Succession Planning = Successful Planning

Every organization (or at least we hope) has conversations regarding what’s next. What’s next for membership? What will the next conference look like? What can we post on social media next month? These are all important “nexts” but not as important as what is next for leadership. Without succession planning, the other plans may not happen or they may not be what members need. Associations often fail to develop leadership while they still have strong leaders. 

1. Search for the leaders. As a board or committee chair, you know what other members are regularly volunteering and showing interest in the organization. Keep an eye on those members and get a pulse for how involved they would like to become. Having a roster of potential leaders will make the process much easier.

2. Warm up the new leaders. Find ways for potential or next in line leaders to get a feel for their future role. Whether it is serving on a co-chair of a committee or president-elect, practice makes perfect. This is a time for the current leader to train the volunteer for their role. It allows for questions to be asked before the transition occurs.

3. Weed out the “bad.” Not to say that someone who is volunteering their time can be bad, but there are most certainly volunteers who are not as passionate or dedicated as they once were. Be able to recognize this when it happens and take action. It is okay to have an honest conversation with the volunteer while recognizing the commitment they have had in the past.

4. Make it protocol. To make those conversations easier or unnecessary, set term limits. Ensure that your bylaws clearly state how long members should serve on a board or committee. This will allow new talent to continuously flow through the association and eliminate the inevitable burnout. 

Succession planning allows for new ideas and new perspectives to be brought to the table. It creates conversations that might have otherwise never been had. You might enjoy your role as a leader, but you can’t do it forever. If you have a passion for the organization, make sure it will have a successful future.

Impact Association Management Welcomes MPI WestField

[Madison,WI]: Impact Association Management announced a new partnership with MPI WestField. This partnership will allow MPI Westfield to achieve their goals and grow their organization.

“In a time of uncertainty, it is great to see that associations still understand the need for an AMC. After being a part of our local MPI chapter and managing MPI Connecticut River Valley, we have learned so much about this association. We look forward to applying that knowledge along with our expertise on managing all associations to help move MPI WestField forward,” says Jodi Fisher, CEO at Impact Association Management.

“The MPI WestField Chapter is delighted to partner with Impact Association Management on our Administrative Support.  While searching for a new support organization we received glowing compliments and praise from a nearby MPI chapter.  We were impressed to the professionalism and commitment to high standards and instantly felt comfortable working with Jodi Fisher and the team at Impact,” says Mark Speranza, President of MPI WestField.

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 in both Madison, WI and Nashville, TN, 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 

http://www.impactamc.com/

About MPI WestField: Meeting Professionals International (MPI) is the largest meeting and event industry association worldwide. Chartered in 1989, MPI WestField provides education, networking opportunities and a forum for individual success for meeting professionals located in Westchester County, New York and Fairfield County, Connecticut. When members join MPI WestField, they become part of an organization dedicated to personal and career success. Members will be connected with innovative learning, passionate people and big ideas that will empower them to become an agent of change and reinvent the world.

Contact:

MPI Westfield

Mark Speranza and Lisa Swartz

speranzanyc@gmail.com, msos@optonline.net

 www.mpi.org/chapters/westfield

Optimizing your Association's Website for Search Engines

We have all heard the term search engine optimization or SEO but the thought of implementing it often seems daunting. We are here to tell you, it is not as hard as it sounds AND can bring big results when it comes to your organization’s membership, event attendance, and more! Search engine optimization is simply making sure your content provides the answers that members are looking for, at the moment they are looking for them.

Knowledge and Education are the most important values that associations offer their members. (Omnipress) When people are seeking that education, it is important to ensure your website is set up to optimize their chances of coming across your content. Here are a few of the most overlooked steps to improve SEO that Omnipress shared with our team!

1. Web page optimization: Optimizing your web page increases the quantity and quality of traffic to your website through organic searches. In order to set yourself up for success, make sure that everything from links to images are properly titled. For example, if you have a session at your upcoming event on what to expect when starting your nursing career, make sure the link to that session includes the title. (www.nurseassociation/event/what-to-expect-when-starting-your-nursingcareer) This type of description is also important when it comes to images that are uploaded to the website. Ensure your images are responsive and tagged with (alt=) on the backend of your site. This will allow them to appear in Google image searches.

2. Document optimization: When uploading a document to your website, take the time to fill out any keywords, titles, and descriptions. This will allow it to appear higher on a  search engine.

3. Public-facing content: If you have a membership portal with members-only content, make sure there is a description of what users can find in that portal on the public-facing site. This will allow visitors to have full knowledge of what benefits your association offers, allowing them to then decide if they want to join the association. It will also allow the content to show up in a search that it otherwise would not have shown up in.

These quick changes can significantly increase the amount of traffic your website is seeing each month. Sites like Wild Apricot make this process incredibly easy by providing a sidebar when you edit the page, allowing you to edit the suggested areas for optimization. Take the time to learn more about SEO and implement it within your association and you won’t regret it.