Association Transformation

Send us Fan Mail You know we love alliterations, but not as much as we love the intricacies of the volunteer-staff partnership within associations. Elisa and Andrew dive in with Amy Biedenharn, Director of Client Experience with Innovatis Group, to discuss the dynamics, challenges, and strategies involved in fostering a positive and productive collaboration. This sometimes complex relationship bet...

Send us Fan Mail Why so many fail at strategic planning (and how to fix that) Join us in the latest episode of the 6 Degrees of Associations podcast for insightful conversation with Elisa Brewer Pratt, MA, CAE, the CEO and founder of Brewer Pratt Solutions LLC. With a background as a senior staff member in various trade and individual membership associations, Elisa shares her journey from the staf...

Send us Fan Mail Rejoin hosts Andrew and Elisa for an insightful follow-up with Allison Marrero, Chief Brand Experience Officer at the American Society of Interior Designers, one year after overhauling their membership and engagement operations. Allison brings to Association Transformation her reflections on changes like revamped and expanded member categories, getting components onboard, and the...

Send us Fan Mail Strategy is in no way exclusive to any one industry, organization, or tax status; in fact, it originates in the planning of warfare. So what can associations learn from military strategy? Elisa picks the brain of the amazing Robert Plante, US Army Special Forces Officer, former BrewerPrattSolutions intern, and now Director of Transformation and Restructuring at the Swaney Group. B...

Send us Fan Mail Association Transformation kicks off the new year with a commitment to action! Join Andrew and Elisa as they welcome Jay Daughtry of Fonteva Protect to plead with associations to adapt and engage with their younger members differently than their core group. We chat breaking down silos and creating a sincere and inclusive environment. In 2024 just do one thing: listen to your membe...

Send us Fan Mail 🎙️ New year, new episode! Join Andrew and Elisa as they ring in 2024 with reflections on 2023 learnings. Leadership pipelines and succession planning, staff burnout, AI adoption, value propositions, leveraging governance, and strategic implementation. What can associations control, improve, and achieve in service to their members this year? As Association Transformation approaches...

Send us Fan Mail How did you find your way to the nonprofit profession? Are you passionate about working for a mission-driven organization and serving your association's members? On this episode of Association Transformation, Andrew and Elisa are joined by up-and-coming association superstar Allison Read, who has recently joined the team at the American Institute of Architects. Together, they...

Send us Fan Mail We’re thankful for our #boardofdirectors . . . aren’t we?? Welcome back from your holiday, let’s jump right in and talk about the challenges and complexities of board culture in #associations. Join Andrew and Elisa for this real and necessary Association Transformation episode where they share their hopes and concerns about professionalism on #nonprofit boards and historical appro...

Send us Fan Mail What ghoulish goings-on or spine-chilling events have kept you awake at night? Does history haunt you or ghosts of associations-past give you the creeps? This week Elisa and Andrew dig up some graves, dust off the cobwebs, and stir up a witches brew of scary true stories, monstrous mistakes, and ghastly howlers that have landed associations in frightful trouble. Broomsticks at the...

Send us Fan Mail Is your association relying on only 2-3 sources of revenue? Are you getting nervous about declining dues or loss of publication revenue? Join Elisa and Andrew for a deep dive into the world of revenue diversification with Deanna Varga, Founder and CEO of Mayvin Global. In this thought-provoking episode, we discuss the importance of embracing commercial thinking and the need for ni...

Send us Fan Mail It feels like we all have a seemingly infinite number of digital connections but what do we do with them and how can associations use their digital platforms to generate genuine value for their communities? This week Andrew is joined by Angela Shelton, CEO of Answers for Associations to discuss how associations and members can utilise their online tools to create and experience au...

Send us Fan Mail “We’ve had hierarchies since caveman days when we deferred to the elders.” On this episode of Association Transformation, global generational strategist Sarah Sladek reminds Andrew and Elisa that times have definitely changed. Boards can no longer write-off younger members or next-gen prospects as “high-maintenance, non-joiners, lazy, or entitled.” Following the release of her lat...

Send us Fan Mail Some say consulting is the dark side. We take offense! Elisa and Andrew are the good guys! Heck, we’re association superheroes and have been consulting and advising #nonprofits and #membership organizations for quite a while now. Today, we pull back the curtain to discuss, vent, tease, and explore the good and the bad of the consultant/client relationship. How do you get the most...

Send us Fan Mail She makes change fun and elevates innovation. Join Elisa as she chats with a true association renaissance woman, Belinda Moore of Strategic Membership Solutions. Accept and adapt - We know associations have to fundamentally transform, given the incredible pace of change and the opportunities presented by technology, but Belinda reminds us that everything is interconnected! We prev...

Send us Fan Mail What’s your “Happy Meal KPI”? Elisa and Andrew go on a quest and data treasure hunt with Marion Short, CEO of the International Association for Public Participation . Growing from 3,000 to 14,000 members in just six years, Marion shares the true power of data. By spotlighting the important data versus distracting data , your association can achieve growth, deliver value, and enabl...

Send us Fan Mail We admit it! We’re intimidated by all the digital possibilities presented by AI and automation, especially when it comes to composing the perfect newsletter. So Elisa and Andrew called in an expert for Episode 80 of Association Transformation. Erica Salm Rench, COO of rasa.io helps us navigate content curation best practices, personalization strategies, and ensuring reliable sourc...

Send us Fan Mail From “Toxic Tech” to continuous performance improvement, Elisa visits with the tech doctor Troy Stenback, CAPIA, Director, Client Performance Improvement with Advanced Solutions International (ASI), the developers of iMIS. This episode of Association Transformation takes us on a search for tech health and forces us to face the truth - tech is usually only a small part of the probl...

Send us Fan Mail The band is back together as Andrew and Elisa chat with digital strategist and social learning expert Joanne Jacobs of Disruptor Co . After exploring “Why Most Webinars Suck” in Associations Evolve 2023 , we discuss the future of online learning and tools to engage in a sincere and memorable way. Did you know that depth perception impacts memory, making it harder to remember the i...

Send us Fan Mail Are you debating the pros and cons for sunsetting a program or an element of a program? It's not just a simple question of timing - you need to factor into your decision-making costs, financial impacts, reputational risks, resource implications, and of course, the age-old "sense of ownership" that underpins so many association endeavours. Andrew is joined by Dr Mich...

Send us Fan Mail For associations and other non-profits, one of the key issues is finding a balance between resources required and funds available. This week Andrew is joined by Julie Krieger, founder of Onsomble to explore the various options for optimising our human capital, from volunteering to outsourcing to in-house teams. You can read Julie's Association's Evolve article here . Sup...

Send us Fan Mail People come together in associations to tackle a problem and make a difference, right? What is more urgent than climate change? Elizabeth Engel of Spark Consulting and Shelly Alcorn of Michelle Alcorn & Associates join Elisa and Association Transformation to help associations understand the impact of climate change on their operations, events, and membership. These powerhouse...

Send us Fan Mail Is your association on the verge of a surge in participation? The king of association membership research, Tony Rossell, Senior VP of Marketing General Incorporated,  joins Association Transformation to discuss all things recruitment, retention, and member engagement! Without her trusty co-host, Elisa and Tony celebrate the power and potential of membership, affirming their shared...

Send us Fan Mail Maddie Grant, Culture Designer with Propel, joins the Association Transformation family for a deep dive into culture with Elisa and Andrew. A commitment to maintaining a strong, positive organizational culture is no longer an optional soft skill. From internal staff culture to member and volunteer culture, it doesn’t have to be scary or overwhelming. Maddie walks us through measur...

Send us Fan Mail Financial! Fiduciary! Fund! Finance! Pick your nonprofit “F-word” of choice. Between bank collapses, inflation, stock market fluctuation, we had to call in the big guns this week. This week, Marc Labadie of RTD Financial joins us to discuss FDIC protections, reserves, insurance, and financial governance. As a financial adviser,  specializing in membership associations, he gives us...

Send us Fan Mail How many times have you heard the suggestion "we should try the Netflix model" and wondered what exactly that means? Adapting and adopting pricing models is a perennial conundrum in the membership world but today Elisa and Andrew are joined by the global subscription guru, Robbie Kellman Baxter, who talks us through the issues and opportunities of designing subscription-...