The success or failure of an organization often boils down to the effectiveness and participation of its board of directors. That is why board recruitment and engaged members are critical to your organization's mission and advancement. While this is often easier said than done, there are effective ways to develop your board and find leaders whose perspectives, diversity, and skills advance your mission and lead you to a new level of success.
Associations run on volunteers. Depending on your industry, however, volunteers might be hard to come by. People are often working full-time jobs, taking care of their families, and maintaining a social life outside of all of that. This schedule does not always leave much time to volunteer additional time to an association, not to mention that members might belong to multiple associations!
As I end my term as the President of the Wisconsin Chapter Meeting Professional International, I am proud as a peacock to announce that our chapter has received the accommodation of a Top-Preforming Chapter. This is only given to the top chapters in the world and is based on a formula of member satisfaction, retention, recruitment, educational offerings, and chapter reserves. After a year like 2020, I say hats-off to any president and board that lived through it. This year certainly did not end the way any of us could foresee and when I was asked what our keys to successes were, I came up with a few take-aways.
Impact’s Director of Operations, Kirsten Reader, attended ASAE’s Technology Exploration Conference this month. Staying up to date on the latest trends, ways to use data, and platforms is something that Impact has always prioritized. If there is a more efficient way of doing something, why not save some time to focus on other goals? This is the mindset association boards should have when making decisions for 2021 as well. If 2020 has taught us anything, it is that people can adapt and learn!
Although COVID-19 is still here and does not appear to be going away quite yet, it is important to focus on recovering and building up your association again in 2021. You might have to look at your strategic plan and shift gears a bit but it is important to continue to remain flexible as you strategize about the upcoming year. As of now, there are still so many unknowns. Will events be back? Are members tired of Zoom? How will a vaccine impact our daily lives? Are members able and willing to continue paying membership? These are all questions to consider when brainstorming strategies for 2021.
