3 MORE Books Every #Association Executive Should Consider

We have come across a few more books that association executive should have a look at:

Road To Relevance: 5 Strategies for Compeitive Associations; by Harrison Coerver & Mary Byers, CAE

Road to Relevance, the complementary companion to Race, doesn't stop at identifying the strategies.  It gives real insight into how to adapt the strategies to your organization's circumstances so that you can execute.  Case studies, adaptable examples, and provocative questions are included throughout Road to help you work through these strategies from adoption to implementation.

Operating as you've traditionally done for the last 10, 20 or more years is not a viable option, argue the authors.  Association leaders must be disciplined strategists, focusing the organizations they serve on value they can deliver and structuring accordingly to compete in the "new normal."  Use insight from Road to Relevance to lead your organization to an evermore-valued, sustainable, and relevant future.

Social Intelligence Demystified: How Associations Can Master the New Rules of Engagement in the Digital World; by Julie King

The Internet has had a profound impact on the way people come together and discover information, resulting in a new form of social intelligence that affects all associations. Not-for-profits are uniquely positioned to dominate under the new rules of engagement, yet they face significant risks and must be prepared for tough competition from the business sector.

In this important and timely publication, social media expert, Julie King, provides association leaders, staff and volunteers with a concise, big-picture understanding of these changes and how to move forward using actionable steps. This fascinating book empowers associations to make smart decisions about how they can and should be leveraging digital technologies in their organizations and provides an invaluable array of tools for them to do so.

In Your Face!  Canadian Association Leaders Share Candid Advice on Pressing Issues; by Sandi L. Humphrey, CAE

In Your Face! Is a frank look at the challenges facing today’s Canadian association and not-for-profit sector.  In this long-awaited publication, editor, Sandi L. Humphrey, CAE, has assembled a group of association leaders who have demonstrated a real ability to effect change in their own organizations and who were willing to speak candidly to their peers on issues of both strategic and tactical importance.

From empowering employees and managing internal power struggles to trimming your by-laws and navigating the perils of non-dues revenue, In Your Face! provides sound advice and insight from experienced not-for-profit leaders that will truly enlighten industry contemporaries as well as Canada’s next generation of top association professionals.

What other publications have captured your attention lately?

3 Books Every #Association Executive Should Consider

We have been asking around to association executives, and have come up with the three books that association executives should consider adding to their library.  If you already have it, maybe it's worth reading again?

Online PR & Social Media: For Experts, Authors, Consultants and Speakers; by Randall M. Craig

Develop your association’s reputation, get found, and attract a following.

Your not-for-profit probably has a web site, blog, and a LinkedIn profile. If you are on the leading edge, you are on Facebook, and have posted videos on YouTube. But, is all of this giving your organization exposure? Are you being contacted by media? What are your search engine rankings?

In this book by social media expert, Randall Craig, you’ll learn how to build your organization’s following, engage your stakeholders and manage you social media strategy and risk management policies. This must-read publication will tell you which PR sites you should and should not join, how to use social bookmarking to extend your time investment and how to monitor your reputation.

Your association has spent years developing its benefits, mission and expertise. Why not let people know about it?

What Makes High Performing Boards; by Beth Gazley, PhD and Ashley Bowers

Boards matter to organizational performance.  But the diversity of the nonprofit sector means there is no single formula for effective governance.  Structure, size, rate of growth, geography, and other organizational differences can cloud our understanding of board performance.The study behind this book, therefore, pays special attention to the intentional decisions boards and staff make to achieve high performance regardless of context.

The research was produced through an ASAE Foundation collaboration with Indiana University.  Prior to this study, research into the governing practices of associations and other member-serving organizations across the 501(c) spectrum was hard to come by.  Yet many nonprofits are dues-reliant associations serving members from professions, occupations, trades and businesses, sports, and cultural activities.  This study is the first to offer a representative snapshot of current governance practices in these associations and member-serving organizations.

Keep Your People in the Boat:  Workforce Engagement Lessons From the Sea; by Crane Wood Stookey

Association executives talk a lot about leading change, but at the heart of it that really means leadership that changes people's attitude. In leading a team, or implementing change across your association, you have to become skillful at working with people's attitude.

Engagement is a state of mind. The fruit of effective leadership is an engaged and expansive state of mind, a big view, in the people you lead. In this highly original and timely book, Tall Ship officer and leadership coach, Crane Stookey, shows you how to lead your association staff and volunteers to do their best and to be their best no matter what challenges they face. Drawing on 20 years of experience of leadership and workforce engagement at sea, the author joins provocative theory with hands-on, real-world practices that you can apply to you’re the leadership of your not-for-profit.

What are you reading?

Promote Your Publications by Harnessing the Power of Members

The tactic of using members to promote your association is nothing new. But have you ever considered using members to promote the value of your association’s publications? Here are five ways to use members, or even readers, to promote the value of your publications, leading to higher readership and possibly more advertising dollars.

1. Put them in print. Most associations continue to do print pieces to promote their association to members as well as non-members because print is still effective when used smartly. Your publications are a key member benefit, so the value of the publications is promoted in any print pieces you produce for the purpose of recruiting and retaining members.Print promotions are the perfect place to use targeted testimonials. Target testimonials allow you to show segments of your audience the value of the publications in a non-promotional way because the testimonials come from their colleagues, not from association staff. When using testimonials in print, or any other format, it is beneficial to include testimonials from different segments of your key audiences so that readers will see themselves represented and associate themselves with the value being presented.
2. Find the social media champions. Social Media is a great way to create engagement and spread information quickly. Many associations are already involved in this medium on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, blogs, and more. In addition to sharing information and creating conversation, you can use social media to locate individuals who are already talking about your association or the topics that you cover, and contact them about becoming a champion for your publication.This does not mean they promote your publication, or your association, but it does mean that you feed them important information or exciting things that are happening in your publications and ask them to participate in the conversation on your social media sites or on their own. If you recruit the right people to serve as champions, your content will get coverage without much effort on your part.
3. Encourage members to forward content via enewsletters. Using your members to help spread the word can be very simple if you are producing an e-newsletter to recruit members or to inform current members about key happenings in your association. It is simple because almost all email programs make it easy to insert a “forward-to-a-friend” link within your e-newsletter. Not everyone is going to actually take action on a forward-to-a-friend link, so to maximize its usage, suggest that e-newsletter readers pass the message along, and then track how many recipients actually do so.E-newsletters are also a great place to insert video testimonials or links to video testimonials. A video testimonial can be captured at one of your events or can be self-produced by a reader. Like a written testimonial, a video is a great way to promote your publications in your readers’ own words.
4. Feature testimonials on the website. Your website is a great way to communicate with members and non-members alike. Testimonials about your publications, videos about how members and non-members have benefited from your publications, and quotes from authors and social media champions can all be posted on your website for your community to see. The real estate on your website is very valuable and because of that, many of your association’s departments will want to have a presence on the site. However, since your publications are valuable member benefits, commit to making sure that publications have a regular presence there.
5. Promote from the inside. It may sound silly to cross promote your publications, but it is a smart thing to do. If you have multiple publications, promote content from one publication in another publication so readers of one will learn the benefits of another. Including testimonials or links to videos or social media comments about your publications within the publications is a good way to engage more people, ultimately leading to a higher level of commitment and understanding of your content offerings. Messaging about sharing the publication with other colleagues increases awareness within the right audience, with the added benefit that the publication was suggested by a colleague, not a staff member. The members of your association and your industry are resources that you should take advantage of. Having these types of people speak for your association and spread the word about your publications provides a level of legitimacy and authenticity that staff spokespeople cannot duplicate. If you are not already using members to tell your story, start doing so right away. Happy recruiting!

This post was submitted by Scott Oser, of Scott Oser Associates, with over 17 years of marketing experience in the association and publishing industries. Before starting the firm he worked for market leaders like National Geographic Society, AARP and Science.Throughout his career Scott has excelled in developing, implementing and analyzing multi-channel direct marketing programs. He is highly skilled in creating effective membership, marketing and sales programs with the ability to align resources and operations to consistently achieve and exceed goals.

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net