Center for Association Resources

The Center for Association Resources supports mission-oriented organizations, assisting them in increasing relevance and accomplishing goals.

Center for Association Resources

Why every nonprofit should track participant engagement

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.

From Stanford Social Interaction Review

A quick search of “millennials on nonprofit boards” yields more than 67,000 search results on Google. Most of the articles that turn up emphasize the value of millennial leadership, and include calls to engage and involve them in the social sector. But reality lags far behind interest and intentions. One large, national survey in 2012 showed that only 2 percent of board members were under 30, while 43 percent were between 50 and 64. Meanwhile, 70 percent of millennials spent at least an hour volunteering last year, and 84 percent made a charitable donation. More than other living generations, the millennial generation is focused on making a difference, being hands-on, and pursuing what it loves. Data like this makes it clear that millennials care about the state of the world and want to get involved—so why do so few boards have young members? Read More

Values in Your Organization and What They Have to Do with Raising Money: Part 1

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.

From NonProfit Quarterly:

I believe that values are the starting point of an organization, the fundamental foundation, the critical framework.
How do we found a nonprofit organization? A group of people who share the same beliefs get together to fix something…or to provide an opportunity…or to fill a gap…or…
Sure, there is often an initiator. That person is called a founder. But the best founders bring together other people—pretty much immediately. A founder never owns a nonprofit. A nonprofit is a community-based organization, owned by the community. Read More

8 Ways To Communicate Financial Info

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.

From NonProfit Times

Like many worthwhile lessons, financial information can have a value in inverse proportion to listeners’ interest in it. Regardless of interest, however, financial information is important, and it is important for nonprofit staffers at all levels to have some idea of the organization’s financial situation.
With that said, many financial officers encounter a great deal of difficulty in delivering financial information to people who are not in the financial know.
Read More

Common sense is not common

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.

From SmartBlog on Leadership:

What do your leaders celebrate in your workplace? Take a moment and write down the five to 10 things that leaders measure, praise, encourage, recognize, or reward on a regular basis.
Don’t look at service awards or other annual recognition that are given out. Note down the day-to-day messages that team members hear.
Next, categorize these messages, rewards, and praisings. Note which rewards are about results, performance and money, and which rewards are about cooperative interaction, citizenship and kindness.Read More

A new study finds a key component of effective leadership is surprisingly simple

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.

From Business Insider:

Typically, when we envision successful leaders, we think of people who are charismatic, who know how to take control of a room, and who are comfortable in positions of power.

In fact, research suggests that extroversion is generally a strong predictor of successful leadership.

Yet a new analysis of 25 studies, led by Dana Joseph, Ph.D., at the University of Central Florida, complicates the idea that simply being outgoing is enough to make you an outstanding leader. Now, researchers say that positivity is key: Generally happy people make better leaders.

The analysis zeroed in on the relationship between trait positivity (or the general tendency to respond positively to situations) and several leadership criteria, including leadership effectiveness.Read More

5 Strategy Questions Every Leader Should Make Time For

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.

From Harvard Business Review

Have you ever noticed that when you ask someone in your company, “How are you?” they are more likely to answer “Busy!” than “Very well, thank you”? That is because the norm in most companies is that you are supposed to be very busy – or otherwise at least pretend to be – because otherwise you can’t be all that important. The answers “I am not up to much” and “I have some time on my hands, actually” are not going to do much for your internal status and career.
However, that you are very busy all the time is actually a bit of problem when you are in charge of your company or unit’s strategy, and responsible for organizing it. Because it means that you don’t have much time to think and reflect. And thinking is in fact quite an important activity when it comes to assessing and developing a strategy.
The CEO of a large, global bank once told me: “It is very easy for someone in my position to be very busy all the time. There is always another meeting you really have to attend, and you can fly somewhere else pretty much every other day. However, I feel that that is not what I am paid to do. It is my job to carefully think about our strategy.”Read More