Membership dues are an important part of your revenue stream. But a recent report from the ASAE Foundation showed a dramatic drop in average revenue from professional association dues over the past several decades. So how else can you generate income for your organization?

AssociationWork shares several ways you may be able to diversify your association’s revenue sources. You may already be using paid sponsorships for webinars and conferences, but what about your printed materials like brochures and fliers? Do you have a sponsor for professional development courses?

“Nearly everything can be sponsored, and sponsorships are an absolute necessity for association nondues revenue,” says AssociationWork writer Jesse Breaux.

Also consider whether your professional development offerings are keeping up with the times. Companies like HubSpot and LinkedIn are entering the online educational arena, providing stiff competition.

“For-profits are cashing in on web-learning platforms, and you need to act soon if online learning isn’t already on your radar within the next year,” warns Breaux.

Assembly Design

https://twitter.com/JoanEisenstodt/status/838809766445080578

How do seating arrangements affect a country’s political culture?

Two Dutch architects, Max Cohen de Lara and David Mulder van der Vegt, researched this question by examining the architectural structure of the legislative assembly spaces of U.N. member states. They came to some interesting conclusions, which they shared with The Washington Post.

They say legislative chambers fall into five different categories. For example, in the U.K. Parliament, two sets of opposing benches face each other directly, which fosters a combative environment.

“The setting of two sides that confront each other provokes a more heated debate than the single body that is created in the semicircular setting of most continental parliaments,” the architects write.

Another version is the classroom setup, where lawmakers sit in rows in front of a speaker. This seating arrangement is used in less democratic countries, including Russia, North Korea, and China.

Other links of note

Get the most out of meetings. Adrian Segar from Conferences That Work says to hold meetings deliberately to get more done.

Measuring value. SocialFish reveals how online communities provide significant business benefits to organizations.

Thinking about using Facebook Live? Check out these helpful tips from HootSuite before you do.

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