I had the opportunity to participate in
unassociated with about 50 other really smart people on May 10. Unassociated was an unconference (a conference that is directed by the participants based on topics chosen by the group) with the mission being to find better ways to communicate with association members. With many association bloggers in attendance, the conversation was intelligent, ongoing, and lively.
My top 5 takeaways:
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Membership is not a physical thing - it's a sense of belonging.
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Don't rebroadcast everything you do to every possible channel, or you'll risk offending your most involved members (those who donate, volunteer, etc.) - because they get notified of everything a million times.
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Live streaming events is a great marketing tactic - you don't know what you're missing until you know what you're missing.
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Want transparency and engagement? Get new blood on your board, and get your traditional board tasks disseminated out to other segments of your community.
- Your bottom line shouldn't be your only concern - think about how what you do affects your volunteers, your members, your customers, and your entire community of interested parties.
DelCor hosted the
unassociated afterparty, where amidst the laughter there were discussions about future learning sessions and the direction social media is taking for associations in general.