FOCUS NORTH November/December 2020
Transforming Member Relationships Minnesota Milk Producers Association Adapted its Member Services in Response to the Pandemic PG 5
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www.associationsnorth.com
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Focus North is published 6 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
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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
CONTENTS
Sarah Ruzek, Co-Director VP of Finance & Education Chris Villeneuve Part-Time Accounting + Database Manager
Member 5 Transforming Relationships
Mission
Leaders: 7 Advancing Fuel For ForwardThinking
Minnesota Milk Producers Association Adapted its Member Services in Response to the Pandemic
To advance and serve the association management profession in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.
Vision
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Associations North, our members and their associations will thrive and grow.
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.
Up is Not the Only Way When Mapping Your Career Path
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Moving Forward Together
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What’s CO-ing On?
18 Conversations 19 Calendar of Events 20 Brain Power 24 Et Cetera
Advancing Engagement + Recruitment: Moving Membership
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Advancing Meetings + Events: In The Details
25 Spotlight: Member in Motion
The Art + Science of Strategic Association Leadership
Finding Value
16 Advancing 15 Advancing Communications: The Essentials: 11 Advancing Diversity & Inclusion: Stay Connected Invaluable Insights Journey Forward
Normal is Over(rated) For Now
Voices Carry: The Power of Allies and Inclusion in the Workplace
Into the Unknown – Scenario Planning for 2021 and Beyond
Board of Directors One skill you’d like to learn or wish you had… Robbie Thompson (2020 Chair) Professional Liability Underwriting Society Mark Salter, CAE, ABC (Past - Chair) CFA Society Minnesota David Siegel, CAE, IOM (Chair - Elect) Builders Association of the Twin Cities Clara Albert, CAE (Secretary / Treasurer) MN Electrical Association Sarah Ruzek Associations North
Conducting historical research Play the guitar
Play guitar respectably
Sing
Photographer extraordinaire
Angela Kisskeys Associations North
Justin Bieganek Mercury Creative Group
Mary Detloff, CAE Crescendo Consulting Solutions, LLC
Janel Fick Global Management Partners LLC
Amanda Friedrich, CMP Visit Saint Paul
Photographic memory
Hang gliding
Maria Huntley, CAE, MANM Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians Karla Keller Torp Minnesota Shopping Center Association
Play golf
Christi Kokaisel, CAE, MBA American Academy of Neurology
I wish I could follow directions... sometimes Fluent in multiple languages
Speak a foreign language (or two)
Better photographer
Better at remembering people’s names
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Moving Forward Together: Associations North Partners
YEAR LONG SPONSOR: Fargo-Moorhead CVB
Why we partner with Associations North he fantastic thing about representing Fargo-Moorhead is the opportunity to attract North Dakota and Minnesota business to our border. Our membership with Associations North helps us connect and build relationships with planners in from across the region.
How we can help associations As we close the book on 2020 we may be weary, but we’re eager to begin a new year! So when you’re ready to start planning, let our sales team of destination experts guide your decisions toward the best fit for you and your attendees. Fargo has all the open space and amenities to help you plan a safe and “North of Normal” event.
Spreading Cheeer! View a special message from our Year Long Sponsors + Partners: youtu.be/doV4EQG-OTU
PREMIER PARTNERS
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Fargo-Moorhead CVB | Kahler Hospitality Group | St. James Hotel | Visit Duluth
What’s CO-ing On?
Let’s Raise a Glass To celebrate all we’ve accomplished this year! We were thrust into a new world of operating, educating and serving -- and together, through perseverance and resiliency, grew stronger. We’ve learned to engage and provide value in new and meaningful ways that will serve us well into the future. Thank you for participating, navigating change with us and being a loyal, caring and supportive member. Like many of you, we had a clear plan for 2020 (ours revolved around creating engagement) and that plan was disrupted. While our path to accomplish this goal looked much different, we engaged members more than ever before. 2020 amplified Associations North’s purpose and commitment to listen, create opportunities for connection and paint a future that’s possible. Here are a few highlights: • Staff connected with over 200 members to listen, offer support, share industry insight and be a resource. • Went all-in on virtual and reconfigured offerings to provide relevant content and peer-to-peer sharing on a consistent and as-needed basis. • Developed CEOSync, the ultimate collaboration of elite leaders invested in each other’s success, which will launch in 2021. • Responded with timely communications, samples and resources on COVID-19 and Recovery Resources.
To our hospitality friends, supporters and meeting facilities… we are here for you. Now is the time to continue supporting, promoting and helping you as you have always done for the association community. We encourage everyone to talk with your sales representatives and prepare for the return of safe in-person meetings. The hospitality community will be ready when you are. You continue to inspire us, and we look forward to seeing you in the new year. As we take time to rest and recharge, we hope you do too. You deserve it! May you find joy in the remainder of the year and know we will be raising our glasses to you -- Cheers!
Co-Directors, Associations North
Alongside you, we learned the importance of: • Innovating: Embracing the terms test, pilot, create and try. • Creating: Faster than ever before to build content around the needs of members right now and new innovations to meet the needs of the industry. • Adapting: Learning, unlearning and re-learning. As this proves, this isn’t an easy feat and takes time, energy and resources. • Serving: As a model, a welcoming community and embracing diversity and inclusion in all that we do. In reflecting, we are eternally grateful for you and your resilient spirits. The association community creates a better world by supporting others through hard times and we thank you for your caring attitude. We commend you for creating new and meaningful ways to stay connected in a world so commonly known for in-person tradeshows, conferences and events. You have learned Zoom, worked remotely, and accomplished things you said you never would. We are so proud of you all!
Thank you members + frie
nds, we look forward to
seeing you in 2021!
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Transforming Member Relationships Minnesota Milk Producers Association Adapted its Member Services in Response to the Pandemic In the face of adversity, associations adapt and evolve to meet the changing needs of their members. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, stories of resilience have emerged from associations who have successfully turned difficult challenges into benefits for their respective industries and beyond. Minnesota Milk Producers Association is one such organization. MMPA was able to see a silver lining in the struggles brought on by the pandemic and translate it into tangible value for its members.
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“When the pandemic hit in the spring, our industry was at a crisis point,” explained MMPA Executive Director Lucas Sjostrom. “But as we worked our way through it, we discovered that being flexible was actually beneficial for our members and our staff.” As a trade association representing approximately 700 dairy farmers around Minnesota, or about a third of the dairy farms in the state, MMPA focuses on policy, regulatory, and management issues at the state and sometimes national levels, in addition to offering educational opportunities for its farmer members. While they serve all types of dairy farmers around Minnesota, they have a particular fondness for helping young and beginning farmers get their operations started on a solid foundation. As closures rippled through the state at the beginning of the pandemic, including shutdowns of schools and restaurants that are traditionally large customers of milk products, misinformation was spreading rampant and creating anxiety and uncertainly for dairy farmers. MMPA acted quickly to communicate facts that would quell rumors and raise support with state legislators. “Through a combination of virtual tools, we held up to three meetings a week for our dairy farmer members to help share information on policy from industry officials and offer reassurance as the pandemic unfolded,” Sjostrom said. As spring turned to summer, MMPA ramped up its remote offerings to connect with more members. Taking advantage of the warm weather, they changed their traditional meeting format to golf outings and held board meetings outdoors in parks. The change was a win-win for everyone: it required less MMPA staff time to plan and resulted in more quality time to talk with dairy farmer members and associate members. It also resulted in more successful fundraising opportunities for MMPA’s scholarship program. MMPA’s held its first virtual annual meeting in December, and member engagement has already surpassed what it has been in the past. The association began accepting mail-in ballots for board elections for the first time, and MMPA reported that it had four times the participation as previous years.
“Minnesota Milk Producers Association was able to see a silver lining in the struggles brought on by the pandemic and translate it into tangible value for its members.” Meeting virtually has also been more efficient for the dairy farmers, who are geographically spread out around the state and can sometimes find it difficult to leave their farms when they have cows that need to be cared for every day. For MMPA staff, half of whom were already working remotely, it was business as usual. “For many of our meetings, we found that between 7-9 pm was the best time for the farmers and staff instead of the more typical 10 am or 2-3 pm,” said Sjostrom. “For purposes of farm safety and agronomic reasons, daylight is valuable to farmers, so hosting virtual meetings after the sun goes down was a better use of everyone’s time.” Another unexpected benefit that MMPA has discovered during the COVID-19 pandemic is increased attention to one of their top policy issues: access to broadband internet in rural areas. Although it’s an issue that has been in the association’s top five list for several years, the exploding number of residents in rural areas needing access to broadband for work, school, and other purposes has brought it to the forefront. MMPA has been working to bring more awareness to the issue in the state legislature, and through its partnership with the American Connection Project Broadband Coalition, there is a push for national legislation to bring broadband to the last mile. In the face of adversity and uncertainty, MMPA’s dairy farmer members know they can count on their association to provide a stable foundation to help them weather any storm and come out stronger than before. It’s an investment to create a more stable, prosperous future. To learn more about MMPA, visit www.mnmilk.org.
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Advancing Leaders: Fuel for Forward-Thinking this with strong execution and your career will be on the fast track.
Up is Not the Only Way When Mapping Your Career Path Regina Barr, Speaker/Coach
The world of work has dramatically changed for most of us as a result of the Coronavirus. We are all experiencing changes in how we work. How you perceive those changes depends on your personal circumstances. Don’t mind working from home and connecting via Zoom? Great. Trying to home school your kids while working full time? Not so great. Plus, with so many out of work, the career horizon doesn’t quite look the same, does it? If you are feeling like your career has suddenly stalled, or worse, gone backwards, you are not alone. Working from home, masking and social distancing and the cancellation of training and networking events have created an unusual business environment wreaking havoc with just about everyone’s career plans, right? Not so fast.
“Get comfortable with ongoing change. This means not only embracing change but also seeking it out in the form of new and challenging work experiences.” When I first entered the workforce, the path for moving forward and advancing my career was steep and hierarchical.
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In some ways, it reminded me of the steps required to ascend the temples in Chichen Itza, Mexico. If you have ever climbed the pyramid at Chichen Itza, you know that it’s not too bad at the lower levels, but gets more challenging the higher you go. And as you might expect, it was pretty lonely at the top. Today, the organizational realm in which we work has been dramatically altered, perhaps permanently. Once again, many organizations are downsizing as they try to recover from an economy devastated by shelter in place or shutdown orders. Organizations are flatter, and will likely have fewer middle management positions as we move forward. Those that do hold those positions will likely have broader spans of control with more responsibility. Downsizing or “rightsizing” has become an accepted business practice in most companies. We have come to know that we all have limited – if any – job security. What exactly does all this mean? You can no longer count on anyone but yourself when it comes to mapping out a career path. The days of a steady climb to the top are all but gone. However, for those who are willing to re-evaluate, take initiative, and make some changes, now is a great opportunity to advance your career. Be a change agent. Get comfortable with handling ongoing change. This means not only embracing change but also seeking it out in the form of new and challenging work experiences. Combine
Be willing to move around. Move around willingly and proactively. That means up, down, and sideways within your company, and outside of your company when necessary. In addition, be willing to handle ‘thankless’ jobs, those that no one else wants to do. The goal? Gain new skills and garner favorable visibility within your company.
“The key is to recognize that in the post-Covid19 career economy we are all free agents. This means that the new job security resides in you, not your position or your company.” Focus on results. Downsizing and delayering have reduced promotion prospects. With remote working the new norm, place an emphasis on team work and focus on getting results rather than just climbing the corporate ladder. Take on P&L (profit & loss) responsibility for a product line or department whenever possible. There are still plenty of opportunities for those that want to move ahead in the work world and ascend the corporate ladder. It may require that you change your perspective and develop a new vocabulary. The key is to recognize that in the post-Covid19 career economy we are all free agents. This means that the new job security resides in you, not your position or your company. Follow these helpful tips and you can expect new avenues to open up for you. And remember, in the new world of work, up is NOT the only way!
Advancing Engagement + Recruitment: Moving Membership
Finding Value Sarah Sladek, XYZ University
What is valued and valuable in a time of pandemic? What will be valued and valuable after the pandemic? These are the questions top of mind for association executives everywhere. In a volatile environment of rapid technological, environmental, and societal changes like this one, associations are contemplating the concept of change, and how to stay relevant and valuable in the midst of it. Values drive outcomes. They are critical to every organization’s success, but there are many misguided strategies and myths on the subject matter. To avoid being misinformed or misguided, it’s important association leaders clearly understand what drives value, and what doesn’t. What Values Are Simply stated, people who share similar values and beliefs get along better and will stay engaged longer. This is why organizations put considerable effort into determining core values for their teams and meaningful value propositions for their members. The more transparent an association is about its values and vision, the more likely it is the association will attract loyal members who buy into the mission, and loyal employees who support the mission. However, your association’s success requires more than facts and elaborate messaging. There’s also biology to consider. When we make decisions on what to buy and from whom, we like to think that we’re basing those decisions on facts and data, but we’re more often making decisions based on our emotions, which are directly tied to our values. As a result, our values influence our decisions and behaviors, including where we work, what products we buy, and with whom we choose to spend our time. When your association can pinpoint what large percentages of members value, it will better understand what switches on the decision to join, buy, or participate. What Values Are Not There are some businesses out there calling for an end to generational research, shifting instead to focus on values assessments. But to me, these are one in the same. Generational research definitely has merit because it provides insight into the full range of your audience’s behaviors,
experiences, perceptions, needs, and values – as well as trends within each of these categories. If you are always looking at data as a whole, you are likely missing gaps assessments and predictive analysis. After all, experienced executives will likely have very different interests, needs, and values than entry-level professionals. To be fair, everyone is fascinated by self-reflection and insight into what makes us tick as individuals. We love to take the Strengths Finder test and quizzes to learn our love language, money-making personality, or Harry Potter house. We enjoy learning about ourselves and comparing and contrasting that information with others. It’s fun and interesting – kind of like opening a fortune cookie. But this has nothing to do with values! I feel I need to set the record straight and also issue up a ‘buyer beware’ notice to anyone who is thinking about investing into these ridiculous premises and promises. Values Development Values are the basic and fundamental beliefs that guide our behaviors and motivate our actions. Values are based on what an individual considers good, desirable, and worthwhile. Think about the experience we’re all having right now. Nobody is immune to the stress that comes with a pandemic and related quarantining. Children, however, are at particular risk. They are experiencing childhood in a universe that has spun completely out of their control. There are new daily rituals and new fears, combined with isolation and time away from school and friends. This shared global experience will undoubtedly influence the values for health and safety among children, and they will place prominence on those values for the rest of their lives. Taking the time to understand what your audience wants, needs, and expects now, as well as where the market is headed in the next several years from now, is key to your association’s long-term success. Taking the time to understand what your entire audience wants, needs, and expects, and not just the largest percentage, is equally important. The best rule of thumb is to stay true to your values, and make sure the people and companies you choose to work with can represent those values themselves.
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WISHING YOU LOVE, HEALTH, AND EVEN A LITTLE FUN AS WE LOOK FORWARDS TO THE FUTURE WITH HOPE. 9
Advancing Meetings + Events: In The Details
The Art And Science Of Strategic Association Leadership Jeff Hurt, Empowered Epiphanies
Regardless of your association position, your organization wants, and needs, for you to be a strategic leader. Strategic leadership is about effectively executing short-term responsibilities while shaping the future. The Art of Strategic Leadership authors Steven Stowell and Stephanie Mead say strategic leadership encompasses two things: • Fulfilling your regular leadership responsibilities in a proactive, forwardthinking way. • Incorporating a specific set of futurefocused traits into your leadership style. The Science Of Strategic Leadership Thanks to cognitive neuroscientists like University of Texas-Dallas Center for BrainHealth founder and CEO, Dr. Sandra Bond Chapman, we now have more than 30 years of scientific discoveries regarding strategic mindsets. Their findings can help you, your team, and your volunteer leaders increase their strategic thinking. Here are a few truths Chapman has discovered: • The comfort of status quo is causing mental toxicity thus impacting our executive functions of higher level thinking skills like judgment, evaluation, analysis and decision making. • Our love affair of repeating the past causes a decline in our brain health resulting in less effective problem solving, less productivity and less profitability. • When we focus only on tactics, details, and logistics, we damage both our strategic thinking and our execution of the details. This results in average status quo commoditized sameness.
• When we focus on strategy first, we improve both our strategic thinking and our logistics. We increase our blood flow and oxygen to the brain thus increasing our ability to work with abstract, big ideas and the detailed steps needed for success. Those are some strong words for association leaders. Our love affair of doing the same thing, the same way, repeating the past, and maintaining the status quo is causing decline in brain health that can lead to early dementia and Alzheimer’s. Thus a decline in our leaders’ brain health results in a decline our organization’s strategic thinking, effectiveness, planning, productivity, value and revenue. Assessing Strategic Leadership Readiness To determine if your leaders’ brainpower is where it needs to be, ask these four questions: 1. Can our leadership identify changes in the next one to two years that will affect the association and its stakeholders? 2. Are our leaders flexible thinkers (i.e., comfortable departing from traditional modes of thoughts—from the known to the unknown)? 3. Are they able to focus on opportunities of disruption and change? 4. Can they weigh the risks and benefits of major, big-picture association decisions? If you answered no, to any of these, than it is time for you and your leadership to get a strategic frontal lobe capacity tune-up.
Three Steps To Develop Strategic Leadership Dr. Chapman’s research has identified our need to focus on strategy and become better strategic thinkers. Here are three things she recommends to practice strategic thinking: 1. Brainpower of Zoom In. Zoom In requires attending to the situation, facts, and content that matter. It uses strategic attention skills to filter out unnecessary details that distract. It identifies information and patterns that solve your target customers’ problems. It emphasizes that the whole is more important than the sum of the parts. 2. Brainpower of Zoom Out. What do you remember from the last keynote speaker you heard? Most of the time we remember funny oneliners, embarrassing moments, or life stories. Rarely do we appreciate the big-picture, meaningful message that was convened. Zoom Out means to see the broader perspective and appreciate the big picture. We mentally lift off to a helicopter view, assessing data and various views from above. We then consolidate this information into major themes, core concepts, and overarching principles. Zoom Out helps avoid silos of isolated, static thinking. It’s basically a quick abstracted idea similar to a gut instinct. 3. Brainpower of Zoom Deep and Wide. Deep and Wide uses the cognitive strategy of incorporating major principles and generalized lessons learned into broader applications. We extract and alter broad principles from complex input. We synthesize topics for stakeholder discussions, programming, and learning. Zoom Deep and Wide embraces entrepreneurial, agile-thinking practices. It identifies and discontinues outdated old principals, procedures, and process that stifle growth. We then create broader and new ways of thinking, behaving, and acting.
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Advancing Diversity & Inclusion: Journey Forward
Voices Carry: The Power of Allies and Inclusion in the Workplace Bernadette Smith, The Equality Institute + Naylor Association Advisor
“Diversity” and “allyship” are two buzzwords dominating the American conversation right now, but why are these concepts important? Bernadette Smith of The Equality Institute explains: Diversity drives innovation. Acceptance and defense of diversity, or allyship, lets people be their authentic selves. When people feel safe to share their brilliant, different ideas, an organization can bloom. In addition, according to Harvard Business Review, diverse companies earn 19% more revenue. So there is an economic incentive to foster diversity and inclusion in the workplace as well. Unconscious bias But unconscious bias clouds our ability to be an ally. All of us have unconscious biases. Unconscious bias hinders how we give out promotions, and how we treat clients and customers. We uncover our biases only when confronted with ideas or people who challenge them. Knowing and combating our biases helps us understand others better and become their ally. Which means it’s unproductive to have a network that looks like us. Having a more diverse personal and professional network helps us better communicate with everyone. What does your network look like? Workplace inclusion matters, but about 61% of employees don’t show up authentically. They could be hiding any number of aspects of their life: who they love, what they enjoy doing outside of work, or struggles they’re experiencing, for example. And when authenticity is missing, employees won’t generate the interpersonal trust that is needed to let an inclusive environment take root and nurture more diverse ideas. So, psychological safety matters as much as inclusion efforts matter. How to foster a diverse, inclusive workplace What can you do to foster a safe, inclusive workplace? Be a visible ally. Call out microaggressions. Ask open-ended questions. Check in with people. These are hard times – someone may be struggling and you don’t know it. Take responsibility of your privilege and how you can use it to help others. Everyone has some kind of privilege. Even if you don’t feel you have much privilege, there are
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small things you can do to respect others and earn their trust: • Use their names, and learn how unusual names are pronounced. • Be an active listener. • Make eye contact. • Send personal emails. We cannot be an ally when we make assumptions about someone’s intentions or actions. Overcome the tendency to assume by asking better questions. Smith recommends following the ARC model of conversing with someone: 1. Ask, from a place of curiosity, not confrontation or judgement. “Can you tell me more about…?” “Do you mind if we…?” “How would you feel about…?” 2. Respect: Actively listen. Don’t interrupt. Don’t dismiss. Don’t form your response while they talk. 3. Connect: Paraphrase what they’ve said and validate: “Just so I’m clear…?” Then, move on in your conversation. We’ve all heard of the Golden Rule – treat others the way you want to be treated – but Smith asks that we start following the Platinum Rule – treat others as they want to be treated. Look for opportunities to address systemic issues within your organization. In practice, this could look like something as simple as putting pronouns in your email signature or LinkedIn profile to let others know how you want to be called, and what to call others. Share the best ideas from your team to leaders so they can see the value of your team. Give credit where it’s due. Be flexible with different work styles – especially now, as more people work from home and balance family and professional responsibilities. When it’s hard – and it will get hard – go back to your why. What the purpose of your org, and how are you serving that purpose? Who has been an ally to you in the workplace? How can you pay it forward? We all have advantages, and we all have the ability to help others feel more authentic in the workplace.
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The Benefits of Cyber Liability Insurance
When cyber attacks like data breaches and hacks occur, they can result in devastating damage. Businesses have to deal with business disruptions, lost revenue and litigation. It is important to remember that no organization is immune to the impact of cyber crime. As a result, cyber liability insurance has become an essential component to any risk management program. Cyber liability insurance policies are tailored to meet your company’s specific needs and can offer a number of important benefits, including the following: Data breach coverage. In the event of a breach organizations are required by law to notify affected parties. This can add to overall data breach costs, particularly as they relate to security fixes. Identity theft protection for those impacted by the breach and protection from possible legal action. Cyber liability policies include coverage for these exposures, thus safeguarding your data from cyber criminals. Business interruption loss reimbursement. A cyber attack can lead to an IT failure that disrupts business operations, costing your organization both time and money. Cyber liability policies may cover your loss of income during these interruptions. What’s more increased costs to your business operations in the aftermath of a cyber attack may also be covered. Cyber extortion defense. Ransomware and similar malicious software are designed to steal and withhold key data from organizations until a steep fee is paid. As these types of attacks increase in frequency and severity, it’s critical that organizations seek cyber liability insurance, which can help recoup loses related to cyber extortion. 13
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Advancing Communications: Stay Connected
Normal is Over(rated) - For Now Joy S. Davis, CAE, American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists >> Search NORMAL on associationsnorth.com for full article.
In every video call at some point someone gives a sad look and offers some variation of, “I wish we could be together.” I have banned the phrase “return to normal,” because right now is normal. Change is normal. Perhaps our current rate of acceleration is not – but change itself is normal. Today it’s normal that I don’t eat in restaurants or fly, and at some point it will be normal that I do those things again.
how much simpler it was when we had the comfort of easy foresight and the ease of having done everything before. All our tools – our spreadsheets of past registration numbers; our well-tested, reliable membership renewal mailings; our annual crowding of the exhibit hall without a care in the world – were easier than now. But now is what we can affect. And we have always placed bets. We just called it forecasting.
We association people are talking like “normal” is a perfect, balanced state to which we will inevitably return. It’s what we know and it’s comfortingly familiar, so we have begun to fetishize it. We fantasize about crowded exhibit halls, packed hotels, and chummy, in-person board meetings. I need to operate now and look forward, not try to claw may way back to “normal.” The “normal” we know is history.
We never lost sight of the fact that our mission is not to have an in-person meeting – it is to bring scientists together. That’s our actual job, and we’re doing it. I’m proud of my team, which did not lose sight of that while baking bread, protesting social injustice, and teaching the new math at their dining room tables. We are doing something important for the scientific community. That’s what we can control, and we’re taking full advantage of it.
Good Business Strategy Looks Forward Going backward has never, ever been a good business strategy. I am increasingly disturbed by association leaders who, many months into this pandemic, are talking about “a return to normal” as if it was just around the corner – as if this were just a bizarre interruption in our regularly scheduled programming. You cannot find your way forward if you are constantly looking backward. Or waiting for things to go back to normal. Or trying to recreate your favorite memory, which some of us appear to have labeled “normal,” bedazzled for extra zing, and placed in a jar so that we can stare at it longingly. I’m not sure my association will hold a big, in-person meeting in 2021. A few of the largest partners in my space are beginning to whisper to us they won’t have people on the road again until 2022, and I believe them. My association may be doing all-virtual meetings for another year. Or more. Or something else altogether. So, we’re placing our bets, just like we always do. We are making educated guesses, based on the cards we can see, about what’s next in the 2020 deck.
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Placing Bets About the Future I think that in these exhausting days, drenched in uncertainty and drowning in self-doubt, we’re longing for
The Rise of Apology Meetings I quickly became frustrated by what I have come to think of as the rise of the 2020 Apology Meetings. The underlying message of these meetings is that “in these unprecedented times,” (another phrase I have banned) “this is the best we can do. Please register out of a sense of duty.” As leaders we are complicit in diminishing our purpose, vision, and accomplishments when we think this way. Worse: we let it drip into our marketing and our board meetings, and from there into our members. We are telling our people that no matter what they do, it will never be as good as what we did before, and we cannot wait to get back to doing things that way, without even trying what we could be doing now. You shouldn’t go back to doing things the way you did them before. If you do that, then you didn’t learn anything. Now is always happening, and the future is the only thing you can change. Stop talking about normal and getting back to it. Start talking about where you’re going and what you’re doing, even though it’s harder, and the numbers are less impressive than before, and we’re not sure when we’re going to reopen the office. Give up on the “return to normal” and be what you can be today and be incredibly proud of that. Understand and create what a good normal is for you and your organization right now. It’s all going to change again anyway, you know. It always does. That will always be normal.
Advancing The Essentials: Invaluable Insights
Into the Unknown – Scenario Planning for 2021 and Beyond Author: Kelsey Vatsaas, CPA, MBA, Nonprofit Outsourced Accounting Leader, CLA
Think back to a year ago as your association was putting the finishing touches on your annual budget for 2020. While you may have been innovating, changing, and trying new things, you probably had a pretty good handle on what your financials would look like for the year. Right? And then *2020* happened and that plan flew out the window. Not only have the multiple pandemics made planning for this year tricky, the situation has forced all of us to throw our traditional approach to planning and budgeting out the window. Most of us have quickly adopted a “scenario planning” mindset and approach. This means more backup plans. More budgets. More forecasts. More contingencies. And lots more time, effort, and required collaboration by our teams. As a “glass half full” kind of person, I actually appreciate how this year has forced us all to think differently about our associations’ financial futures. When I hear staff at my association clients saying things like, “regardless of revenues, we need to be sure to maintain the net margin of this program” my little finance heart skips a beat. Because we ALL now need to be thinking about our financial models differently. And 2020 may be just the thing to make that happen. How to Identify Scenarios Before you dig into the nitty gritty of building out a series of budgets, talk with your leadership to identify a few of the most likely scenarios your organization will face.
Consider things like: • How might the state of the economy impact member acquisition and retention? • Will we need to cancel or transition some of our events from in-person to virtual? • What is the relationship between membership and event registration? • What opportunities do we have to grow engagement and revenues in other areas using virtual platforms? • How will sponsors react in this environment? What impact might accounting standards for recognizing sponsor revenue have on our financials? Once you have gone on this fun mental roller coaster, try to settle on 3-5 scenarios for the year that you believe to be most likely. A few ways you might define scenarios include: • Likelihood: Develop a best case, worst case, and most likely case scenario • Virtual timeline: If much of your programming is driven by in-person events, build out scenarios around what portion of the year will be online-only • Strategy: Define a few different specific strategies you might pursue in the year and build a scenario around each Building Scenario-Based Budgets While the accountants in the crowd, like me, might find budgeting to be an enjoyable exercise, we know that most of our colleagues don’t love spending time wading through detailed spreadsheets. And now we are asking the team to build not one, but many budgets.
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“Try to settle on 3-5 scenarios for the year that you believe to be most likely.”
Consider a few ideas to make it more practical for your team: • “Roll up” your budget line items into major categories and only budget at that level. • Automate what you can in your templates so it is easier to ratchet up or down assumptions and have the financial impact flow through. • Provide historical references points – where they are relevant. The past five years of actuals may be meaningless when planning for 2021, but information from the past 8 months may be of more value. By the time this article is published, many of you will have already finalized your next budgets. But in 2021, forecasting will be the name of the game. Keep these tips handy, as you will likely be frequently amending your plans, and you may just want to scenario plan your way throughout the full year. That means it is budget season – my favorite season – all year long!
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A s s o c ia t io n s N o r t h is p ro u d to p re s e n t
CEOSYNC The Ultimate Collaboration of Elite Leaders
Associations North CEOSync is the ultimate collaboration of elite leaders invested in each other's success. CEOSync is the platform for focused confidential conversations on key leadership topics, shared resources to give your organization a competitive edge and real-world answers and solutions brought to you by top executives and diverse perspectives. By combining professional facilitation, peer-to-peer sharing and innovative thinking, CEOSync will both challenge and transform you as a leader. Now accepting 2021 enrollment.
Customize your CEOSync experience at:
associationsnorth.com/ceosync
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Conversations: In Focus | Different view points. Different solutions.
What is one personal and/or professional goal for 2021?
Nicki Vincent, CAE Executive Director ACG Minnesota
I will take the lessons learned in 2020 to utilize strategies in 2021 that deliver the best results for my members, stakeholders and staff. My focus will be on realistic goals, thoughtful execution, and expanded teamwork to create positive forward momentum.
Kathy Messerli Executive Director Minnesota HomeCare Association
Professional Goal for 2021: Help lead our chapter back into the “new normal” in 2021. Grow membership by 5%, improve engagement, and move financials back closer to break-even.
Goal setting can be overwhelming. Pre-COVID we ran around like crazy. The silver lining for me has been the opportunity to slow down. I plan to go back to basics and slow down for 2021. Less is more. I will continue to do the things I do and refine them to the best they can be. My goals for 2021 are to find more opportunities for public speaking and secure a board position on a privately held company.
Tom Getzke Executive Director Minnesota Builders Exchange
I’m looking forward to growing professionally with my staff as we use True Colors and BlueEQ assessments. So far, we are loving it!
Randy Christoffersen Executive Director ISM Twin Cities
Personal Goal for 2021: Slow down a bit in 2021. Take more time to network with and mentor others.
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Calendar Of Events: Mark It + Make It For more details and to register, visit: www.associationsnorth.com/calendar
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WEDNESDAY JANUARY
Webinar: Ally or Adversary? The Three Secrets to Cultivating Winning Relationships At Your Desk 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
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You cannot be successful in business, or in life, unless you are successful in cultivating winning relationships. This interactive session focuses on the ‘how’ of successful organizations, clarifying the rules of engagement across teams. In teams where toxic behaviors are ignored, invariably inefficiencies abound, productivity and customer satisfaction go down and costs go up.
Upcoming Events
STAY TUNED! Associations North is excited to continue delivering high quality, valuable and engaging professional development opportunities in 2021. We are currently listening, adapting and developing strategies to meet our members changing needs. associationsnorth.com/calendar
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THURSDAY JANUARY
CAE Informational Meeting At Your Desk 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Learn more about earning your CAE (certified association executive) designation, exam, deadlines, study tips and organizing a study group. Recent CAE’s will be invited to attend and share their experience, study tips and answer your questions.
BRAIN POWER Conducting Virtual Board Orientation By: Bob Harris, CAE, Nonprofit Center Rather than postponing orientation, do it online with an emphasis on these areas. Entire Board – A frequent question about orientation is whether to include only new directors or the entire board. The answer is the full board. If there is resistance because they’ve already had the training, position it as “refresh and blend.” This is the time to make everyone feel confident and comfortable in their duties. Governing Documents – Distribute the governing documents in a notebook, memory stick or through internet access such as Dropbox. Be certain to note in the minutes that all directors received the documents. The doctrine of volunteer immunity is based upon directors working within the governing documents. Program of Work – The budget, financials and strategic plan are ever dynamic. Report on their status and progress. Fiduciary Duties – Often directors say they know their fiduciary duty is to raise money. Clarify that a fiduciary represents the interests of members through the duties of care, loyalty, and obedience. Conflicts of Interest - The IRS queries exempt organizations if a policy exists on disclosing conflicts of interest. Use orientation to discuss conflicts and the process for disclosure.
Protections – Describe the protections afforded the board. These usually include: 1) directors’ and officers’ insurance, 2) indemnification, 3) corporate veil, and 4) volunteer immunity. Risk Management – A role of the board is risk awareness and avoidance. Share examples of how to avoid risks related to serving alcohol, finances, copyright laws, and antitrust violations. Meetings – Discuss the year’s calendar and meetings. Explain processes that make for more effective board meetings, whether on-line or in person. Familiarization – Orientation is like a tour. Introduce directors to the organization’s structure, milestones, achievements, and mission. Financial Acumen – Explain the process associated with budgeting and financial reports. Ensure understanding about IRS Form 990 and requests for public records. Orientation should be a high-impact 1 to 3 hour session led by an executive or consultant who can communicate the importance of good governance.
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Amid uncertainty, we’ll point you in the
RIGHT DIRECTION.
MinneapolisNorthwest.com 21
Even though we aren’t able to meet in person, we brought a fun and joyful experience, virtually. Attendees found joy with Keynote Speaker Amanda Gore, were entertained by emcee, Devin Henderson, celebrated with 2020 Associations North Diversity + Inclusion Leadership Program (ANDI) graduates, spread joy announcing 2020 Outstanding Volunteer Award winners, bid on fabulous online auction items, experienced the shortest annual meeting (yet) and heard highlights from this year as well as a got a sneak peek into 2021. Whew! That was fun. Joy was shared and felt by all! Thank you!
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COVID-19 signage & PPE
Keep 6ft Minimum Between yourself & others Together we can stop the spread of Covid-19.
OPEN
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CURBSIDE PICKUP
MODIFIED HOURS MONDAY-FRIDAY 10AM - 5PM OPEN FOR AT RISK CUSTOMERS MONDAY-FRIDAY 9AM-10AM
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55 East 5th Street, Suite 201 D | Saint Paul, MN 55101 allegrastp.com | 651.222.8004 | image360stp.com 23
Et Cetera: Association Extras
WELCOME, NEW MEMBERS! Linda Ball
Cragun’s Resort and Hotel
Lenette Bender
NACM North Central/UPPO
Sue Dooher
Minneapolis Area REALTORS®
Marti Edwards
Minneapolis Area REALTORS®
Stephanie Gandy
Management HQ
Susan Geller
Minneapolis Area REALTORS®
Johnetta Henry
Minneapolis Area REALTORS®
Erik Johnson
MEA Energy Association
Penny Junget
Minneapolis Area REALTORS®
Anne Kehtel
Minneapolis Area REALTORS®
Telly Mamayek
Minneapolis Area REALTORS®
Mark McDonald
Minneapolis Area REALTORS®
Mark Merrell
NACM North Central
Kevin Myren
American Academy of Neurology
Brian Sather
Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center
Jeff Sauer
Timberlake Lodge, Event Center & Grand Splash
Christi Seelen
Minneapolis Area REALTORS®
Troy Siegert
Minneapolis Area REALTORS®
Amanda Smith
American Academy of Neurology
Clayton Stansberry
American Academy of Neurology
Ashley Traxler
American Academy of Neurology
Amanda Tukums
American Academy of Neurology
Nick VanBuren
Emery Hotel
Dawn Walz
DoubleTree by Hilton Bloomington-Minneapolis South
Terra Wiens
American Academy of Neurology
Hiyana Yang
American Academy of Neurology
Congrats, Chris! A big congratulations to Associations North very own Chris Villeneuve on her recent retirement! We are thankful for her warm spirit, customer service and contributions she made during her 5 years of service. We wish Chris the best in this next stage of life and hope for joy, happiness and lots of adventures. Cheers to you Chris, and thank you!
Mindful Strategies + Work Readiness Resources WE’VE DONE THE WORK FOR YOU. Visit Recovery Resources to view a collection of recommended readings, top downloads, featured videos and podcasts on topics including: Leadership + Teams, Data + Decision Making, Financial + Strategic Planning, Conferences + Education. Plus: Member Engagement, Communications + Marketing, Industry Publications and Wellness at: associationsnorth.com/recoveryresources.
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SPOTLIGHT: MEMBER IN MOTION Get to know industry movers and shakers.
Patrick Van Beek President MEA Energy Association
Favorite meal to cook or eat... Smoked deviled eggs
How I like to recharge and relax? Disconnect from technology, then spend quality time with family and friends
One thing I’m glad I tried but would never do again... Road trip across the country by car.
The store I would like to max out my credit card at... Cabela’s
One thing on my bucket list...
The best purchase I’ve ever made?
Explore the Amalfi Coast region in southern Italy
Lakeshore lot in northern Wisconsin
What is something you like doing the old-fashioned way? Travel on trains in Europe
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My favorite tradition is... Annual New Year’s Eve/Wedding Anniversary Party to start the new year
H O W W I L L YO U C O M B AT 2 0 2 0 DISRUPTIONS? Associations across the world will be adjusting their budgets in 2021 to combat the disruptions of 2020. Understanding how your organization compares is vital to ensuring you’re staying competitive, attracting and retaining top talent, and putting your valuable resources to the best use. • Compare your organization’s key operational metrics • Evaluate valuable KPI’s, including salaries, benefits + positions/departments • Customized reports to inform decisions and stay competitive
FREE reports for participants through 12/31/20 so take advantage of this powerful benchmarking tool today! associationsnorth.com/realtimecomp 26
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Thank you! YOU, our members are the heart of our organization and the reason why we do what we do. Thank you for inspiring us and continuing to ignite our passion to serve you. Without you, we would not be.
