March April 2018

FOCUS

March/April 2018

NORTH

GROWING Next Markets May Include Leveraging Opportunities of Perennials pg 10

Sexual Harassment Policies and Procedures for Associations pg 12

Published by

www.associationsnorth.com

THE GREEN INDUSTRY

pg 5

The Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association Supports Businesses that Build Minnesota’s Outdoors.

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Focus North is published 10 times a year by Associations North, 1970 Oakcrest Avenue, Suite 100, Roseville, MN 55113.

Phone: 651.647.6388 Fax: 651.647.6416 Website: www.associationsnorth.com Email: info@associationsnorth.com The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not reflect the opinions of Associations North.

Editorial contributors in any area of association management are welcome. Articles accepted for publication are subject to editing by Associations North.

Advertising is accepted on a space availability basis.

Contact angela@associationsnorth.com or call 651-647-6388 for further advertising information.

Staff Angela Kisskeys, Co-Director VP of Operations & Communications Sarah Ruzek, Co-Director VP of Finance & Education

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CONTENTS March/April 2018

Amanda Aldrich Events Manager

FEATURES

Chris Villeneuve Membership & Office Manager

DEPARTMENTS

the Green Leaders: 5 Growing 7 Advancing Industry Fuel For Forward-

Mission

Thinking

The Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association Supports Businesses That Build Minnesota’s Outdoors

To advance and serve the association management profession in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.

Your Boards Information Curve

Diversity & Inclusion

In principle and in practice, Associations North values and seeks diversity and inclusiveness within the association management industry. Associations North advocates for and promotes involvement, innovation, and expanded access to leadership opportunities that maximize engagement across underrepresented groups in the Associations North membership.

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Advancing Engagement + Recruitment: Moving Membership

Moving Forward Together

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The Association Life

14 Conversations 15 Calendar of Events 16 Brain Power

Vision

Associations North, our members and their associations will thrive and grow.

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10

Steal This Idea

Advancing Meetings + Events: In The Details Next Markets May Include Leveraging Opportunities of Perennials

18 Signature Event 19 The North Experience 20 Et Cetera 21 Spotlight

Advancing 11 Advancing Communications: 12 The Essentials: Stay Connected

Invaluable Insights

Fostering a Culture of Creativity and Innovation

Sexual Harassment Policies and Practices for Associations

Board of Directors What fad or trend do you want to come back?

Cassie Larson, CAE (Chair) Jelly shoes MN Nursery & Landscape Association

Angela Kisskeys Associations North

Ann Kvaal, CAE (Past-Chair) AK Communications

Justin Bieganek Mercury Creative Group

Mark Salter, CAE, ABC (Chair-Elect) CFA Society Minnesota Tara Owens (Secretary/Treasurer) MN Academy of Family Physicians Sarah Ruzek Associations North

Civil discourse

Rollerblading

White pants after Labor Day

Dave Renner, CAE Minnesota Medical Association

Hair crimping

David Siegel, CAE, IOM Builders Association of the Twin Cities

Bell bottoms

Donnie Brown Minneapolis Area Association of REALTORS® Amanda Friedrich, CMP Visit Saint Paul

80’s member only jackets

Robbie Thompson Professional Liability Underwriting Society

Wide ties

Graduating college in four years

Cody Nuernberg Northwestern Lumber Association

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Moving Forward Together: Associations North Partners

Featured Sponsor:

Minneapolis Northwest Tourism

Why we partner with Associations North…

Associations North is an amazing catalyst for connecting people. In my short time being a member, I’ve already met so many friendly people that I’ve gotten to know on a professional and personal level. This organization is relaxed and inviting, and every event provides educational and business opportunities. This year, I attended the Leadership Conference, Meeting Planners Symposium and Associations 101. At each of those events, I made connections and expanded my knowledge of associations and business.

The staff at Associations North are amazing to work with.

In my first year, they’ve taken an active interest in my organization, Minneapolis Northwest Tourism, and worked to help us meet our objectives. So, I guess the short answer to why I partner with Associations North is: the people.

PREMIER PARTNERS

ADVANCER SPONSOR

INNOVATOR SPONSORS

ENGAGER SPONSORS

CONNECTOR SPONSORS 3

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The Association Life

Featured Industry: Electrical Whoever you are, whatever you do, there is an association working on your behalf.

MN Rural Electric Association The Minnesota Rural Electric Association

North Central Electric League

(MREA) represents the electric cooperatives in the state of Minnesota.

North Central Electrical League is the

We foster unity among and provide

bridge between all sectors of our Electrical

service to all of Minnesota’s 50 electric

Industry. Through NCEL, members come

cooperatives.

together to develop, expand and protect all interests in the Upper Midwest’s electrical industry. We continue to do this by providing discussion and educational forums on hot topics and offering various outlets for peer interaction. We provide such venues so that our members are educated and remain important assets to our industry.

MEA Energy Association Minnesota Electrical Association (MEA)

MEA serves the people that deliver electricity and natural gas to homes and businesses. We were founded as a

MEA provides leadership in partnering

trade association over 100 years ago by

between contractors, government

distribution utilities, whose vision was to

employees and consumers to promote

improve safety and efficiency.

quality construction built safely, on time, on budgets and at a fair price and profit.

MEA provides a strong commitment to quality in education, communication, government relations and ethics.

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Growing the Green Industry The Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association Supports Businesses that Build Minnesota’s Outdoors.

As the snow melts and the land thaws from a long northern winter, the Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association gears up for its 1,100 member businesses’ busiest season.

When spring finally arrives in the state, its attention eagerly turns to the outdoors, with professionals working in lawn and landscape, hardscape, pavers and retaining walls, trees, and irrigation. These are collectively known as the green industry.

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“We represent everyone who works outside that doesn’t work with asphalt,” MNLA Executive Director Cassie Larson said. “It’s our greatest strength and our greatest challenge that our association includes a broad range of members.”

MNLA serves a wide variety of interests across the green industry, as its members range from small businesses to large companies. Although they are technically a Minnesota association, they count members from neighboring states as well.

Originally created in 1925 as the Minnesota State Nurseryman’s Association, the MNLA’s mission has always been to help their member businesses achieve success.

While they offer a multitude of services, their focus on education, government affairs, and regulatory work, along with an annual tradeshow, are what their members find most beneficial.

As part of its educational programming, the MNLA provides skill-based training and business education to create well-rounded companies in the green industry.

“With a $3.5 billion contribution to the state’s economy, the green industry makes a large impression in Minnesota.”

“Many of our members have gone to school for horticulture and now find themselves running a business,” Larson explained. “We can give them practical knowledge on things like tax preparation that can help them in their day-to-day operations.”

In 2011, the MNLA went a step further and developed a program called the Green Industry Leadership Institute as a way to foster peer-to-peer networking between their members. Acknowledging a need for training the next generation of leaders in member organizations, the Institute offers management and leadership education while addressing issues like directing a team, interpersonal communication, and conflict management.

The successful year-long program brings students together once a month to learn from each other and work on a project that improves their company.

After conversations with the Builders Association of Minnesota, who launched a similar program based on the Green Industry Leadership Institute model, the two organizations agreed that they wanted to develop a

second level of the program for graduates of the initial training program. With a focus on facilitated conversations between peers instead of students and teachers, the peer groups allow the MNLA to cultivate the next generation of volunteers in a new environment.

The benefits of these leadership programs go beyond the career development of the individuals who attend. When MNLA’s members invest in their staff, they’re helping their retention rates and contributing to the professionalizing of the industry. For the association, they’re gaining access to new rising leaders, and many of these younger employees have become a part of MNLA’s volunteer groups. They are also encouraged to participate in other ways, such as with a Day at the Capitol, in conferences, and by participating in other education programs and services.

In addition to its extensive educational efforts, the MNLA also represents its member businesses on legislative and regulatory efforts. With a $3.5 billion contribution to the state’s economy, the green industry makes a large impression in Minnesota – a fact they communicate to legislators in St. Paul and Washington, DC. With their broad membership, the MNLA deals with a wide variety of issues, including agriculture, labor, water and irrigation, pests and pesticides, and urban forestry.

“Since our industry is spread across different agencies and committees, our job is to bring the issues together for our members,” Larson said.

For people who enjoy networking face-to-face, the MNLA hosts a large trade show every January that is attended by nearly 6,000 people. The show attracts a large crosssection of the industry, with attendees arriving from all over the region. The 100 concurrent sessions over several days offer something for everyone.

“At the tradeshow, one of our members had a conversation with an attendee who had an idea that saved our member’s business $50,000,” Larson said. “It’s a great opportunity to discover ways to improve your business.”

No matter what segment of the green industry its members include, the MNLA prides itself on providing what they need. Visit the MNLA at www.mnla.biz.

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Advancing Leaders: Fuel for Forward-Thinking

Your Boards Information Curve Bill Pawlucy, CAE Your board members have a fiduciary duty to its members in three areas; the duties of care, loyalty and obedience. A functional board recognizes the importance of all of these in making decisions.

Being an informed board member is tantamount to advancing the mission of the organization they serve. The duty of care, as defined by Bridgespan, states: “The duty of care describes the level of competence that is expected of a board member and is commonly expressed as the duty of ‘care that an ordinarily prudent person would exercise in a like position and under similar circumstances.’ This means that a board member owes the duty to exercise reasonable care when he or she makes a decision as a steward of the organization.”

Making decisions on a board requires the duty of care to be exercised and the “care that an ordinarily prudent person would exercise in a like position and under similar circumstances.” Therefore, board members need to be as informed as possible to make good management decisions. The only problem is, there is an information curve that most boards have. This information curve is based on how prepared board members are prior to meetings to make important decisions. In the information curve, we could have a combination of board members that are less informed all the way up to 7 most informed. It is very important

to understand where your board falls in this curve. If most of the board is in the middle or lower end of the curve, the potential of making flawed decisions is high.

There are three steps that we recommend to insure your board is higher on the information curve.

Step 1: Board Orientation Orientation is one of the first steps in providing proper training and knowledge on how to be a good member of the board focused on the key duties of care, loyalty and obedience. In terms of information, the board needs to understand that the business of the organization cannot move forward if the board doesn’t prepare adequately prior to a meeting. Imagine building a house with no plans and preparation and expecting it to be structurally sound for 100+ years. From the architects to the engineers to the builders, everyone on the team is ensuring the success of that home’s structure. The board is the “house” that we are continuously building to be structurally sound and serve its members for 100+ years.

Step 2: Preparation Another key element of having the most informed board is something very simple, providing information in the right way. But, we sometimes fail to do so in a timely manner or it is not clear. The timing of information, its clarity and the key decisions that need to be made (outlined in advance)

is critical to help prepare your board to make intelligent decisions. But, don’t overload them. Read this article on Information Digestion to determine how much information is enough and how much will choke your board.

Also, always send information at least one week prior to a board meeting if possible in a digestible format. Two weeks is ideal.

Step 3: Follow Up and Performance Measures Being informed doesn’t begin and end with the information provided and key decisions being made at just that board meeting. There needs to be follow up around how those decisions have been implemented and how successful they are. Setting performance measurements is the key to performance excellence. At subsequent board meetings, to review the impact of the decisions made and potentially reverse some decisions if they are not working. As we noted before, “information is knowledge” and using that knowledge is the power to make huge differences for the industries and professions your organization serves.

Read this article on Performance Excellence to dive deeper into how to set KPIs in your organization.

William Pollard, a physicist from the 1800s once said, “Information is a source of learning. But unless it is organized, processed, and available to the right people in a format for decision making, it is a burden, not a benefit.” Information is knowledge and ultimately power in making decisions within your organization.

Don’t make it a burden but a benefit by ensuring it is a management tool and not a choke hold on progress.

How will you move your board up the information curve?

Bill Pawlucy, MPA, CAE, IOM is president of www.associationoptions.com, a global consulting company.

Advancing Engagement + Recruitment: Moving Membership

Steal This Idea!

Sohini Baliga & Elizabeth Weaver Engel, M.A., CAE

Associations don’t always have all the answers (we know, you’re shocked). We definitely have some major advantages, not the least of which is that we are a highly cooperative and collaborative community, in large part because there’s not a lot of intra-industry competition (i.e., the AICPA and the American Nurses Association have basically zero overlap in audiences). But there are some areas where other industries, for instance charitable fundraisers, do things better.

In the association world, we tend to want to treat all our members equally: nobody is more important or special than anyone else. That’s a noble impulse and helpful, up to a point. After all, you don’t want your association to seem cliquish, or for any member to feel like the association doesn’t respect or value her.

But the fact of the matter is, some members ARE more important or more special than others. Some members only date your association casually and then move on.

Some make significant, long-term commitments. Those two types of members are not equally valuable.

“The association industry’s operating landscape is shifting rapidly and in unpredictable ways.”

is that associations have erected barriers to entry rather than removing them. What’s required to be considered part of your association’s community? A particular degree? A certification or accreditation? MONEY? Those are all barriers to entry that a young person may not be able to clear – at least not yet. What you’re telling them, in effect, is: “You are not welcome here.”

Fundraising organizations know that if they can establish a relationship based on loyalty up front, the dollars will come. Even if they don’t, those committed young fans will contribute in all sorts of valuable ways: volunteering to help with the mission-driven work of the organization, recruiting other supporters, amplifying messages and stories online and on social media.

Probably the most important lesson fundraisers have for association executives is this: Don’t get lazy.

It’s tempting to do just that, particularly if your association is not in crisis. According to the 2017 edition of the Marketing General Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report, nearly 75% of participating associations are either holding steady or increasing membership. Renewal rates are generally solid. Participation in programs, products, and services – particularly white-label social networks, virtual and in-person event attendance, and credentialing programs – remains robust.

Fundraisers, who manage relationships with donors that range from those who give $25 one time to those who make six- and seven-figure legacy contributions, have figured out how to make everyone along that continuum feel known and appreciated in a way that’s commensurate with their giving level. They’ve done that by prioritizing ongoing two-way communication to find out what really matters to their donors, and using that information to deliver experiences for them that focus on treating people equitably rather than equally.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” right? Well, no. To quote Steal Like a Fundraiser, it’s easy to get lazy. We urge you and your team not to, though…The association industry’s operating landscape is shifting rapidly and in unpredictable ways…

That’s why it’s important to turn outside the industry to see what other organizations are doing to attract audiences, particularly younger audiences; to build relationships with those audiences on their terms, not the organization’s terms; and to recognize their contributions equitably and make people feel known, heard, special, and appreciated.

Just about every association we know of is struggling to recruit younger members. Part of the reason for that

Sohini Baliga, Director of Communications, Taxpayers for Common Sense, and Elizabeth Weaver Engel, M.A., CAE, CEO & Chief Strategist, Spark Consulting LLC

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2017

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Advancing Meetings + Events: In The Details chief creative officer at Goodby and friend of Pell.

Next Markets May Include Leveraging Opportunities Of Perennials Frequently, when we think about next markets, we mention Next-Gen, Millennials or Gen-Z audiences.

We immediately jump to the generations following or before ours.

Or those that will have the largest working and buying power.

Regardless of the age, we trash talk those not of our generation. Or we paint with a broad brush that a specific age group does or does not like something. We stereotype generations.

Age is a poor marker of function.

The Perennial Mindset

One of the growing markets that is often overlooked is the Perennial Market—people of all ages, sometimes over 50 and sometimes in their 30s.

Perennials are those that understand age is not a limiting factor and are living in the present. They stay current with the world, embrace technology, build relationships with people of all ages and most importantly, they embrace curiosity and learning.

Who Are The Perennials?

You’re a perennial. I’m a perennial. My parents are perennials. My great niece is a perennial.

Tech entrepreneur Gina Pell coined the term perennial. Why? Because she was frustrated and done with demographic labels. She was tired of marketing being driven by age and generations.

Age is a poor marker of function.

When we say senior citizen, or someone over fifty, our minds jump to images of elderly people that are considered a drain to society. When we say Millennial or Generation Z, some of us think of images of youth always tethered to their smart phone, the entitlement syndrome or slackers.

The term Perennials is a metaphor comparing plants that return with blooms year after year to a category of people without using generation labels. Perennials are groups of people that bloom in a specific season, take a break to nourish and flourish while remaining green, and then renew themselves throughout a growing season.

Perennials get involved, stay curious, mentor others, foster passion and compassion, and embrace creativity and collaboration. Perennials are confident, risk takers, and learners.

They are also diversity- and globallyaware, says Perth.

It’s all about mindset and no longer about a one-dimensional timeline that runs from birth to death. ~ Gina Pell The Opportunities Of A Cultural Zeitgeist Social media has helped remove some barriers of ageism.

Marketing and advertising have shifted from spending ad dollars on a single demo group to going after a cultural zeitgeist, says Margaret Johnson, the

Your organization can harness the human potential found in the growing numbers of perennials. Maybe you seek out those who are starting a second or third career. They have some experience, skills and motivation under their belt from previous work.

However, they don’t know the industry or profession well.

“Perennials are those that understand age is not a limiting factor and are living in the present.”

Consider this, nearly 40% of those still working when they turned 62 had changed careers after the age of 55.

These people have vibrant networks from their previous careers, strong cash flow and want to continue to contribute to society. They can bring wise experience to your organization as well as a curiosity to collaborate and co-create with younger perennials.

Older adults want to remain connected, relevant, useful and engaged. There’s this collective feeling of ‘we’re not done yet’ says Marci Alboher, author of The Encore Career Handbook.

Perennials are deeply connected to civic engagement and meaningful work to paraphrase Pell. They defy traditional demographic labels.

Jeff Hurt, Executive Vice President, Education and Engagement, Velvet Chainsaw Consulting Learn more at: https://velvetchainsaw.com or follow Jeff on Twitter: @JeffHurt.

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Advancing Communications: Stay Connected

Fostering a Culture of Creativity and Innovation Glenn Karwoski, Karwoski & Courage Creativity and innovation are two subjects that have gotten a lot of attention in the past several years, which is a natural evolution if you look at the major business movements in the United States. Coming out of an era when quality was paramount after the U.S. had lost ground to Germany and Japan, as highlighted by the automotive industry, it logically followed that creating innovative products and services would be the new emphasis of businesses once reliability could be assured.

While most organizations say they want to be creative and innovative, most don’t take the necessary steps to ensure that they create the right environment for creativity and innovation to occur.

Fostering a culture of creativity and innovation requires a deliberate effort. While many organizations start out with creative cultures during their more entrepreneurial years, unless you consciously keep creating an environment that encourages creativity you may lose your innovative spirit.

Associations are in a uniquely more objective position to help their membership assess whether they’re creating the environments that allow and encourage creativity and innovation to flourish because most organizations either don’t have the tools to gauge creativity or they fail to do so regularly.

Here are four things you can check to see how you’re doing on the creative culture scale.

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1) How diverse is your workforce? Creativity and innovation requires employees that think differently, literally. Almost everyone has heard of the Myers-Briggs test and that’s a good assessment of whether your culture has enough diversity because it measures cognitive thinking styles. You need to have people that think differently if you want to encourage the type of debate and discussion that drives creativity and innovation, but you need to manage the process. People need to learn how to disagree without taking it personally, which is easier said than done. By understanding the variety in thinking

styles people can respect differences of opinions and come to realize that it’s absolutely necessary to have that kind of “creative abrasion” if they want to get good ideas.

2) Creativity should be a strategic priority just like any other strategic initiative. All too often making time to generate ideas or just making time to think is seen as a luxury or something that’s only done during annual planning or when there’s a crisis. Organizations that have creative cultures have dedicated time for employees to generate new ideas and recognize that new ideas are the lifeblood of their success.

3) Hire the right people. While this sounds so obvious, there is a tendency to hire people that we’re comfortable with because they like us. This is also known as the comfortable clone syndrome and it’s one of the sure creativity killers in an organization because you don’t get the diversity of thinking styles that you need for creative abrasion. You also need to hire for what is known as intrinsic motivation, or people that are motivated by the work itself versus the bells and whistles that may come with the job. In fact, research has shown that intrinsic motivation is the key factor in creating organizations that have high levels of innovation.

4) Have a process and change it up from time to time.

Most brainstorms are not very effective and it’s because they’re not organized correctly and rarely allow enough time for any truly unique and useful ideas to surface. I can almost guarantee that if you don’t carefully structure the specific question you want to ask, provide plenty of background information to participants in advance of the session, and allow hours or days for idea generation with an objective facilitator – you’re going to be missing out in some potentially great ideas.

These four items are a good starting point to see whether you’re fostering a culture where creativity and innovation can flourish.

Glenn Karwoski, founder and managing director of Karwoski & Courage.

He can be reached at glenn.karwoski@creativepr.com or 612-342-9649.

Advancing The Essentials: Invaluable Insights

Sexual Harassment Policies & Practices for Associations With sexual harassment dominating the headlines in 2017, sexual harassment policies and trainings are the top of employers’ minds in 2018.

There’s good reason for employers to be worried. Up to 85% of women reported being sexually harassed at work in a 2016 EEOC survey, and almost 7,000 claims of sexual harassment were filed with the EEOC in 2015.

Of even greater concern: these statistics pre-date the #metoo movement, meaning the number of claims is likely to rise with greater awareness—and intolerance—for sexual harassment.

In this environment, what are employers—particularly associations— to do to ensure that their policies and practices are up-to-date and to address claims if they arise? We recommend that associations adopt a sexual harassment policy if you don’t have one, and review yours if you do as the first step in discouraging harassment, encouraging reporting, and cultivating a safe workplace for all employees. The EEOC recommends that a policy be clear and include: • A clear explanation of prohibited conduct, including examples; • An assurance that the employer will protect the confidentiality of harassment complaints to the extent possible; • An assurance that employees who make complaints or provide information related to complaints, witnesses, and others who participate

in the investigation will be protected against retaliation; • A clearly described complaint process that provides multiple, accessible avenues to lodge complaints and provides for a prompt, thorough, and impartial investigation; and • An assurance that the employer will take immediate and proportionate corrective action when it determines that harassment has occurred, and respond appropriately to behavior which may not be legally-actionable “harassment” but which, left unchecked, may lead to same.

Specifically, check to make sure your policy has the following elements: 1. A statement of the association’s commitment to preventing and addressing (as needed) sexual harassment. This statement often dovetails with a broader equal employment -opportunity policy.

2. A broad definition of sexual harassment. For example, harassment can occur in any form – verbal, written, electronic, etc. Harassment can be same-sex or opposite-sex.

And harassment can come from supervisors, peers, or even nonemployees, such as contractors or vendors. This broad definition should be followed by various examples of sexual harassment, such as inappropriate comments or jokes, unwelcome flirtation, leering, or showing obscene material. The policy should state that the list is not exhaustive; indeed, it would be impossible to list all possible forms of harassment.

3. Expectation that employees report

any perceived harassment, regardless of whether they are the recipient of the harassment. Naturally, an explanation of the complaint process should follow. The process should outline various avenues for the employee to choose among.

4. A statement of the company’s commitment to investigate promptly all complaints. This section should also include a commitment to maintain the confidentiality of the complaint to the greatest extent possible, consistent with the company’s commitment to complete a thorough investigation. This section should identify the various discipline available, up to and including termination of employment.

5. Any state-specific language.

Bottom line: a sexual harassment policy is only as good as how it is implemented at an organization.

Once you adopt or revise your sexual harassment policy, it’s important to publish it widely and conduct training based on the policy. In light of the spotlight on sexual harassment in the workplace, this is a great time for associations to update policies and trainings, to ensure they are prepared to investigate such claims, and to audit the work environment—particularly relationships with clients and vendors—to proactively identify and address situational factors that could contribute to sexual harassment.

Veena Iyer is a shareholder at Nilan Johnson Lewis PA, where she practices exclusively in the area of employment law. Contact Veena at: viyer@nilanjohnson.com.

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Conversations: In Focus

Different view points. Different solutions.

How does your association incorporate diversity of thought?

We have developed a culture where it is encouraged to try things – that includes expressing what may be an unconventional idea or opinion - where it is clear and trusted that failure is not punished but learned from.

John Gann, CAE, IOM Program Services Vice President MEA Energy Association

We continuously communicate internally as a staff and externally with our members to propose new ideas, discuss successes and failures and then implement programming accordingly. New ideas are always welcome and encouraged.

Cody Nuernberg President Northwestern Lumber Association

Mark R. Salter, CAE, ABC

Strategic volunteer recruitment. If your board and committees all think, look and act the same, you’re doomed from the start. So we’re always looking at the make-up of each group to see who and what might be missing, and then try to recruit individuals who can bring differing perspectives to everything we do.

Executive Director CFA Society Minnesota

Coming next issue: Why do you attend Associations North Annual Meeting & Expo and why should others?

Submit your answer & headshot to: angela@associationsnorth.com.

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For more details and to register, visit: www.associationsnorth.com/calendar

Calendar Of Events: Mark It + Make It

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THURSDAY APRIL

Secrets of Member Engagement DoubleTree by Hilton Minneapolis University Area 8:00 am - 11:30 am See how early engagement leads to life-long engagement, learn how to create a new member engagement program your members will love and understand the key changes you can make to improve an existing onboarding, welcoming, or orientation program.

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TUESDAY APRIL

Webinar: Fueling Exceptional New Member Experiences: 3 New Strategies At Your Desk 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm Does your data tell you that your new members renew at a lower rate than other members? Have your retention metrics plateaued even though you are improving your renewal process? Do you wonder how to engage both new and longtime members even more?

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WEDNESDAY MAY

Marketing & Tech Summit Pinstripes - Bistro, Bowling, Bocce, Edina 8:30 am - 12:00 pm If you are looking for marketing insight, innovative tech tools and AMS education then attending this summit is a must for you and your team! Meet, network and learn from others who are doing what you do.

Upcoming Events March 29

Webinar: The Art and Science of High Trust Teams

5

Secrets of Member Engagement

10

Webinar: Fueling Exceptional New Member Experiences

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Meetings Meetup Group

26

Communications Meetup Group

June

May

15

April

2

Marketing & Tech Summit

3

Webinar: Can You Hear Me? Effective Communication

13

Annual Meeting & Expo (Solutions Conference) Mystic Lake Center

Strategies for Associations

14

Golf Classic, The Meadows at Mystic Lake

8

CEO Meetup Group

27

Webinar: Beyond Association Silos: 10 Tips to

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Webinar: Let’s Get Digital

22

Membership Meetup Group

Redesign Conference and Learning Strategy

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Brain Power

To Work and Live in Real Time

These are worthwhile achievements; elements of life within your potential. Take a look at some components of living in real time, with the realization that each of these are within your grasp.

By: Jeff Davidson

1. Leave home in the morning with grace and ease. If you can manage the beforehand by taking care of as many things as possible the night before, in the morning you only have to get bodies out the door. No need to have a mad rush, because you’ve got everything ready to go.

How would your life be if you had the ability to tackle problems and challenges as they arise? What would it feel like to engage in conceptual thinking whenever you wanted or needed to? What if you had a sense of control and ease about each day? If all these components were a part of your life, you would be living in “real time.”

You may know people who live in real time, or who live out significant chunks of their life in real time. Who are these people? These are the people who stay in shape, have the time to take a phone call, and actually know the names of each of her children’s friends. This is the person who volunteers for and takes an active role in community organizations.

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2. Focus on the important issues facing your organization, your members, and your job or career. You have to pay homage to the issues that you identify as important in your life, and have the strength to ignore the less important.

Magically, when you handle the important things, the others fall into place.

3. Handle and address the mail when it arrives, keep piles from forming on your desk, and handle phone calls within 24 hours. No need to be inundated by receiving too much mail, or have piles that rise ever-higher on your desk, or have a mounting number of calls to return.

Bayview Villas

s Lakeview Room

• New Bayview Villas with 7 bedrooms and 6 1/2 baths • Irma’s Kitchen awarded “People’s Choice Award”, Taste of the Lakes 2016 • Cabana Café serving a variety of salads, wraps and full cocktail service poolside • Over 40 meeting rooms and hospitality suites overlooking Gull Lake

Call 1-855-489-0880 for your personal tour of our newest additions!

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Associations North in the Community

Associations North enjoyed a day on the road visiting members in the South Metro.

The day was all about connections and conversations. We learned more about what our member associations do on a daily basis, got to meet new friends, toured fabulous office spaces, enjoyed enlightening conversations and had a lot FUN too!

REQUEST A VISIT We will be hitting the pavement again in August and would love to see you. If you are interested in a visit, email: chris@associationsnorth.com.

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Find solutions and connections at this year’s Annual Meeting & Expo with in-depth workshops, trade show, Cornholapalooza and Golf Classic!

associationsnorth.com/expo NEW for 2018!

In-depth workshops Open layout trade show Cornholapalooza (bean bag tournament) and live music Wednesday night Golf Classic Thursday 19

Et Cetera: Association Extras

WELCOME, NEW MEMBERS! Tessa Benitez

Status Plus LLC

Jose Benitez

Status Plus LLC

Mark Brunner

Manufactured & Modular Home Assn of MN

Patty Burniece

DoubleTree by Hilton Minneapolis North

David Casalod

Status Plus LLC

Andrew Deshommes-Kohls

Hyatt Regency Bloomington

Angela Edel

Owatonna Chamber of Commerce & Tourism

MacKenzie Farah-Frick

The Harrington Company

Lola Faufau

GrowthZone

Lisa Filzen

Pier B Resort

Melanie Gangl

Status Plus LLC

Rebecca Groos

MN Turkey Growers Assn

Colette Huston

Chase on the Lake

Sandy Johnson

APEX

Nicole Krumrie

MN Turkey Growers Assn

Julia Mensing

Status Plus LLC

Brandon Peterson

the Hotel Minneapolis - Autograph Collection

Missy Render

Status Plus LLC

Matt Ryan

Discover St. Louis Park

Jennifer Wothe

The Harrington Company

PROUD MEMBER WINDOW DECAL Thank you for being an integral part of Associations North success.

Members are encouraged to proudly display the window decal that was recently mailed to your office.Didn’t receive yours? call 651-647-6388 or email chris@associationsnorth.com and we will re-send. Hang your proud member window decal and share a photo with us on: Twitter: @assnsnorth \\ Facebook: @associationsnorth

SAVE 25% ON YOUR NEXT JOB POSTING Associations North Career Center is the place to hire and be hired. Find sample job descriptions, salary information, resume bank and more. Save 25% with code: MBR2018. Visit: associationsnorth.com/career.

DEB STENDER IN MEMORIAM Long time Associations North member, Deb Stender unexpectedly passed away February 24.

Proud White Bear Lake community booster, meeting planner extraordinaire and friend; Deb will be missed by many.

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Spotlight: Member In Motion

Bill Wald

Get to know industry movers and shakers.

PhD, MBA, MS, CAE, RCE Chief Executive Officer Minneapolis Area Association of REALTORS®

Favorite cuisine...

Italian. I love pasta!

The store I would like to max out my credit card:

My dream car...

Amazon – I only like to shop online.

1955 Porsche 550 Spyder – Same car as James Dean.

My personality in one word:

Favorite toy as a kid...

If you really knew me, you’d know...

Strategic.

Matchbox cars – I still have a whole collection.

Words to live by...

John Wooden’s, “Be more concerned with finding the right way, than having it your way.”

I pay attention to everything.

Live by the ocean, mountains or in the woods?

I recharge by...

Cleaning the house – my Grandmother was immaculate.

By the Ocean, the ocean is peaceful, and waves create new images every time they move.

I have too many...

Sweater vests, 20+!

My all-time favorite Halloween costume...

Duckie from Pretty in Pink – it was cool.

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My first live concert was...

Depeche Mode and The Cure.

One word to describe myself as a child...

Competitive.

Welcome to your prime destination for meetings and group events. We have the venues, dining and activities to make your stay incredible.

MEET. PLAY. STAY. 320.251.4170 800.264.2940 VISITSTCLOUD.COM 22

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MORE CHOICES TO STAY. MORE SPACE FOR ASSOCIATION GROUPS.

With over 42 hotels, six new properties, and 9,200 guest rooms, Bloomington is home to the largest concentration of hotels in Minnesota. That means there’s always room for groups to stay, meet and work. And the Mall of America® serves as a dynamic backdrop and instant entertainment complex for evening outings that everyone can enjoy.

Explore Bloomington and book your association group at tcook@bloomingtonmn.org