Happy Friday! Here at MemberClicks, we’re enjoying a delicious barbecue lunch in honor of Alabama’s 2011 college football national championship. (Our founder, Thomas Howard, is a proud Bama alum.)

All college sports talk aside, it was a great week in the association community! Here are a few of our favorite posts from around the blogosphere.

1. Wes Trochlil always shares great, practical advice – particularly about databases, which we’re definitely interested in. This week, he shared a wonderful example of collecting data you don’t use  (such as fax numbers!). Stop collecting that stuff and simplify your databases!

2. Shelly Alcorn relates an unfortunate customer service incident at a popular bookseller. This is a reminder that your customer service processes should be as simple as possible. Don’t over-complicate things for your members.

3. Does your association make it clear to its volunteers that they are representatives of the organization? David M. Patt reminds us why that’s so important, and why they should exhibit the same levels of professionalism and sense of responsibility as your staff members.

4. It’s always hard to decide when to let someone else fail, Jeffrey Cufaude writes. However, do we even have the right to make those decisions? Jeffrey explores this question in a wonderful blog post this week.

5. You may be familiar with one of the latest social media platforms – Pinterest – but do you know why it could be important for nonprofits and associations? Those of you who are visual learners especially will find Pinterest – a virtual pinboard and scrapbooking tool – interesting.

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We’re 11 days into 2012 – how are those resolutions coming? Personally, I’m not a huge fan of making big, sweeping life changes at the start of every year. I prefer to set weekly or monthly goals that are measurable and realistic.

Happy Friday to all! Who has big plans for the first (full) weekend of 2012?

There have been so many awesome association blog posts in the community this week! We’re loving the energy everyone has been bringing to 2012 so far, and we’re excited to see where the rest of the year takes us. With that said, below is a quick round-up of five of our fave posts from the community.

1. Jeff Hurt succinctly sums up four macrotrends that will affect your organization this year: volatility, multiplicity, versatility and mobility. I think the final two are key, as business practices become both more versatile and mobile. How has this affected your organization?

2. Are outcomes truly defined by an association’s leader? Cindy Butts writes that, if a leader says a task should take two days, it will take two days. If a leader says it will take a year, the task will take a year. How much time should you allocate for tasks and projects?

3. Many people use the new year as a time to improve their productivity and habits. Elizabeth Engel shares several great articles with ideas and tips for increasing productivity and focus at the office. What’s your favorite tip?

4. At the Acronym blog, Mark Athitakis shares some unconventional words of wisdom for the new year: embrace your messes. Resolutions and goals are great but unless they have a clear focus, they likely won’t be accomplished. Watch the video and definitely check out the comments here.

5. Aaron Wolowiec shares how he’s going to change his world this year by shifting gears and consulting. He (rightly) points out that, at the end of the day, what really matters at a conference is learning and Aaron shares his dedication to his consulting practice in this great post.

From everyone at MemberClicks, have a wonderful weekend!

Happy Friday and merry Christmas Eve (Eve). (And for those who “celebrate,” Happy Festivus.)

Things are winding down here at MemberClicks. With fewer than 2 days to go until Christmas, the office is festive and there are treats everywhere. It’s become our Friday tradition, though, to share five of our fave association blog posts from the community. If you have time during your busy holiday weekend, be sure to check these out.

1. Do you clearly establish expectations of your association’s officers? Cindy Butts recommends not requiring officers to do certain tasks “just because.” Rather, find the right volunteer for certain tasks. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses; use them appropriately.

2. Jeff Hurt reminds association leaders of one simple truth: you have too much to do because your association does too much! He examines the complexity and structure of organizations and encourages associations to embrace simplicity. Removing the excess is hard. Focusing on what you do best isn’t always hard. In a nutshell, identify your organization’s core purpose and then do it.

3. David M. Patt shares words of wisdom with association professionals – marketing is not something you should flip on and off. It doesn’t matter if you have an event coming up or not, you should be connecting with your members and potential members. Wise words, and a great reminder.

4. Shelly Alcorn shares how she’ll use the time between Christmas and New Year’s to focus on reflecting on the coming year and determine her “five terms” to focus on in 2012. Share your own in the comments and help inspire others!

5. If your association isn’t thinking about mobile yet … well, why aren’t you?! Jamie Notter reflects on the ASAE Technology Conference and its major theme: mobile. Smartphone use is only increasing, and, although the desktop won’t become obsolete, people are accessing the Internet from more devices than ever before.

That’s all from us this week! No matter what you choose to celebrate, Happy Holidays!

The association community has lost a dear friend in Mark Bledsoe. Our hearts go out to his family and friends.

Good morning and happy Friday! All of a sudden it’s feeling like winter here and I’m not gonna lie – I kind of miss those 50-degree days in December. Regardless, it’s feeling a bit more like the holiday season. (I can’t believe 2011 is almost over!)

Anyway, let’s get down to business with five of our fave association blog posts this week. There was some great content out there thanks to the Technology Conference!

1. Erik Lanke, who writes a lot about generational dynamics, and this post asks: which battle are you fighting? There are some great concepts and ideas here.

2. Are your virtual presentations exciting? Free or low-cost webinar services are plentiful, making it easy to present to people from afar. But are people really paying attention? Jeff Hurt explains how to make your virtual presentations relevant and exciting.

3. David Nour presented at this week’s Technology Conference, and Mark Athitakis sums up three great takeaways. My favorite? Why are you thinking of social media as little more than a customer service tool? Yes, it’s great for customer service but there are so many more uses.

4. Cindy Butts shares a few great ways to avoid the dreaded burnout that can come with association management. My favorites? Add something life-changing to your life and “feeling good and looking good.” If you feel good, you’ll more than likely do your job better.

5. Are you thinking about big vision in a big way? Shelly Alcorn pushes back on the notion that big vision is old-fashioned and out of date. Does your association have a duty to be critically thinking about the world and make people in your profession stop and think? Great ideas.