AMCI Engagement Lounge: Mastering Virtual Engagement During COVID-19

Our staff has been on top of all the latest developments when it comes to association engagement during COVID-19. It is something our team is embracing and consistently educating ourselves on. We recently sat in on a webinar put on by the AMC Institute covering virtual engagement during COVID-19. We learned quite a bit and look forward to putting these tools to good use.

Colleague Engagement. Your board might be busier than ever now with the state of the world. It is important that you do not lose their involvement with the association during this time. Be creative and offer unique experiences such as happy hours, Tik Tok video contests, and more. Remind them of the fun involved with being on the board, but don’t forget to also keep them learning. Challenge your board to learn 3-5 new things during quarantine. This could be any topic or skill that would bring value to the organization. Give them an opportunity to share what they have learned and provide plans for utilizing it in the upcoming year.

Communication. Now that everyone is at home, schedules are likely different and the separation from kids and other distractions is not as clear. Make sure the board feels open to talking about any obstacles they are facing. This will make the rest of the board more accepting and willing to step up where they are needed.

Mental Health. Although the main focus right now is on our physical health, mental health is just as important. Make sure that board members do not feel extra stress from the association. They have enough on their plates and can pass things off to their AMC or other volunteers. Offer resources to your board and members when it comes to dealing with the psychological effects of quarantine. You obviously don’t want to overstep your boundaries but you also don’t want to leave members high and dry. Be forgiving of each other and understand that everyone might not be operating the way they once were.

Technology. Not everyone has the same expertise level in technology. It is important to keep this in mind when planning virtual events and calls. Have someone available to help members out that might be struggling. This will allow them to stay connected and feel less frustrated by the changes.

If there’s one thing to sum it all up, it is be patient. Understand that people are struggling right now and their priorities are shifting. Keep them engaged with the association by offering them the resources and space they are in need of during this time.

Focusing on Young Professionals

Now more than ever, recent college grads and young professionals will be looking for new ways to grow their careers. Your association can offer them something they cannot get anywhere else, connections! The problem for this age bracket has always been and will always remain money. They are coming out of college with debt and no job meaning they aren’t exactly looking to throw money into an association. Below you will find a few solutions to this obstacle and what you should be marketing to the young professional demographic.

Discounts. If money is an obstacle, provide discounts to students and young professionals. As they age and become more stable within their careers, they will be able to pay more and their membership price can increase. Discounts, however, will help get them in the door, which can often be the hardest part.

Job Boards. If the group you are targeting is fresh out of college, provide them the opportunity to find a job through your organization. Include a section for starter jobs or internships. If the job board proves successful for them, you can guarantee a long term member.

Networking Opportunities. You might be thinking now is not the time to network, but you are wrong! People need networking opportunities now more than ever. Set up meetings or even a speed networking opportunity online. Zoom can be your new best friend when it comes to bringing members together. This shift also makes members of national organizations more comfortable with the idea moving forward.

Professional Development. Professional development for young professionals should look different than professional development you are offering members of 10-15 years. Help young professionals to create an elevator speech, explain what the perfect resume looks like, provide inside tips on what companies are looking for when hiring. Older members can be the perfect mentors when it comes to those starting off their careers.

Leadership Roles. Get your younger members involved right off the bat. When they join, send them information about your young professionals’ committee or mention that there is a rotating spot on the board for a young professional. This is the perfect resume builder and could be a huge incentive to stay in the organization long term.

Young professionals might be the more difficult group to recruit, but the results will pay off. If you can make lifelong members out of them and set up their first few years for success, they will bring revenue and future members to the organization.

Meet our Newest Client, ASID California San Diego!

April 17 2020, Madison, Wisconsin –Impact Association Management (Impact) is excited to announce the signing of our fifth chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers, California San Diego as our newest client.   

“ASID San Diego is delighted to be working with Impact AMC.  Our goal is to support our dedicated volunteers by allowing their contribution of time and effort to be worthwhile by supporting them with an amazing administrative team. We look forward to leveraging their expertise in organizing and managing all aspects of chapter administrative tasks and help us transform our organization into an efficient, thriving chapter” states Bertha Hernandez, ASID California San Diego President. 

“Our team has been working with ASID chapters since 2016. We understand the needs of ASID and their membership and are excited to expand that knowledge to a new chapter. The on-boarding process with ASID California San Diego has been incredibly smooth and we can already tell this is a hard-working board that is open to our ideas. This combination will make for a very successful partnership.”, adds Jodi Fisher, CEO, Impact Association Management. 

About the American Society of Interior Designers California San Diego 

The California Peninsula Chapter of ASID covers the entire San Francisco Peninsula also known as Silicon Valley and includes 375 members from San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and Monterey counties. These are cutting-edge professionals who maintain the highest level of design standards. They are experts at satisfying their clients’ diverse needs while effectively working under budgets and deadlines.  

Contact: 

Bertha Hernandez 

ASID California San Diego President 

www.casd.asid.org 

About Impact Association Management  

Impact Association Management was founded in 2006 by Jodi Fisher, and since then they have successfully supported many Associations in growing and increasing profits and memberships. Now expanded into a robust team, Impact consists of Social Media experts, Non-Profit Administrators and Executive Administrative Assistants with impressive backgrounds in Association support, small business operations and international corporations.  Their mission is to provide customized, efficient, and forward-thinking association management services to small and medium sized Associations with a highly skilled, dedicated team of Executive Administrators.  

Contact:  

Impact Association Management 

608.210.3120  

info@ImpactAMC.com  

www.ImpactAMC.com  

Getting the Word out About your Next Webinar

Even in pre-COVID-19 times, webinars were becoming a growing a trend in associations. They are a great way to reach a national audience and provide a source of education for members. If you are going to spend time and energy putting together a webinar, it is important that you properly market that webinar to your audience.

1.     Pick a topic your membership wants to hear about. Do not make assumptions on topic choices, poll your membership and understand what they are looking to gain out of webinars. This will help you to plan out the year’s subjects. Provide a spot in the survey for members to also suggest a speaker if they know someone who would fit the bill. This will make your job on the board easier while making members happier.

2.     Put goals in place. What does the board want to achieve from the webinars? Member retention? Membership growth? Revenue? This is important to discuss before jumping into the details. It allows you to put some structure to the webinars and topics. It also makes it clear who the marketing messages should be directed at.

3.     Create a timeline. How often do you want to reach out to your target audience? What should each message include? Having this timeline planned out in advance will ensure everything goes out properly and at fitting times. You can schedule social media messages on Hootsuite or future emails on platforms like Constant Contact and MailChimp.

4.     Introduce your speaker in advance. In the messages going out to potential attendees, provide them with some information on the speaker. Include things that would explain why they are qualified to speak on the topic. If the webinar is not just for members, let your speaker know that they can invite others as well.

5.     Follow up! Provide those that registered for the webinar with all of the materials discussed. This includes slides and a recording of the webinar. Some people might have signed up and had to miss it and others might just want to reference the materials in the future. You can also take the content and make it into a blog post for your website. You have the information and should make the most of it.

Webinars are only going to continue to grow and should be embraced! Keep your members happy and educated.

Impact Association Management welcomes the American Medical Association Alliance

April 1, 2020, Madison, Wisconsin –Impact Association Management (Impact) is pleased and proud to announce the signing of the American Medical Association Alliance (AMA Alliance) as their newest client.      

“We hit the ground running with Impact as our new association management company. Impact’s transition team focused on our needs and the American Medical Association Alliance is looking forward to Impact increasing our membership numbers while strengthening our marketing presence and social media outreach. Fulfilling the Alliance mission of connecting physician families and building healthier communities will be a key measure of success for the newly formed AMAA and Impact partnership.” states Mary Beth Ellison, AMA Alliance President.

“We were thrilled to hear that the AMA Alliance chose us to be their AMC. We have spent the last few weeks learning their goals and struggles and are excited to help them succeed. I know they will be a great group to work with and am excited to see our team jump in.”, adds Jodi Fisher, CEO, Impact Association Management.

About the American Medical Association Alliance

Established in 1922, the AMA Alliance is the nation’s largest organization representing the physician family. Our nationwide network encompasses all stages of life in a physician family, from the training years to retirement. We represent the medical family today.

With nearly 100 years of history, the AMA Alliance has evolved from a female driven social and advocacy group to a diverse membership organization that includes male and female spouses and partners of physicians and medical students as well as physicians and medical students themselves. The AMA Alliance is proud of its rich legacy and is committed to honoring its past by building on the core principles on which it was founded: to support and provide resources for physician families and advocate for healthier communities in partnership with the American Medical Association.

Contact:

Mary Beth Ellison

AMA Alliance President

https://amaalliance.org/

About Impact Association Management 

Impact Association Management was founded in 2006 by Jodi Fisher, and since then they have successfully supported many Associations in growing and increasing profits and memberships. Now expanded into a robust team, Impact consists of Social Media experts, Non-Profit Administrators and Executive Administrative Assistants with impressive backgrounds in Association support, small business operations and international corporations.  Their mission is to provide customized, efficient, and forward-thinking association management services to small and medium sized Associations with a highly skilled, dedicated team of Executive Administrators. 

Contact: 

Impact Association Management

608.210.3120 

info@ImpactAMC.com 

www.ImpactAMC.com