AARP Presidential Endorsement: Why They Plan To Stay Neutral

Sometimes, it’s better to just sit on the sidelines and not make your view known. That’s how one association is choosing to handle the election. That and more in today’s Lunchtime Links:

Staying out of it: Don’t expect an AARP presidential endorsement this year. The group is trying to stay away from politics this campaign season — they won’t endorse a presidential candidate nor do they want the association co-opted by a political campaign. “While we respect the rights of each campaign to make its case to voters,” the group writes  (opens in a new tab), “AARP has never consented to the use of its name by any candidate or political campaign. AARP is a nonpartisan organization and we do not endorse political candidates nor coordinate with any candidate or political party.” Instead, the AARP recommends its members check out its election site  (opens in a new tab).

LinkedIn’s latest updates: Just weeks after announcing its innovative Board Connect feature  (opens in a new tab), LinkedIn (which, by the way, is on a total roll lately) has launched a new set of Company Pages that, among other things, allow companies to feature an individual piece of content for up to 48 hours. As Business Insider explains  (opens in a new tab), Facebook only has a paid equivalent for this at the moment — though LinkedIn is doing it for free.

Leadership lessons from Steve: Today is the one-year anniversary of Steve Jobs’ death, and User Insight’s Eric V. Holtzclaw, writing for Inc. magazine, highlights the leadership lessons  (opens in a new tab) the Apple cofounder left us. A key one that applies to associations? Simplicity. “You work so hard to sign a new customer,” he explains. “Make sure the paperwork or process isn’t so confusing that it actually gets in the way of moving a deal forward.” And if you’re not looking to cry today, don’t go to Apple’s home page  (opens in a new tab).

Give and take: According to YourMembership.com’s Christina G. Smith, who takes cues from author Frank Kenny, there’s great value in reciprocation  (opens in a new tab), including on social media. “It’s not an implicit agreement between parties to repay a favor; the Law of Reciprocity is a social obligation to return the kindness shown,” she writes. “As humans we feel obligated to repay the positive actions of others, even when it is not spoken between us.”

We just gave you a bunch of links. And we’re open to suggestions. Have anything for us? We promise to share! Leave them in the comments below.

(photo by brownpau/Flickr)