If your staff was singing kumbaya around the metaphorical campfire before the pandemic; Don’t assume they are still in that happy place. The abrupt switch from in-person to home office took a toll. Associations thrive on plans, procedures, and processes. Our culture is the opposite of spontaneous. The careful preparation that usually accompanies a significant…

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A friend of mine ordered her turkey from a farm. She wanted to be sure she would have the perfect centerpiece for Thanksgiving. Her request was for a 20 pounder. Unfortunately, all the daintier birds were spoken for. So, she’s getting a 30-pound behemoth. Will it fit in the roaster and the oven? Who knows?…

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Celebration isn’t a word I would typically use to describe a conference, but there was a festive feeling at .orgCommunity’s Solutions Day. Gathering with colleagues again was inspirational. Even online, the participants could sense the excitement. Presenter, Dean West, called the pandemic a black swan. The term comes from finance and is used to describe…

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Join us this week as our guest, Dean West, President of Association Laboratory, talks to us about how the pandemic accelerated initiatives in the association industry—what could have taken five years is now only taking a couple of months to execute. With lots of pros and cons, Sherry and Dean discuss that while face to…

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When I have a tough problem, my go-to for advice is often one of our corporate partners. For years, association leaders viewed their industry counterparts as more like distant cousins than family. Today we are beginning to understand that the companies we look to for sponsorship or service have another significant offering—They are an invaluable…

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