The Member Engagement Show

Our guest on this episode of The Member Engagement Show is Higher Logic’s own Senior Product Manager, Aaron Novelle. Aaron has been a leader in the development of AI enhancements to the Higher Logic Thrive platform. With those enhancements now in beta, we wanted to catch up with Aaron about how associations can leverage AI to continuously improve the member experience. Topics covered include:
What Higher Logic AI tools are available now and what’s on the horizon.
What AI search assistants are and what they can do when connected to online communities.
A primer on RAG (Resource Augmented Generation) LLMs vs. the global LLMs that power general AI tools like ChatGPT.
How associations can deploy AI while keeping their data safe.
Associations as the bastions of specific expertise and knowledge.
The importance of aggregating and categorizing your association’s knowledge base - and how to make that easier.
Some Helpful Links:
Learn About Higher Logic's AI Search Assistant (and Turn it On in Your Community!)
Higher Logic's AI Toolkit
ASAE Webinar: Embracing AI Safely (with Higher Logic's Amanda DeLuke)

On this episode of Higher Logic’s award-winning “Member Engagement Show,” we talk with Karen Saverino, CMO at Smithbucklin. Karen has over 25 years of experience in marketing and communications, most with nonprofits and associations. She is one of the authors of Smithbucklin’s recent report on the Perceptions and Evolving Role of Associations. Listen to the episode for insights from that report and to hear ways associations can apply those insights to attract and retain members.
Topics covered include:
What are members' most valuable benefits from their association?
Do members currently trust their association?
The importance of education and professional development.
Is AI a threat to online community participation?
What prevents people from becoming members?
Four fundamentals you should focus on based on the report’s data.
Some pointers on doing your own member research.
 
Helpful Links:
Smithbucklin’s Perceptions and Evolving Role of Associations Report
Learning management and trends podcast episode with Bluesky

Our guest this episode of the award-winning Member Engagement Show is Romeo Talento, Customer Success Advisor at Higher Logic and a career expert in SEO strategies, who talks about some of the ways associations and non-profits are approaching and should approach those SEO strategies. Prior to his role at HL, Romeo managed membership and marketing for associations like the American Bar Association and the Merchant Risk Council. Topics covered include:
A primer on what SEO is (and isn’t).
How search engines work.
The importance of keyword research and wording things correctly.
The steps to incorporate into your day-to-day work to optimize content for search engines.
Recommendations for one-person marketing teams juggling multiple hats.
The three types of SEO you need to know.
The importance of alt text in images, page titles, and working links.
Tips for page design and backlinks.
The power of data and numbers in your web content.
Suggestions for long-term SEO wins.
How AI and voice searches are changing SEO
 
Helpful Links
On-Demand webinar with Alec Cole, Founder of Salt Rock SEO, on AI’s Impact on SEO
SEO Checklist: 41 Tips to Optimize Your Website
Higher Logic Thrive

Our guest on this episode of The Member Engagement Show is Peggy Hoffman, Founder of Mariner Management. Mariner Management is an association management company providing full management services to small associations and counsel to global associations seeking to improve member communities and volunteer development. Peggy also works as a member community strategist, volunteer management consultant, national speaker and trainer for volunteers and staff.
In this episode, we discuss the current state of association volunteer systems, with topics covered including:
What research tells us about the current landscape of association volunteer programs.
What are the reoccurring challenges?
What adjustments to volunteer systems make a difference?
The demand for shorter-term volunteering.
What keeps volunteers engaged?
What kind of information do volunteers really want when it comes to a program’s goals and achievements?
What draws in and engages the next generation of volunteers?
Why you should ask volunteers to “get milk on their way home, not go out of their way.”
Determining when to sunset a volunteer program that's not performing.
The critical role of the staff liaison.
Just how important is it to have a volunteer program?
Peggy will be presenting a session at Higher Logic's Super Forum Conference, March 26-28 in Nashville, TN, on "Igniting Engagement: Empowering Members to Lead." Join this interactive session to learn how to shift your perspective and your strategy around volunteering to ignite engagement.
 
Helpful Links & Resources Mentioned in the Episode:
Article: Why Volunteering Needs a Transformation
Article: Create Better Volunteer Experiences Through Feedback
Report: A Holistic Approach to Association Volunteer Management
Executive Summary: A Holistic Approach to Association Volunteer Management
Report: Mutually Beneficial Volunteerism
Guide: The Decision to Volunteer - Why People Give Their Time and How You Can Engage Them
Simplified Engagement Loop from MCI's Engagement Index
Report: Chapter Performance and Benchmarking Report

On this episode of Higher Logic Thrive’s The Member Engagement Show, our guests are Andrea Wieters, Director of Strategic and Future Focused Research for the ASAE Research Foundation, and Jennifer McNelly, CEO of the American Society of Safety Professionals. Both work on ASAE ForesightWorks, a program focused on major trend analysis and forecasting to equip associations and their volunteer leaders for effective environmental scanning and planning for change. Andrea, Jennifer, and Kelly discuss ForesightWorks' continuous strategic intelligence on drivers of change in the association industry and practical applications for the insights provided by this program. Topics covered include:
What the ASAE Research Foundation and ForesightWorks does - including their list of "Drivers of Change".
The newest Drivers of Change: AI, emerging Gen Z, and the talent drought.
The ways the world of work is changing and why every association leader needs to understand it.
The importance of a systems-based approach.
Six key thematic areas of change explored in the ForesightWorks list of Drivers of Change.
Advice for association leaders on how to apply drivers of change to strategy.
 
Some Helpful Links
ASAE ForesightWorks  
Why Associations Need Foresight
The CDC’s Future of Work
Higher Logic Thrive

On this special episode of The Member Engagement Show, we give you exclusive listener access to a recent webinar: “What Do Members Want? Tips and Trends from Higher Logic’s 2024 Association Member Experience Report.” Presenters Higher Logic Content Marketing Manager Kelly Whelan, Director of Product Marketing Sarah Spinosa, and Strategic Advisor Bekah Weidner reveal insights gleaned from the study and add their thoughts on how you can use these insights and best practices to improve your member engagement. Topics covered include:
Why members leave their associations.
How often do members interact with their association?
What are the top member benefits?
Member education needs and trends.
How associations can participate in targeted initiatives members look for.
Member communication preferences.
How important is personalization and segmentation to members?
 
Helpful Links
Watch the Webinar: What Do Members Want? Tips and Trends From the 2024 Association Member Experience Report
2024 Association Member Experience Report
Association Community Benchmark Report
Higher Logic Thrive Learn
Higher Logic Post on Engagement Scoring
Super Forum 2025 Registration

In this episode of The Member Engagement Show, we explore educational trends and best practices for associations, as well as Learning Management Systems (LMS) with two fantastic guests from Blue Sky eLearn: Chief Revenue Officer Mark L. Jones, CAE, and VP Association Solutions Liam O’Malley CAE, PMP. We cover all things related to empowering associations to create powerful learning opportunities for members, including topics such as:
What a Learning Management System (LMS) is.
Education as a huge driver for Non-Dues Revenue.
Education for membership expansion.
Bringing data management and technologies like AI into association education.
How to diversify your educational experiences.
How the right platform can create a coherent and efficient learning ecosystem.
Why a learning program doesn’t need to be a heavy administrative lift.
Tips for adopting and launching learning programs and an LMS.
The biggest gap in most association learning programs.
Higher Logic partnered with Blue Sky eLearn to launch our newest offering, Higher Logic Thrive Learn.
Helpful Links:
Higher Logic Thrive Learn.
Blog post with Blue Sky on AI-powered learning.
The 2024 Association Member Experience Report.

In this episode of The Member Engagement Show, we talk with Angela Costa, TD SYNNEX Marketing Strategist, and Kendrick Johnson, TD SYNNEX Digital Marketing Specialist about how to strategize and set up your community to attract sponsors and generate content and value for members. It’s a great listen for any association interested in monetization and non-dues revenue. Topics covered on this episode include:
Creating an environment where members, content, and sponsors can come together in mutually beneficial ways.
Strategizing to drive traffic to your community: "If you build it they won’t necessarily come."
Ways to monetize your platform.
How to effectively use gated content.
The importance of keeping fresh content in your community.
Sponsorable newsletters as revenue and traffic drivers.
Using editorial calendars to avoid “random acts of marketing.”
Leveraging sponsors for thought-leadership content that helps your community users.
The importance of having a dialogue and sharing tips with your sponsors.
Being patient and testing things out.
TD SYNNEX is a leader in IT solutions orchestration and global technology distribution. They connect the technology ecosystem and manage relationships with major technology partners for organizations.
Helpful Links:
Higher Logic's Community Content Calendar Template
Higher Logic's Community Manager Toolkit
The TD Synnex Level Up Community
 

In this episode of The Member Engagement Show, we speak with Higher Logic’s Senior Privacy Analyst Amanda DeLuke about much-talked-about concerns around AI, privacy, security, and data protection. Topics covered include:
What is ISO and SOC2, and why are they important security standards?
The latest AI and privacy trends.
How to approach AI at your organization with your eyes wide open.
Considerations when approaching different use cases for AI in associations.
Free resources on privacy and security.
How to not be overwhelmed by the AI revolution.
How data classification factors into privacy and security.
What the legislators are doing (or not) to help.
 
Some Helpful Links:
Podcast on AI with Conor Sibley, Higher Logic's CTO
Higher Logic Blog Posts on AI (including tips for prompts, things associations should know, and Higher Logic's partnership with IBM to harness the power of community and AI)
Messaging, Malware, and Mobile Antiabuse Working Group (M3AAWG)
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP)
 
 

Our guest this episode is Michael Jones, VP of Mobile Technologies at Results Direct. Results Direct helps associations leverage mobile apps and engagement trends to enhance member communication, engagement, and retention and improve the member experience. Results Direct is a longtime partner of Higher Logic and partnered with us to create Higher Logic Thrive Mobile 365. During this episode, we explore:
Current tech and engagement challenges facing associations.
Learnings from The State of Mobile in Associations Benchmark Report.
How mobile apps help associations address some of their biggest priorities.
The three places associations interface most with their members.
How overall mobile use is trending across all demographics.
How mobile opens a new communication channel for going beyond email.
Why a mobile responsive website doesn’t tap the full advantages of a mobile app.
How to get members to download your app.
Tips for making your association app a success.
 
Helpful links:
Higher Logic Thrive Mobile 365
Results Direct