Put the Power of .orgCommunity to Work for Your Success

Is your association—

• Offering education that’s in sync with the digital marketplace?
• Increasing ROI and engagement with video platforms?
• Using pandemic-proof technology to keep the connection with members strong?
• Following critical industry trends?

Join innovators, problem-solvers, and opinion makers to discuss these and other compelling questions at .orgCommunity’s 2020 Solutions Day.

Planning the Solutions Day program is always exciting. But this year we felt special urgency. So many organizations are struggling to adjust to new ways of doing business. Everyone’s time is precious. We wanted to offer effective recommendations and insights that can be easily implemented. We’ve enlisted thought-leaders from across the industry who are eager to share their perspectives on “the new normal” as well as actionable ideas to position you and your association for success.

Networking is one of my passions, and I’m going to miss seeing everyone in person. We selected our virtual platform, Swapcard, because it allows for plenty of interaction with both speakers and participants. This definitely won’t be your typical talking heads Zoom conference.

Here’s a sneak preview of the highlights.

Research That Informs and Surprises

Curiosity is one of .orgSource’s organizational values. We rely on research to inform our consulting practice and pride ourselves on our ability to “see around the corners”. So, we were eager to understand how the pandemic has impacted associations across the country. We wanted answers to questions like these:

• How well is your organization adapting to the challenges caused by COVID-19 across a variety of activities including: remote work, innovation, and developing new sources of revenue?
• Is your organization considering or has it implemented layoffs or furloughs?
• Have you increased the use of freelancers?
• Will you change your business model going forward?

Over 225 executives at professional and trade associations as well as certifying groups and other nonprofits responded. Although we thought we knew the lay of the land, some of the results were quite surprising. My business partner, Kevin Ordonez, and I will summarize our findings, provide analysis, and discuss how these trends might impact your future.

Video and Virtual Initiatives that Deliver

There is no going back. Virtual platforms and video will continue to play leading roles in events, education and engagement. The question is—are your initiatives generating the right results?

Association TV’s President, Dan Stevens, and the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists’ (AANA) Chief Growth Officer, Eric O’Connor will discuss how AANA responded to shifting digital trends, and the acceleration of COVID-19.

AANA decided it was time to take the friction of “pay-per-course” out of their continuing education and accreditation programs. Working with Association TV, they deployed a video and audio online learning platform that allows for free trials and monthly or annual subscriptions. Find out what motivated these decisions and how their membership is responding. 

Education Strategy that Meets the Moment

Are you working harder to engage participation in education programs without achieving growth? Even before the pandemic, the way professionals learn was changing. If your education strategy is grounded in certification prep courses, CEUs, and conferences, you may not be offering what today’s learners want and need. Sharon Rice, .orgSource Director of Business Strategy always has a finger on the pulse of the marketplace. She’ll discuss trends among professionals and employers and describe how to use that information to create an education strategy that improves both the numbers and your share of participants year-over-year.

Innovation that Drives Engagement

Our corporate partners are the entrepreneurs who introduce us to what’s next and what’s new on the business horizon. We are excited that Ian Ryan Interactive, our Keynote Sponsor, and 360Factor, our Education Strategy Sponsor, are going to demo their products. We’re also looking forward to an informative case study from Michelle Brien, WBT Systems.

Now more than ever, technology is the lifeline that connects us to members. Howard Pollock, Vice President, Enterprise Sales, Community Brands, will describe how the most tech savvy associations are meeting that challenge.

Arianna Rehak, Co-Founder and CEO, Matchbook Virtual Media, always has cutting-edge advice to share on how technology creates community and vice versa. She’ll describe what happens when an annual conference with a 30-year tradition moves to a virtual format. This is the story of one association’s journey with Matchbox as they reimagined their educational content and redefined their community. Not only did their first virtual conference strengthen the sense of fellowship among their most loyal members, it also opened the door for an entirely new segment of members to attend for the first time. Find out why this association has committed to a hybrid experience from here on out, and why they are stronger for it. 

Matt Harpold, Client Engagement Manager, WebCourseworks and Susan Hill, Director of Knowledge Solutions at the Institute of Real Estate Management will tell us how IREM used CourseStage, their learning management system, to quickly pivot from in-person education to an online classroom. And, representatives from Adage Technologies will describe how the American Health Information Management Association was able to optimize their content to increase revenue.

Questions That Generate Ideas

As always, what we learn from the community is as enlightening as what we discover during the presentations. I’m looking forward to the half hour of Q&A at the end of the program to hear what’s on your mind. Ideas and information that are shared with the group show us what’s on the horizon, enrich our future programming, and contribute to everyone’s professional growth.

Your expertise makes Solutions Day an event that truly represents our great community, please join us to share your enthusiasm. We will be virtual. But we’ll also be vital and transformative as we create a new model for providing the strategies you need to position for success.