Idea Center - December 2009 Archives
Subscribe to the Idea Center RSS feed!
Updating or reinventing your chapter program for 2010?
It's 2010, what are your plans for your chapters and other components? What - just updating last year's? Well, in the words of Oliver Blanchard "Soft goals create soft strategies. Soft strategies turn into weak tactics. Weak tactics turn into bogus metrics."
That tells you why your chapter program is getting your association nowhere. So do you still want to just update last year's goals?
So many goals for chapters program are driven by a combination of organizational checklists (turn in budget, turn in officer listing, file tax returns) and soft goals like increasing engagement and offering educational opportunities. Associations tend to simply say that the chapters and components create value that is well you know a little intangible. That thinking leads to nonspecific strategies and a mishmash of tactics. Which of course leads us with a decision by the board to reduce component staff, cut budgets, pare back volunteer leadership development, etc. And who can blame them. Absent of a clearly articulated vision for your components program with meaningful, measurable, specific goals, you'll have metrics that mean nothing and no leg to stand on at the budget table.
Want the new decade to have different results? Start with setting meaningful, measurable goals. Attach those to metrics that count. So what goals could you set? Here are few areas that components could have an impact on that in turn could drive revenue or cut costs ...
- Member retention
- Member acquisition
- Member attendance at education and professional events
- Certification applicants and successful candidates
- Publication sales
- Volunteer participation
I know this isn't easy and the debate over how to set goals and measure component ROI started long before the decade we're leaving. Check out a couple of resources on determining ROI including this session notes from ASAE's learning lab for some ideas. Still most associations haven't changed their planning or their checklists and reward programs. It's not the chapter with the most members or the most activities or who have turned in all their paperwork who are necessarily the most successful or valuable to you!
PS - Take the time to read the inspiration behind this post, SmartBlog on Social Media's interview with Blanchard on social media metrics because like social media, components are here to stay, but that doesn't mean the same old approach to success needs to remain.
Merry Christmas
Warm wishes for a blessed and wonderful holiday. We celebrate Christmas so hence the timing of the message, but it's really much larger than a day or a religious belief. It's a wish for happiness and safety and peace for the world.
And when the world doesn't offer you that, here are a few tips for creating some in the space you're in from the Happiness Project.
From ours to yours, enjoy and be happy!
Office Gifts Ideas that Buck the Recession
12 Gifts for Cast-Short, Recession-Weary Work Places from Rosabeth Moss Kanter is a quick, solution-filled, fun piece that puts people before gifts.
Prompted us at Mariner to brainstorm for a few others ...
- Ask everyone to put a crazy idea into a hat and then pick one each month (or quarter) to try out (great way to kick up the innovative streak in your office).
- Give a late arrival pass that can be redeemed anytime in the new year.
- Institute a floating holiday policy and put aside one typical holiday (say president's day or Columbus day if you follow those) as a day that can be taken at any time. Bonus is that your office is operational for that day.
- Extend the gifting to members by adding one month to their membership for every 5 years of continuous membership.
- Bring in a massage therapists to do seated massages for the day.
- Instead of a holiday party, give that time off to attend to holiday chores and errands.
- Have a virtual volunteer party where you recognize accomplishments.
What are your ideas??
90% of WOM Happens Off-line: Lesson for associations
For those with "building community" on their list of goals for 2010, check out SmartBlog on Social Media's posting by Merritt Colaissi - Spike Jones' 11 Lessons to ignite a fan community. It was lesson #9 that caught my eye:
Movements live online and offline. 90% of WOM happens offline. It’s important to get people together offline.
We are spending much time, energy and dollars on our IT and virtual communities that we fail to see the importance of being face-to-face. Some associations are even going so far as to replace traditional events and, yes even chapters, with online learning and virtual chapters. But it's not a either-or proposition. As Jones learned in building Fiskars successful crafters movement, its the combination that wins.
Two Quick Links on Relationships
Two quick clicks that are worth lingering over - both under the header "it's all about relationships":
Mark Horoszowski's post Relationships are relationships kicks off with the truism "Whether its online or offline a relationship is still a relationship."
The essence of Brian Solis' must-read post, The Human Network: The Social Economy is Influenced by How We Communicate Online and Offline, can be captured in one line from that post: "Relationships... RELATIONSHIPS…count for everything here."
Or in the words of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (from Flight to Arras, 1942): Man is a knot into which relationships are tied.
The Big What If ... Volunteer programs were set up like donor programs?
What if associations looked at volunteerism through the lens of fundraising? Specifically, what if an association set up its reward and recognition program ala fundraising categories? So that we’d track – and report – volunteers based on the number of hours or the “amount” given to the association. There would be the Gold, Silver, Bronze volunteership…
I am prompted to ask this what if question as part of Acronym’s Big Idea Month. This has generated quite a few interesting ideas including these by KiKi L'Italien, Jeffrey Cufaude, Jamie Notter, Eric Lanke, Elizabeth Weaver, Shelly Acorn and, one of my fav’s, this one on Association’s as facilitators on Acronym by Jeffrey.
But back to the idea at hand … we usually recognize volunteers based on position, with the national board often getting the greatest accolades and visibility while the writers/teachers get little if any. Recognizing by title has two drawbacks:
First, the traditional model ties value to the title held not the effort & the outcome.
Second, it focuses attention on volunteer leadership not the volunteer program as a whole.
In fact, there are volunteers and volunteer leaders and the two groups really are different (that’s a whole other blog posting!) and do need different attention. But all need reward and recognition. And absent of both elements, we cannot grow our volunteer pool or develop great leaders.
By shifting from a title-rewards program to tie reward and recognition to activity and outcome, we recognize meaningful and substantial efforts. Plus we shine the light on those adhoc volunteers who consistently give of their time and effort in small ways over many years. This group, according to ASAE’s Decision to Volunteer study, feel the least appreciated and report the lowest satisfaction.
Perhaps in shifting the emphasis over time we can also address the reoccurring problem of having the wrong volunteers in the leader position. We all have lived through that member who was a great “doer” and a lousy leader. Because our volunteer systems are all based on a succession ladder, we move people from doer to leader as a “reward.” A new system that creates Gold and Silver volunteers allows us to focus people on contributing not on climbing the ladder to be rewarded and recognized.
As a bonus to this switch, a reward system not based on title may pave the road to creating a vibrant adhocracy where we loosen the structure and engage more volunteers. So, what if ....
Truths About Volunteering #14
Non-volunteers see themselves as different from volunteers ... even though it's frequently a misplaced assumption.
Read more at Pathway to Service.
BSA Troop Wisdom for Chapters
Words of wisdom to the boys of Troop 939 on the eve of their Senior Patrol Leader elections from an adult leader via email:
I expect that the candidates will have plans for activities for the upcoming months, cabin camp-out, ski trip, summer camp as well as merit badge madness [...]. But to the matter at hand. Our next senior patrol leader will need to be a "take charge" boy with big plans and ideas. Remember, Scouts soar with the eagles and that is where our next leader needs to take the troop. Do not be afraid to ask questions of the candidates! Remember, the only stupid question is one that is never asked.
Boy Scout Troops are in many ways like chapters. They are run by volunteers following (albeit not always to the letter) a policies & procedures manual sent from national and - very much to the point - are as good as their leaders. This piece of advice, which I really see as wisdom, cuts to the core of the leader criteria and the role of members in selecting the leaders. Do we ever make it this simple for our chapters?
A Raving Fan in Action
This is one for the books. A story about an association, ASAE specifically, that created an excellent member experience – so much so that as one member leaves the profession, she brings on board to the association her replacement and pledges to remain active as a volunteer. And, she shares this on the association’s listserv.
Subject: [chapternet] Goodbye to one association role, but not ASAE or the sector [x-posted to Comet, Component Relations, Technology]
Dear all,
I'd like to share some exciting news about my own career and introduce you to a colleague of mine who will soon be joining ASAE. I'm leaving the YMCA of the USA on November 20th to take a job outside the association sector. However, I'm still going to be active in ASAE and the Center through my volunteer work for associations. In fact, I know that I wouldn't be a successful volunteer in the sector without all the shared knowledge, enthusiasm, and generosity of this list and the quality of ASAE resources.
I encouraged my colleague at Y-USA, Seana Hasson, to join ASAE to ensure that Y-USA still receives all its benefits and can participate in the larger association world. She's the Interim Director of Research and Planning and a great colleague and leader. I'm sure she'll benefit from all you have to offer and also contribute to the collegiality and exciting flow of ideas on the listservs.
Thanks to all of you for helping me develop as a paid association professional, and we'll still be colleagues.
Ann
Ann Feeney, CAE
I asked Ann to share this posting because it reminds us that creating an exceptional member experience is the key to creating raving fans, committed volunteers, and community. Ann proves all three in her farewell posting.
As a raving fan, she is encouraging her colleague to join and be active. But by posting this she is also reminding all of us on the listserv that membership is valuable. And, she is building the community spirit. I should note that I first met Ann Feeney via ASAE listserv. Later I would connect in-person briefly at an ASAE event, but most of the interaction was through our online community.
Perhaps one of the neatest things about this story is that ASAE has also cultivated for one or more of our associations a valuable volunteer. And that’s a bonus for all of us. Do you have a excellent member experience to share?
Always in search of ideas.
