Center for Association Resources
The Center for Association Resources supports mission-oriented organizations, assisting them in increasing relevance and accomplishing goals.
Another in a series of articles related to association management selected from our reading list by:
Robert O. Patterson, JD
CEO/ Principal
The Center for Association Resources, Inc.
Over and over we hear that professional development and networking are the top reasons members join any association. Here’s another way to think about why members join. They are searching. Here are some of the things they are searching for: Read More
Another in a series of articles related to association management selected from our reading list by:
Robert O. Patterson, JD
CEO/ Principal
The Center for Association Resources, Inc.
What’s on the horizon for nonprofit accountability? How can scholars help practitioners make sense of these changes? Last month, 1,000 researchers and pracademics gathered in Chicago to discuss these and other questions at the annual meeting of the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA). Read More
Another in a series of articles related to association management selected from our reading list by:
Robert O. Patterson, JD
CEO/ Principal
The Center for Association Resources, Inc.
Our members get value from different offerings the association has at different times in their career. Our members may get value from benefits or from experiences or from ideas or conversations. Value is fluid. And members tend to get more value the more involved they are. If we were to field a survey to the membership a new member may say I’m satisfied and a long time engaged member may also say I’m satisfied. But those two answers do not mean the same thing.How Can a Nonprofit Define Campaign Success that Donors and Advocates will Understand? Read More
Another in a series of articles related to association management selected from our reading list by:
Robert O. Patterson, JD
CEO/ Principal
The Center for Association Resources, Inc.
…Don’t sit back and wait. The life of a journalist is multi-faceted, fast-paced and busy. So, if you want your story in front of the one covering the beat under which your organization and its work falls, take it upon yourself to reach out. Contact the reporter instead of waiting to be contacted, and be ready to give the meat of your story concisely but thoroughly.
Make your news relevant to the reporter. Be respectful of the reporter’s position keeping in mind he or she is going to choose whether or not to pursue your story. Make sure you look at what you’re offering from their professional perspective, not just from the value you have placed on your organization or topic. Garry suggests utilizing a communications/research intern to not only find the right reporting contacts but to also track and advise what trends exist in the coverage to see how your organization’s dealings might just fit in. Read More
Another in a series of articles related to association management selected from our reading list by:
Robert O. Patterson, JD
CEO/ Principal
The Center for Association Resources, Inc.
How do you motivate yourself?
That’s a question I sometimes get and when I do I like to give a three-word answer: Accentuate the positive! It’s the title of a Harold Arlen-Johnny Mercer tune from the 1940s. Also consider the maxim that legendary basketball coach John Wooden used to preach: “Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.”
That simple statement offers such clarity. So often we sabotage ourselves by thinking negatively. We may posit a lofty intention and then we de-loft it when we weigh the obstacles in our path.
Indeed the biggest obstacle may not be a boss or a circumstance — it is ourselves. And so we kill our motivational motor just as it begins to turn over.
Instead, learn to “accentuate the positive.” Read More
Another in a series of articles related to association management selected from our reading list by:
Robert O. Patterson, JD
CEO/ Principal
The Center for Association Resources, Inc.
Nonprofits work on some of the toughest issues facing the world, ranging from ending poverty to reversing the environmental effects related to climate change. While nonprofits may not be able to solve these problems in our lifetime, we must be able to show impact and show degrees of success with our advocates and donors. We also need to engage the public at-large on these critical issues and illustrate how we are moving the needle.
How Can a Nonprofit Define Campaign Success that Donors and Advocates will Understand? Read More
