The Member Engagement Show

In this episode, host Kelly Whelan talks with Higher Logic Product Marketing Manager Sarah Spinosa about the recently released Association Member Experience Report. There's nothing like going right to source when you want to find out what members want, like, and wish they were getting from their association memberships, and that's exactly what this report outlines. This is an episode not to be missed! 
Topics covered include:
Who Higher Logic surveyed and why
How members prefer to get information (it may surprise you)
What benefits members value most
How often members tend to interact with their associations
Are associations giving the level of personalization members want
What the survey revealed about events, both in-person and virtual
Top reasons members consider leaving their associations
How associations can use this valuable information
Download Higher Logic's 2022 Association Member Experience Report to learn more!

The Guest: Suzanne F Stevens. Suzanne is a professional speaker who has served on many boards, including as past president of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers. As the founder of YouMeWe Social Impact Group, she works with organizations to grow Conscious leaders, their influence, and Social Impact – sustainably. Suzanne merges her social initiative expertise in the nonprofit and for-profit worlds to create an enriched experience that will attract, engage, and retain a diverse membership. 
The Topics:
The importance of associations incorporating social initiatives
How associations can choose initiatives and issues that align with their values
Making social initiatives part of the strategy vs. an add-on or afterthought
The concrete steps leadership can take to “bake in” social initiatives
How connecting to the social issues members care about leads to retention
Social issues as another way of connecting members to each other, including at events
What makes a social initiative sustainable
Why associations are in an especially strong position to improve the world
Handy Links:You Me We Organization
Higher Logic's 2022 Association Member Experience Report

In this episode of Higher Logic's Member Engagement Show, Kelly talks with Marianne Fray, CEO of the Maternity Care Coalition, an organization that works to improve the health and well-being of pregnant women and parenting families, and enhance school readiness for children 0-3.
With a 30+ year career inspiring diverse teams to do more together than they could alone to strengthen communities, Marianne has stablished two successful cross company industry communities that drive business innovation in the project management and life sciences industries. She has advised F100 companies on diversity and inclusion practices and is a founding member of a 501c6 non-profit organization called Women of Color in the Pharmaceutical Industry.
This episode explores:
The meaning of being a servant leader
The power of asking people what they need
The need to check our assumptions and recognize how misperceptions can put people into reductive boxes and cause missed opportunities
The importance of looking out for individual and systemic bias so that we can be prepared to examine and sometimes dismantle the conscious and unconscious judgments that shape and define our world
What it means to truly represent your constituents
The magic question that can kick off any relationship positively
To learn more about Marianne Fray and about black maternal mortality and morbidity, check out her article in Women's Way.
To learn more about Maternity Care Coalition's work, check out their 2022 Annual Report: Advocating for Parental Autonomy.
You can also download Higher Logic's 2022 Association Member Experience Report to learn more about what members value most from their associations.

Our guest on this episode is Dominick Mondi, President of the MidAtlantic Society of Association Executives and Executive Director of the NE Spa and Pool Association. In it, our host Beth and Dominick discuss: 
Why you should consider volunteering at an association
What is “micro-volunteering”?
Keeping a volunteer base engaged and energetic
The many ways people come to work for associations
The challenges associations are facing and ways to deal with them
Preparing your association for the future of member engagement
The benefits of having regional chapters
How to convince leadership of the benefits of attending gatherings beyond the big annual conference
The kind of experiences that keep members really happy
The power of personally asking prospects to attend get-togethers
How to decide whether to volunteer at the local/regional level or national level
Don't forget to subscribe to Association Marketing Pros (AMP), Beth's weekly newsletter for association marketers.

In this episode, Beth Arritt speaks with guests Frank Humada and Colby Horton with Association Briefings about the power of communicating through audio and the ins and outs of launching a podcast for your association.  
By listening to this show, you'll learn:
Is podcasting right for your association?
The strategy that goes into successful podcasts
Lessons learned from the association podcasting front lines
How to approach the critical role of show host
The role podcasts can play in non-dues revenue
How to find and manage great guests
How to cover the most compelling topics possible
How to promote and drive traffic to your podcast
Is podcasting a fad or a permanent media content channel?
Be sure to check out Colby and Frank's podcast, Engaging in the Next - especially Beth's episode with them.
And don't forget to subscribe to Association Marketing Pros (AMP), Beth's weekly newsletter for association marketers.

This episode's guest, Bruce Rosenthal, has an amazing mastery of how to maximize the relationship between associations and their corporate sponsors for both NDR and better member servicing. Corporations re-evaluated during the pandemic what works best for them in pursuit of their overall goals, and associations need to pay attention to those changes.
Bruce is a longtime strategic advisor and consultant to associations, helping them advance corporate sponsorship and partnership programs, identify strategies to increase revenue and member value, create added value for corporate partners, and develop corporate sponsorship and partnership implementation plans.
In this episode, you'll discover:
How sponsorships changed since the pandemic and what was learned about sponsors’ needs
The new needs of corporate sponsors
The best way associations can meet those needs now
What doesn’t work anymore when pitching sponsorships
The internal culture change needed inside associations for new approaches to corporate partnerships
How to make corporate sponsors feel like a true part of the membership
What makes an association a necessity for members and partners
The right way for associations to partner with corporate partners
Results of a sponsorship engagement study
What mistakes associations are making in servicing their sponsors
How to get corporations to return your calls
Don't forget to subscribe to Association Marketing Pros (AMP), Beth's weekly newsletter for association marketers.

This week's guest, Jim Catts, explores how technology has presented both challenges and opportunities for association marketers. Jim is a career technologist who's currently co-funder and CTO of Rhythm Software. He's been working with associations to smartly apply technology to the work they do for around 20 years.
In the episode, we cover:
How we’ve moved beyond running member experiences manually and physically
The costs and lost opportunities of doing so 
The paradigm shifts of email and dynamic web 
How tech allows for personalized, on demand member content
How associations are like Netflix (hint: is your association a content or technology company?)
How associations are NOT like Amazon (hint: are your member driven by search?)
How the pandemic changed member experience expectations
How soon VR and AR will or won't become part of the member experience
What’s the right way for associations to start using machine learning and AI?
How newer generations are changing the member experience
The tactical steps to take with your technology right now
Don't forget to subscribe to Association Marketing Pros (AMP), Beth's weekly newsletter for association marketers.

This week, our guest is Annie Henderson, who made the change this year from membership marketing to corporate marketing at her association, ASBO International. Annie and Beth talk through how to navigate the differences of marketing to corporates, particularly at an association, and what techniques you can use to try to bring in sponsors and exhibitors at every level. In this episode, you'll discover:Moving from the member marketing to partners marketing mindsetWhy you need to what your corporate partners’ timelines for activitiesThe challenges faced in winning partners and getting them engaged and involved furtherCompeting against bigger competitorsMoving partners beyond exhibitingThe tools and tactics you can use in corporate partnershipsThe power of personasWhat a treat deal “sweeteners” can beTreating your partner like member, not a bankTaking on your challenges and opportunities in the right order
Don't forget to subscribe to Association Marketing Pros (AMP), Beth's weekly newsletter for association marketers.

According to our guest, Kiki L'Italien, trust is an indispensable commodity. Gaining it takes both time and ongoing proof that trust in your association is well deserved.
KiKi has honed her approach to communications and strategy for many organizations – nonprofits and corporate alike – including Optica, American Red Cross National Headquarters, QVC, and the American Institute of Architects. Now a senior consultant with Tecker International, she speaks regularly about management strategy and cultivating communities of trust. KiKi is also creator and host of Association Chat, an online community, blog, and podcast reaching 72k individuals monthly. 
In this episode, you'll discover:
Why trust is a commodity that’s hard to come by
What associations are doing to both win and lose trust
The dangers of conflict of interest and how it hurts trust
Why who you have running partnerships is key to maintaining trust
How to build trust at scale
The need to be an effective trust-builder both digitally and in person
How overcomplicating things in order to sound smart can lose trust
The key to authenticity – genuine curiosity
The right communication channels for the right group
Why you should commit to delivering what you say you’re going to deliver
Why it pays to be mindful of your digital body language
Why you should create environments where members aren’t afraid to participate because they aren’t “perfect” enough
Character and competency, a winning combination
Don't forget to subscribe to Association Marketing Pros (AMP), Beth's weekly newsletter for association marketers.

This year, ASAE's Marketing Membership & Communications Conference in Washington, DC was back in person and in full effect. Higher Logic's association evangelist and podcast host Beth Arritt and Product Marketing Manager Sarah Spinosa were in attendance, and summarize this grand event where over 700 marcom and membership professionals and experts gathered to learn and network. If you couldn't make it, hear Beth and Sarah cover some of the main points and takeaways in this episode of the Member Engagement Show, including:
What's the difference between an "idea monkey" and "ringleaders"?
Email tips that radically improve marketing performance, as well as some email myth-busting
Creative integrations and providing journeys for members
Distinguishing your mission and vision through storytelling
Reaching members with omnichannel strategies
The importance of member experience and personalization
Cool ways the conference was able to get back to doing an in-person event
We always invite you to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss any tips on how to get better member engagement for your association. And also don't forget to subscribe to Beth's AMP newsletter.