Center for Association Resources

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Even More Spring Cleaning Ideas for Membership Pros

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 Associations Now:

It’s once again time to dust off your well-worn association membership practices and make them sparkle anew. Get inspired with these refreshing ideas.

The Membership blog here at Associations Now is now into its third spring, which means it must be time for another installment of “spring cleaning” ideas for association membership. Following the 2013 and 2014 editions (where the ideas ares still fresh and worth revisiting), today’s post now makes this series officially a trilogy. I hope this installment strikes you as more The Dark Knight Rises than The Hangover Part III. Read More

Technology Trends in Associations

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 SocialFish:

Lots of good stuff in here about marketing automation, online communities, user experience and more to sink your teeth into.

Key findings from the 2014 Association Technology Study from Lehman Reports and what they mean for associations. Read More

Creating capable nonprofit boards: Systematic impacts on performance

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 Laramie Board Learning Project:

What constitutes capability, and how do we have it? More to the point, how do we know when our nonprofit boards are operating at their full capability?

The more I explore alternative approaches to conceptualizing and implementing capacity building in our governing bodies, the more I’m drawn to the need for creating performance support tools and environments targeting boards’ needs. I’ve already opened that door a bit as I unfold this year’s theme here. Read More

Nonprofit Employment Actually Grew During The Recession:Report

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 The Huffington Post:

By Robbie Couch

Nonprofits are becoming an increasingly vital aspect of the American economy, new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows.

For the first time, the bureau has released jobs data regarding charitable organizations, as Trib Live Media reported. It found nonprofit employment, standing at 11.4 million jobs in 2012, is the third largest by sector when compared to all industries in the U.S. It comprised 10.3 percent of all non-government jobs.

Nonprofit growth was not hampered by the Great Recession in the same ways other sectors were, as charitable organizations experienced overall employment gains each year from 2007 to 2012. Read More

What Is A High-Performance Nonprofit?

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 Social Velocity:

I’m really excited to announce today’s launch of the Performance Imperative. The Performance Imperative is a detailed definition, created by a community of nonprofit thought leaders, of a high-performance nonprofit. The hope is with a clear definition of high-performance we can strengthen nonprofit efforts to achieve social change.

As we all know, we are living in a time of growing wealth inequality, crumbling institutions, political divides, and the list of social challenges goes on. The burden of finding solutions to these challenges increasingly falls to the nonprofit sector. So “good work” is no longer enough. We need to understand — through rigor and evidence — which solutions are working and which are not. Read More

Nonprofit Boards Rated Slightly Above Average on Overall Performance

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 the NonProfit Resource Memo:

Would you give your board an A plus in performance? If yes, then you are in the minority according to Leading with Intent: A National Index of Nonprofit Board Practices, a report that indicates both nonprofit executives and board chairs consider their board performance only slightly above average, with an overall grade of B minus. Survey respondents from across the country rated their boards in various areas of responsibilities with average grades ranging from an A minus in mission to a C in fundraising.

The study, conducted by BoardSource, found that boards excel at tasks of a technical nature, such as compliance and fiscal oversight, while lagging in community outreach and acting as an “ambassador” for the organization. Other areas of improvement noted: Read more