Improve Your Association Through Performance Reviews

2016-1-19 Performance reviews USE ME
Image Credit: Samuel Zeller

By Jennifer Rothman, account manager

Working with associations, we are always asking the question, “What can be improved?” We look for ways to expand member benefits, streamline processes for the Board of Directors, and otherwise improve the associations we serve. One part of that mission for greatness is conducting annual performance reviews of all our staff.

Lindsey VanMeter and Julia Volino of Capital V Consulting gave a helpful presentation on the importance of and best practices for employee performance evaluations during their January 6, 2016, webinar “Effective Performance Management & Discipline Webinar” offered by AENC. Below are the key points that I walked away with and hope to apply in the coming year.

When done properly, annual performance evaluations can do the following three things:

  1. Provide feedback and counseling
    It’s important that the feedback is honest and constructive. Many managers don’t want to have uncomfortable conversations, but if these conversations don’t happen, we are doing a disservice to our employees.
  2. Help to allocate rewards and opportunities
    Conducted properly, annual evaluations encourage employees in areas where they are strong, and provide support in areas where they need to improve.
  3. Help to determine employees’ aspirations and planning development needs
    Making the employee part of the overall process is the key to helping them feel they have a say in their growth within the association. Providing time for the employee to share their feedback and personal goals creates a team approach that shows management’s interest in the employee’s role in the association.

Annual performance reviews of staff provide an opportunity to benefit the association through evaluating how the team’s strengths are being utilized. Take time to discuss with staff what skills they have that are not currently being used to the best advantage. You may find that someone is interested in helping with social media, HTML, or taking on more responsibilities in conference planning. Also, ask staff where they feel they are not working within their strengths. This opens up opportunities for professional development and training to improve skills where staff is lacking confidence. Or, in these conversations, you may find that some tasks can be shifted within the team so that each person is working within their strengths.

Now that we’ve discussed the “why” of performance evaluations, let’s talk about the “how.”

How to best prepare for providing an annual performance evaluation:

  1. Keep a folder for each employee so you can file away examples during the year of where improvement is needed to use as input for performance review. It is always appreciated when you can share an example when giving constructive criticism.
  2. Don’t forget to also keep track of the examples where the employee excelled and showed growth! You always want to give credit where credit is due.
  3. Do your homework. Look over last year’s review to compare performance. In what ways did the employee improve? Where does the employee still need improvement? Are there goals that were not met? Are there goals that were exceeded?
  4. If you are nervous about the meeting, practice. Take the time to practice, out loud, what you are going to say so that you are more comfortable when you sit down with your employee.

Do’s and Don’ts of an annual performance evaluation:

  1. DO stick to your performance evaluation schedule. One of the most serious complaints among employees is NOT how the review is done, but those that are not done or are late.
  2. DO keep a file on every employee. If you only keep files on problem employees, it can be seen as targeting.
  3. DO give reinforcing and corrective feedback when needed. If the employee receives a low rating in a specific area during their annual review and it is the first time they have heard that the area needs improvement, it can feel like they have been blindsided. If the annual review is the first time they hear of an issue, you are not giving the employee an opportunity to improve which can be discouraging and frustrating.
  4. DON’T rate an employee’s performance based on how they compare to another employee’s performance. Ratings should be based on objective, measurable standards.
  5. DON’T use a template review tool. A template is a great starting point, but each evaluation should be customized to the job the employee is doing. It takes time to customize the evaluation but the end result will be more effective and meaningful.
  6. DON’T draw your own conclusions. When you are documenting an area where improvement is needed, provide the facts and focus on the deficiencies, not the perceived underlying cause. Facts and solutions are the areas in which you should stay firmly planted.

Do you have any other advice for providing effective performance reviews? Share with us in the comments below!

Want to know more about association management? Contact us info@imiae.com to find out more about what IMI Association Executives can do for your organization.

IMI Team Member Receives AENC Scholarship

2015-11-24 Sabrina Award
Sabrina Hunt and Nancy Lowe (left to right)

By Lee Campbell, account manager

At IMI Association Executives we hold it as a key value to continue to advance our skill through professional development opportunities so we are able to better serve our clients. We also encourage our team to be involved in professional associations in order to learn from other like-minded individuals.

On Friday, November 20, 2015, IMI was pleased to send two team members to the Association Executives of North Carolina (AENC) Marketing & Communications Conference and Luncheon at the Raleigh Marriott Crabtree Valley. At the AENC meeting, one of our very own, Sabrina Hunt, was honored with the Operation Annual Meeting Scholarship for the 2015-16 year. Hunt proudly accepted her award from Nancy Lowe, Scholarship & Awards Chairman. Sabrina will have the fortune to attend the 2016 AENC Annual Meeting in Williamsburg, Va., with all key expenses paid.

AENC’s mission is to advance the field of Association Management by providing networking and professional development, while increasing the recognition of the Association community. AENC offers five scholarship opportunities to association members for a variety of professional development advancements.

Sabrina Hunt joined IMI in 2015 and has more than 13 years of experience in Executive Support, Office Management, HR, Process Improvement and Project Management in the different industries of medicine, manufacturing and executive suites. Her favorite part of the AMC industry is working with a team of expert professionals and seeing how the shared resources strengthen the team as a whole and draw out the best in the individual. Learn more about Sabrina here.

Congratulations, Sabrina!

Want to know more about association management? Contact us info@imiae.com to find out more about what IMI Association Executives can do for your organization.

 

Roundup! Our Top 10 Lists

Image Credit: Canva
Image Credit: Canva

By Rachel Owen, Communications Manager

I love a good “list post.” You’ve probably seen them everywhere: Top 10 Ways to Simplify Your Life Before Breakfast, 5 Ways to Be a Superhero Every Day, or 7 Movies You Didn’t Know Are Based on a True Story. List posts get you to the information you need without a lot of fuss and then get you on to the rest of your day.

In honor of this perennial favorite, we present to you a roundup of the top list posts from the IMI blog!

Top 10 List Posts for Associations

  1. Top Speakers & Sessions at ASAE

Our team shares the sessions we just can’t stop talking about.

  1. 5 Ways to Save a Bad Day

If your Tuesday feels like Monday 2.0, this post is for you.

  1. 5 Steps to an Awesome Onboarding Experience

Help the new employee or volunteer acclimate quickly with these tips.

  1. Top 10 Excel Tips and Shortcuts for Associations

Whether you love Excel or love to hate it, these tips will make your day easier.

  1. Top Tech Tools for Associations

Here’s what our team is raving about right now.

  1. 21 Tips for Better Board Meetings

What happens when 10 executive directors brainstorm a better board meeting? You get this post.

  1. 9 Tips to Recruit and Retain Volunteers

How to bring in those volunteers and then keep them engaged.

  1. 20 Key Takeaways from the Book: “The Will to Govern Well”

We love a good book!

  1. 3 Things I Learned About Membership

Lessons from one year in membership services.

  1. 7 Evergreen Ideas to Engage Volunteers

This is our very first post on the IMI blog and it’s worth repeating!

Do you like list posts or do you prefer a traditional blog post? Share with us your favorites in the comments below!

Want to know more about association management? Contact us info@imiae.com to find out more about what IMI Association Executives can do for your organization.

Theft Prevention Measures at Conferences

Image Credit: By Alejandro Escamilla
Image Credit: By Alejandro Escamilla

By Valerie Sprague, AMS Manager

Things can get hectic when attending or working onsite at a conference, not to mention the numerous distractions you encounter. In the blink of an eye someone can grab an unattended item (i.e. laptop, mobile device, etc.) for which your chances of recovery may be very small. You might feel a false sense of security while among your peers at a conference but you can’t forget about all of the other individuals who might be walking around a hotel or conference center.

Here are some tips on theft prevention measures to take while traveling to or attending a conference:

  • Do not leave your device(s) unattended. This may seem like common sense but it’s so easy to think “I’ll be right back” or “I’m just stepping away for a second.” Don’t risk that your device(s) aren’t where you left them when you return from a quick coffee break or a trip to the restroom.
  • Use a theft deterrent device. Consider purchasing a theft deterrent device for extra safety and security. Something like a cable security lock for a laptop would be a good investment that allows you to easily secure your laptop to a fixed item which will hopefully deter any theft attempts. Just don’t forget to hold on to the key!
  • Secure your device(s) in a locked room when not in use. Make sure to keep rooms, such as your conference storage space, locked when you are not present. Especially overnight if this is where you opt to store your device(s) when registration is closed. The same thing applies to leaving them in your hotel room unattended. It might be a good idea to use that cable lock, an available hotel room safe or to just keep the “Do Not Disturb” sign on your room while you’re out so that nobody enters your room unexpectedly.
  • Be vigilant when traveling with your device(s). Don’t forget your laptop when packing your bag up after going through security. Also make sure not to let your travel bag with your devices out of your sight when in the airport. Don’t leave it in the overhead bin of the plane either! The same reminders apply with transportation methods while traveling, such as taxi cabs and airport shuttles.
  • Protect your data. Make sure to password protect all of your devices using strong passwords. And when able, encrypt your local files and folders; or consider storing these sensitive documents someplace other than on your device while traveling (i.e. Dropbox). In the event your device does end up in the hands of someone it shouldn’t, you will want these added layers of security. And you will also want to consider making a back-up of the data from your device prior to traveling.

Remember that it’s better to be safe than sorry!

Want to know more about association management? Contact us info@imiae.com to find out more about what IMI Association Executives can do for your organization.

Top Sessions and Speakers at ASAE

Image Credit: Canva
Image Credit: Canva

By Linda Owens, CAE, Owner and President

We at IMI were proud to send four staff members to this year’s ASAE Annual Meeting in Detroit, Mich. With such a large team in attendance, we were able to take advantage of a variety of sessions to get a good taste of what ASAE had to offer at this year’s conference.

These are the top speakers and sessions that our staff found to be dynamic, informative and memorable. Whether you are scoping out potential speakers for an upcoming conference or looking for educational resources, this post is for you.

Our Top Speakers and Sessions at ASAE

Post-Conference Workshop: Executive Leadership Program

Speaker: Jared D. Harris, faculty member at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business and a Senior Fellow at Darden’s Olsson Center for Applied Ethics

Comments: This was by far my favorite session out of all the sessions I have attended over the past eight ASAE Annual Meetings. If ASAE partners again with the Darden School of Business for future sessions I will be there! Workshop participants were presented with two real-life business situations which presented an opportunity for us to test our mastery of techniques and to refine our business judgment. This workshop definitely helped me improve my way of thinking about business situations.

Executive Committees: Do’s, Don’ts and Damage Controls

Speakers: Glenn Tecker, ADHD, DsLx , Chairman and Co-CEO, Tecker International LLC; Andy Clarke , CAE, former President, League of American Bicyclists; Cynthia Mills, FASAE, CAE, CMC, CPC, CCRC , Founder, President & CEO, The Leaders Haven

Comments: I attended this session after finding one of Glenn Tecker’s books to be extremely helpful , so this session was a “must attend” on my list. I found the session to be interactive and had to chuckle at the two scenarios which were presented for consideration on how to navigate and how to prevent a similar scenario from happening.

10 Must-Dos to Protect Your Intellectual Property

Speaker: Jeffrey Tenenbaum, Esq., partner, Venable LLP

Comments: This session was like drinking from an intellectual property firehose. It was a very fast moving session with lots of takeaways!

Ignite

Speakers: Tammy Barnes, Director, Operations State Advocacy, American Psychological Association; John Ganoe, CAE, Executive Director, Community Association Managers International Certification Board; Tracy King, MA, CAE, Principal & Founder, InspirEd, LLC; Jakub Konysz, MA, CAE, Manager, Strategic Global Initiatives, American Chemical Society; Conor McNulty, CAE, Executive Director, Oregon Dental Association; Mark Milroy, CAE, Vice President, Learning, ASAE; Stefanie Reeves, MA, CAE, Executive Director, Maryland Psychological Association; Erik Schonher, Vice President, Marketing General Incorporated; Catherine Wemette, CAE, Chief Goodness Officer, Good for the Soul; Beth Z. Ziesenis, Your Nerdy Best Friend

Comments: The IGNITE session was my favorite! It’s the learning format that’s fast, fun, and focused where each speaker gets 20 slides, auto-advancing every 15 seconds, for five minutes total. The concept is really cool, and it kept it interesting, fresh, and sometimes funny when the slides advanced before the speaker was ready. I wrote down lots of good quotes and quips from the session, but I think that the overarching theme of the session, “enlighten us, but make it quick”, was probably my favorite. I’m looking for ways to bring this into my meetings.

Reggie Henry

Reggie Henry, ASAE’s Chief information Officer spoke at a CEO Power Breakfast hosted by Fort Worth CVB. Reggie was a dynamic and engaging speaker. The focus of his session was how advances in technology are changing the way we work and live. Then he shared insights on how particular technology can be used to change the way associations provide content and services to member in order to remain relevant. This session was not one of the regularly scheduled ASAE events. However, if your membership profile has you listed as a CEO of your organization you should receive an invitation to the session directly from the Fort Worth CVB.

Jeff Hurt

Jeff Hurt, EVP with Velvet Chainsaw Consulting led the session Strengthen Your Strategic Thinking Muscles To Become A Better Leader. Jeff tangled with a difficult subject – strategic thinking – to really focus on how thinking more strategically can help us become better leaders. In the process he distilled and defined strategic thinking and provided a plethora of engaging activities for the audience all in a 30 minute session.

Deedre Daniel

Deedre Daniel, Director of Partnership Marketing with GEICO spoke again this year at ASAE. Last year I loved her dynamic and engaging session on LinkedIn. This year she not only provided her insights at a session on her own (Learn to Share or Your Bottom Line will get Spanked), she teamed up with some heavy hitters to present Selling to Association. Deedra is definitely a presenter to watch.

Want to know more about association management? Contact us info@imiae.com to find out more about what IMI Association Executives can do for your organization.

How to Improve Your Association’s Finances

Image Credit: Canva

By Anna Morris, account associate

The Association Management Companies Institute just rolled out a report that spell$ big new$ for the a$$ociation management industry. Err… sorry, appears the “s” key on our keyboard is broken, but we’ll just replace it with a $ sign, which is exactly what the July 2015 report is about: more $$$ for associations managed by an AMC. (Learn more about what an AMC is here.)

Commissioned by AMCI, an independent researcher from Brigham Young University found that associations using AMCs have stronger financial performance than those that do not. In fact, the report found that “AMC-managed associations experience more than three times the growth in net assets and 31 percent more growth in net revenue, regardless of size and tax status” (here). The study surveyed more than 160 associations with budgets ranging from $500,000 to $7.5 million, which is a good indicator that the study’s results are applicable across associations of different types and sizes. This is huge news for an industry where many associations still shy away from AMCs because they fear the cost or lack of added value.

The research is in: Using an AMC can more than triple your assets. Check out more info on the research study here or see what IMI could bring to your association here.

Want to know more about association management? Contact us info@imiae.com to find out more about what IMI Association Executives can do for your organization.

How to Get the Most Out of Professional Development

Image Credit: Ariana Escobar

By Rachel Owen, Communications Manager

Whether it’s a one hour webinar, a conference, or a certification program, professional development is an important investment of our time, resources and attention. How do you make sure you are getting the most out of your investment?

Team-Up

If you’re attending an event, find out if any colleagues plan to attend as well. For the 2015 ASAE Annual Meeting in Detroit, IMI sent four staff members which allowed us to take advantage of a variety of the concurrent sessions and maximize the information we learned. Going as a team also helps to alleviate that disappointment when you simply can’t make it to a session on your “wish list.” You can coordinate schedules to see if someone is able to sit in the session for you.

Debrief

Immediately following the event, get together with attendees and discuss the highlights. Talking through the information can really help to solidify concepts and flesh out ideas. Also, hearing how others experienced the event provides “fresh” eyes on what we experienced. Don’t forget to make a list of any action items that come up as part of the discussion. If you didn’t attend with colleagues, you can journal or write a blog post for a similar effect.

Here are just a few questions you can use to generate discussion:

  • What excited you?
  • What was helpful?
  • What needs further research?
  • What did you learn that you didn’t know before?
  • What did or didn’t work for you as an attendee?
  • How did the speaker make you feel?
  • What made the session engaging?
  • Would you attend next year?
  • What would you do differently?
  • Who did you meet?

Share

Make sure that you share the knowledge and ideas with the entire team – not just those who attended. IMI best practice is to share meeting notes and any resources with the entire team so that everyone can benefit. Get in the habit of taking good notes! If you take notes the old-fashioned way, like I do, type up the important concepts after the meeting. During a webinar, screenshots are helpful to capture visual resources and quickly summarize key points.

Apply

Applying the new information is the most crucial part. One thing I like to do is carve out a small block of time following the meeting to make the first steps on those action items or to schedule further time to research. Perhaps you need to redesign your Twitter header, set an appointment with your insurance agent, schedule a staff meeting to discuss a new process, or research a new association management system. Break any large tasks into smaller, manageable tasks. At next year’s conference you’ll be able to look back and see how far you’ve come.

Stay tuned for a list of our top ASAE sessions and more about what we learned. Do you have any tips for getting the most out of your professional development opportunities? Let us know in the comments!

Want to know more about association management? Contact us info@imiae.com to find out more about what IMI Association Executives can do for your organization.

 

Make An Impact with Membership Materials

Image Credit: Canva
Image Credit: Canva

By Jalene Bowersmith, Account Manager

These ideas are inspired by the session “Making an Impact with Your Membership Materials: What Works, What Doesn’t” at the ASAE Annual Meeting on August 10, 2014, presented by Denise Gavilan, Walter Kim, Theresa Kramer-Burgess and Cecilia Cortes-Earle.

Our members are bombarded by information every day from articles, TV and social media. Many people see more than 350 marketing messages per day.  How do you make sure that your membership communications resonate with members and don’t get lost in the clutter?

Here are 9 quick tips to help your next message to members make an impact.

  • Keep it small and impactful. Choose the top points – no more than three.
  • Make it about the reader. Focus less on your association and more on the reader – their results, concerns and solutions.
  • Focus on benefits – not features. Need a refresher about the difference between features and benefits? Read this.
  • Always answer the question for the reader, “What do members value the organization for?”
  • Vary your methods of delivery, but always keep the message consistent and authentic across all channels.
  • Adapt your message to the target audience. A member who is new to the association may need different information than a seasoned member. Make sure you know who your target is and how to best reach them.
  • Collect and use your testimonials. For great tips on the best ways to use your testimonials check out this post.
  • Read the copy out loud to see if it flows. If it’s awkward to read aloud it will be awkward for your readers, too.
  • Every message needs a clear call to action. Always ask: 1) What do I want the reader to do? (Register by a specific date, contact their legislator, “Like” the Facebook page, etc.), and 2) How do I want them to do it? (click a link, contact a staff member, register in person, etc.)
Image Credit: Canva
Image Credit: Canva

Want to know more about association management? Contact us info@imiae.com to find out more about what IMI Association Executives can do for your organization.

What’s All the Fuss About Antitrust Laws?

Image Credit: Canva

By Stevie Kernick, Owner Emeritus, Account Manager

There’s not much fuss at all until the Federal Trade Commission comes knocking at the door of your association. Under what circumstances could your association be vulnerable to antitrust violations and how can you, as the chief staff officer of the association, protect your association against antitrust charges?

For most trade association, day-to-day activities are competitively neutral. Associations provide education for members, set guidelines for effective operations and represent the industry with local and federal government entities. Generally, these basic activities, undertaken by all trade associations do not present any antitrust risk.

But no trade association is immune to potential antitrust violations. Violations of the antitrust laws are actionable offenses even if they are committed through a trade association.

Congress passed the first antitrust law, the Sherman Act, in 1890 as a “comprehensive charter of economic liberty aimed at preserving free and unfettered competition as the rule of trade.”

Congress subsequently passed two additional antitrust laws: the Federal Trade Commission Act, which created the FTC, and the Clayton Act. These two along with the Sherman Act, are the core federal antitrust laws still in effect today.

The basic objective of all three of these laws is the same…to protect the process of competition for the benefit of the consumer by assuring incentives for businesses to operate efficiently, keep prices down and keep quality up.

In addition to these federal statutes, most states have antitrust laws that are enforced by state attorneys general or private plaintiffs. Many of these statutes are based on the federal antitrust laws.

Here are the key antitrust issues that affect trade associations:

  1. Price Fixing – It is illegal for a trade association to control or suggest pricing to members, or for competitors to decide among themselves a method of pricing to achieve uniformity. Pricing information should NEVER be discussed among competitors.
  2. Bid Rigging – It is illegal to coordinate bidding among competitors.
  3. Market Division or Customer Allocation – It is illegal to systematically divide market areas and customers among competitors.
  4. Group Boycotts – Any company may, on its own, refuse to do business with another firm, but an agreement among competitors not to do business with targeted individuals or businesses may be an illegal boycott, especially if the group of competitors working together has market power.
  5. Other Agreements Among Competitors – Competitors may not collectively decide to use a standardized contract, establish uniform hours of operation, utilize the same methods of accounting or transportation methods or set restrictions on advertising content.

Trade associations frequently offer their members important benefits with the potential to improve efficiency and control costs. When an association of competitors withholds these benefits from nonmembers, the nonmember may be disadvantaged and the restriction may harm competition and keep prices high.

There is also the potential for the association to become involved in antitrust issues which occur during association-sponsored events, but without the knowledge or involvement of the association’s leadership. At the opening of all association events or meetings, members should be advised of the importance of adhering to antitrust laws and what to do if such discussions transpire.

An association whose members are under-fire for antitrust violations by the Department of Justice can expect to be drawn into the investigation, at the least, with a subpoena to produce documents – reams of them.

Best to take deliberate steps to avoid the fuss altogether.

Want to know more about association management? Contact us at info@imiae.com to find out more about what IMI Association Executives can do for your organization.

When to Say “No” to Research

Image Credit: Luis Llerena
Image Credit: Luis Llerena

Jalene Bowersmith, executive director

These ideas are inspired by the session “Research Roadmap: Using Data to Make Informed Decisions” at the ASAE Annual Meeting on August 12, 2014, presented by Matthew D’Uva, Elena Gerstmann, Sarah Slater and Kory Ward-Cook.

Research is one of the best ways to make informed decisions about changes in your organization, but is research always the right step to take?

When Should You Say “No” to Research?

When research is just a delay tactic. Do you already have a great information base and the time is right to make a decision? It’s possible the request for more research at this time is just to delay decision making. It might be time to gently direct the board or committee away from research and towards a decision.

When moving forward just makes sense. Will the research provide very little benefit? Do you have a viable solution and an upcoming deadline? In these and in other cases, sometimes just moving forward makes sense.

When there is a quicker, easier way to get what you need. Rather than a costly professional survey, can you gather the needed information from a quick poll on social media? Can a small set of volunteers provide relevant information faster? Could some simple A/B testing help determine the best path?

When you’re not ready. Before you pay for a professional survey, or otherwise engage in time intensive research, make sure you have clearly defined goals. You need a research roadmap to make sure you aren’t researching on the fly and that you will stay within your budget. You don’t want to complete your costly survey and then realize you need further research to gather the needed information.

If you think it might be time to say “no” to research, check out these ideas on how to make your “no” a positive message.

Want to know more about association management? Contact us info@imiae.com to find out more about what IMI Association Executives can do for your organization.