Invest in Your Future: Segmentation Recommendations

With Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) looming, many organizations are starting to re-focus their efforts on their data, and segmenting it so that communications sent to contacts are what they are looking for. We are bombarded by email messaging, and at times, tune out from what organizations are trying to tell us. What’s sad is that they are likely missing information that they should know, and want to know, all because it has become too much.

Here are a few examples/recommendations of possible segmentation best practices that may help:

• Communication types: Make a list of all types of information you are putting out there, and then identify if there are certain types of members (based on company type, job functionality, etc) who would most likely be interested in receiving it. 
• Offer corporate memberships? Do you have the main contact only (i.e. the one who writes the cheque)? Or have you assessed them early and obtained other contact names? Not every contact within the corporation will be interested in the same information; from C-suite contacts, to product designers, they have different goals, and value different information. Identify who should be on your list based on your types of communication, and make an effort to obtain their contact information.
• Offer industry and supplier memberships? Segment them. Supplier members may not be interested in all aspects of your organization. It’s a best practice to find out why they became a member, and keep them informed with information on what will keep them renewing. 
• For organizations that offer special programs or information to select portions of your membership, do not send information to your entire database. Those who cannot access it, or will not qualify, will only get frustrated that they are getting excluded.

There are several ways to segment your members. A best practice is not to assume, get them to tell you. Here are a few ways to help gather the information:

• Send a communication, other than an email, advising that your organization is in the process of segmenting membership in order to provide effective, streamlined communication. In this communication, tell them to expect an email inviting them to provide their preferences.
• Next step? Send the email. Prepare a landing page with all of their options, and ask them to select the categories that best suit their needs. Make sure that the information transfers easily to your customer relationship management (CRM) system.  
• Did you not get responses from everyone? Follow up with a phone campaign to get their preferences captured over the phone.

I fully realize that you will not get everyone’s preferences this way, but it’s a start. You can continue this effort throughout the year (at renewal time, while they are in the process of registering for a conference or event, etc). All of this effort should increase member satisfaction, engagement, and email open and click through rates. After all, keeping them happy will give you a better chance of keeping them renewing, right?

This post was provided by Meagan Rockett, who is the Director, Client Solutions with Greenfield Services Inc. and was recently featured in the recent CSAE Ottawa-Gatineau Executive.

Latest #CSAE Ottawa Gatineau Executive now available!

In this issue....

• Ottawa Rocks!  See who has won some of the awards at the September 2013 CSAE National Conference & Showcase from the chapter.  Congrats everyone!
• Our Chapter President, Susie Grynol, writes about the "New Now" in her Presidents Column
• Check out our re-caps on the September Kick-Off at the Brookstreet Hotel.
• Engaging Younger Generations is as hot a topic as ever - and the chapter had a panel discussion about this in September.  Check out the re-cap available if you were not able to attend.
• Are you thriving or surviving in your current work situation?  Alan Kearns of CareerJoy discusses Generational Leadership.
• View our most recent grads of the CAE Program - congrats to everyone!
• Carleton University Launches its First Master's Program in Philanthropy and Non-Profit Leadership - get more info here.
• Daniel Brunette spoke with us in October at our lunch on Successful Fundraising Strategies - read the re-cap if you missed the lunch
• Meagan Rockett talks about member segmentation and Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation in the "Invest In Your Future" Article
• Do you work in (or, are interested in) Marketing & Communications, in the association space?  Our MarCom group may be just the thing for you!  Check out the line-up for discussions this year.
• In October, we also had a 1/2 day session on association tradeshows and non-dues revenue.  A great set of roundtable discussions, with a panel of experts too!  If you missed it, read the re-cap here

Social Media & Your Association Event

The importance of social media and promoting your event is obvious, and there are several examples of organizations using it very well to ensure that the right conversations are taking place.  However, there are still many trying to figure out how to keep the conversation going (if it even gets started in the first place).

Be Prepared:  Create a calendar of posts to generate interest and excitement. This can include ensure that your exhibitors and sponsors are recognized, putting out a call for volunteers, looking for (and announcing) speakers, determining what content to have in the sessions, etc.

No matter how many networks you use (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.) you need to create and maintain your unique following, which includes your members, exhibitors, sponsors, and speakers/presenters participating as well.  Explain the unique benefits of including themselves on the conversation.

Other tools:  Prepare to be low-tech as well as high-tech.  Technology has its challenges, so ensure that you have a backup plan for power shortages, the password for the WI-FI, etc.  To do this, ensure that you have a hard copy of the program printed ahead of time.  Ensure you know the twitter handles of the people you will need to mention, and note them down (which will avoid accidental mistakes).

Whether you use your smartphone, tablet, laptop, etc. make sure that you bring your chargers for everything.  Some conferences have charging stations, but you cannot count on it – so prepare for the inevitable – when your battery is low, and you have only gone through half the day!

Keep it going:  Measure people’s opinion on the content after the fact.  How did they find the session?  Was it of value?  How did they like the speaker?  Were they knowledgeable?

The adage of quality over quantity could not be truer for social media. It’s not about an “info dump”, but having a conversation. It’s not only about making information accessible on the day of, but engaging with people who want to participate long after the booths are down.

Been There, Done That: Lessons Learned

When the Roundtable PACE committee came together back in August we began discussing what options we could bring to the membership to enhance the learning experience at the roundtable luncheon coming up on November 21st at the Minto Suites Hotel. This is our third luncheon event and we hoped to switch things up a little bit from having a presenter introduce a topic and let the discussion flow from there.

As we began talking to one another, stories of our experiences started to emerge; we were bonding, sharing our “been there, done that” points of view and learning from one another. There came the idea that we would utilize case studies as the format to get the table discussions going.

We asked our moderators to prepare a real life case study and to:

1. Describe the business situation and challenge
2. Identify the options that were considered
3. Justify the decision they took
4. And share the lessons learned 

Here is what they came back with:

Table #1
Strategic Planning: How the Institute On Governance translated a loosely-formed organizational vision into a successful, solidly established “think tank”.
Moderator:  Tim Plumptre, Tim Plumptre & Associates

Table #2
Membership Growth, Retention and Engagement: How the CBA identified a new target market, their needs and evolved in order to stay relevant.
Moderators: Sean Kelly, Canadian Bar Association and Cindy Bisson, ACART Communications

Table #3
Technology: Event Apps - Why do I need an app? What the planner needs to know.
Moderators: Patricia Pearson, Brent Moore & Associates and Allan Isfan, Fave Quest

Table #4
Strategic Marketing: How this Canadian based Association was able to build attendance and reach a new audience after the game was already in play.
Moderator: Meagan Rockett, Greenfield Services

Table #5
Risk Management and Contingency Plans for Conferences: How the CLA/ALA Joint Conference survived the SARS epidemic and how the CLA Conference worked around a Labour Union strike. 
Moderator: Judy Green, Canadian Library Association (CLA)

Table #6
Social Media: How the CDHA built 8,222 likes on Facebook and have 443 people talking about this.
Moderator: Angie D’Aoust, Canadian Dental Hygienists Association (CDHA)

Table #7
Human Resources: The Next Generation of Association Members at ‘Your Credit Union’ – A Millennial Audit
Moderator: David Coletto, Abacus

Table #8
Strategic Planning: Hosting International Meetings and Conferences – How CALA hosted 65 countries at their International Joint Annual Meeting.
Moderator: Charlie Brimley, Canadian Association for Laboratory Accreditation Inc. (CALA)

Table #9
Volunteer Management: How the ACA preserved organizational knowledge from their retiring long-standing leaders and members. 
Moderator: Duncan Grant, The Association of Canadian Archivists (ACA)

Table #10
Fundraising: When faced with a financial reduction, how did the Canadian Aids Society identify a new fundraiser that would successfully raise funds, awareness and be unique.
Moderator: Monique Doolittle-Romas, Canadian AIDS Society

Table #11
Cloud Computing: How an industry association transitioned and engaged its membership abroad into working from the Cloud.
Moderator: Jill Austin, Microworks

Table #12
Financial Management: Uncertainty, cash flow issues and no financial credit - How a national association with $2M in revenue was able to turn themselves around and focus on strategic objectives with meaningful financial reports.  
Moderator: Richard MacNeill, OTUS Group

Table #13
Governance – Corporation Act: The new Canada Not-For-Profit Corporations Act means that all federally incorporated not-for-profit corporations must transition to the new Act before October 17, 2014 or be dissolved. Are you ready?
Moderator: Georges Lozano, AMCES

For more information on these topics and to register, please click here.

The Events Corner: November 2013

This November, there is a ton of networking and learning opportunities taking place in the chapter. What a great group we have!


Have you been thinking about adding a blog to your associations’ repertoire?  What’s stopping you?  Maybe you have concerns about how often you should post, who should be writing and managing the blog, and what kind of benefit it would provide to your community.  Well then let’s talk about it!  Our Marcomm group is having their November session on this very topic, and it’s complimentary to attend.  Click here for more information and to register.

Are you under 35 in the association space?  Or, perhaps you have staff that fit that criteria?  Is it time to get networking with other Young Professionals to share experiences, ask questions, and meet new people?  Our recently launched Young Professionals Program has been designed to do just that – and in a format that is suited to enhance the experience!  Our launch party will be taking place on November 13th, don’t miss it!

Our monthly lunch session takes place on November 21st, and will be held at the Minto Suite Hotel.  This month, back by popular demand is our Roundtable discussions.  Stay tuned for more info, but don’t wait to register (spaces are limited and will go quickly).  Click here for more info.

As an executive, have you been concerned about getting the most (and best) value from Human Resources, with a very tight budget?  How to engage employees?  How to keep them, and keep them productive?  And, how to cover yourself appropriately with the right employment contract?  On November 26th, we are going to have a breakfast session addressing just that.  Taking place at the Radisson Ottawa, our presenter Christine Roy will lead you down the path of success.  Register for the event today!

What’s new in social media?  Our chapter strives to ensure that we are sharing the most relevant information with you on our various social media accounts.  Take a moment and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn Groups.  Please note, that there is a special group just for Marketing & Communication professionals!

If you are interested in submitting a blog, please check out our guidelines and let us know.

Delivering the Intangible Benefits of Membership – A Conundrum

Associations are in the business of connecting people, whether it is connecting members to government, members to members or members to products and services.  The irony of this is that as society becomes more and more connected, that associations some would argue are becoming irrelevant.  Gone are the days when belonging to a professional association was a given.  Back in the day, belonging came as second nature and it was the ‘stickiness’ of community that drew professionals into the association web of their peers.
Today’s professional is seeking a memorable user experience and the return on investment that they are seeking means that ‘one-size fits all solution’ no longer works.

Understanding and responding to our segmented communities is one of the keys to survival in the 21st century association world.

My association’s mandate is to be the voice of our profession and the federal government and other stakeholders turn to us for information or feedback on particular topics.  While this is a noteworthy objective, it could be argued that it is an intangible benefit that on a macro level benefits our community as a whole but has little immediate practical value for individual members.  One can argue that this benefit accrues to the whole community regardless of membership status and so is taken for granted.

Delivering value to my association’s present and future members means that we are working harder to demonstrate both the tangible and more importantly the intangible benefit to belonging.  ‘Belonging’ is the key word in that last sentence, because ‘belonging’ in my view is the key reason that members will join and remain engaged.  The challenge and opportunity for associations in general is that members and potential members don’t perceive this ‘belonging’ as reason to join and stay and so our challenge continues to be to quantify and market what ‘belonging’ means.   I believe that it entails a complex mix of elements but in essence it is in this complex bonding, that the core of membership value is to be found.  I would argue that it is only after a number of years that this benefit is manifest.  So how do we keep those new members from leaving after the first or second year, when they really have not experienced the full potential of the experience that long standing members value so much?

Many of the professionals who interact with my association are not members, but will identify with the community we serve in many ways.  Two years ago, we threw open our doors to non-members to engage with us and this initiative is being encouraged as a way to ‘test-drive’ the association to potential future members.  Grappling with this large non-member population is an interesting challenge, because while they are not (yet) members, they perceive themselves as having a voice in what goes on in the community.  The opportunities presented are many:  we are now in a position to communicate directly with them on topics that are of interest to them; we can promote opportunities to them to engage with members through research, and through our conference and professional development events and lastly we can offer our corporate members a wider viewing audience for their goods and services.

In this networked and connected world of ours, it can be argued that our members no longer need us to associate and collaborate.   I would argue that associations still offer a unique and valuable opportunity to bring people, ideas, products and services together.  Our challenge continues to be to offer the potential, new and longstanding member an experience where they feel valued and where they perceive that their collaborative efforts will support the community, strengthen relationships with stakeholders and government to better serve Canadians.  The associations that will survive and thrive will be distinguished by their courage and creativity and more importantly, members and non-members will have internalized the notion that the value of membership rests not just with tangible benefits but also in the intangible value of belonging.  Belonging means there is an interactive relationship between the association and the member, both are benefiting in different ways, with the net result being that the association and the community becoming stronger and more resilient.

Geraldine Hyland CAE is Member Services Manager with the Canadian Library Association.  She has worked for over fifteen years in charities and not for profit sector and received her CAE in 2004.

Successful Fundraising Strategies

Good day everyone,

I am honored to have been asked to speak at the upcoming luncheon and look forward to demystifying the subject, sharing best practices and helping you identify and avoid common pitfalls.

The word “fundraising” often causes eyes to roll or feet to shuffle, and has even been known to evoke emotions of pure terror for those who are asked to get involved.... The reality is that revenue generation can and should take on many forms in order to help organizations be sustainable. This presentation is intended to present various scenarios that could be used to diversify and increase revenues; while at the same time making it clear what can and cannot be done legally depending on the type of organization conducting the activity.

There are a number of strategies and best practices that will be shared and discussed, but (spoiler) - none of them involve hiring a knight in shining armor who will go out into the world on a white horse and bring back the resources you need to meet your current needs and those of tomorrow. Fundraising cannot thrive in a silo and that is true for small one-person shops to large multi-nationals.

The reality is that any type of revenue generation, be it from dues, ongoing operations, programs, sponsorships or traditional fundraising cannot exist in a vacuum if the organization wishes to accomplish its impact goals.

In order to get the most out of the day, I encourage every potential attendee to come in to the session with two perspectives in hand:

The first being that of the Association Executive, who has a good understanding of the existing revenue streams, membership demographics, goals of the association and knowledge of what keeps the Board members awake at night.

Secondly as a human being… I invite folks to do a bit of introspection and reflect on the reasons why they chose to give (or not) of their own time, talent and treasure to the multitude of associations and causes around them.

Key Takeaways:

• The basic processes and revenue generation strategies for not-for-profits with and without charitable status.
• The depth and breadth of the charitable sector.
• Crucial questions and requirements when considering a broader fundraising strategy.
• Key motivations related to giving and increased member engagement
• Common mistakes and pitfalls.

I look forward to meeting you soon.

Daniel

This post was submitted by Daniel Brunette.  Daniel will be presenting at the October 16th lunch for the Chapter, discussing Fundraising Strategies.