Get Rid of the Volunteer Cliff

Associations need volunteers.  We rely on our volunteers for strategic insight, strategy and direction.  Our volunteers become our subject matter experts, serving as guides and gurus for one another under the association framework.  Through our volunteers we benefit from local or specialized groups and programming.  For every organization there is a path of growth and recognition, however formal, that a volunteer travels.  Their journey may start from handing out name badges, and in a number of years they may end up on the Board of Directors.   These paths are neither constant nor pre-established, but they exist and we rely on them to drive our organizations forward just as much as we look to the bottom line on the financial returns to be ever growing.

The primary focus for most associations is to feed the pool of volunteers.  As organizations expand there is an ever enlarging demand to fulfill the number of responsibilities to make everything run.  Recruiting new volunteers, avoiding volunteer burnout, creating a volunteer acceleration curve – these are all primary foci of associations.  Yet, instead of creating a volunteer path I believe too often we create a volunteer cliff.

A volunteer has given to you organization – they have climbed the proverbial volunteer ladder and reached the pinnacle – be it the association BOD or their own local chapter presidency – I ask, what next?  Too often we make the assumption that there are lifetime diehards who are so committed to the association that without a next step they will find their own next step of involvement.  I believe this is taking for granted one of our most valuable resources.

We all know volunteers basically work a part time job in the time they commit to our organizations – for no pay.  If we can not help them realize what options they have to continue that volunteer growth, then we risk losing their knowledge, passion and enthusiasm for the very things that make our associations great.  So they have been Chair of the BOD – even Past Chair – what next?  Do you have a suggested path they should follow?  Options for how they can continue to contribute that are portrayed in a manner that does not seem to be a step backwards?

I believe this is one of our neglected groups of volunteers – the PVIPS (Post VIP’s) – they have had the limelight, influenced the direction of the organization – locally or globally – and have been ‘put out to pasture.’  If you do not have specific ways they can stay involved, then the assumption that they will is false.   Here are just a few options:

1.       Mentorship: for next gen leaders, for those entering the profession, for forming ‘clubs’ of past presidents, vp’s, treasurers, etc – how can these leaders take their hands-on knowledge and serve as mentors to those that come next and beyond

2.      

      Advisorships: Rather than mentoring a person, what if these leaders still had the option to submit feedback on the strategic direction and initiatives of the organization?  The BOD would have a knowledgeable source to rely upon for perspective.

3.      

      Implementation:  Neither the BOD nor the staff can do everything – and we should not expect them to do so.  After identifying strategic initiatives and creating task forces, etc – what if these leaders stepped into roles of direction and implementation – something nature to their past leadership experience

Of course there are more options – but in whatever path(s) you establish, to forget about your FIBS (Former Important Big Shots as used in my org – yes, they have ribbons) is to let go of one of your most valuable resources.  Our long standing volunteers deserve thanks, recognition, and assistance in understanding how they can continue to contribute and lead.  That path divination is in many ways up to us.

The Pluto of the Galaxy

I am on my way home from my association's spring conference where I had the chance to catch up with a number of dedicated volunteers.  In the midst of checking in and offering words of appreciation I came across one hard working volunteer who was not her usual happy self.   As we had a cup of coffee and she caught me up, she said one of those phrases that paints such a perfect picture of emotion and relationships that it had to be shared.

For some time she had been spearheading the committee to create education through webinars for her members.  Though an officer of the local board, she felt like there was an 'inside clique' among some of the other leaders.  It wasn't that she wanted to be part of the 'clique' - but she felt like her input on strategy and direction was not considered equally - that in trying to contribute to the organization she loved, despite her hard work, her voice was not being heard.  In short:

"I feel like I am the Pluto of the galaxy."

Now whether she meant that she was the smallest planet, furthest from the sun and often forgotten, or that she was even no longer considered a planet (which still just seems wrong to me) - either way, it is a feeling of isolation and lack of importance.  Not every volunteer can be President - not every one should be - but every volunteer should feel valued.  Every volunteer should be a strategic partner.  Every volunteer should have a voice that is part of the conversation - after all, it is by their hands that the work gets done.

As for my volunteer above - I am sure that if another group came along that made her feel less like Pluto and more like the Sun that she would shift her own focus to where her input was valued.  It would be a loss to the board, the membership and the organization.  As we look at how we help advise our volunteer leadership, how we work on volunteer recognition, we have to remember that if we don't make our volunteers feel out of this world, someone else will.

Great Marketing is NOT More Email

I am amazed daily at the number of emails that find their way into my inbox - reminders for events I never said I would attend, mock-personalized messages telling me what products/services/education I need though the sender has no clue who I am, 4-5 pages of single-space copy with a call to action that is near impossible to find - and that is just before 9am.  In the age of twitter and pinterest, of free video calls and meetings, marketing has to shift from full-frontal blast to dialogue.  Focusing on three core-areas for most associations, here are a few ways we could really start to connect value in not only what we say to our customers, but in what they can share with one another - let's call them the three C's:

1. Conferences

A call for sessions, a brief description in the program-at-a-glance, evaluations after each class - gargle, rinse, repeat.  There is so much more we can do for our speakers, for our attendees, for the association:

- Once we know what sessions a conference will have, ask each speaker to write a paragraph or two sharing an insight of what they will teach with a few open ended questions
- Create a messaging calendar so that each week a different one of these messages appears on the association's blog/website/social media page.  Utilize a format when professionals can respond to the questions, and then to one another.  Ask the speaker to check this page periodically to respond to follow up questions that come from readers.
- In the online session guide/program-at-a-glance, hyperlink each session to its individual conversation as an expansion of a description of what the attendee will learn.

This approach gives the speaker a venue to hear what questions attendees have on their given topic, allows attendees to start forming a knowledge community that will be able to largely meet in person at your conference - and most importantly gives the association dynamic marketing that encourages those participating in the conversation to attend.  The best part?  Every part of this is professional-created - the association simply has to create the conversation structure and connections.

2. Certifications

Most association approved certifications follow a format of covering a number of core competencies/domains that summarize the foundation of the industry.  Most professionals who choose to become certified enter into the process with expertise in some domains, some familiarity with others, and perhaps only the most basic of understanding of the rest.  Review courses, education, study groups - associations and their components often find ways to help those that want to become certified learn the information that they need.  Many will pair certification-takers with study buddy's who will support each other through the test taking process until that happy day when the letter comes in the mail - you are certified!  Here is your certificate!  Here is your pin!  You get a new ribbon at conference!

And that is about it.  Just to be clear - you have a professional that has spent time, often months, bringing their own expertise to the forefront, closely tied to your organization, and becoming a better student and teacher all at once.  And once they pass - then what?  How are we leveraging these new knowledge experts to have them share that fresh-experience with those who will follow?   For their own journey, how do we ask them which were the areas where, in spite of passing, they could use more information and experience - and then connect them with those opportunities?

In those we are certifying for our profession, we are not only creating better professionals - but also potential knowledge-based advocates on the importance of getting certified, the journey to get there, and how the association invests in their journey before, during and after certification.  Empowering our members to be lifelong learners means reinforcing their achievements as a student, serving as a guide for their ongoing education, and most importantly providing opportunities for them to give back.  You want marketing for your certification, the prep-courses and everything that goes with it?  Get a professional to stand up to say, "I did this, I am better at what I do because of, and you should too.  Let me show you how."  

3. Component Leaders

Geographic chapters, industry specific councils, professional local sections - call them what you will but for many of your members the smaller, sub-set group that they belong to within your association is often where they get top value.  Our volunteer leaders in these communities can be our grass roots welcome wagon - a portal of entry for new professionals/members, a key connection point to the goals of the organization as a whole, and a scouting team for diamond-in-the-rough future leaders.  The potential is there for all of it - but it takes proactive positioning to maximize the power of local leadership.

- We want our component's strategy to be intertwined with that of the overall organization.  How are we sharing the vision of the association with our local leaders?  How are we facilitating the translation of that global vision to what part the local community contributes, and how that contribution is a win-win?  The association's strategy is usually written in consultation with association professionals who bring a background and expertise in association visioning that is a unique skill set.  Most of our components are solely volunteer led - meaning we expect professionals in the field of their unique industry to be able to create similar association-structured visions without having the skilled experts to assist.  Whether it is training sessions, guides and worksheets, webinars or consultations - we have to do more.

- Most members join your association with a single point of entry that defines their awareness - be it a conference, a chapter, the certification, etc.  How do you orient them to the rest of your value proposition, and the opportunities that await if they would only take the next step?  You local leader is a key answer to this question.  If they are knowledge keepers on the association as a whole - on what you provide and the value it holds, then in every conversation, in every program they can personally recommend further involvement for any member.  A passionate, association-aware volunteer is potentially our strongest marketing tool - but we have to invest in their understanding of what we do and what it can in turn do for their colleagues if we want them to tell the story.

- Marketing is not only messaging for today - but also is creating the thoughts of tomorrow.  There is no better way to do this than to nurture the skill and commitment of your future leaders as soon as possible.  Those that have a passion or skill for volunteering will find a place to fulfill that need - there is no shortage of opportunities.  How are you structuring your component connections so that they see the possible paths of volunteer leadership that exist for their visionaries?  By getting these volunteers in early, they will become lifelong marketing superstars for your organization - literally living the narrative of how your association helps a professional to be better at what they do.  Every time they tell that story, you will see membership rise, products sell, and new volunteers raise their hand.  It is a long term investment - but a worthwhile one.

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Emails are not going anywhere - neither are expectations that because we put it on our webpage or in a newsletter everyone should know about it.  That is where we were yesterday, and in some ways where we are today.  Tomorrow?  Marketing is about dialogue and relationship building.  It is less about choosing the right font and more about investing in the right spokespeople.  Our organizations are stronger because of those who vocally support and contribute to our mission and vision - if you have a professional screaming from the rooftops that your organization rocks - what better marketing could you desire?

ASAE 2012: Ideas, Innovation and Inspiration

The post-conference Euphoria (capitalized on purpose) that is what remains after an ASAE annual has finally start to wear off, and before all the excitement from Dallas subsides to everyday life, there are a few highlights and thoughts that stand out that I want to make sure don’t get lost in the next eleven months.

      

      Ideas are everywhere – Last year in St. Louis I think I poured over the guide for hours trying to choose my sessions – which would I try to go to?  Could I do half and half to double dip?   This year the sessions still looked amazing beforehand, but I worried much less.  First, the ASAE twitter feed during conference ROCKS.  Seriously, as a contributor but mainly as a learner – if you follow the conference feed you can get the highlighted learning nuggets from so many sessions.   Compile these after, review them – you can do a whole presentation for your staff on learned lessons from conference just from these alone.  With that said, some of the best ideas that I discovered in Dallas were not in the sessions.  There were three places I found a-ha moments this year:

a.       Innovation Lounge/Social Media Lounge (Sorry Mandy – I don’t remember what this is ‘officially’ called) – these two lounges, situated across the hallway from each other proved to be hubs of conversation that was at once public in who I ran into, but private in affording comfortable space to share ideas.  Eventually, when I walked in – whether it was for a break, to check email, to innovate (see the next section) or it was on my route – I could glance around the people in either place and feel ideas waiting to be discovered. 

b.      Foundation events – I am a big believer in giving back to those causes and places that help you succeed.  For me, as ASAE has given me a stronger career path, giving back to the Foundation has been a logical choice.  The opportunities I had to have conversations with fellow association professionals at Foundation events in Dallas who feel similarly was inspirational.  To hear personal stories of how their lives have been changed by association and Foundation efforts, or how they have chosen to get involved and why only fueled my fire to want to do more.

c.       Best session of the conference – At a break between sessions I was sitting for a moment in the Innovation Lounge when I was joined by a colleague and friend.  Though we had spoken often before, there was an opportunity to just ask – what are you trying to get out of this?  What do you want to do in the association world?  How can we make a difference?  A five minute conversation became well over an hour – by the end of which I had further refined by own career path, educational goals, and what I would like to try and accomplish for associations.  I believe that my colleague did the same.  Daniel Pink was an amazing speaker.  The networking and new contacts were invaluable.  My ultimate learning moment?  Hearing a colleague’s association vision, passion and journey, and sharing my own.

      Innovation isn’t only for Great Ideas – I attended the Great Ideas conference for the first time last year, and can’t wait to go back this year.  I was happy to see an Innovation Lounge this year – and though I fear the term ‘innovation’ is getting overused, the concepts of development, betterment, ingenuity and creation are still cutting edge.  This year I saw different approaches taken to how leaders collaborated and made plans.  I was part of various conversations that weren’t focused on the way things have always been, but rather on the way things ideally could be.  I saw the start of projects, initiatives and efforts that will be months if not years in the making – and they each started from a single point of synergy or debate.  Innovation appeared to be inclusive of anyone who sought it out – and this year’s conference was truly a playground for the concept.

      Inspiration from leaders, colleagues and friends – At each ASAE event I attend I am again and again amazed at the new people I meet who bring such varied strengths, perspectives and approaches to some very homogeneous aspects of the association landscape.  Through these introductions my own perspectives broaden, as I consider options and opinions that would never before have occurred to me.  I was lucky enough this year to either run across or be included in a number of meetings of leaders – both volunteer and staff – who acknowledged the important work that had to be done, but were open and excited to find different, improved paths for greater success.  With so much to learn, and so much to experience, in the end the greatest take away from ASAE12 is still the people.  My colleagues who I am proud to call friends, my new fellow professionals who I look forward to seeing again, the larger community that I want to continually contribute to….the intangibles that truly ‘make it worth it.’

There is of course more….specific experiences, hospitality and socializing (I still dance like a 7^th grader, I just care a little less now), volunteering, recognition, appreciation.  One thing I know for sure – ASAE13 in Atlanta is already on my calendar.

A New Resource for Volunteer Management, Chapters, Councils and More

Ok, so I know a blog is a place to express opinion and insight, but I just received something exciting that I want to share with my association colleagues - and this has become my vehicle for that goal.

I was honored this past year to serve on the ASAE Component Relations Council, and besides finding a whole new network of colleagues and friends I got to work on an amazing project with my friends Trevor Mitchell, Holly Duckworth and a host of other association leaders.  And the final product of that work is ready and will be available at the ASAE Annual Conference!

This will be a great resource to association professionals who work with volunteers, chapters, councils, SIGS, or any other type of component.  It will help associations looking to strengthen their relationship with their components, or establish member groups. The chapters were each written or updated by leaders in the volunteer and association world - presenting a host of approaches and insights.

We will have an official book launch on Sunday, August 12 from 1:00-1:30 at the ASAE Bookstore at the Annual Conference where you can come and meet the host of authors and editors and find out how this resource can help you and your association.

Questions?  Want more information?  Just let me know!

Can't wait to see everyone in Dallas!

What a Year Can Do

Though I did not realize it at the time, ASAE Annual Conference 2011 in St. Louis  was a turning point in my career.  I went in literally knowing no one.  One year later and life is very different.  I am a CAE.  I am an active volunteer.  I have found friends and colleagues in the association world.  And I can not wait for the conference in Dallas.

There have been some really great posts lately on how to get the most out of the ASAE Annual Conference – so I don’t really feel the need to repeat those key insights.  Instead, I found that Annual Conference was a beginning to a number of paths that I did not realize I was going to walk this year – and that is what I would like to share:

1.   Path to Learning – So I knew before I went to Annual last year that I wanted to get my CAE, and had been accepted to take the test.  I had NO idea how to exactly get there.  At conference I learned about review courses (I ended up taking the one with MSAE – never guessed I would be studying flashcards again!), study time lines, test taking strategies and met others also attempting the exam this past year.  It was at annual that I ended up meeting my eventual study buddy, and sure enough – 9 months later we both passed. 

2.     Path to Sharing – ASAE ’11 was where I first learned about the process of session proposals for additional conferences throughout the year.  With the encouragement of some new peers I submitted proposals that ended up with me in a Dr. Seuss hat at Great Ideas ’12.  Yes, my whole office has seen that ignite.  Yes, I am still referred to as ‘the rhyming association guy.’  And yes, it was SO much fun to do.   Annual definitely provides a chance to learn about presentation tips, techniques and opportunities during the year.

3.   Path to Volunteering – As association professionals, we know 6 words we can hear from members that can make a huge difference – “What can I do to help?”  Turning that around, and asking that of the ASAE staff has let me meet some amazing people, have thought provoking conversations, and most of all be able to give back to the profession that is my chosen career path and livelihood.  ASAE ’11 was where I first got the chance to start asking, and still do.

4.   Path to Giving – Having seen how much my professional life has been enriched by ASAE, it only felt right to start giving back to the organization that is giving me so much.  Over the past year I have become an ASAE Foundation donor, and though of course I would like to give more, I know that the contributions I have been able to make are going to great causes, research and initiatives.  If we don’t invest in our own profession, how can we hope to see more opportunities for professional recognition and success?

5.   Path to Community – Of everything I have gained, it is the colleagues – many of whom I am honored to call friends – that have made this past year amazing.  At events and meetings, or over meals and drinks, I have been able to learn so much from each of them, meet so many more from their connections – and feel like I have a community where if I have a question, I can ask and not only receive a dozen answers, but two dozen offers to help.  Starting these friendships at ASAE '11 truly was my biggest gain.

So I come back to ASAE Annual Conference this year from a different place.  This time I come feeling already part of the community.  I have times where I am going to be able to volunteer.  I know both what formal learning opportunities I want to engage in, and how to keep my eyes open for those moments of insight that can pass you by.  I get to walk the stage at an obscenely early hour to be recognized for my CAE.  Having gotten so much, I signed up this year to be a mentor/buddy/new friend to a first time attendee.  Though I am only going on my second year, I hope that I am able to share with them that, with an open mindset to learn, connect and get involved, ASAE Annual Conference can be a career and life changer.

 

The Grassroots Innovation Leader

On a recent association chapter visit to southern California, a chapter president I met described a unique volunteer that he had on his board.  This volunteer was the one who was always suggesting five more things that the chapter could do, or ten ways the chapter could do what it was already doing better.  Lots of ideas, lots of energy....

While the volunteer had quickly taken a position on the chapter board, the other board members did not always love his participation.  His ideas would quickly span beyond the role of his position by either stepping on the toes of their title or potentially giving them additional assignments to their already busy volunteer workload.

Recognizing the potential in this volunteer, and not wanting to lose their insight or enthusiasm, the president created a new committee position for the coming year - the strategy chair.  Instead of overseeing one aspect of the chapter, this coming term the volunteer will be responsible for doing what they loved to do: crafting reflection of what the chapter should be doing that it wasn't and how it could be doing what it already did better.  These evaluations and suggestions would be submitted to the board for presentation and review, and in an ongoing strategic direction review process will be evaluated for implementation possibilities and timing.

 First, I am grateful to the chapter president who realized what they had in this volunteer and did not just passively allow them to reach a point of frustration that they turned their energy elsewhere.

More than that, I love the concept of a position of chief innovator for a chapter.  While some of the best innovation comes from the input of multiple perspectives and I would not be surprised to hear the eventual formation of an innovation committee of some kind, the idea of having a chief innovator for each component - or for every association as a whole - is a concept the I love.  Innovation as intention and not convenience.  Innovation as continuous and not sporadic. Innovation as recognized effort and not a passing suggestion. For growth, vibrancy and longevity this is what our associations and components need.

I am not yet sure if you can create the position without having the right person to fill it, but having it as a concept that is front of mind so it can be put in place when the right leader(s) comes along is something that I certainly intend to pass on to the rest of my chapters.

And do you think this chief chapter innovator has now been identified as a potential future leader on the larger association scene?  You better believe it.