Melynn Sight and her company nSight Marketing help associations win the battle for member attention, readership and engagement. It all begins with a compelling value proposition that conveys why the association matters. She is the author of the book Breakthrough Value which helps associations understand what a value proposition is and the 7 critical steps to discovering and backing up their own unique value message. What is the job of the value proposition? How do you discover what your members think is important, what they need? Once you have a compelling value proposition, what next? Discover all this and more in this value-packed episode. Learn more about Melynn and her book at https://breakthroughvalue.org Please click the like button above and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability. Thank you! Visit https://www.marybyers.com/contact/ for links to join the conversation on our social sites. © 2021 Mary Byers

Successful Associations Today

Melynn Sight - Your Compelling Value Proposition | Ep #61

Mark Engle, DM FASAE CAE is a principle with Association Management Center in their governance consulting practice. Participating in more than 400 board meetings and serving on five Boards of Directors translates to Mark’s in-depth knowledge of board membership and governance. He has worked closely with William Brown at Texas A&M University to publish research findings on the Board Selection Process for the ASAE Foundation and is co-author of Recruit the Right Board. With the board recruitment process becoming more complex it's important that associations not leave board composition to chance. There is a greater appreciation for leadership development than simply a nominating function. We need to identify and give opportunities to emerging leaders, focusing on a market mindset and strategy as key competencies in the boardroom instead of longevity. Competition in the association space is more fierce than it has ever been and if we don't have that market mindset, the strategy cognition in the boardroom, we run the risk of being an also-ran and that could potentially put us out of business. Please click the like button above and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability. Thank you! Visit https://www.marybyers.com/contact/ for links to join the conversation on our social sites. © 2021 Mary Byers

Mark Engle - Recruiting the Right Board | Ep #60

Hilary Marsh is president and chief strategist of Content Company, a content and digital strategy consultancy that helps associations get better results from their content by improving their practices. Content is more than just your magazine or newsletter or blog. From Hilary's perspective, content is everything an association does including event sessions you deliver, journals, clinical practice guidelines, advocacy position papers -- everything that comes back to words and pictures, audio and video that you share with the world. Content strategy is the practice of planning for the creation, delivery and governance of content that is useful, usable and effective. Many associations are missing the boat by not starting with what their audience needs and wants from them. What are the channels through which we can deliver content and how do we make sure we're doing it best? What is the CEO's role in understanding and demanding content strategy for an association? What are the obstacles associations face in developing and deploying a solid content strategy? We answer these questions and more in this fascinating episode. Please click the like button above and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability. Thank you! Visit https://www.marybyers.com/contact/ for links to join the conversation on our social sites. © 2021 Mary Byers

Hilary Marsh - What is Your Content Strategy? | Ep #59

Rick Bawcum is the CEO / Founder of Cimatri, a professional services firm specializing in digital transformation for associations and non-profits. We're talking today about the benefits and challenges of embracing a digital first mindset along with some of the most impressive gains we've seen from associations who have engaged in digital transformation. With statistics that tell us we look at our phones around 96 times a day, we know we connect, we engage and we transact in the digital space. It's imperative that we take the association to the member, rather than always asking the member to come to the association. The pandemic has accelerated this trend but is also providing a tailwind for associations to move toward a digital first mindset. This is a necessary conversation -- not just a nice to have conversation -- about how we're going to do it and how we're going to resource it, whether it's expertise-wise or money-wise. I'd really appreciate it if you would click the like button above and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability. Thank you! Visit https://www.marybyers.com/contact/ for links to join the conversation on our social sites. © 2021 Mary Byers

Rick Bawcum - Digital First Mindset for Associations | Ep #58

Maddie Grant, CAE is co-founder of Propel and an expert culture designer and digital strategist who focuses on helping organizations prosper through culture change. She has specific expertise in digital transformation and generational differences in the workplace. Even though associations have been talking about digital transformation for years, the pandemic forced the topic to the forefront. Associations had the realization that they actually could think outside the box and use technology to continue serving their members and staff. It also provided a window of opportunity to think about the ultimate change, the transformation, more than the technology. With so much information and so many definitions out there, we're bringing it back to the basics of what associations really need to know right now to fully embrace the "digital first" concept -- including the difference between being digitized and being digital. I'd really appreciate it if you would click the like button above and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability. Thank you! Visit https://www.marybyers.com/contact/ for links to join the conversation on our social sites. © 2021 Mary Byers

Maddie Grant - Digital First: What You Really Need to Know | Ep #57

Garth Jordan is CEO of the American Animal Hospital Association and we're talking about replacing a traditional mission and vision statement with a simplified version called a just cause. With a mission and vision statement that was close to 70 words and a values statement of another 120 words, no one could memorize either one and it was a challenge to align overall beliefs and roles. Simplifying AAHA's mission and vision to bring focus to their work in a just cause led them to distill everything into an eight word sentence about simplifying the journey toward excellence for veterinary medicine. Listen is as we talk about the characteristics of a "just cause" and the primary benefits to your members and your organization. I'd really appreciate it if you would click the like button above and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability. Thank you! Visit https://www.marybyers.com/contact/ for links to join the conversation on our social sites. © 2021 Mary Byers

Garth Jordan - Traditional Mission & Vision to a Just Cause | Ep #56

Guests: Joe Skeel, Executive Director of the Indiana State Bar Association, Stephanie Mercado, CEO of the National Association of Healthcare Quality and Jackie Davis of Loyalty Research Center. Market research can help your board envision the future, determine where to focus and prioritize, and guide conversations and planning. It can also help you develop the relationships you have with your members - growing engagement, satisfaction, and top-line revenue. We're sharing conversation and case studies to illustrate the challenges and successes of associations who are using market research to develop strategy. I'd really appreciate it if you would click the like button above and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability. Thank you! Visit https://www.marybyers.com/contact/ for links to join the conversation on our social sites. © 2021 Mary Byers

Market Research & Innovation Roundtable | Ep #55

Harrison Coerver is president of Harrison Coerver and Associates, a consulting firm specializing in strategy and planning for associations and other tax-exempt membership organizations. He is also co-author of Race for Relevance and Road to Relevance. With the release of the 10th anniversary edition of Race for Relevance, we reflect back on how the concepts in the original book have stood the test of time for associations and how trends we identified back then have accelerated as a result of the pandemic. The new edition has been updated with new research findings and relevant case studies along with some new conversation starters we're covering in this episode: Competency based boards Program and service evaluation Digital first strategy I'd really appreciate it if you would click the like button above and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability. Thank you! Visit https://www.marybyers.com/contact/ for links to join the conversation on our social sites. © 2021 Mary Byers

Harrison Coerver - Race for Relevance 10 Year Update | Ep #54

Seth Kahan is an executive strategy advisor on change and innovation who works with senior leaders and association executives. He is also the author of four books including business bestseller, Getting Change Right. Taking time for solo thinking is a habit we encourage all leaders to incorporate into their lives because if you're not pouring into yourself, then who is pouring into you? And if you're coming from a place of emptiness, how can you lead others with energy and enthusiasm? For Seth, solo thinking time happens while camping "off the grid" where he retreats when he feels the need to think clearly without the demands of everyday life. For Mary, it's not quite so primitive and might be a cabin on a lake or a retreat center. For both, however, the benefits of checking in with themselves outside all of their different daily roles is a way to reconnect and refocus on what is most important. Solo thinking time doesn't have to be camping in the wilderness or a week away at a cabin. It can be one day or half a day or even an hour. The benefits and return on investment can still be profound. What are the benefits of taking intentional time away? How can you create rituals to start and end your thinking time or retreat? How can you set aside solo thinking time and stick to it? Why is it even more important for solo thinking time when you're too busy or overwhelmed? It's easy to be busy, but not necessarily busy doing the right things -- the things that really matter and make a difference. Listen in and learn how to fill yourself up! I'd really appreciate it if you would click the like button above and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability. Thank you! Visit https://www.marybyers.com/contact/ for links to join the conversation on our social sites. © 2021 Mary Byers

Seth Kahan - Harness the Power of the Pause | Ep #53

Karyn Greenstreet is a small business consultant, mastermind group expert and founder of The Success Alliance™ — a company devoted to helping individuals and organizations design and grow their own mastermind groups. What is a mastermind group? What are the benefits to your association? What are the benefits to members who join a mastermind? How should you decide if adding mastermind groups is right for your association? We're talking about all of this and more in this episode about the pros and cons when making a decision about whether to offer mastermind groups and how to design them to fit the goals of your association and your members. Resources mentioned in this podcast: Ebook - Boost Member Success: How to Add Mastermind Groups to Your Professional Association — https://www.thesuccessalliance.com/associations/ Member Mastermind Strategy Session — https://www.thesuccessalliance.com/member-mastermind/ I'd really appreciate it if you would click the like button above and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability. Thank you! Visit https://www.marybyers.com/contact/ for links to join the conversation on our social sites. © 2021 Mary Byers

Karyn Greenstreet - The Pros and Cons of Mastermind Groups | Ep #52

Cynthia Mills is the President & CEO of The Leaders’ Haven™, a consultancy serving clients as business strategist, board consultant, business and executive coach, succession planning and change management guide, leadership development catalyst, speaker, and facilitator. In 2018 she was inducted into the Academy of Leaders, a highest individual honor from ASAE. Cynthia founded The Leaders’ Haven to help leaders and teams go beyond business as usual and continuously transform, so they can fulfill their true calling and exceed the expectations of the people they serve. Leaders often get caught up in the doing and the being of leadership, without making time to do the deeper work, both individually and as a group, that drives substantive change in associations. Cynthia shares her experience working with leaders to uncover the things that impact their own strategic thinking around the continuous design of their lives and to cultivate a willingness to focus on opportunity — because if you're staying strategic and focusing on opportunity it keeps you from becoming paralyzed and that is the key to successful leadership. I'd really appreciate it if you would click the like button above and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability. Thank you! Visit https://www.marybyers.com/contact/ for links to join the conversation on our social sites. © 2021 Mary Byers

Cynthia Mills - The Deeper Work of Leadership | Ep #51

Arianna Rehak, CEO of Matchbox Virtual Media, and her team coined the term "tribrid" to describe the three distinct categories of experiences when offering an event both in person and virtually in order to meet the needs of each unique audience. Category 1 — Experiences designed exclusively for the face-to-face community Category 2 — Experiences exclusively for the virtual community Category 3 — Experiences strategically built for both the face-to-face and virtual audience to participate together which serves to build community among the entire set of attendees. When thinking about a "hybrid" event model we often assume the needs of each audience are the same and that is not true. Arianna shares why and how those planning and leading sessions must be flexible in order to meet the needs of two unique audiences at the same event. Visit https://www.marybyers.com/contact/ for links to join the conversation on our social sites. © 2021 Mary Byers

Arianna Rehak - Offering "Tribrid" Events | Ep #50

Aaron Wolowiec, the founder and CEO of Event Guard, established the Healthy by Association community for people in stress-riddled association and hospitality industries to connect around a shared lifestyle, embrace self-care, and ultimately inspire each other to invest in their health and enjoy the journey along the way. Right after the holidays in 2017, Aaron began posting on his personal Facebook profile how he was dealing with the stress in his own life by going to the gym in the midst of the Michigan winter to run. As his runs got longer and more consistent he started to receive great feedback from others who were inspired and motivated by his posts. He realized the opportunity to build a community for those in similar industries who were health and wellness minded and created the Facebook community Healthy by Association. The typical travel schedule in the association and event space makes navigating healthy eating and workouts difficult when our schedules are off and we don't necessarily have the opportunities or equipment we might need. The Healthy by Association group supports its members with Motivation Mondays, sample workouts on Wednesday, and healthy recipes on Fridays. They acknowledge and celebrate successes with a challenge coin program, and even create new playlists each month around a theme. The group helps people be accountable, not necessarily to any particular game plan, but to the plan that works best for them. During the pandemic of 2020, moving from on-the-go to stay-at-home created new and different challenges which Aaron speaks to and how Healthy by Association is supporting its members' health and wellness in creative ways. Healthy by Association is an open Facebook community and can be found at https://www.facebook.com/groups/742854905869919/ Visit https://www.marybyers.com/contact/ for links to join the conversation on our social sites. © 2021 Mary Byers

Aaron Wolowiec - Healthy by Association | Ep #49

Paul Weintraub, CAE and Shelly Trent, CAE started the group Fridays@4 Society to help association and nonprofit professionals with job searches offering sessions on interviewing, resume writing, and building a LinkedIn profile. That focus on job search has expanded to offer leadership development training that goes beyond job search tips. They are currently working to offer CAE certification credits for their programs. At currently over 200 members, Fridays@4 programs serve individuals through three pillars: peer support, expertise-infused learning and a virtual network. The group's volunteer driven programming is inclusive of all ages and career stages with something for everyone. Fridays@4 at its core runs on a free membership model but accepts donations based on the value members get from the association. Find more at https://www.fridaysat4.org and https://www.linkedin.com/company/fridaysat4 Visit https://www.marybyers.com/contact/ for links to join the conversation on our social sites. © 2021 Mary Byers

Paul Weintraub & Shelly Trent - The Fridays@4 Society | Ep #48

Jeanne Dee, CPA, CGMA is the Audit and Assurance Practice Leader for the not-for-profit group at Anders CPAs + Advisors where she specializes in audits of financial statements for not-for-profit organizations, government entities, employee benefit plans and closely held businesses. We're talking about the financial side of what's happening for associations during the pandemic in 2020, 2021 and beyond and what we can do to stabilize our financial future. With updates to the Cares Act, a lot of new opportunities for increased funding to associations have become accessible — employee retention tax credits and PPP loans, for example — which offer some optimism, but Jeanne suggests we still tread carefully as things begin to shift and move closer to our "next normal". Jeanne reveals the most important financial aspects association leaders should be thinking about as we move forward, including how to find revenue for things like cybersecurity as we transition to more online and hybrid events. Visit https://www.marybyers.com/contact/ for links to join the conversation on our social sites. © 2021 Mary Byers

Jeanne Dee - Stabilizing Your Pandemic Financial Position | Ep #47

Associations today face intense pressures that threaten their continued relevance. Operating as you've traditionally done for the last 10, 20, or more years is not a viable option. Gone are the days when members would automatically renew. Today individuals expect value in return for membership. Why shouldn't they? They have a higher demand on their time and more choices on how and from whom they can obtain information due to rapid advances in technology, competition, and social networking. Mary Byers takes a bold, no-nonsense look at the realities of today's marketplace and what it will take for associations to prosper moving forward. She addresses not only the challenges associations face but the actions essential to a thriving future. Successful Associations Today is an interview series with host Mary Byers, CAE. Mary Byers helps associations remain relevant in an increasingly competitive environment. The author of Race for Relevance: 5 Radical Changes for Associations and Road to Relevance: 5 Strategies for Competitive Associations, she’s worked with a wide variety of associations (both individual membership and trade groups) and helps volunteer leaders and staff alike create a viable and sustainable future.

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Successful Associations Today

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