May 2017

FOCUS

May 2017

NORTH

DRIVING

MINNESOTA’S ECONOMY An Unprecedented Shift pg 8

How to Make Your Event More Inclusive pg 10

Published by

www.associationsnorth.com

pg 5

The Minnesota Trucking Association works every day to move the industry forward.

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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.

The subscription rate for members is $25, which is included in membership dues. 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 for further advertising information.

Staff

Kathy Johnson, CAE, President Sarah Ruzek, Director of Education Angela Kisskeys, Marketing & Communications Manager Chris Villeneuve, Member Services Coordinator

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CONTENTS May 2017

Mission

FEATURES

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

Minnesota’s Leaders: 5 Driving 7 Advancing Economy Fuel For Forward-

Vision

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

Leading Through Challenges

Advertisements and listings in this publication are provided as a public service to readers. Associations North is not responsible for errors or omissions, and inclusion does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation. All information is subject to change.

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Moving Forward Together

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The Association Life

14 Conversations 15 Calendar of Events 16 Brain Power

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An Unprecedented Shift

For advertising information, call 651.647.6388.

18 Signature Event

Advancing Meetings + Events: In The Details

19 The North Experience 20 Et Cetera 21 Spotlight

How to Make Your Events More Inclusive

Advancing 11 Advancing Communications: 12 The Essentials: Stay Connected

Invaluable Insights

Getting Started with Video at Your Association

Behavioral Finances to Drive Retirement Readiness

If you hosted a talk show, who would be your first guest?

Ann Kvaal, CAE (Chair) Owner AK Communications Jenny Prosser (Past -Chair) Vice President of Conferences and Sales LeadingAge Minnesota

Thinking

The Minnesota Trucking Association Works Every Day to Move the Industry Forward

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

Board of Directors

DEPARTMENTS

Kathy Johnson, CAE (President) President

Associations North Gabrielle Reece.

Carmelo Cinqueonce, MBA Executive Director MN Dental Association

Tom Brady.

John Francis President

The Harrington Company

Dave Radziej, CAE (Chair-Elect) President Printing Industry Midwest Cassie Larson, CAE (Secretary/Treasurer) Executive Director MN Nursery & Landscape Association

Gloria Steinem.

Either Bernadette Peters or Kristin Chenoweth.

Tara Owens Member Engagement Director MN Academy of Family Physicians

Karina Longworth.

Cody Nuernberg Executive Director Northwestern Lumber Association

Dave Renner, CAE Director, State & Federal Legislation Minnesota Medical Association

Mark Salter, CAE, ABC Executive Director CFA Society Minnesota

Robbie Thompson Executive Director Professional Liability Underwriting Society

Jack Nicklaus – he’s the best there is, was and probably ever will be!

Bob Dylan.

My Grandma – She was hilarious, unpredictable and witty. I would love to talk to her one more time.

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Moving Forward Together: Associations North Partners

Memorable moment with Associations North...

There have been so many great moments with Associations North, it’s tough to pick just one; the Annual Expo is a fantastic time to connect with current clients and meet new ones, the Golf Classic is always a fun time and the Meeting Planners Symposium presents creative new ideas in a fun/ non-traditional setting!

Featured Sponsor:

Hyatt Regency Minneapolis

Why we are a NEW partner with Associations North‌ We love Associations North, and believe working with them will present more opportunities to build meaningful relationships and allow us to connect people to what matters to them most.

PREMIER PARTNERS

GOLD SPONSORS

SILVER SPONSORS

BRONZE SPONSORS 3

Global Experience Specialists | Fargo-Moorhead CVB | Visit Duluth | Visit Saint Paul

The Association Life

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

Professional Insurance Agents of MN PIA of Minnesota is dedicated to providing support and personal service to independent insurance agents and consumers, by promoting

MN Association of Health Underwriters (MAHU) MAHU will improve its members’ ability to meet the health, financial and retirement security needs of all Minnesotans through advocacy, professional development, and public education.

professionalism throughout the insurance industry.

MN Workers’ Compensation Insurers Association The mission of the Minnesota Workers’

Captive Insurance Companies Association

Compensation Insurers Association (MWCIA) is to collect, process and analyze workers’ compensation data so that we can provide

CICA’s mission is to be the premier global

high quality, consistent information to our

domicile-neutral captive insurance

insurer members and regulators.

association and to be the best source of unbiased information, knowledge, and leadership for captive insurance decision makers.

Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS) The mission of PLUS is to be the global

Insurance Federation of MN The Insurance Federation of Minnesota (IFM) is a non-profit state insurance trade association representing approximately

community for the professional liability insurance industry by providing essential knowledge, thought leadership and career development opportunities.

50 insurance companies.

MN Association of Farm Mutual Insurance Co. MN Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers (MIIAB)

Provides services which will assist in the effective utilization of insurance resources and promote a financially sound, competitive farm mutual

MIIAB is devoted to the advancement

insurance industry for the ultimate benefit of the

of independent insurance agents and

consuming public.

professionalism within the industry.

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Driving Minnesota’s Economy The Minnesota Trucking Association works every day to move the industry forward.

Whether you’re stopping for a few items at the grocery store, filling up your car with gas, or sending a letter, the chances are high that you have relied on the trucking industry to keep your life moving. In fact, nearly 70% of Minnesota’s communities are served exclusively by truck.

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Pictured (L to R): Congressman Erik Paulsen & John Hausladen, MN Trucking Association

It’s the driving mission of the Minnesota Trucking Association, which delivers up-to-date educational content to 670 members across the state. The four fulltime employees at MTA work as a closely-knit team to ensure their members are safe and successful.

“If you got it, a truck brought it,” MTA President John Hausladen said with a laugh. “Advocacy is our number one priority. We work to establish relationships with state and federal legislators and average people.”

Congressman Tim Walz and participants in the April 2017 MTA Call on Washington.

Whether those relationships are with members of Minnesota’s pro-trucking federal delegation in Washington, DC, state lawmakers in St. Paul, representatives of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, or the average Minnesotan, the MTA prides itself on making connections for its members. The MTA enjoys a strong track record of influencing the rules and regulations that govern trucks.

Last month, the MTA brought eight members to Capitol Hill for its annual Call on Washington, where they were briefed on critical trucking industry issues and met with their members of Congress. Among other issues, they discussed Truckers Against Trafficking, a program that trains truck drivers to recognize victims of human trafficking, with Senator Amy Klobuchar; the need for more truck drivers with Representative Jason Lewis and Senator Al Franken; and truck driver training with Representative Tim Walz.

“I’m very proud of our industry,” Hausladen said. “Drivers are key members of the community who work as a team with others in the trucking industry to make sure the essentials of modern life get delivered in a timely manner.”

The MTA also works hard to portray a balanced perception of the trucking industry in the media, striving to be the go-to source for reporters when they are covering issues affecting the industry. Hausladen regularly appears on radio and television news programs, and the MTA maintains an active YouTube channel with media appearances, industry events, and personal stories from drivers. The MTA regularly issues press releases, engages with social media, and pitches stories to publications.

While advocacy is important across the country and in Washington, DC, the MTA helps Minnesotans understand the difference the trucking industry makes in their lives.

“We love to get average people into trucks,” Hausladen

explained. “We give them rides, show them a new perspective, and demonstrate how safe and essential trucks are.”

The Minnesota Trucking Association hosts a full calendar of events throughout the year for its members, including three major conferences. In January, a conference on safety helps train and coach attendees on the latest regulations and safety recommendations. A conference in April focuses on trucking management. In August, members may attend an annual meeting where they have the opportunity to learn about current trends and issues.

The MTA also reaches out to communities throughout the state through its Share the Road program, where high school students learn from professional truck drivers how to safely drive on highways with trucks, including how to merge around large trucks and how to adjust to truck blind spots. During the holiday season, the MTA sponsors a Trucks & Toys program, where toys are collected and donated to children in need.

“I’m very proud of our industry,” Hausladen said. “Drivers are key members of the community who work as a team with others in the trucking industry to make sure the essentials of modern life get delivered in a timely manner.”

Truck drivers may be the most visible part of the industry to the general public. They can be spotted on highways, city streets, and gravel country roads throughout Minnesota. “Truck drivers are the safest drivers on the road, hands down,” Hausladen stated. “They are the most creative people, constantly dealing with exceptions to the plan and coming up with solutions, like broken equipment, bad weather, a traffic jam, or an upset customer.”

No matter what the next issue may be on the horizon, such as automated vehicles or this year’s transition to e-logs (a change from paper driving logs to automated electronic records), the MTA strives to obtain the latest information for its members, ensuring that the state’s trucking industry is knowledgeable, professional, and reliable.

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Advancing Leaders: Fuel for Forward-Thinking

Leading Through Challenges 5 Steps to Creating an Individual Crisis Response Plan photo credit: jcomp/freepik

A storm unexpectedly threatens a huge annual event; a key employee leaves with little notice; as leaders we face challenges, that much is expected. But the variety, scale and impact of the challenges we may face make it almost impossible to prepare for each scenario. The best approach, instead, is to develop a trusted method to ensure we are thinking clearly, acting soundly and confidently serving our stakeholders in every eventuality. Here are five simple steps to creating an individual crisis response plan.

First, we must clearly define our leadership style. We all have natural leadership skills, but along the way we have developed other skills as we have adapted to the demands of different roles. To prepare for something unexpected, it is

The bottom line is as leaders we must find a way to make it happen while inspiring others to follow our direction. important to understand our own variety of responses. Do we tend to be cool under deadlines but less comfortable with external crises? By clearly and honestly defining our own style, we can delineate our comfort zones and in turn know in the early stages of a problem where we may 7 need additional expertise.

Armed with a solid understanding of our leadership style, the second step is to embrace a simple process for assessing challenges. The most straightforward is the journalistic approach of 5Ws and an H (who, what, where, why, when & how): it is easy to remember and is a great foundation for additional analysis. It also helps us get focused on the issue by clearly delineating what we know and don’t know yet. Further, from this basic outline we can be better positioned to reframe the issue if necessary.

Knowing and honestly acknowledging our personal limits and having a simple way to quickly assess the information available position us to start addressing the challenge. But before we start solving anything, it is critical at this point to remember our networks. Many of us make the mistake of thinking we must solve every problem ourselves. However, it is not our job to solve the problem, it is our job to ensure the problem is solved. We cannot expect to know or do everything; that is why we have spent so many years building our networks. Thus, before we try to implement a solution, it is great to tap our networks for additional input or an outside perspective.

The fourth step has less to do with us and more to do with those we are leading. Our response plan must include a template for communication. Knowing our

own style and how and when we feel comfortable delivering news is important; but it is also critical to consider the people around us and how they may need or want to hear updates. This includes the timing of messages, the content, transparency and method of delivery. These may be different with each new challenge; nevertheless, they must all be considered each time we are leading others through change.

“Develop a trusted method to ensure you are thinking clearly, acting soundly and confidently serving stakeholders in every eventuality.�

The final step in creating our individual crisis response plan is to ensure time for reflection, both personally and organization-wide.

Everyone needs time to digest, evaluate and understand the future implications of what transpired. By ensuring this time is acknowledged as a critical step in the process, leaders can reaffirm their position as well as gather critical input from staff and stakeholders; better preparing everyone for any future challenges.

The bottom line is as leaders we must find a way to make it happen while inspiring others to follow our direction. By creating a go-to crisis response plan that acknowledges our unique leadership style, requires little thought and is flexible for a variety of situations, we can be better prepared to face any challenge, large or small.

By: Catherine Iste. Catherine provides free, succinct HR advice to help leaders of small and micro organizations at betterHR.org. Catherine is also CEO of Humint Advisors, an operations consultancy that creates sustainable HR and Technology systems. Contact Catherine at: Catherine@betterHR.org or linkedin.com/in/betterhr

Advancing Engagement + Recruitment: Moving Membership

An Unprecedented Shift Sarah Sladek, XYZ University

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 10,000 Boomers retire every day, and for the first time in 34 years, Baby Boomers are no longer the workforce majority; it is now the Millennials, also known as Generation Y (1982-1995).

Quite frankly, this generation has been difficult to engage because the traditional membership doesn’t meet their values. This generation is introducing an entirely new value system to the marketplace as the first generation of the post-Industrial Era. Here’s a snapshot of some of the most dramatic shifts taking place in the marketplace today, and what these shifts mean for associations: Ownership vs. Access After defining ourselves for centuries by possessions— cars, houses, china, stocks, land, and jewelry—what matters to Millennials is not so much ownership as access. The pressure is on for associations to deliver continuous, quick, and easy access to new information, valuable services and products, meaningful relationships, and experiences that deliver a real return on investment.

In fact, associations may need to move away from the concept of a year-round membership which implies ‘ownership’ more than access.

Advocacy vs. Social Awareness Millennials don’t believe advocacy is something they can positively influence, but they do consider themselves activists. They are very socially aware and frequently cite improving education, ending poverty, and saving the environment as their top concerns. Millennials are more likely to buy products that support sustainable farming or fair trade, and 85% link commitment to a cause to their purchasing decisions. Associations will need to reconsider their approach to advocacy, likely by educating and empowering Millennials via grassroots activism.

Status vs. Inclusion No longer is all the wisdom contained within the eldest population. The hierarchical, homogenous leadership model survived for centuries, but it is no longer relevant or sustainable. Millennials are the most diverse generation, the best educated, and the first to have

photo credit: peoplecreations/freepik

more women than men obtain postsecondary credentials.

Corporations with diverse leadership are considerably more profitable than companies with homogenous leadership.

Associations need to follow suit, reformatting boards to allow for the participation of members from all ages and backgrounds.

Jobs vs. Entrepreneurs In recent years, more workers have detached from conventional 9-to-5 jobs to take on contract work and other short-term gigs. Add to that the widespread demand for flextime and increasing number of start-up businesses, one can quickly surmise that the entire workforce is moving towards an entrepreneurial mindset. Associations need to reconsider their member benefits as well as the length of membership.

Control vs. Freedom Associations were founded on the premise that certain rules needed to be followed and traditions upheld.

Everything ran according to expectations, process, and hierarchy, leaving little room for innovation or change.

However, there’s been more technology developed in the last five years than the last 50. From that perspective alone, it’s obvious associations have to forgo operating in a controlled environment and be open to new ideas emerging everywhere, from everyone.

The behaviors and choices of younger generations have historically been an indicator of future workplace, consumer, and economic trends. Membership isn’t the exception to that rule. The trends and influences introduced and shaped by the post-Industrial generations are having a ‘trickle-up’ effect – changing the value of membership and expectations of the membership experience for every generation. In other words, if membership is declining in value for Millennials, soon it will decline in value for all generations. This may sound ominous, but it marks the beginning of unparalleled opportunity for those associations willing to embrace change and innovate.

By: Sarah Sladek, XYZ University. Check out Sarah’s new book, “Talent Generation: How Visionary Organizations Are Reimagining Work and Achieving Greater Success” available in June!

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Advancing Meetings + Events: In The Details or elaborate. Many venues for smaller events have single room restrooms anyway. Just make sure to block off urinals in shared spaces.

How to Make Your Events More Inclusive photo credit: katemangostar

“Anyone can come to our event.”

That’s what we tell ourselves - we the people who program and labor over our events. We don’t bar anyone from joining the fun, and the only barrier may (or may not) be a ticket price or alcohol-related restrictions around age. When we do price our events, we make sure they’re affordable for our demographic and right along with our competitors’ prices.

But the real truth is that not everyone is actually welcomed to our events.

Whether we want to admit or not, our events send signals about who’s welcomed and who isn’t, but don’t worry, we can counter that. We must lay down our defensive attitudes and ask what we can do better.

There are three major facets of your events—marketing, venue, and programming—you can improve all of those for inclusivity. Your events can send messages that truly say “all are welcomed.”

Event marketing: who are you selling to?

The two most powerful tools for selling an event are the language and the imagery you choose to use. Copy should be honest about what your event is about. It should also avoid bias. For example, in tech spaces, words like “rockstar” and “guru” invoke masculinity and may only attract a male audience.

Likewise, you’ll want to check your

imagery. Who’s represented? Who’s missing? What activities or parts of your event does your imagery show off and what tone does that set for your event?

Answer the right questions. Make sure you’re addressing the asked and unasked questions from your audience about the event. Facebook groups, your online community or other forum posts can be helpful for letting people meet each other beforehand and give a voice to those questions. The more questions you as an event organizer can answer, the deeper a relationship and understanding about your audience you’ll have.

The venue: what’s the physical space like?

Accessible venues are important for everyone. Most large venues are fully accessible, but smaller ones can be more challenging. Regardless, you’ll want to test your venue’s accessibility before the event. Unfortunately, many venues will say they only have a freight elevator in the back, or require someone in a wheelchair to go through an alleyway and kitchen before getting to the main space. This can be uncomfortable or confusing. You also want to make sure to check out the restrooms, seating options, and stage accessibility.

Gender neutral restrooms are an easy way to make your event more inclusive. You can easily adjust signage in your event venue by covering other restroom signs. This can be simple

Don’t assume your attendees know how to access your venue or know where to go. You want to carefully label directions and make it easy for them to find everything. You also want to label where restrooms are, food and drink locations, what the food is, and more.

Programming: who are you including?

Both your length of programming and time of day (or days) you choose to host your event can greatly affect attendance. You can never make everyone happy with the date and time you decide to throw your event.

However, you can learn about your audience’s needs. If your attendees are largely professional and their companies send them to attend, you probably want to have a weekday event during work hours.

When considering program length, some attendees may not be able to sit through an entire day due to injuries, chronic illnesses, or disabilities.

Even if committed to an all-day conference, people need breaks to process information, take care of other responsibilities, or even just chill.

Catering can be tricky as the most inclusive events will provide food based on dietary restrictions. Especially if the event provides multiple meals over multiple days. You may also want to include an “Other” category for people who have any severe allergies to alert you of.

All this may sound overwhelming.

However, making your event more inclusive is a step-by-step process. Pick a handful of areas you want to improve for your next event and start there.

By: Eric McGillvray. Post originally appearing on the HL Blog at blog.higherlogic.com. See full article on associationsnorth.com.

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Advancing Communications: Stay Connected

Getting Started with Video at Your Association

photo credit: onlyyouqj

Callie Walker, MemberClicks

I went to Hubspot’s annual marketing and sales conference a few weeks ago (better known as INBOUND), and the one theme I heard over and over and over again was the importance of video. In fact, one speaker suggested 50 percent of organizational content next year be video. Can you believe that?! 50 percent!

Now 50 percent may be a huge stretch for your organization, particularly if you’re not doing anything with video as of now. But if there’s one takeaway here, it’s that you should definitely start. In fact, here are a few tips to help you get started with video at your association: 1. Use the tools you have Yes, the thought of creating video can be super intimidating, but just know that you don’t have to be super techy to make a great clip. If all you have right now is a phone, use that. Turn on Facebook Live and get to filming. The more you start working with video, the better your productions and content will be. You just have to start.

2. Start small Going off point #1, it’s ok (and encouraged) to ease into video production. Don’t feel like you have to create a fiveminute video right off the bat. Start off small with one or two 30-second videos. Or, if filming is what’s holding you back, try creating a video using still images only. Animoto is a company that can help you do just that.

For a monthly fee, you can create professional slideshows without having to film anything. And not to worry: If done correctly, videos with still images can be just as compelling as traditional motion picture videos.

3. Incorporate text You might be questioning this point a little bit, especially since the point of video is to get away from text. But I learned at INBOUND that 40 percent of people (myself included) watch video with the sound turned off. So, if you include text in your video, that 40 percent will still

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40%

of people watch video with the sound turned off.

comprehend your main takeaways. (Plus, having text in your video helps with search engine optimization. All the more reason to include it!)

4. Tell a story No matter what type of video you’re creating - 30-second or five-minute, still picture or motion picture - you need to tell a story. That’s what’s going to help your video resonate with people and keep them engaged the whole way through. Not sure what type of story to tell? Start with your association’s mission. If it’s compelling enough for people to join your association, it’s compelling enough for people to watch a short clip.

Still struggling with content ideas for your association videos? Here are a few to help you get started: • Interview the founder of your organization. People love to know how things all began.

• Have any recent success stories? Share them! Feel-good videos typically get the most social shares. (Think Budweiser during the Super Bowl.)

• Create a short “thank you” video from your staff members to your volunteers.

• Put together a compelling holiday video. (Publix’s holiday commercials immediately come to mind.)

• Go behind the scenes and film your staff members getting ready for a big event.

Remember, these can be short or long. All that matters is you just get started.

Advancing The Essentials: Invaluable Insights

Behavioral Finance Strategies to Drive Retirement Readiness Let’s take a moment to reflect on your organization’s current retirement program. Would you define your program as successful? What metrics are you currently using to evaluate your plan’s performance? For most organizations, fees and investment earnings top the charts as the benchmark for success. But, are we missing one key ingredient in defining success? The goal of your retirement program is to provide a vehicle for your employees to prepare for their retirement. To adequately accomplish that goal, the argument should be that “retirement readiness” is the most important metric to define success.

Although fees and investment performance are an important aspect, effective plan design can carry a far more significant impact on your participant savings accounts.

Participants’ savings and investment patterns are often predicated on inherent behavior driving their financial decisions. Both inertia, the tendency to do nothing, and myopia, the focus on today, determine how and when your participants save for retirement.

“An increase from 4% to 6% on a $40,000 annual salary could lend an extra $100,000 in retirement savings over 20 years.”

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has added provisions to retirement plan programs that address both inertia and myopia. Plan sponsors can utilize simple design changes, approved by the IRS, to encourage participant savings and drive better participant outcomes. These simple features are automatic enrollment and automatic escalation.

Automatic Enrollment Automatic enrollment has been gaining popularity in retirement plans over the past few years and all for good reason. Plans that utilize automatic enrollment features see on average a 40-50% improved participation over plans that use voluntary enrollment, per a recent Vanguard survey. In an automatic enrollment plan, the employer deducts the employee deferral automatically, at a rate set in the plan document, unless the employee elects otherwise.

By utilizing an automatic enrollment feature, the plan sponsor is essentially capitalizing on the participant’s inertia for the participant’s betterment.

Also, if a plan marries automatic enrollment with immediate eligibility to enter the plan, the participant does not have the opportunity to find an alternative use for what should be retirement savings. The culture of your program has now shifted to a focus on tomorrow, encouraging retirement saving. Because of the tendency to take the path of least resistance, most participants will stay enrolled, actively saving for their retirement.

photo credit: kstudio

Automatic Escalation Automatic escalation is a great addition to a plan that has already implemented the automatic enrollment features. In an automatic escalation plan, a participant’s elective deferral is automatically increased each year, generally on their anniversary or the beginning of the plan year, at a set-percentage until it reaches the cap as defined in the plan document. For example, an employee is hired and is automatically enrolled at 3% in accordance with the plan’s provision. On January 1st of each year, the employee’s deferral is increased by 1% until they reach 6%. In 4 years, the plan sponsor moved the participant’s savings from 3% to 6% with no additional effort by the employee.

Vanguard has noted in their survey that an increase from 4% to 6% on a $40,000 annual salary could lend an extra $100,000 in retirement savings over 20 years.

Both automatic enrollment and automatic escalation are simple design features that all employers, regardless of size, can implement to help their employees prepare for retirement. The fact is behavioral finance drives how participants prepare for their retirement future.

Plan sponsors, through plan design, have the ability to turn an employee’s inertia and myopia into an asset for their retirement.

By: Magen Koepp, CPA, Employee Benefit Plan Specialist, Olsen Thielen CPAs. For more information regarding retirement plans, connect with Magen at 651-621-8558 or mkoepp@otcpas.com.

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facebook.com/fargomoorhead

Conversations: In Focus

Different view points. Different solutions.

Why is it rewarding or why should others consider working for an association? How did you enter this profession?

Gerry Ford Membership Director

It is rewarding to work for an association, especially one that you personally believe in their mission. I entered association management 6 years ago, after working in corporate marketing for over 20 years. As most of that experience was in the legal technology/publishing industry, it was a logical transition to lend my knowledge to support the Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA). The MSBA strives to champion justice, equality and professionalism across Minnesota’s legal system.

Minnesota State Bar Association

Mary Detloff Executive Director MN Society of Professional Engineers

Kathy Johnson, CAE

Working for an association is rewarding in a number of ways. I like the variety in what I do day to day. We only have a staff of three, so each of us wears a significant number of hats. No day is the same. The diversity in my to-do list from day to day (and week to week) keeps me on my toes.

Like I imagine was the case with many of my colleagues, I entered the profession of association management by simply falling into it. When I was in college, I saw myself working for a public relations agency or in a PR position within corporate America. I had never considered working for an association simply because I didn’t know a thing about association careers. I am so glad I answered that newspaper ad back in 1980-something because it set me on an association management career path – and I wouldn’t change a thing.

Most people come to associations differently, and find that their skills from other careers are easily transferrable to association work. I personally came to Associations through my involvement in the hospitality and meeting planning professions, with a bachelors degree in English and Speech. Working in an association can be a meaningful, flexible, and exciting career choice for many.

President Associations North

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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 MAY

Go BIG or GO Home Annual Meeting & Expo U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis Think outside the classroom, walk the field of U.S. Bank Stadium and Go BIG at this year’s Annual Meeting & Expo.

Bring your team, tackle your biggest challenges and sign up

by May 5th to save! Scholarships still available.

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TUESDAY JUNE

THURSDAY JUNE

Golf Classic The Wilds Golf Club, Prior Lake 8:30am Shotgun Start

Kathy Johnson’s Retirement Celebration Lucky’s 13 Pub, Roseville 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm Join us in celebrating Kathy Johnson’s retirement at an open house to celebrate her dedication to the association industry the last 28 years and wish her well on her retirement journey. Appetizers provided, good-bye toast held at 4:30 pm.

Get out your golf clubs and get ready to have fun – it’s the Associations North annual Golf Classic! As always, it’s not about being a great golfer, it’s about playing a great course and making connections!

Upcoming Events June

May 3

Webinar: Board and Committee Orientation and Motivation

1

Webinar: Getting the Most Out of LinkedIn

16

Webinar: Creating Impactful Credentialing Programs

9

Young Professionals Networking Group

17

61st Annual Meeting & Expo - US Bank Stadium

13

Kathy Johnson’s Retirement Celebration

23

Membership Networking Group

14

Allied Networking Group

20

Webinar: Write Like a Rock Star

22

Golf Classic

August

July

15

11

Associations North Board Meeting

17

Communications Networking Group

13

VIP & Volunteer Appreciation Reception

22

Membership Networking Group

13

Webinar: 5 Trends Associations Can’t Ignore

25

Financial Networking Group

26

Meeting Management Networking Group

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Headshots Day

Brain Power

Professional Speaking as a Career?

Jeff Havens Hi everyone! I’m Jeff Havens. People have been making the mistake of hiring me as a keynote speaker for over a decade now, and I’m pleased to say that none of my presentations has ended in a riot. I’ve had the opportunity to speak with hundreds of different associations and companies across dozens of industries in six different countries, and I’d like to share something today that will hopefully help those of you who want to make a career as a professional speaker.

Very basically, there are two major complaints meeting planners have about the speakers they’ve hired that they wish they hadn’t hired: 1) He/she was a jerk.

2) He/she was not who I thought he/she would be.

The first one is easy to address. Be polite to the people who have hired you; they are doing you a favor, not the other way around. (If you don’t believe that, go ahead and Google the number of keynote speakers out there.

Trust me, we are all very easy to replace.)

Call or text them as soon as you land or arrive at the hotel so they don’t have to spend a semi-sleepness night wondering if you’re going to show up for your spot tomorrow. And be nice to everyone you meet, whether you’re in the mood for socializing or not.

The second one involves your marketing and branding – and basically, you just need to be honest. If you’re using 10-year old photos or crafting demo videos that make you seem like a leadership speaker when in fact you’re a motivational speaker, you might make people wonder why you didn’t give them what they hired you for.

That’s it for now. Tune in next time that Focus North is silly enough to ask me to say what I think!

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h t u l Du

With breathtaking beauty

at every turn, Duluth has a flexible selection of meeting spaces, like the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC).

Our experienced convention services team is here to assist you every step of the way.

Visit Duluth: Stacy Oltmanns | (218) 722-4011 DECC: Sue Ellen Moore | 218.623.1204

Most associations are fed up with their software.

Maybe it’s time to love yours.

er Special osffNorth

tion for Associa members!

all at Give us a c 41 800-914-24 17

Signature Event

Wednesday, May 17

U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis

7:30 am - 4:00 pm (reception following)

HIGH POWERED SPEAKERS & DYNAMIC EDUCATION All In: How Great Leaders Build a Culture of Beliefand Deliver Big Results Everybody Hates AV. There, I Said It. Now, Let’s Fix It! Make the Most of Your Member Data Open, Click, Convert: Email Marketing Best Practices for 2017 Telecommuting Teams Is It Time for a Sponsorships Makeover?

Modeling your Association’s Financial Future U.S. Bank Stadium Tour Talent Generation Fearless

See You on Twitter! #ANGoBIG “Outstanding learning and connecting experience. Well worth the time and expense.”

John Gann Midwest Energy Association

Watch a Sneak Peek of Keynote Presenter Christopher Kendrick! bit.ly/2paxyxx

Trade show with 100+ booths, new vendor showcase & experience corners!

associationsnorth.com/expo

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Golf Classic | June 22

THURSDAY, JUNE 22

THE WILDS GOLF CLUB | PRIOR LAKE associationsnorth.com/golf 19 19

Et Cetera: Association Extras

NEW MEMBERS Sara Benzkofer

MnAEYC-MnSACA

Twyla Dudley

MN Electrical Association

Nancy Hafner

MnAEYC-MnSACA

Kelleen Hanna

DoubleTree by Hilton Mpls University Area

Kate Jacobson

Kahler Hospitality Group

Nancy Kilpo

Radisson Hotel Duluth Harborview

Sue Kinneberg

MnAEYC-MnSACA

Amie Mayo

Society of Corporate Compliance & Ethics and Health Care Compliance Association

Ross Nelson

Madden’s on Gull Lake

Kathleen O’Donnell

MnAEYC-MnSACA

Sarah Olson

Consultant

Lara Richardson

MnAEYC-MnSACA

Brian Strub

MN Community Measurement

JoAnna Tacheny

Leisure Hotel & Resorts

Deborah Thayer

Assn Development Services

Kristen Wheeler Highland MnAEYC-MnSACA

Celebrating 95 Years of Focusing on Our Clients and Our Community.

To learn more, call 651.483.4521 or visit us on the web at otcpas.com.

FREEBIE DAY WAS A HIT Thank you to over 140 members who participated in Freebie Day on April 7th. Members tok advantage of this opportunity by selecting one freebie from a variety of items including: Chipotle, Punch Pizza, Dave & Buster’s, Treasure Island waterpark passes, $10 off Associations North education and more. Enjoy your complimentary freebie’s and thank you for being a member!

2017-2018 RENEWALS We’re ready and looking forward to bringing you innovative education, resources to help your association thrive and grow as well as enhanced membership offerings. Watch for your 2017-2018 renewal to hit your email. Feel free to process online or mail payment. If you have any questions our would like to know how to get your entire staff involved, email chris@associationsnorth.com or call 651-647-6388.

PRE-ORDER 2017 COMPENSATION & BENEFITS STUDY The 2017 Compensation & Benefits Study is set to be released in late May -- pre-order your copy and be the first to have access to data and trends from over 85 Midwest associations and over 1,100 organizations nationally.

To pre-order the 2017 Compensation & Benefits Study, visit: associationsnorth.com/salary.

20

Spotlight: Member In Motion

Get to know industry movers and shakers.

Adam Birr Executive Director MN Corn Growers Association

What’s your favorite type of cuisine?

Anything involving seafood.

One store I’d like to max out a credit card is...

Brooks Brothers.

My personality in one word: My dream car is a...

Determined.

Porsche 911 GTS

I recharge by...

Putting thousands of miles on my bicycle.

Windows or MAC? As a kid, I was...

Windows because that’s what I’ve used for as long as I can remember.

Awkward.

What keeps you awake at night?

Stones left unturned.

Live by the ocean, mountains or in the woods?

Mountains because I like to spend my free time riding bicycles up and down them.

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My motto is...

Never give up.

One short term goal of mine...

Successful execution of our strategic plan.

Technology that connects.

Learn more at YourMembership.com

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