In this month’s round-up of the most popular association links at AssociationJam.org, we're bringing you two videos, two research reports, tips on tech tools, a commentary on a controversial ad campaign — and a host of takeaways from the 2009 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Association Executives and The Center for Association Leadership (ASAE and The Center) in Toronto.

In fact, ASAE 09 goodies dominated the Events category, as you’ll see, but also turned up across the Membership, Board, Volunteers, Social Media, Technology, and other topic categories, helping attendees and virtual attendees to share in the fun and the learning experience.

Events

ASAE Annual Meeting Hub | ASAE & The Center Annual Meeting & Exposition

THE way to keep up with what was happening at the ASAE & The Centre Annual General Meeting in Toronto… and afterwards, too!

My #ASAE09 Session Video | Principled Innovation LLC : Jeff De Cagna

“Here is an edited version of my Monday afternoon session at ASAE & The Center’s Annual Meeting in Toronto.” — Associations Next: Serious Questions for 2010 and Beyond

Takeaways from ASAE09 | Socialfish : Maddie Grant

“So I’m just back from ASAE09 and I have a bunch of things I want to write about but first I need to indulge my geek-girl Clay Shirky groupie-ness…”

Recap of #ASAE09: Innovation, Failure, Platforms, and Love | Get Me Jamie Notter : Jamie Notter

“I realized … that more learning was generated from ‘lateral’ interactions with peers than ‘vertical’ delivery of wisdom from the speaker.”

18 tips for association execs - picked up virtually (from ASAE09) |  AE on the Verge : Cindy Butts

“Here’s an assortment of tips that I picked up on Twitter and other social media during the ASAE conference (that I did not attend in person.)”

Membership

2009 Membership Marketing Benchmark Survey Report. See How Your Organization Compares : @Jeff_Boyle on Twitter

In the spring of 2009, Marketing General, Inc. (MGI) launched a survey designed to gain insight into the tactics and strategies that associations use to recruit members, engage new members, renew existing members, and reinstate former members. The goal was to better understand what tactics correlate with higher new member input, better renewal rates, and overall membership growth.

And in reply to a comment posted on the story's AJam page, Jeff Boyle added this tip for busy readers:

Key Insights — I recommend reading the sections in the report where social media is covered. You might be surprised how associations are using SMedia…

Marketing General released its new membership marketing report at ASAE 09, and used the #asae09 hashtag on Twitter and  Association Jam to help spread the word to association people who might not have been in attendance… so, not just a useful report for associations, but a good example of how hashtags work to connect people around a topic of interest on social networks.

This particular story is interesting for another reason, too. It marks a bit of a social media landmark for Association Jam, the first time a Twitter status update has been submitted as a news item — and hey, it works!

But let's take a look at the other stories that topped Association Jam's topics this month...

Board

Ten Quick Ways to Invigorate Board Meetings | Blue Avocado : Jan Masaoka

“Board members invest a tremendous amount of time and energy at board meetings. A few simple changes can often make that investment pay off in important ways.”

Volunteers

ASAE09 Confessions of a newbie volunteer leader | SocialFish : Lindy Dreyer

“I’m a volunteer leader! This post reflects on my first experience in my new role, and also asks for your help in defining that role.”

Fundraising

Forrester Says Advertising Is Changing Forever. What Are Associations Doing to Keep Up? | Mizz Information : Maggie McGary

“Instead of spending time spinning wheels talking about what we can forbid people from doing for free, we need to be spending time thinking of the next generation of things companies will pay for.”

Social Media

Why Twitter Matters | netwitsthinktank.com : Frank Barry

“Twitter has become a mainstay in my daily routine. It gives me access to incredible people, keeps me up on industry news and helps me stay connected.”

Technology

100 Online Tools for Non-Profits | Wild Apricot Blog :-)

100 useful web applications to help non-profits with collaboration, donor and membership management, website creation, fundraising, project management, accounting, web traffic stats, and more.

Other

Going snarky: When good causes have bad campaigns | Katya’s Non-Profit Marketing Blog : Katya Andresen

“I always say ad campaigns fail because they lack a clear call to action or a clear line to the consumer’s heart and mind. I think this misses the mark on both points — and builds general cynicism.”

Fun

And finally, here's a light-hearted music video for your Friday viewing pleasure. Maybe you'll even recognize some of the singers!

Connect With Me |  @asaecenter on YouTube

Members of ASAE & The Center share their musical talent in this beautifully produced video, with an original song about connecting with friends and colleagues at ASAE 09 in Toronto — a great way to wrap up the August 2009 AJam round-up!

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.