In the spirit of "30 Great Links for Associations," here are some of the most popular blog posts, articles, presentations, and other web resources submitted to AssociationJam.org
in June 2009 — one hot link from each topic category: Membership,
Events, Board, Volunteers, Fundraising, Social Media, Technology,
Other and, of course, Fun!
Membership
New Members and Twitter Rookies — Why Do They Leave Us? : Reid All About It
New users of Twitter leave for some of the same reasons that new
members leave associations, online communities, chambers, and other
groups — they never learned how to use Twitter or their membership
effectively, therefore they don’t see or get the value…. We won’t meet
their membership expectations and we will lose them after that
disappointing year.
Events
Ten Tips to Tune Up Your Teleconferences : BNET
The basic keys to a good remote meeting are the same as those for
any meeting: have a goal, only invite the necessary people, encourage
participation… But the limitations of technology—-the loss of eye
contact and other face-to-face cues, and the ability for participants
to tune out—-often leave virtual meetings feeling lackluster.
Board
When Board members step over the line : Conscious Governance
How do you successfully deal with board members stepping
in and dealing directly with organization operational staff and
disputing the decisions of senior managers? What can be done to
intertwine the Directors’ need for knowledge and accountability, and
the executive leadership and staff need for operational autonomy to do
the job they were hired for?
Volunteers
Volunteerism in the Digital Age: Maximizing Technology for Volunteer Engagement : Josh Fixler
* See also the handout for Josh Fixler's presentation, posted at Scribd.com.
Fundraising
Is Direct Mail Really Headed for the Exit? : frogloop / Care2
In the next five years, money spent annually on direct mail will
decline by as much as 40%, from $49.7 billion in 2008 to $29.8 billion
in 2013. At least, that’s the dire prediction of a new study just
published in a report by research firm Borrell Associates…. Does direct
mail fundraising still work well for your organization? With all donor
age groups?
Social Media
Why Twitter is not a replacement for email marketing : John Haydon
Just like you would never replace socks for shoes, or
boxer shorts for swimming trunks, Twitter should not replace email
marketing.
Technology
5 Essential Steps to Make Your Site Search & Social Media Friendly : Mashable
The increasing demand for fresh, live web content as well as the
expectation of consumers to interact with what they find in the search
results requires that website owners and content publishers make their
websites both search and social media friendly. Here are 5 ways to do
just that….
Other
Social Math: yes, data can tell stories too…: IMPACTMAX
In part, stories work because they help people connect new
information to what they already know…. The same principle applies to
data. We need to create meaning by relating the unfamiliar to the
familiar. Piling on raw numbers may prove a point to statisticians, but
others need more context to understand the meaning of data.
Fun
Do you suffer from Information Overload Syndrome - IOS? : Xerox
Get linked…
If you’ve got a stand-out blog post, article, presentation, video,
or other online resource to help associations and non-profits be more
effective, add your story links at AssociationJam.org.
There’s even a badge you can copy-and-paste to your web page, if you
want to make it even easier for your readers to “vote up” your AJam
contribution!