland Regional Development Agency, and Destination Rotorua, as well as venue operators CPG Hotels - Terrace Downs and Auckland Conventions, Venues & Events.

Tourism New Zealand General Manager Domestic & Business Events Bjoern Spreitzer says:

“We want to be present and meet the buyers at this event to discuss what New Zealand can offer for their events and make those genuine connections that in-person can bring. We’re also aware that face-to-face isn’t an option for everyone currently, so wanted to demonstrate our hybrid capabilities and extend our reach via a virtual component.

“New imagery and on-stand activations will provide an immersive, welcoming New Zealand experience for attendees."

Australian hosted buyers who book a Pre-Scheduled Appointment with the New Zealand team (either in-person or virtually) at AIME are also in the draw to win a return trip for two from Australia to either Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, or Queenstown with Air New Zealand, aligned with New Zealand’s border reopening timings. This will include four nights’ accommodation and experiencing two excursions in their destination of choice first-hand.

Spreitzer adds: “With new venues and activities coming online, plus flexible, competitive and business-specific funding and support on offer, there’s lots for us to share with event organisers from across the region.”

 ----------------------

NOTES:

The Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event (AIME) is the leading trade event for the meetings and event industry in the Asia Pacific region. AIME 2022 will be held at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre from 21 – 23 March.

For more information on holding a business event in New Zealand, head to: businessevents.newzealand.com

The Australasian Society of Association Executives (AuSAE) today announced their Association Influencers of 2022, a program highlighting the outstanding contributions of individuals in the association community across Australia and New Zealand.

An independent judging panel of experienced and passionate association leaders selected 12 Association Influencers for 2022 from a group of fifty-three (53) peer nominated professionals.

Influencers were selected based on how they demonstrated influence, exemplary leadership, unrivalled guidance, strength in resilience and service to the sector over the last 12 months. An eclectic mix of CEOs, directors, advocacy and marketing leaders, and innovators from a diverse range of industries are showcased, including health, retail, employment, finance, and telecommunications.

Speaking proudly about all the nominees, Toni Brearley, Chief Executive Officer of AuSAE, said, “To display such inspiring examples of leadership and influence balanced with resilience is a testament to the strength of association sector in Australia and New Zealand. We are proud to provide a platform upon which leading individuals can be recognised for their significant and lasting impact within our tribe and set the benchmark for association professionals into the future – kudos to such a thriving community”.

“We thank all our nominees for their continued support and commitment to the community over the last 12 months and congratulate our Association Influencers of 2022.”

AuSAE’s Association Influencers 2022

• Lyn Brodie, Chief Executive Officer - Optometry Australia
• Dr Rosalind Bullock, Board Member - NSW Rural Doctors Network
• Dante De Gori, Former Chief Executive Officer - Financial Planning Association
• Dr Kate Dempsey, Executive Officer - Australian New Zealand and Asian Creative Arts Therapists Association
• Alan McDonald, Head of Advocacy & Strategy - Employers and Manufacturers Association
• Damian McCrohan, President - Rail Trails Australia
• Bill McKinley, Chief of Staff -  Australian Trucking Association
• Paul Nicolaou, Executive Director – Business Sydney
• Sophia Rose, General Manager - Brand Marketing & Communications - Institute of Directors in New Zealand
• Emma Watson, Program Team Leader – Scouts Australia
• Craig Young, Chief Executive Officer –  TUANZ, Telecommunications Users Association of New Zealand
• Paul Zahra, Chief Executive Officer - Australian Retailers Association

In its second year, AuSAE’s Association Influencers Program, recognises individuals in Australia and New Zealand’s Association sector as they stood front and centre - supporting, protecting and advocating for their members as the once in a generation global crisis unfolded.

To meet the AuSAE Association Influencers 2022 and nominees, visit: www.ausae.org.au/association-influencers-2022-winners

ABOUT AUSAE:

AuSAE is the home for association professionals – a place for Association professionals to belong, connect with others, advance their career and be inspired.

The Australasian Society of Association Executives (AuSAE) is the leading association for current and future association and not-for-profit (NFP) leaders in Australia and New Zealand. AuSAE is focused on fostering a strong and robust association sector in Australia and New Zealand through providing professional development, support, and networking opportunities for existing and emerging leaders. As a not-for-profit organisation, AuSAE has a unique understanding of the opportunities and challenges association professionals face, and they utilise the knowledge to strengthen the wider industry.

www.ausae.org.au

Advances in digital marketing strategies make it easier to define and find target audiences. But just because we can more readily identify prospects, does that mean we should immediately target them with marketing efforts using specific calls to action to join, attend, or make a purchase?

Maybe… or maybe not! While it’s easier these days to find an audience through profile targeting, even if they appear to be a perfect match, your organization may not be on their radar and they likely aren’t informed, much less ready to commit to a purchase.

Years ago, MGI was running lead generation and nurture email campaigns for most of our clients. These programs faded with the emergence of new digital tactics that took away the need for prospects to show interest by “raising their hands” through a content offer and opt-in. However, sometimes what is old is new again: we’ve seen renewed interest in and use of lead generation as more clients look to build their membership pipeline.

Not sure if returning to lead generation is a wise test for your organization?
Consider an MGI client who is reporting a 10% conversion rate from lead to membership in only three months after launching a lead gen campaign. Using digital targeting to attract prospects and a segmented three-part cultivation email series based on experience and qualifications, we’re successfully moving qualified prospects through to paid membership in a remarkably short time.
Results may vary, but if you’re looking to increase your prospect database, now is the time to retest or launch a lead generation campaign. Here are a few steps to help you get started:

1. Develop Your Content Offer. Make sure the content is of interest to your audience and valuable enough that they’ll be willing to give their contact information in exchange for the content.
2. Define Your Target Audience and How You’ll Reach Them. Consider cold email lists, profile targeting through paid social media campaigns, search campaigns, and, of course, retargeting visitors to your website who haven’t converted to membership.
3. Develop a Multi-Touch Email Cultivation Series. Warm up prospects to your organization by introducing them to the benefits and value of membership throughout the course of the series, with the ultimate goal of converting them to membership.
4. Establish Campaign Tracking. Because multiple touches are used throughout the campaign, results-tracking is essential to assess campaign success. Make sure you’re tracking each step and touch along the way. That will allow you to follow a person from lead to member.

The question we are being asked more than any other: "Why is it so hard to fill roles right now?"

Perhaps, you've recently advertised a role with only a few applicants. Or maybe you've found a great candidate only to find they've been offered a generous package to stay in their role. You're not alone!

The answer to the question is simply, yes, it's a really challenging time to recruit in the association and membership sector now. Many businesses are struggling. It's not just associations and NFPs; it's across the board.

Louise Roper, the Principal Recruitment Consultant at Beaumont People, shares her insights about recruitment struggles the association and membership sector are facing right now. Take a look at the video below.

Next month, Louise will provide tips on improving the process, finding people fast, and successfully recruiting and filling the jobs.

Welcome packets and emails can offer a good starting point for new members, but that may not be enough to keep them around. Here are some tips to help supercharge your member onboarding process.

When someone joins an association, they’re often looking for a path forward as a new member—a little help to find their way, a compass that they can follow.

Associations can offer that help—or they can be a little more passive and do something minimal.

But doing the minimum at the beginning might just cost them the chance of keeping that member around. A 2018 report from Dynamic Benchmarking and Kaiser Insights [PDF] found that associations that implemented an effective onboarding strategy were able to increase their member retention from 62 percent to 68 percent.

Plus, there are other benefits that come from stronger onboarding, including more usable feedback, more detailed information about members, cleaner member databases, and easier identification of potential volunteers.

“Immediate value received upon joining prompted a high level of life-long engagement,” the report stated.

In other words, a little TLC goes a long way. So what does that engagement look like? A few ideas for effective member onboarding upgrades:

1. Personalize early. Often, the first way that members interact with your organization is through some sort of welcome message. Problem is, personalization is desired but not always offered in member communications, according to research from Community Brands—just 18 percent of associations offer it. Welcome emails can be a great area for personalization, as it can help members feel heard. The hard part, as noted by YourMembership, is getting the next set of data to allow for further steps into personalization. A measured approach can help. “If you need new members to complete an online member community profile or set up their communications preferences, send them a specific email communication about that action,” the firm’s Michelle Schweitz explains.

2. Instead of an onboarding packet, consider drip marketing. Member welcome packets can be done well—Personify’s Wild Apricot has plenty of ideas on where to get started. But an email drip campaign can supply that information in a more careful manner over a longer period. Chamber of commerce expert Frank J. Kenny suggests that drip campaigns can replace onboarding packets entirely. “This way they get bite-size tips they can read quickly and start using immediately,” he writes.

3. Lean on your chapters—but not too hard. Chapters can be effective in building a new member base, as they can put a friendly face within proximity of a member and give a local spin to a national or global association. However, Billhighway’s Charlotte Muylaert warns that putting too much pressure on local chapters does not a good chapter strategy make. “You have membership expertise, but they know the day-in/day-out challenges of running a chapter,” she writes. “Instead, collaborate with components on your new member onboarding plan so it’s both practical and sustainable.”

4. Integrate your social strategy. It’s important when building your onboarding strategy to stretch beyond the inbox, as fundamental as it is. Sharing welcome messages for new members on social media is one thing—introducing them to a broader conversation is another entirely. Lia Zegeye, senior director of membership at the American Bus Association, told Associations Now last fall that she hosts onboarding webinars. During that effort, she highlights the organization’s social media platforms and encourages new members to engage—which has been particularly successful at driving members to the association’s Facebook presence.

5. Don’t drop off too quickly with your messaging. As MemberNova noted in a 2019 study, 95 percent of organizations send a welcome email, but just 8 percent continued to send messages beyond the second week—and 2 percent beyond the first month. In an article discussing the survey, author Divya Tandan notes that cutting off the messaging too soon could strand new members during an important time. “The first 90 days are the most crucial for a new member, because it’s during this month and a half that they are evaluating you, assessing the value membership to the association offers them and trying to familiarize themselves with all the resources made available to them,” she writes.

6. Offer special notice at events. It’s not just about driving messaging to the newbies, but giving special notice. As MemberSuite explains, it can help to direct some of that new member onboarding energy to first-time attendees as well—perhaps by creating dedicated first-time event pages, tip sheets, and signifiers that show others that this is an attendee’s first time at an event. “These first-time attendees aren’t likely to come back next time unless you make them feel welcome and help them get the most out of their event experience,” the firm’s Val Brotherton writes.

By Ernie Smith

Ernie Smith is a senior editor for Associations Now, a former newspaper guy, and a man who is dangerous when armed with a good pun

Originally Posted here