Good afternoon and happy Thursday! In anticipation of the weekend, we’d like to share a few new presentations and slideshows courtesy of Slideshare. Let us know what you think!

Happy Friday, everyone!

I’m more than ready for the weekend – somehow this was my first full five-day week in the office in about a month (thanks to a stint working from home and a quick trip out of town) and I’m definitely feeling it. Is anyone else ready for awesome, summery weekend?

As per usual, there were tons of great resources in the association management blogosphere this week. Which posts were your favorites? I want to hear about them – I love discovering new blogs!

For now, though, here’s my Friday Top Five:

1. Does your association benefit from strategic planning? Bunnie Riedel shares how to prevent your organization’s strategic plans from collecting dust: create actionable plans. As the old adage goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Bunnie shares that piece of advice and a few more in this great blog post.

2. In a nice link round-up, Maddie Grant shares some awesome social media resources for association professionals. In particular, I like the piece she shares about community managers. Are they really necessary for associations? Something to consider before hiring one!

3. At the Association Marketing Insights blog, Kevin Whorton shares a great example of how to learn how often is too often when it comes to communication. Although the study he shares wasn’t scientific, it gives great insight into how members want to be communicated with. Read on to find out more!

4. Joe Rominiecki at the Acronym blog, inspired by a post by Maggie McGary, asks, what good is governance without influencers? He gives three options for evolving the governance process, including the possibilities of bringing in new influencers, ditching the governance system or developing a hybrid.

5. Have you ever included certain things in your association’s events just because the audience preferred them? Have you ever not included things because you didn’t like them? David M. Patt encourages association professionals to “do it anyway” when it comes to certain aspects of your event.

From everyone at MemberClicks, have a great weekend!

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Happy Friday! What a stressful week it’s been – but it’s the good kind of stress, which I far prefer over the bad kind of stress. (Who doesn’t?) I’m ready for a relaxing weekend (well, not that relaxing … I have a 5K on Sunday). Who’s got fun weekend plans with their families and friends?

And just in case you haven’t had quite enough association management reading material this week, let’s kick off the weekend with a few of the posts from the blogosphere that really stuck with me this week.

1. Tony Rossell had a great post about innovation through collaboration and why collaboration is so important for associations. He cites two great articles that support that point, and I think it’s something every association should be cognizant of. Of course, at small staff associations it may be easier to have the whole staff collaborate, but don’t forget how important it is!

2. Midcourse Corrections’ Dave Lutz shared a few great ways to make your conference irresistible. My favorite? “Solutions are the new location.” Conference attendees participate because they’re looking for something, whether they know what that something is or not. Often, they find a whole host of solutions that will help them streamline their business practices.

3. Have you seen the Young Association Professionals’ takeover of ASAE’s Acronym blog? If not, it’s definitely worth checking out those posts. Want to achieve something great? Fail! is my personal favorite. I fully believe that if you really want to be awesome and get stuff done, you’ve gotta try a few ways that don’t work first.

4. At the Hourglass Blog, Eric Lanke shared an insightful post about the sad paradox of board governance. The kicker: When the shareholders need the directors least, they get them most. And when they need them most, they get them least. Does this ring true for your small staff association? Why or why not?

5. They’re a necessary aspect of association management, and this week, the Zen and the Art of Nonprofit Technology had a great post about the good, the bad and the ugly of RFPs. The section on what makes a great RFP is my personal favorite. Tips include “do your homework” and “understand that implementation differs across software platforms.” So true!

From everyone at MemberCilcks, have a fantastic weekend!

(If you live in America, that is!)

Happy Friday! For those of you in the United States, enjoy your long weekends! Whether you’re headed to the beach, the lake, the mountains, the pool or your backyard, enjoy the outdoors with your friends and family!

So, in case you need some reading material for your weekend (beyond the summer reading list I posted yesterday), here are some of the posts that stuck out to me from the association blogging community this week:

1. Newsflash: You are not a loser if you hate to blog (or tweet, or Facebook). I think this is a message that often isn’t repeated enough in the online community. Yes, social media is great, but it’s not the be-all, end-all solution to your organization’s communications. If you don’t like social media, there’s no reason for you to participate. It’s certainly not for everyone. Great reminder from Debra Helwig.

2. However, if social media is your cup of tea, take a look at the Socialfish’s top 10 tips for marketing your social media. I like anything that can be condensed into a good list, and one great reminder that’s included here is to comment on other blogs if you’re starting one for your organization. That’s how you spread the word about your blog.

3. Elizabeth Weaver Engel wrote a fantastic post about innovation and why it’s important (yet difficult) for associations to ask tough questions about the future of membership. Gen-X’ers and Millennials have different expectations of value than Boomers, and with Boomers still leading many associations, it’s difficult for organizations to alter their dynamics and membership models. What do you all think?

4. Jamie Notter wrote a great post that asked some tough questions about associations’ revenues … What if your revenue stream dropped by 75 percent in the next 24 months? How could your organization shift to create new revenue streams? What if dues went away? Great questions that all association professionals should think about.

5. Over at Acronym, Kristin Clarke discussed governance and why it’s silly for organizations to keep quiet about CEO succession. Do your organization and board of directors regularly discuss who will replace your CEO? Just because CEOs don’t plan to leave doesn’t mean an active discussion shouldn’t take place.

However you’re celebrating the Fourth of July (or even if you’re not!), from everyone at MemberClicks, have a fantastic weekend!

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Since I didn’t get the opportunity to share a few of my favorite blog posts from last week, I thought I’d take today to do so. As always there were some great blog posts around the association community. Perhaps you missed a few, or maybe you just need some extra reading material today. Either way, enjoy!

No money, mo' problems?

1. There were a few posts on ASAE’s Acronym blog specifically geared toward small staff associations, which I loved. Sue Bowman summarized a few tips for organizations that are involved in marketing on a “shoestring budget.” Some key points? Promote the members-only benefit your organization offers, and make it a priority to understand your metrics and what defines your success.

2. Jeffrey Cufuade has started a new series on his blog called Facilitation Friday. Last week’s discussed how associations can make their communities more connected. Just allowing people to convene isn’t enough. There has be additional value. All the choices organization leaders make should involve community and allowing people to connect more. After all, that’s what associations are all about.

3. As the community manager at ASHA, Maggie McGary knows a thing or two about social media and associations. And that’s why she said associations and community managers go together like PB&J — both are all about connecting people. (Sense a theme this week?) Every association is already a community. Maybe they’re not all active online yet, but who from your organization greets them when they arrive?

4. In a fantastic post on SmartBlog Insights, Shelly Alcorn wrote about governance and the problems that surround this aspect of association management. Shelly admits that governance gets a bad rap, but she writes that governance is more leadership than management — and shares how governance can become more authentic. Don’t get caught up in the politics of it all.

5. I absolutely loved Brian Reuwee’s post at the Drake Co’s blog about futbol, football and association collaboration. He discussed how countries across the world collaborate to make the World Cup an unforgettable event (although many Americans seem to forget it exists for three years at a time), while American college football conferences are in disarray due to television revenue issues. If associations look to FIFA as an example of good collaboration, it would seem that almost anything is possible.

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