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The MemberClicks Blog

A big part of management is finding - and keeping - great people around you. We’re talking great employees!

Employees directly impact not only the work that gets done at your association or chamber (and by extension, the advancement of your association or chamber), but also how your members feel about your organization. (How staff treats them at events, what the tone is like in the emails they receive, how helpful (and pleasant) phone calls with your organization are, etc.)

But even if you’ve only been in a management role for a short time, you know staffing, like many things, comes with its own set of problems. Below are three, in particular, just about all associations and chambers face at some point, and better yet, solutions for each:

Summer means many things:

Pool days.
Barbeques.
Fresh fruit.
And for many, annual conferences and meetings!

But it also means vacation season. So when your event is designed to engage your members and provide them with much of the value they’re paying annual dues for (and not to mention, generate non-dues revenue), but they won’t be in town to attend...what do you do?

Well unfortunately, if they’re not around to attend, they’re not around to attend. It’s impossible to cater to everyone’s schedule. That said, there are a few workarounds to still engage those members and generate a little bit of non-dues revenue. Take a look!  

Sending emails is a simple, low-cost way to recruit prospective members and engage your current ones. And it’s pretty direct, as long as you can figure out how to cut through the inbox clutter. Luckily, your association management software has features that can make those emails stand out - and help you save time, too!

Whether you’re on our MemberClicks platform or WebLink, there are four features you should definitely be using to make your emails more effective:

Online learning initiatives are on the rise. Between advancements in different tools and the way we communicate, just about anyone can pretty easily create valuable, educational content to share. (Really, though - spend just 5 minutes on YouTube and see how many “how to” videos you can find!)

Well if you ask me, an online learning program would mean an increase in association membership value and engagement like no other. And you already have what you need to get started.

Still not sure? Here’s why associations and online learning just make sense:

For most organizations, finding volunteers - time and time again - can be tough. And for that reason, many associations and chambers find themselves asking the same people (people who’ve volunteered before) to volunteer again. They’re engaged. They’re committed. They’re willing. No harm in asking, right?

Certainly not! It’s natural to resort to your most engaged members. But over time, those members may get burned out. Serving on back-to-back-to-back committees may have drained them, and as a result, they may not be enjoying their membership within your organization quite as much.

Not. Good.

That’s why today, we’re talking all about volunteer burnout. What are the signs that your volunteers are reaching that point? And when you recognize those signs, what should you do next? Here are a few tips:

The smiley face. The heart eyes. The raised hands. Whether you love ‘em or hate ‘em, emojis are everywhere!

But should they be in your organization’s marketing? Well, that all depends on your organization’s audience. Every organization and industry is different. If your audience is a little more buttoned-up, then it might be best to forgo emojis. But on the flip side, if your audience is a little more laid back, then emojis could be a great way to showcase your organization’s personality and better connect with them.

Not sure where your audience falls? Do a little market research. Talk to your members, experiment on social media, and do a little A/B testing with your emails. See what your members (and prospects) respond well to, and then go from there.

Now let’s say you are interested in trying out emoji marketing. Well as with most things, there ARE a few best practices. Take a look!

Does your association or chamber of commerce have committees in place? Perhaps you have an event planning committee, a fundraising committee, and/or a diversity and inclusion committee.

But let us ask you this: For whatever committees you have set up, how do you evaluate their success? Do you track specific deliverables? Do you send committee members a self-assessment once their term is up?

While both of those practices are important, they can sometimes occur too late. (What happens if a deliverable doesn’t get done and the committee has run its course? A simple, “Well, that committee wasn’t successful. Maybe next year!” won’t really do anyone any good.)

Your youngest members - especially recent graduates - probably have one thing predominantly on their mind:

Find. A. Job!

Job hunting can almost feel like a job itself. Researching different opportunities, reworking your resume to speak specifically to each, writing cover letter after cover letter, prepping for interviews...it takes a lot of time.

Consider providing these valuable services to help your young professional members on their hunt (and engage them along the way, too):

Video content is on the rise - and has been for a while! In fact, it’s estimated that this year, video will make up 80 percent of internet traffic.

If your association or chamber hasn’t taken the dive into video yet, now is definitely the time. And it’s easy, with a specific type of content you’re already producing: your events!

Have you ever considered filming your event sessions? Tagging videography services onto your events opens up a whole new avenue for revenue growth. How?

Mistakes: We all make them. Maybe you got the date wrong in one of your emails. Or you sent an email to the wrong list. Or your website went down for a couple of minutes, cutting off access to members-only content.

They’re those moments that make you think (and possibly even say), shoot! But whether those mistakes were something you had a hand in or not, they all warrant an outreach to your members.

Not sure what to say or how to even approach that type of outreach? Here are a few tips: