Cash flow is an important concept for association staff, volunteers, and leaders to understand especially for small or medium sized associations. A previous article I wrote discusses what cash flow is and how it differs from profit on an income statement. It also includes some ideas to improve cash flow. Given the COVID-19 pandemic the world has been faced with in 2020, cash flow is more important than ever for associations. This article will provide specific tips to help you stay informed of your cash position and have confidence in the future stability of your association given today’s econ ..read more

As an association leader, you are interconnected with other leaders and members in your industry. LinkedIn is a great way to capitalize on those connections and further build your professional relationships. This might be surprising, but LinkedIn has been around longer than Facebook, and is widely considered the “number one professional social networking site.” LinkedIn has over 675 million registered members, and 40% of those users access the platform daily. However, LinkedIn’s users typically spend an average of only 17 minutes per month on the platform. This means that users are not s ..read more

This article will summarize what a non-profit association should know when registering for Québec Sales Tax (QST) after hosting events in Québec. Events Held in Québec If your association is hosting an event in Québec, then it must collect 14.,975% QST—even if you are not required to collect GST/HST. Even if your annual revenue is less than $30,000 or $50,000 for registered charities. Section 410 of the Province of Québec’s Act Respecting The Québec Sales Tax requires: “Every person who enters Québec for the purpose of making taxable supplies of admissions in respect of an activity, semi ..read more

In August, I attended my first virtual conference. This two-day conference had keynote speakers, breakout sessions, and a trade show floor. The conference covered what is currently happening in the event industry and the future of events with tips on how to hold successful events in the current state of the world. This conference is normally held in-person with attendance numbers of around 4,500. This was a free virtual event; the attendance was phenomenal at approximately 40,000 attendees at the opening general session. I was shocked when I logged in and learned how many people were currentl ..read more

Pandemic planning was NOT part of my vocabulary at the beginning of 2020. When COVID-19 started hitting local businesses hard, an association which we manage had recently welcomed a pandemic planner as a new member. Many association members didn’t understand the complexity and details of pandemic planning and how it could affect their businesses in a positive way. This article will explain the steps some associations with which I work have been taking over 2020. My colleague’s article, Navigating the Pandemic as a Board Chair, shares two board chairs’ experiences providing leadership to their ..read more

Membership associations exist to serve their members. Ensuring members are satisfied and engaged should be a key priority for every association. To deliver on this, members must be able to express their support of the actions of the association. Membership satisfaction and feedback surveys help associations realize members’ wants and needs. Renewal and event attendance rates are also a key indicator of member satisfaction. It’s important to take all these factors into account when determining the level of satisfaction of association members. Renewal Rates Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many me ..read more

A long-time client who holds an annual educational conference for its professional members did not want to lose a year of presenting new procedures and treatments to their members due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They knew they would not be able hold a three day in-person conference with live presentations and exhibitions in 2020, but they still needed to connect and educate their constituents. After making the difficult decision to cancel the annual conference, we started to work together on finding a replacement. Planning First, we had to determine the client’s educational objectives and the b ..read more

I recently received an invitation to an annual general meeting (AGM) for an association of which I am a member. My first instinct was to ignore the email and not attend the AGM, especially since it is not part of the annual conference and it will be held virtually this year. What value can I as a member bring to the AGM? Do I really want to spend part of my busy day listening to a meeting drone on and on? That is a common line of thought for many association members. So, how do we, as association leaders, encourage participation and create value for members in attending AGMs especially when t ..read more

When a new member joins an association, they should be welcomed and provided with guidance to connect with other members. Making an association a welcoming environment is essential for recruiting new members but also for keeping the members you have! In this article, I will explore four essential components to increasing your association’s attraction aspect: User-friendly amenities Professional interactions with members Engagement and connectivity Providing relevant industry news Online Tools and Resources An association’s website is usually the first point of contact with the public, which ..read more

In a world where the show must go on, a new and increasingly popular avenue is virtual conferences. We are seeing many organizations adopt this method and hold successful online events that are informative, productive, and connective. Follow the tips and tricks below to get the most of out attending your association’s virtual conference. #1: Treat It Like an In-person Show While attending a virtual conference is not a direct substitute for an in-person conference, it is a still conference. You should plan your experience the same way you would for any conference to attain maximum productivity ..read more