Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Not everyone has the day off, but if you do, we encourage everyone to find a MLK Day of Service Project and spend a few hours giving back to the their communities.

Very often we only think about doing service projects around certain special days or holidays. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course – every bit we can give helps, no matter when it is. So if you do give a few hours of your time back to the community today, consider asking about other opportunities throughout the year. Of course, with our busy schedules, it can be extremely difficult to commit to volunteering more often, and we don’t want to presume that everyone has that time. If there’s no time for volunteering (and believe me, I understand), there other ways to give to the community. Donating food or gently used clothing takes very little time and can make a world of difference. Last year, I donated several huge bags of clothing, shoes and books to Goodwill, and it took just a few minutes to drop everything off. (I’d like to think that people who were really in need ended up wearing the clothes I didn’t want to take during my move.)

What’s one simple thing you can do this year to make a difference to your community?

Happy Friday! I hope everyone’s week has been happy, productive and fun. I’m still in disbelief that we’re just about halfway through May – where did the month go?! Of course, there were lots of fantastic posts and ideas around the association community this week. Here are a few of my personal favorites.

1. The CAE exam was one week ago, and KiKi L’Italien chronicled her study process at her blog, From Failure to Fabulous. Her reflections on the exam were so inspiring, especially after she took the exam last December with undesirable results. It’s been great to read about her journey, and I would encourage anyone thinking about taking the exam to read her archives there.

2. At the Idea Center, Peggy Hoffman wrote about adhocracy and how, despite the term’s popularity, organizations have been slow to adopt it as a practice. Defined, adhocracy means “episodic volunteering,” and Peggy writes that associations should redefine what it means to volunteer and not be afraid of conflict.

3. I love love loved Frank Fortin’s post about the difficulty of breaking silos. He writes that every new communications channel in an organization requires silos to break down and shares an example from his own organization. There’s no magic pill. There’s only one way revolutions happen – one conversation at a time. Definitely a must-read.

4. Deirdre Reid had a fantastic post published at SmartBlog Insights yesterday – she discussed how association professionals can foster new ways of associating for members. First and foremost, it’s the members’ association, she points out, and reminds us that younger members want to contribute and be heard just as much as “older” ones.

5. Jeff Hurt wrote about the five different memory lanes in our brains and how event organizers can provide great, memorable experiences to attendees. There are different strategies the human brain uses in different situations, and Jeff provides several tips and suggestions to take advantage of each strategy.

What were your favorite posts from the past week?

Whatever your plans are this weekend, we hope you have a great one!

Photo source

By Adam Kearney, MemberClicks Creative Director and Shannon Otto

For many of us, this time of year is a season of celebration and thanks. We take time out of our lives to give gifts and show our appreciation for one another.

Maybe your association takes part in the festive season by throwing holiday parties, holding potluck meals or encouraging gift exchanges between members.

But another way to celebrate the season is to give back to our communities and help people in need. Despite the gloomy economy, your members are probably already in a giving mood, and even giving a little bit can go a long way.

Here are a few suggestions:

1. Start a drive amongst your membership. Collect food, clothing, toys or anything local charities might want. Choose a particular organization — the Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, local shelters, veterans associations or any other nonprofit organization. You can find potential organizations in your phone book, on the Internet or through a church or religious institution.
2. Encourage members to donate their time. Most community centers, hospitals, retirement centers, humane societies and charitable organizations are always taking volunteer assistance, and the holidays are an especially busy time.
3. Create care packages for soldiers. Contact the USO about sending personalized gifts overseas or start a donation drive for men and women serving over the holidays.
4. Donate to a local food bank. A donation of 20 to 30 canned goods can help a family in need. If you’re holding an office potluck or gift exchange, encourage members to bring along an extra can or two. A little bit can truly go a long way, and canned goods are fairly inexpensive.
5. Donate blood. It’s 100 percent free and there is a constant need for donors. Visit www.givelife.org for more information.

To find a charity, try visiting CharityNavigator.org. We suggest perhaps choosing one of the less popular (but no less important!) charities. eHow also has a great resource for how to get started helping various charities, food drives or toy drives.

Giving back to your community is a ideal way to liven up your members during the holiday season. The holiday season is about more than turkey and presents and ornaments — and as we all gear up for 2010, donating your time or efforts to local charities doesn’t cost much, but can create a world of good in your community.

Tomorrow, we’ll take a rare break from the Friday Top Five to give you a few more ideas of how to give back during the holidays — and we’ll highlight what the MemberClicks team is doing to help its community, too!

(Image Credit: Flickr)