How One Acronym Can Make All the Difference

The Wisconsin Society of Association Executives (WSAE) held the WSAE Summit last month in Madison. Impact participated by sending one of our executive administrators, Tammy. Tammy reported back that the event was filled with useful learning sessions as well as networking opportunities. From this event, Tammy had one major takeaway, everyone needs micro goals. The keynote speaker, Connor Cunneen, emphasized an acronym, C.H.A.P.S, to live by in both work and your personal life to create those micro goals.

C- Compliment one person each day. This sets a positive attitude for both people involved. Setting that tone can lead to a more efficient working relationship and work environment.

H- Hear the words “Thank You.” If you do something nice for someone, it is important to slow down to hear their thank you. This will help you to keep in mind that your work is important and making an impact. This can keep you motivated to provide your best work again and make you feel fully appreciated.

A-Address colleagues, members, and customers by name. The most impactful word to someone is their name. If you are trying to make that person feel important or attempting to get a point across that you do not want them to forget, add their name to the sentence. It will stick with them and emphasis the point you are intending to make.

P-Positive. Use one positive word in each conversation. Delightful, Friendly, Amazing, Brilliant, Bubbly are examples of words that have a significant impression on the person you are speaking with. Adding those words in while giving constructive criticism can also help ensure that the person hears your message rather than shutting down to the negative feedback.

S-Smile. Put a smile on one person’s face each day. When you make someone smile, you in return smile. Create a positive atmosphere and bring a little joy to days that can often blur together with busy schedules and routine.

Living by the CHAPS acronym can make a difference in relationships in all areas of your life. Building those relationships adds to both your success and happiness. This way of thinking is one that we are excited to begin incorporating into our culture at Impact Services.

Client Spotlight: Wisconsin Rural Opportunities Foundation

As the end of year approaches, we are continuing to take a closer look at the clients that have made our year a success. This week we are giving some love to a local organization that we support, the Wisconsin Rural Opportunities Foundation or WROF. This foundation works to provide endowment earnings and gifts that support educational opportunities for rural Wisconsin citizens at a vast variety of education institutions throughout the State of Wisconsin.

The goal of WROF is to invest in the education of people from rural Wisconsin, so they in return, can make a difference in the economic health and quality of life in their rural areas. WROF provides opportunities for a variety of paths including nurse practitioners, medical doctors, farmers/producers, veterinarians, educators, and skilled labor. The organization understands the importance of supporting their local community and how investing in future generations is the way to do that.

Impact Services handles the administrative side of WROF through email correspondence, social media, database management, and more. As a Madison based company, we could not be happier to support this fantastic group knowing that is making a difference in our community. We are excited to see what this next year holds for the Wisconsin Rural Opportunities Foundation.

Client Spotlight: National Association of Professional Mortgage Women

At Impact Services, we are partnered with many hard-working and successful organizations. We believe those organizations deserve recognition for the causes they stand behind, and the work they are putting in for their community. This week we are taking a closer look at the National Association of Professional Mortgage Women (NAPMW).

NAPMW strives to provide advancement of women in mortgage related professions by providing them with development opportunities including the categories of personal, business, and leadership. This association provides those opportunities through networking events, leadership positions, and education on how the industry is evolving.

The National Association of Professional Mortgage Women has a long history that dates back to 1964. Over time, the association has made efforts in maintaining high standards of profession, equal recognition for women, and encouraging women to choose the path of mortgage banking as their career.  

Impact works first hand on administrative tasks, annual reports, social media, event management, board meetings, and more for NAPMW. This gives us an up-close look at the efforts being made and a deeper understanding NAPMW’s vision. As an all-female association management company, the Impact team enjoys supporting an association that builds up and supports women as much as NAPMW.

To learn more about NAPMW and their mission you can head to their website: https://www.napmw.org/

Social Media Expectations from Association Members

In a world where social media is relevant in both my personal life and business, it is easy to lump the two into the same category. If you already know how to handle social media for yourself, you may assume the same concepts apply to your business or association. This, however, could not be further from the truth. Because it can be hard to separate the two, I decided to watch a webinar on social media and learn more about how the two are separate and what your audience is looking for in your social media platforms. I watched Sprout Social’s webinar on the Evolution of Social Media.

The webinar was very informative and provided many insights on how to better manage social media with a business mindset. I came away from the webinar with two takeaways that relate closely to working with associations. I learned how important it is to be transparent and authentic when posting as well as the effectiveness of employee advocacy.

Followers have transitioned over time as to what they are looking for from an association’s social media. This transition has moved the way companies and associations are speaking with their audience. The platforms started as a way for the association to talk to members and simply have them listen, to a more dynamic relationship between the two. The number one thing that followers are looking for in brands is a sense of authenticity. If you are an association, your primary goals are to make money for the cause and recruit new members. Trying to hide the fact that you are doing this, can come across as misleading. This can be handled by being upfront about the fact that you need money and new members while ensuring the audience that it is for a good cause. Going over why the association is in place and the difference it can make will make members feel as though you are being transparent and honest, therefore, making them more apt to donate.

The webinar also talked about the importance of employee advocacy including a company’s CEO. This concept can also be applied to an association. Involving board members on social media is an effective way to show people who is behind the association and proving that these members believe in it. It not only makes the association more open but also allows another form of marketing on social media for the association. When board members post or share content about the association, they are reaching more people and spreading the message further.

Understanding how social media evolves and what your members expect from you allows you to utilize the platforms in a cheap and effective way.