A question on many people’s minds, as evidenced by a popular thread on ASAE’s Collaborate network [ASAE member login required], is whether now is a good time to raise dues. An even better question might be: Do I even need to raise dues?

For instance, a membership restructure can raise revenue without the need to raise dues, which is one way to get past a thorny issue. Christine Gardner, executive director of the Ohio Association for Career and Technical Education (Ohio CTE), noticed not a lot of teachers were joining the group, which she thought was odd because it represents career educators and has lots of teacher-focused benefits like professional development and special interest groups. However, Ohio CTE did have lots of members who were administrators.

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Don’t just focus on your closet or your file cabinet: Spend some time this season working on ways to minimize distractions while maximizing productivity.

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Throughout the past year, many people have wondered what the new normal would look like after COVID-19 got more under control and people began returning to their offices. As we’re approaching that point, several executives discussed trends they’re seeing in the association workforce during the recent “ExecConnect: Re-Opening the Association” webinar, hosted by the New York Society of Association Executives.

During the conversation, three areas emerged as transforming the workforce and workplace: remote work, a tighter labor market, and opportunities and challenges related to diversity and inclusion. Here’s a look at what each of these may mean for associations.

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SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Dozens of workers from the live events industry gathered and marched late Tuesday night to draw attention to the fact they are largely still not working six months into the pandemic.

“Salt Lake this month would normally have about 8,000 people working events,” said Peter O’Doherty, president of the Utah Live Events Industry Association. “There’s probably somewhere in the region of 200 – 300 working them at the moment. The rest are out of work.”

O’Doherty said industry groups in September are lighting up buildings in red to remind the public how dire the situation is in the live entertainment events industry.

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Even before the COVID-19 pandemic triggered a global recession, growing nondues revenue was top of mind for association leaders. Recent webinars and virtual conferences reflect this attention. However, the common theme of these events is a narrow focus on squeezing more dollars from legacy sources of nondues revenue: meetings, education publications, and advertising.

An alternative approach is to consider digital transformation opportunities that will allow for new streams of nondues revenue. One model for doing this is to launch a digital platform business.

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Over the past few months, face-to-face meetings and events have been put on pause, forcing event professionals to opt for a safer way of meeting - through virtual events. Hosting your event online eliminates many of the expenses required for holding in-person events such as travel, venue, and vendor costs. With virtual events, attendees around the globe can log on from anywhere, often attracting a larger audience. Virtual events also make it possible to track and collect valuable data that might not be easily accessible during live events. Although virtual events eliminate some of the drawbacks live events bring, hosting a fully digital event isn’t exactly a cakewalk and poses challenges even for the most experienced of meeting or event professionals.

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As a nonprofit, you have undoubtedly heard the term “virtual events” over the past six months. As the global pandemic continues to limit the ability to hold in-person fundraising events, nonprofits are forced to create new and “virtual” giving opportunities. As a provider of online fundraising tools, such as online auctions and virtual gala software, our team has helped charities move their events online. In the process, we have heard many stories about their experience. I’d like to share some of those stories to help normalize concerns and confusion on what steps to take in this new world.

What were your initial thoughts when confronted with COVID-19?

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While virtual events might not be able to dazzle attendees in quite the same way as in-person meetings, there is a tried-and-true tradition that can live on in the era of virtual conferences: conference swag.

A tangible gift or box of swag can help create connection and engagement to the virtual event. Plus,they can also benefit your association by boosting its brand presence if attendees show off their new swag on social media.

Want to offer your own swag to virtual attendees? First, make sure you have their current addresses—your records may have office addresses, but chances are attendees are working from home at the moment. Then, consider these six ideas.

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Nonprofit work is essential in this country. Nonprofits make up 10% of the workforce, making them the third-largest workforce in the United States. That’s millions of people who work day-in and day-out to provide the critical services at which nonprofits excel—cultural, social, medical, and otherwise. They’re examples of what it means to be mission-driven: true helpers that provide support to some of our nation’s most vulnerable people and communities.

But, no matter how noble a cause, a nonprofit is still a business. They may not have “profit” (we would debate this), but they still have operations, budgets, realities, and real people that are affected by shifting political, economic, environmental, and social climates. And they’re certainly not exempt from a global pandemic.

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