Chris Bucholtz, content marketing director for Relayware, takes a deep dive into the nature of motivation in a post over at CMSWire.

Instead of using incentives that rely on vast expenditures, Bucholtz suggests using gamification to minimize incentive costs. And though his focus is largely on vendors and their partners, the same principles apply for members of your association.

To continue their participation in your association’s events, and to renew their membership, individuals first need to be motivated. This motivation can come from the inherent value of the services your association is providing, but a little nudging can’t hurt.

“By presenting activities in a game-like context and by providing rewards for the completion of those tasks, you can motivate partner personnel toward the behaviors you want — without spending money,” he writes.

Illusory points, achievements, and the like can provide the same motivational boost as physical objects, but at a fraction of the cost, allowing those funds to be used for additional membership outreach or promotion.

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Life Is Good CEO and cCofounder Bert Jacobs tells Inc. Magazine what he believes are the most effective interview questions to ensure your new employees are passionate about their work.

Other Good Reads

New members aren’t guaranteed to be long-term members, which is why it’s vital to ensure they don’t slip through the cracks upon entry into your association. Steve Drake has more in a post at SCDdaily.

Fundraising doesn’t have to be terrifying. Kathy Bradley, director of fundraising and partnerships for Coulter, lays out seven key tips for conquering your unease about asking others for funds.

We talk a lot abut social media, but to think outside the box for a moment, consider what social media agency GOODSTUPH is doing in bringing its online expertise to the real world: The agency is opening a bar. Read more at The New York Times‘ small business blog “You’re the Boss.”

(Liz West/Flickr)