Logo
    Search

    About this Episode

    Cathy Burns, CEO of the Produce Marketing Association joins me for a discussion about the process they are using to help diversify revenue.

    The PMA relies heavily on two big annual events, and while those continue to grow, what if something happened out of the blue to affect participation and attendance at those events? They wanted to be able to protect the association for the long-term, but also create other value that could generate revenue for the organization. The first step was a collaboration between the board, volunteer leaders and staff to brainstorm potential opportunities and ideas.

    Listen in as we talk about the number of ideas that were generated, how they narrowed them down, and the process they used to turn the innovative ideas into new revenue streams for the association.

    Visit: MaryByers.com for links to join the conversation on our social sites.

    © 2020 Mary Byers

    Recent Episodes from Successful Associations Today

    Arlene Pietranton - Creating an Innovation Culture | Ep #66

    Arlene Pietranton - Creating an Innovation Culture | Ep #66

    Arlene Pietranton, PhD, CAE is CEO of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and recognized as a top association and non-profit innovator.

    We're talking about the most important aspects of creating an innovation culture for an association -- a culture that enables us to deliver the best value for members.

    It begins with a question ... how can we make this better? Sometimes it means we grow this or move that. Sometimes it's incremental and sometimes revolutionary when things need to transform. And sometimes it's an opportunity to be proactive -- to rethink, reformulate, reshape in response to disruption.

    Regardless, associations need to be an innovative, collaborative environment, able to navigate change across these different perspectives. Listen in to learn how ASHA has developed such a culture.

    Please click the button to subscribe so you don't miss any episodes, and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability. Thank you!

    Visit https://www.marybyers.com/contact/ for links to join the conversation on our social sites.

    © 2021 Mary Byers

    Eboni Wall - Innovation: Take a Break & Create | Ep #65

    Eboni Wall - Innovation: Take a Break & Create | Ep #65

    Eboni Wall is the VP of Global Strategy and Innovation for the Produce Marketing Association who leads innovation conversations inviting all staff to get out of their ruts and out of their own way.

    Having an established innovation process encourages ideas from staff that will help membership and internal operations and culture. Part of that process is knowing that when you try new things, there will be failures -- and that is a great part of the innovation process. It’s all about learning from those failures and adjusting based on what you've learned.

    Eboni shares how PMA developed their strategy and built an innovation welcoming culture that has allowed them to achieve some big wins along the way.

    Please click the like button above and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability. Thank you!

    Visit https://www.marybyers.com/contact/ for links to join the conversation on our social sites.

    © 2021 Mary Byers

    Amanda Kaiser - Meaningful Virtual Networking Events | Ep #64

    Amanda Kaiser - Meaningful Virtual Networking Events | Ep #64

    Amanda Kaiser is a membership engagement specialist who has personally interviewed over 470 members to better understand why human beings engage in communities online and during conferences. She is also a professional speaker, co-founder of the Incubator Series and author of the popular SmoothThePath.net blog.

    Earlier this year, Amanda teamed up with Matchbox Virtual Media to produce the Virtual Networking Incubator Roundtable — one part lab, one part tech testing ground and one part problem solving event — where over 150 association leaders met with one goal: to determine if virtual networking events could be meaningful.

    In this episode we will unpack strategies and tips from the Incubator to help you plan your next virtual or in-person networking event.

    Please click the like button above and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability. Thank you!

    Visit https://www.marybyers.com/contact/ for links to join the conversation on our social sites.

    © 2021 Mary Byers

    Celisa Steele & Jeff Cobb - Learning Trends and Strategies | Ep #63

    Celisa Steele & Jeff Cobb - Learning Trends and Strategies | Ep #63

    Celisa Steele and Jeff Cobb are co-founders of Tegoras and co-hosts of the Leading Learning podcast. Each has spent more than 20 years designing, developing, delivering, and marketing adult lifelong learning, continuing education, and professional development. At the forefront of learning technology trends, they have developed deep expertise in helping organizations grow and improve their continuing education and professional development.

    In this episode we explore the key trends in adult learning that associations should be considering as we think about a post-pandemic future and the educational strategies that will help the association capitalize on them.

    Please click the like button above and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability. Thank you!

    Visit https://www.marybyers.com/contact/ for links to join the conversation on our social sites.

    © 2021 Mary Byers

    Bruce Rosenthal - The Future of Sponsorships | Ep #62

    Bruce Rosenthal - The Future of Sponsorships | Ep #62

    Bruce Rosenthal is a strategic advisor and consultant to associations and not-for-profit organizations, creating successful corporate partnership programs that increase revenue, add member/constituent value and foster sustainability. He is
    convener of the Partnership Professionals Network a national sponsorship and partnership organization.

    Sponsorship was already under pressure and undergoing changes prior to COVID but the pandemic accelerated those changes. With sponsorships being part of the livelihood of many organizations, we're talking about what these changes are, how they have ramped up, how they are affecting associations, and what the future of sponsorship looks like.

    Please click the like button above and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability. Thank you!

    Visit https://www.marybyers.com/contact/ for links to join the conversation on our social sites.

    © 2021 Mary Byers

    Melynn Sight - Your Compelling Value Proposition | Ep #61

    Melynn Sight - Your Compelling Value Proposition | Ep #61

    Melynn Sight and her company nSight Marketing help associations win the battle for member attention, readership and engagement. It all begins with a compelling value proposition that conveys why the association matters.

    She is the author of the book Breakthrough Value which helps associations understand what a value proposition is and the 7 critical steps to discovering and backing up their own unique value message.

    What is the job of the value proposition?

    How do you discover what your members think is important, what they need?

    Once you have a compelling value proposition, what next?

    Discover all this and more in this value-packed episode.

    Learn more about Melynn and her book at https://breakthroughvalue.org

    Please click the like button above and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability. Thank you!

    Visit https://www.marybyers.com/contact/ for links to join the conversation on our social sites.

    © 2021 Mary Byers

    Mark Engle - Recruiting the Right Board | Ep #60

    Mark Engle - Recruiting the Right Board | Ep #60

    Mark Engle, DM FASAE CAE is a principle with Association Management Center in their governance consulting practice. Participating in more than 400 board meetings and serving on five Boards of Directors translates to Mark’s in-depth knowledge of board membership and governance.

    He has worked closely with William Brown at Texas A&M University to publish research findings on the Board Selection Process for the ASAE Foundation and is co-author of Recruit the Right Board.

    With the board recruitment process becoming more complex it's important that associations not leave board composition to chance. There is a greater appreciation for leadership development than simply a nominating function. We need to identify and give opportunities to emerging leaders, focusing on a market mindset and strategy as key competencies in the boardroom instead of longevity.

    Competition in the association space is more fierce than it has ever been and if we don't have that market mindset, the strategy cognition in the boardroom, we run the risk of being an also-ran and that could potentially put us out of business.

    Please click the like button above and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability. Thank you!

    Visit https://www.marybyers.com/contact/ for links to join the conversation on our social sites.

    © 2021 Mary Byers

    Successful Associations Today
    enSeptember 29, 2021

    Hilary Marsh - What is Your Content Strategy? | Ep #59

    Hilary Marsh - What is Your Content Strategy? | Ep #59

    Hilary Marsh is president and chief strategist of Content Company, a content and digital strategy consultancy that helps associations get better results from their content by improving their practices.

    Content is more than just your magazine or newsletter or blog. From Hilary's perspective, content is everything an association does including event sessions you deliver, journals, clinical practice guidelines, advocacy position papers -- everything that comes back to words and pictures, audio and video that you share with the world.

    Content strategy is the practice of planning for the creation, delivery and governance of content that is useful, usable and effective. Many associations are missing the boat by not starting with what their audience needs and wants from them.

    What are the channels through which we can deliver content and how do we make sure we're doing it best?

    What is the CEO's role in understanding and demanding content strategy for an association?

    What are the obstacles associations face in developing and deploying a solid content strategy?

    We answer these questions and more in this fascinating episode.

    Please click the like button above and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability. Thank you!

    Visit https://www.marybyers.com/contact/ for links to join the conversation on our social sites.

    © 2021 Mary Byers

    Successful Associations Today
    enSeptember 15, 2021

    Rick Bawcum - Digital First Mindset for Associations | Ep #58

    Rick Bawcum - Digital First Mindset for Associations | Ep #58

    Rick Bawcum is the CEO / Founder of Cimatri, a professional services firm specializing in digital transformation for associations and non-profits.

    We're talking today about the benefits and challenges of embracing a digital first mindset along with some of the most impressive gains we've seen from associations who have engaged in digital transformation.

    With statistics that tell us we look at our phones around 96 times a day, we know we connect, we engage and we transact in the digital space. It's imperative that we take the association to the member, rather than always asking the member to come to the association. The pandemic has accelerated this trend but is also providing a tailwind for associations to move toward a digital first mindset.

    This is a necessary conversation -- not just a nice to have conversation -- about how we're going to do it and how we're going to resource it, whether it's expertise-wise or money-wise.

    I'd really appreciate it if you would click the like button above and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability. Thank you!

    Visit https://www.marybyers.com/contact/ for links to join the conversation on our social sites.

    © 2021 Mary Byers

    Maddie Grant - Digital First: What You Really Need to Know | Ep #57

    Maddie Grant - Digital First: What You Really Need to Know | Ep #57

    Maddie Grant, CAE is co-founder of Propel and an expert culture designer and digital strategist who focuses on helping organizations prosper through culture change. She has specific expertise in digital transformation and generational differences in the workplace.

    Even though associations have been talking about digital transformation for years, the pandemic forced the topic to the forefront. Associations had the realization that they actually could think outside the box and use technology to continue serving their members and staff. It also provided a window of opportunity to think about the ultimate change, the transformation, more than the technology.

    With so much information and so many definitions out there, we're bringing it back to the basics of what associations really need to know right now to fully embrace the "digital first" concept -- including the difference between being digitized and being digital.

    I'd really appreciate it if you would click the like button above and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability. Thank you!

    Visit https://www.marybyers.com/contact/ for links to join the conversation on our social sites.

    © 2021 Mary Byers