Motivated employees are essential to the success of any organization.

How to provide opportunities for advancement within your association, and more, in today’s Lunchtime Links:

Homegrown talent: It’s no secret that happy workers work harder. For your association, a loyal and committed staff can mean all the difference between achieving your mission and falling short. Writing for Inc.com, Laura Zander, co-founder and co-owner of Jimmy Beans Wool, a leading yarn and fabric retailer, explains why it’s important to listen to employees when they struggle, to make adjustments, and to develop talent from within. “We’ve ended up with some pretty darned loyal and dynamic employees that are doing excellent jobs at things we could never, ever have expected,” writes Zander. How does your association reward and promote good work?

The generous generation: The baby boomer generation has always been lauded as motivated and hardworking. But did you know that men and women from this large segment of the population are also among the most generous? According to The Next Generation of American Giving, a study released by online fundraising software provider Blackbaud Inc., baby boomers account for 43 percent of annual giving worldwide. Compare that to 26 percent for older generations and 20 percent for members of Generation X. Generation Y currently gives the least at 11 percent, according the study. So what’s the best way to target the most generous generation? Prepare for new technologies and use them, says Blackbaud. But don’t forget about snail mail and other tactics that have proven to work for older givers in the past. How do you connect with different generations of givers?

Luxe living: Trivia question: What is the most expensive city in the world? The answer is Luanda, the capital of Angola. More later on how much a hotel stay in this southern African city will cost you. If you’re looking for an affordable city to host your next conference event, you might want to steer clear of the rooms and facilities featured on Gizmodo’s list of “Most expensive hotel rooms in the world’s most expensive cities.” Your association will probably pay a bundle for a block of rooms by the convention center. But at least it won’t be on the hook for $3,000 a night at the Epic Sana Luanda Hotel. And that’s far from the most expensive hotel stay on this list. Makes the Ritz look  downright affordable. Talk about perspective.

What’s on your radar today? Tell us in the comments.

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