Client Spotlight: Wisconsin Funeral Directors Association

The Wisconsin Funeral Directors Association is a client we took on a few months ago. This group consists of funeral homes and their funeral directors, employees, and interns. Members get the benefits of continuing education opportunities throughout the year, satisfying biennial licensing requirements, opportunities to contribute to the Madison conduit, ability to connect with other members, and a discounted rate to the WFDA Convention. 

WFDA is a part of the National Funeral Directors Association whose mission is to be, “The worldwide source of expertise and professional resources for all facets of funeral service. Through education, information and advocacy, NFDA is dedicated to supporting members in their mission to provide families with meaningful end-of-life services at the highest levels of excellence and integrity.” This is something WFDA follows closely as well. 

WFDA’s Executive Administrators from Impact are Caroline and Heather. These two support WFDA by handling the financials, website updates and changes, event planning, and member communication. These duties also include social media, newsletters, and learning more about the industry. Their hands have been full helping to manage this large client. They have both loved the experience so far and look forward to seeing where they can take WFDA.  

5 Quick Tips to Get Members Involved in a Committee

Associations are filled with members who have busy lives. Whether it be a strict work schedule, children to care for, or other personal obligations, members do not always have time to take on anymore responsibility. This can be an issue when trying to fill committee seats in your organization. If you are looking for volunteers, it is important to focus on how the position can benefit both the organization and the individual. Here are a few ways get members more involved in committees.

1.     Announce any openings. Make sure your members are aware of openings by spreading the word through email, meetings, and social media. Ensure that as many people as possible hear about the opening!

2.     Give it a trial run. After making the announcement about the opening, invite those interested to a meeting. Let the candidates see what they might be getting themselves into. This could relieve any worries about the position. It could also deter anyone that is not a good fit for the committee.

3.     Increase membership. If you are consistently having trouble finding members who want to get involved, it might be time to work on recruiting new members. Look for people who are eager to be a part of the organization and who have less time commitments. These people could be a great fit for committees.

4.     Approach good fits. Have the committee get together and discuss the type of person and skills needed. After this, compile a list of current members that fit that description. Once the list is complete, approach those members and ask if they would like to get more involved. This has potential to make the member feel special and more likely to join.

5.     Be upfront about what the member will gain. Knowing the time commitment of being on a committee, it is important to create a list of reasons for the member to join. This could be presented in a meeting, pamphlet, or even online. This might just be the final push a member needs.

After your list of candidates is narrowed down. Be clear about the expectations and responsibilities involved. Make sure the members are dedicated and you will have a full committee in no time.

Client Spotlight: Surfaces in Biomaterials Foundation

This week’s Client Spotlight focuses on a client we have worked with now for 2 years, Surfaces in Biomaterials Foundation (SIBF). SIBF is a foundation dedicated to exploring creative solutions to technical challenges. The group fosters education and multidisciplinary cooperation among industrial, academic, clinical and regulatory communities.

Members of SIBF receive discounted member rates at BioInterface, name recognition in Foundation publications, SurFacts newsletters, and more. This organization is very connected with their community and members. They also host an Annual BioInterface Workshop and Symposium where members are enriched by science and high quality interaction among academic, regulatory and clinical attendees.

Ingrid is SIBF’s Executive Administrator. She supports SIBF’s email management, financials, website updates, and conference planning. She has built a strong relationship with the board and is always on top of everything. We have loved seeing this partnership evolve over the years and look forward to continuing to help grow the foundation.

Post-Conference Game Plan

As an association management company, our staff attends many conferences each year. These conferences can include client work or educational seminars. After attending educational conferences, we have several steps that we take in order to make the most out of our experience. If you aren’t doing the following after every event, we suggest that you start.

1.     Review your notes. At educational events, we often feel the need to write down EVERYTHING. This can lead to a mess of notes scribbled on a notepad. It is important to review your notes after the conference and type them up to be more legible. This will make you more likely to refer back to them and allow them to be easily shared.

2.    Talk about your experience. Speaking of sharing, make sure to let your team in on the fun. Fill them in on any key takeaways. This might spark up ideas for them and could be useful for the whole team. If you have a blog, you can also share what you learned on there. Your notes are already typed up and it would be a great way to engage with people online. Make sure to tag the event and use any hashtags they have.

3.    Define any action items.  After reviewing your notes, you may notice takeaways that you want to implement into your own organization. Make a list of action items that you want to follow through on. This will keep you from forgetting them and will make your time and money put into the conference worth it.

4.    Follow up on connections. If you found yourself talking to the other attendees and enjoying the conversations you had, follow up with them. Add them on LinkedIn or contact them from their business card. These people could be useful to your organization and might forget about your encounter if you don’t reach out shortly after.

If you are attending conferences, you should be ensuring that you get the very most out of each one. By following these steps, you will come away from conferences with new information, networking connections, and inspiration for your organization. Happy conferencing!