Daily Operations
Alright, we admit that the seamless transition TEAM experienced from office work to 100 percent virtual work had much to do with processes put into place prior to the advent of COVID-19. TEAM staff were prepared with detailed procedures and protocols for virtual work before the pandemic was even a threat. Because TEAM values the health and well-being of our staff, volunteer leadership and customers, we were fully prepared to transition our offices to our homes within one day and without any interruption to service or workflow. This smooth transition allowed for us to be one-step ahead of the information that seemed to be changing minute-by-minute. This allowed for us to keep our physician members armed with the most updated and critical information that was impacting them, their patients and their practice’s.
 
Events
TEAM has a top-of-the-line events management team, so it was no surprise when the TEAM Meeting Managers were faced with the challenge of quickly reworking dozens of events they were able to do so methodically. By collaborating with the volunteer leadership of our clients, the TEAM meeting managers were able to determine the best course of action for each individual event. Whether that was rescheduling or converting the event to a virtual experience, the Meeting Managers were able to host successful and educational events despite the pandemic. In fact, our Meeting Managers continue to succeed in the world of virtual event planning with a virtual event happening almost weekly within the TEAM department.
 
In addition to providing valuable and vital online education and networking to our members, our Meeting Managers have been able to develop unique sponsorship and exhibit opportunities for our corporate sponsors. These opportunities have been designed to be attractive and beneficial to our corporate sponsors, which allows for our client’s non-dues revenue to continue increasing despite the economic turmoil the pandemic has imposed on almost everyone.
 
Information and Updates
Many TEAM clients are medical-based organizations, as a result, the communication for these groups are vital to ensuring our member physicians are up to date on the fast-paced changes surrounding COVID-19. TEAM staff collaborates with national organizations and the Pennsylvania Medical Society (PAMED) in supplying timely and crucial information during this pandemic. This adds value to our managed association’s and positions many of them as leaders in their specialty during the pandemic.
 
Ultimately, things will continue to change as the pandemic continues to run its course throughout the world. TEAM is ready to take on any challenge that the pandemic or anything else presents us for that matter. TEAM staff continues to welcome the adversity with open arms and will always strive to serve our clients to the best of our ability – whether that be from our office or from our dining room table. Learn more about what TEAM can do for you at www.winwithteam.com. 

As association management professionals, we all know the influence our organizations can have on an industry and the value we can provide our members. So, why is it so hard for organizations to recruit and retain quality members? This article will review key things to focus on to recruit and retain engaged and committed members.
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Empathy - To recruit and retain members for your organization, you need to understand what is vitally important to your members. Do your members need continuing education? Do they need a voice in government? Find out their most essential needs and deliver solutions in a timely, efficient and cost-effective manner. By catering your services to their most crucial needs you are proving your organizations value.

Return on Investment (ROI) – More likely than not, your members pay to be part of your organization. You should have a plan on how to not only demonstrate the value of your organization but also communicate your organizations value to the paying member. Having graphic member benefits charts on your website or on membership applications is a good place to start. Another suggestion would be to provide your membership with an annual update on what the organization did with membership dollars the previous year. By demonstrating your value through newsletters, events, lobbying, etc., and consistently communicating your value to your members, you will be reassuring your members that investing in membership with your organization was worth their time and money.

Foresight – Foresight is knowing what is coming down the pike and being positioned to give your members not only advance notice but also the action plan needed to navigate the future. We know you cannot break out a crystal ball and predict, say a global pandemic (if you do have a crystal ball, let us know because we’d love to take a look!). However, using foresight when managing an association does not mean you need to predict the future. Associations are sometimes slow to react to disruption and risk losing their value as a result. As a decision-maker in your association, you need to know how to adapt to disruption from the norm and help members do the same. Monitor trends in the government, especially if there is a bill that might impact your organization in some way, and have action plans in place to communicate changes to your membership, activate grassroots lobbying or higher level lobbying efforts if necessary. Knowing when vendor contracts end and shopping around for better deals on venues, digital programs, printers, etc., is another way of staying one step ahead of the game and proving your expert value to your leadership and members.

Camaraderie – Provide an inclusive and welcoming space for everyone! This does not just mean having a cocktail/social hour at your annual meeting for members to mix and mingle. Develop small volunteer opportunities for your members outside of your leadership to prove to your members that you value their input and contributions. Encourage members to submit newsletter articles or content for your organizations social media pages to give them the opportunity to let their voices be heard among their peers. Taking an annual survey of your membership and allowing for open-ended feedback will also allow for your members to feel part of something bigger. Finally, Facebook groups and members’ only forums allow for year-round peer interaction and collaboration and provide members with frequent interactions with your organization.
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Overall, you should be actively proving your organizations value to every member. We often focus so much on communicating goals and ideas with our volunteer leadership, that the general member can be overlooked, and they can feel like their membership is not worth their investment. In order to retain and recruit engaged and committed members, you should be actively listening to your membership, working on providing solutions for their most essential needs, developing plans for growth while looking into the future and providing members with an inclusive experience.