In case it wasn’t apparent, at MemberClicks, we’re all about using technology to simplify busy lives and schedules. Of course, we realize that small staff association professionals are often more overwhelmed than your typical association professional. It’s tough managing an entire organization with just four (or three, or two, or one) staff!

Therefore … I love highlighting awesome applications and sites that help save me time. Today, I’ve got three: Remember the Milk, Evernote and Dropbox.

Right off the bat, I love Remember the Milk — I can sign in with my Google account and sync my Google Cal, Tasks and Gmail. (As a self-proclaimed Google addict, I adore this.) Basically, RTM is fantastic for the list-lover in you. You can make any kind of list you want; set reminders to notify you however you’d like; easily manage your tasks; plot your to-dos on a map; collaborate with coworkers, friends and family; sync your lists with your mobile phone; easily search your tasks and schedule your time however you’d like.

Phew! What a list! For association execs managing multiple departments, members and their own busy lives, I’d definitely recommend checking this one out.

Evernote is similar in that it wants to help you “remember everything.” Online bookmarking tool, file collaboration tool and easily accessible on-the-go, Evernote would be great for small staff professionals to share files, save ideas and inspiration and organize their files. Your account is easily searchable and can sync to your work and home computers and mobile phones — and your account is also available in the cloud, from any computer with an Internet connection.

Evernote suggests several ways for users to use the service:

Now, Dropbox … Dropbox is the savior of my work/personal life balance. Similar to many other people, I have two computers – a work laptop and a personal laptop. However, I often need work files when I’m at home in the evenings on on weekends, and it’s not practical to put these files on a bulky external hard drive.

Enter Dropbox. Simply create a free account and Dropbox will host all of your specified files in the cloud so you can access them from multiple computers (and phones!). You can pay a small monthly fee if you need more space, but I’ve been using the free version for more than a year and upgrading hasn’t been necessary – as long as I remember to clean out old files.

Do you use any of these tools? What other tools do you use to stay productive and efficient?

And don’t forget to enter our ongoing sweepstakes in honor of Small Staff Appreciation Month. You could win an iPad 2!

I’ve written a lot in this space about social technologies and how they can benefit your organization. But as we’re all interacting “in the cloud” (i.e. online), are you neglecting the backbone of your organization: your database?

Of course, no organization would function smoothly without an organized, up-to-date database. It helps target your marketing and can improve customer service and member relations. Don’t let your database languish in the pre-Web era – there’s nothing wrong with keeping information in the cloud. There are many, many association management software companies and although initial costs may seem high, using a third party vendor can save you a ton of time and money down the road.

An old issue of Associations Now had a great article about cloud computing. I thought the inset about five “critical considerations” had great advice. It’s crucial to get information in writing from your vendor about disaster recovery, security and risk management. Additionally, if you’re going to be using your system for payment processing, be sure it is PCI Compliant so you don’t end up with fees from credit card companies.

There are tons of benefits to using an online software system that is tailored for associations. Just a few include:

1. If some staffers telecommute or travel a lot, they’ll be able to access your database from anywhere
2. The vendor will take care of updating the system for you, rather than your organization having to manage updates
3. Research, development, design are included with a Software-as-a-Service vendor because they serve so many different organizations. The vendor will be able to give you the lowest possible quote thanks to economies of scale.
4. Scale up or scale down easily. Many vendors offer different features in their products that can be turned on or off at any time.
5. Associations will require fewer IT staffers.

Although it’s important to keep back-up copies of your data in case of an emergency, our culture is rapidly moving toward a system of keeping all our information in the cloud. Why should your data be any different?

(Image via Flickr.)

In case it wasn’t apparent, at MemberClicks, we’re all about using technology to simplify busy lives and schedules. Of course, we realize that small staff association professionals are often more overwhelmed than your typical association professional. It’s tough managing an entire organization with just four (or three, or two, or one) staff!

Therefore … I love highlighting awesome applications and sites that help save me time. Today, I’ve got three: Remember the Milk, Evernote and Dropbox.

Right off the bat, I love Remember the Milk — I can sign in with my Google account and sync my Google Cal, Tasks and Gmail. (As a self-proclaimed Google addict, I adore this.) Basically, RTM is fantastic for the list-lover in you. You can make any kind of list you want; set reminders to notify you however you’d like; easily manage your tasks; plot your to-dos on a map; collaborate with coworkers, friends and family; sync your lists with your mobile phone; easily search your tasks and schedule your time however you’d like.

Phew! What a list! For association execs managing multiple departments, members and their own busy lives, I’d definitely recommend checking this one out.

Evernote is similar in that it wants to help you “remember everything.” Online bookmarking tool, file collaboration tool and easily accessible on-the-go, Evernote would be great for small staff professionals to share files, save ideas and inspiration and organize their files. Your account is easily searchable and can sync to your work and home computers and mobile phones — and your account is also available in the cloud, from any computer with an Internet connection.

Evernote suggests several ways for users to use the service:

Now, Dropbox … Dropbox is the savior of my work/personal life balance. Similar to many other people, I have two computers – a work laptop and a personal laptop. However, I often need work files when I’m at home in the evenings on on weekends, and it’s not practical to put these files on a bulky external hard drive.

Enter Dropbox. Simply create a free account and Dropbox will host all of your specified files in the cloud so you can access them from multiple computers (and phones!). You can pay a small monthly fee if you need more space, but I’ve been using the free version for almost a year and upgrading hasn’t been necessary.

Do you use any of these tools? What other tools do you use to stay productive and efficient?

P.S. Don’t forget to enter the MemberClicks Ultimate Small Staff Spa Day Giveaway! The contest ends this week!

Did anyone happen to catch this Mashable article from a few days ago: Why the Cloud is the Safest Place for Your Data? There was a lot of good info there, and it definitely touched on subjects that we support.

Obviously it’s important to keep your information as secure as possible. After all, it’s not just your information — it’s your members’ too. With almost-constant news of security breaches, you may be tempted to pull back from the “cloud” — storing your information online — and start using a good old-fashioned hard drive. However, as Simon Crosby points out, that’s not always a smart idea.

When you keep your data in the cloud, any of your staff members can access it — provided you want them to. This keeps the data fluid and constantly updated, and you don’t have to  e-mail attachments of hard copies around. With a richer user experience, you’ll find that your staffers are probably more likely to keep information fresh and new, simply because it will be easier for them to do so.

And when it comes to credit card information, you want to make sure whatever vendor you’re using is PCI Compliant. This is a set of measures that merchants must adhere to, but it really is all about security.The security measures put forth by the Payment Card Industry apply to all organizations, regardless of size of number of transactions.

Unfortunately, just because the vendor you use is PCI Compliant doesn’t mean your organization is. It’s extremely important to be familiar with your merchant account agreement, which should discuss the security measures it has taken. Keeping your organization’s information in cloud can be safe, but only if you take the right precautions.

Happy Friday! Short workweeks are fun, but you know what’s NOT fun? Cramming five days worth of work into four. I’m definitely ready for the weekend!

Before you hit the (proverbial) road, though, be sure to check out this week’s Friday Top Five — five blog posts from around the association community that were extra-special to me this week.

1. The Zen and the Art of Nonprofit Technology blog questioned whether or not cloud computing is good for the environment. Although many in the association community (including, of course, those of us here at MemberClicks) are big advocates of cloud computing, it may not be so environmentally sound. Read on for more info.

2. Jamie Notter discussed conflict this week, and why we should be moving toward the conflict rather than avoiding it. I’m the first to admit I can be passive-aggressive, so actively engaging in conflict isn’t exactly my favorite thing. But sometimes, moving toward conflict and confronting it can be beneficial; you can resolve small issues before the become big problems.

3. In a post for the Nonprofit Conversation blog, Nancy Schwartz shared nine keys for nonprofit organizations to utilize online video. One of my favorites? Online video is an expectation, not an option, for members under age 25. Additionally, remember that short and sweet is so important when it comes to videos. Attention spans for online video are minuscule.

4. According to a survey cited at the Association Management Group blog, demand for association management services is up. Bruce Wardle interviewed a few association execs and asked readers why thought demand for AMCs has increased. What do you think?

5. Conor McNulty at the Acronym blog asked a few insightful questions this week: What would you have done differently in your association management career? The post garnered lots of great comments, and I encourage everyone – no matter how far along in your career you are – to take a look.

From everyone at MemberClicks, have a great weekend!