NI Monday Education Schedule
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16
Gather Round Lounge (8:00 – 8:45 AM)
Meet-Up with Your Peers | Newbie & Ambassadors
Grab your breakfast and head next door to reconnect with conference first-timers. Share your thoughts on the Opening Session and Party or what sessions are on your agenda for the day.
General Session (9:00 – 10:00 AM)
MemberShift: Why Members Leave and the Strategies to Bring Them Back (MMC)
Sarah Sladek, Principal, XYZ University
Membership organizations are reporting higher levels of disengagement and decline than ever before. A new membership strategy is urgently needed, and Sarah Sladek has discovered it. In this keynote, Sarah will share her research on changing membership trends and the strategies proven to increase engagement and spur growth.
- Identify common practices in associations contributing disengagement and decline
- Identify changing membership engagement cycles
- Identify best practices used by associations to immediately change their trajectory.
Gather Round Lounge (10:00 – 10:30 AM)
Meet-Up with Your Peers | Learn More About CAE & the Better Together Mentor Program
Join participants in the mentoring program and members who have recently obtained their CAE to learn about the programs.
5 Concurrent Education Sessions II (10:30 – 11:30 AM)
Is Association Ethics Still a Thing?
Christian Malesic, MBA, CAE, CMP, IOM, CEO, Association Advance, LLC
Ethics used to be paramount in all we did. It was the first consideration in every dilemma. Now, it seems that words like honesty, respect, integrity, diligence, and even ETHICS are so, well, yesterday. But now, the ASAE has brought mandatory ethics courses back into the CAE curriculum. Could it be because ethical standards also lead to sound, well-reasoned decision-making that strengthens both the organization’s reputation and the bottom line? This session will allow you to explore you. What are your ethics? Are you pleased with your findings? Using real-life scenarios, attendees will solve modern ethical quagmires in which other associations have found themselves. Prime yourself to decide what you would do if you were there. This is not a spectator session. It is hyper-interactive. Come prepared to think.
- Define, comprehend, and be able to explain ethics in the modern era.
- Attendees will individualize ethics and relate it to their daily workflow.
- Gain the tools and the thought-processes to assess all situations through an ethical lens.
Confident Sales Negotiations: Better Outcomes with Less Anxiety
Carrie McIntyre, Principal, Navigate
You can’t avoid negotiating, especially when you’re the one doing the selling. Whether you’re haggling with a toddler over their vegetables-to-dessert ratio or sealing the deal with sponsors, exhibitors, and/or advertisers… negotiation is an indispensable skill.
Nelson Mandela said, “I don’t fail. I either win or I learn.” So in that spirit, this engaging session is packed with real-life examples and expert insights from the speaker’s own wins and “learning experiences.” Bring your negotiating challenges for discussion! Elevate your negotiation game and unlock doors to better results with less stress!
- Set yourself up for better outcomes before negotiating even begins
- Say, “no,” to industry partner requests without damaging the relationship
- Sidestep common negotiation pitfalls and improve your outcomes.
All the World's a Stage: Enhancing Your Public Speaking Skills by Embracing the Theatre Kid in You
Emily Armstrong, Communications Manager, Strategic Association Management
As association professionals, we are in the business of storytelling. Whether we are trying to gain new members or present in front of a board, being able to tell a convincing story is a must. Learn to unlock the power of public speaking through essential warm-up rituals, storytelling techniques, and persuasive delivery strategies to captivate any audience. Walk away with the confidence and skills to engage, entertain, and inspire every time you speak in public.
- Warm themselves up before a speaking engagement
- Tell an engaging story with a beginning, middle, and end
- Show their audiences that they have something to say worth remembering
Leveraging AI for Association Excellence: Practical Skills with ChatGPT
Ryan Thomas, Grant Writer, Texas Council on Family Violence
Join us for an engaging session where you'll learn practical ways to use AI chatbots and virtual assistants like ChatGPT to boost your organization's creativity, productivity, and efficiency. We’ll dive into hands-on activities, showing you how to customize your chatbots, create engaging content, automate everyday tasks, and more. We’ll also explore strategies for processing data to generate insights and strategic plans. By the end, you'll walk away with actionable tips and the confidence to start using these new skills right away. This session is all about practical, real-world applications tailored to the unique challenges you face in association management.
- Understand Practical Applications of AI Chatbots
- Explore Innovative AI Strategies
- Develop Hands-On Experience with ChatGPT-4T
Are You Sure Your Association Has a Membership Strategy?
Sarah Sladek, Principal, XYZ University
In many membership organizations, membership isn't a strategic or operational priority. In fact, most membership associations don't actually have a membership strategy. Rather, associations are borrowing strategic concepts from business models, relying on trial-and-error and traditions passed down by previous generations, or outright making assumptions about what fuels membership growth. The myths and misinformation of what actually constitutes a membership strategy have led to critical mistakes and contributed to membership disengagement and decline.
Consider this your backstage pass to a crash course in membership strategy – what’s working, what’s not, and why. This is a unique opportunity to learn directly from a subject matter expert and start sketching out your own membership strategy -- so bring your questions and something to take notes!
Learning Objectives:
- Identify the common misconceptions and pitfalls associated with membership strategy development in associations.
- Understand the key components of a successful membership strategy and how to apply them to a specific organization.
- Develop a preliminary framework for creating a membership strategy based on expert insights and best practices.
Gather Round Lounge (10:30 – 11:30 AM)
Thought Leader Session | How to Express Your Brand to Deliver Member Value: Lessons from an Award-winning Case Study
Ashish Malik, MBA PMP, CEO and co-founder, 108 ideaspace
Brand building has become increasingly important for organizations - the global pandemic has accelerated the move to digital. At the same time, the fundamentals of transformative branding have not changed - for high-performing associations, the need is to understand how to apply these timeless principles to the rapidly changing digital landscape. In this highly engaging and interactive session, Sylvia and Ashish share five pillars of transformative brands, tying into the case study of RTOERO’s award-winning rebrand.
Learning Outcomes:
- Understand the importance of brand to enable your association’s vision, mission, and strategic goals.
- Identify the five pillars of a transformative brand, including unique value proposition, authenticity, and relevance.
- Gain best practices and a practical toolkit for expressing your association’s brand across digital platforms to advance strategic goals and build value for members.
5 Concurrent Education Sessions III (1:45 – 2:45 PM)
Executive Compensation Issues
Jonathan Blum, Holland & Knight, Partner, Holland & Knight LLP
Executive compensation in associations is an important issue. This session will discuss executive compensation with considerations from a practical and technical perspective. As tax-exempt organizations, tax considerations are also a factor. This session will provide a deeper understanding of the issues as well as practical tools to utilize in your organization.
- Identify key trouble areas in compensation and best practices.
- Review potential tax issues related to executive compensation.
- Gain an understanding of common compensation structures.
Association Innovation – Challenges and Considerations
Christopher L. Williston, VI, President and CEO , Independent Bankers Association of Texas
Innovation in associations is usually pigeon-holed to a discussion about what tools associations are using to solve their challenges. Great association leaders, however, are always on the lookout for ways that their organizations can innovate in response to the unique needs of their members. In 2023, the Independent Bankers Association of Texas was awarded TSAE’s first “Association Impact Award,” which recognizes an innovative project or initiative created by a TSAE member. In this session, IBAT President and CEO Christopher Williston will discuss the framework in which innovation is evaluated inside IBAT, with lessons that you can take back to your own association.
Membership & Marketing Survival Guide | MMC
Amy Hager, Organic Marketing Mentor, Amy Hager Solutions, LLC
In the Marketing and Membership Survival Guide, we will look at communications through a new lens. This very active and hands-on session is going to teach and encourage you to look at things a little differently so you are thriving in connecting and engaging with your audiences.
We will be taking a pause to better understand the psychology of how people are engaging with content and trying something a little different based on YOUR strengths.
- Explore the Psychology of your messaging and how to emotionally engage with your members
- Learn how to use Kind Messaging instead of Pain Point Messaging
- Identify you and your teams' unique strength when it comes to content creation and how to best leverage this out-of-the-box strategy to create an aligned audience of social media followers
Is Your Association Really Prepared for the Future?
Sue Pine, CAE, FASAE, Association Thought Leader
Ever heard of the word “foresight”? Are you looking to move your leaders to think beyond your strategic plan? This engaging session is designed for both those new to the practice of foresight and the ASAE ForesightWorks Research and for those who have ventured into integrating foresight and are now looking for new implementation ideas. It works - associations who were dabbling with future focused discussions when the pandemic hit were able to pivot and adapt much faster than their peers. Future-focused associations were already discussing the trends driving change. Join us for this session to help your association work toward their Preferred Future!
- Explore foresight/future thinking and to the ASAE ForesightWorks Research, with an introduction to the 5 new Drivers of Change (just released in 2024)
- Practice an Analysis Session and discuss with peers the “So What?” relative to the impact to their association
- Identify real-world examples of foresight at associations
- Develop the first steps of an action plan to how to make the ForesightWorks Research actionable for their association
Gather Round Lounge (1:45 – 2:45 PM)
Thought Leader Session: Get Your BG On!
Ed Sweeney, President and Founder, Sweeney Associates
Understanding a person’s behavioral genius (BG) provides insight into the type of engaging and motivating work they are best suited for. Increasing productivity and team effectiveness is achieved by knowing the behavioral genius (BG) within team dynamics. Understanding people talent does not need to be a guessing game. Scientific supported data is available to leaders of organizations interested in maximizing talent strategies.
This session will cover aspects of understanding behavior and offer examples of leveraging people data in the work environment for the betterment of individuals and the organization. Proven strategies to increase engagement and associate satisfaction will be presented.
Learning Objectives:
- Explore the importance of understanding what behavior the role requires prior to hiring for the role.
- Discuss if you have the people on the bus, but are they in the proper seat.
- Discuss the reduction (elimination) of disengaging ignorance from the work environment.
Deep Dive Education Session (1:45 – 4:45 PM*)
Navigating AI in Nonprofits: Best Practices and Policy Development
Lori Gracey, CAE, Executive Director, TCEA
Join us for a comprehensive, three-hour workshop designed specifically for nonprofit and organizational leaders with some AI experience. Ensure your organization's success and growth by mastering the essential strategies for AI adoption. This interactive session will delve into advanced AI techniques, policy development, and real-world applications. You'll:
- Explore structured chatbot prompting and multiple chatbot smashing for enhanced responses.
- Develop a tailored AI policy for your organization, guided by expert-led discussions and sample policies.
- Learn from peer leaders who are successfully integrating AI for personal and professional productivity.
- Experience the latest AI tools and best practices through hands-on learning.
Bring a device and be prepared to share your AI experiences, challenges, and successes with fellow leaders. This session is ideal for those with prior AI experience, seeking to refine their skills and stay ahead in the AI landscape.