Maybe it was the title, maybe it was the enthusiasm of Brian Contanzo when I first met him by phone several months ago, but I will go to Developing a Rock Star Chapter at ASAE & The Center’s upcoming Annual Meeting, Tuesday, August 18, at 9:00am (even though this is right before my own session with at 12:45 Adding Power to Member Communities with Social Media).
Brian and Steve Kearley from the Entrepreneurs’ Organization have an exciting story to share. They have vibrant, success-driven chapters. And here’s the kick – they are decentralized! With the right program in place though, 20% of these chapters achieve Rock Star Status. That comes when you complete 42 items that are associated – based on their research – with a healthy EO chapter.
Brian says the secret is in three words: competition, fun, and pride. In truth, EO has a strong point that many associations don’t: their members are entrepreneurs who have accomplished what less than one percent of businesses do globally namely creating a business grossing $1 million or more in sales. They obviously are strongly competitive. But they have another leg up on many of us that we could obtain: a commitment to investing in our components. That investment – which includes a unified database, staff, training and resources – pays off. It shows up in acquisition, retention, sales, volunteer skills and commitment and more.
It’s worth talking to Brian to learn more.
This won’t be the only session focused on components. For other topics related to components, visit the ASAE schedule by professional interest – but note that for some reason, KiKi L’Italien and my session isn’t listed there. Our session Adding Power to Member Communities with Social Media is on Tuesday, at 12:45 PM – 2:00 PM. We’re going to do a on-the-spot social media make-over for one lucky chapter. Here’s a sneak preview of our session, plus you can follow along via our Twitter hashtag #asae09ll1.
I’ll also be tweeting and blogging – so follow along and comment (use #asae09). Ask the questions you want to be asked and I’ll pass them along.