--- title: "Wednesday Buzz: Slack as a Member Benefit? Maybe" id: "34712" type: "post" slug: "wednesday-buzz-slack-as-a-member-benefit-maybe" published_at: "2016-08-24T19:39:36+00:00" modified_at: "2016-08-24T19:39:36+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2016/08/24/wednesday-buzz-slack-as-a-member-benefit-maybe/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2016/08/24/wednesday-buzz-slack-as-a-member-benefit-maybe.md" excerpt: "How one podcast network juiced engagement with its most die-hard users through Slack. Also: Why you should consider what might happen if you fail." taxonomy_category: - "Membership" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "community data" - "health benefits" - "Membership" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "C-Level" - "Executive Team" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Wednesday Buzz: Slack as a Member Benefit? Maybe Getting people sucked into the conversation around your organization can be tough. But [Gimlet Media (opens in a new tab)](https://gimletmedia.com/) , a startup focused on podcasts (including a personal favorite of mine, [Reply All (opens in a new tab)](https://gimletmedia.com/show/reply-all/) ), appears to have figured it out—some of its most loyal listeners, who pay the company a $60 annual membership fee, are going so far as to send Gimlet employees cookies out of sheer appreciation. How does one build such appreciation? Well, in Gimlet’s case, one factor is Slack. The company, which also offers up early access to its newest shows, “weird audio surprises,” and a T-shirt, has recently decided to open its Slack channel to paying members, [according to Poynter (opens in a new tab)](http://www.poynter.org/2016/gimlet-medias-latest-membership-perk-a-slack-channel-for-die-hards/427295/) . Sound risky? Sure. But it worked for them. “It started out as an experiment — we didn’t know what the hell was going to happen with this,” Gimlet Chief of Staff Chris Giliberti told the website. “This could be a great idea, an awful idea, something we need to cancel right away. We were nervous about it in the beginning. But it’s been our most successful member benefit to date in terms of engagement.” Making it so that members can directly chat with podcast creators—especially when it’s done on a platform better known for intra-work chatter—is not something that will work everywhere, but you have to appreciate the thinking. ### Think About the End > From [@HarryAlford3 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/HarryAlford3?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > : Your startup/effort might fail, write a premortem. So much here for [#advocacy (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/advocacy?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > & [#assnchat (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/assnchat?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > : [https://t.co/iNtXa6H6FL (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/iNtXa6H6FL) > > — Bryan Fratkin (@BryanFratkin) [August 24, 2016 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/BryanFratkin/status/768260898808999936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **As I pointed out in my blog post yesterday,** associations have a lot of parallels with startups, in terms of how they function, [so their strategies can be borrowed from](http://associationsnow.com/2016/08/lean-startup-strategy-take-innovation-smaller-bites/) with ease. The latest example of this in action comes from Harry Alford, managing director of the venture capital firm Humble Ventures, [who argues that startups (opens in a new tab)](https://entrepreneurs.maqtoob.com/why-you-should-write-a-premortem-for-your-startup-277de7766dc7#.s33qja8m1) should write a “premortem,” basically laying out what would happen if they fail. “Although there are a lot of methods to access risk, a premortem might be the best way for a startup to connect the dots going forward,” Alford [writes in MAQTOOB For Entrepreneurs (opens in a new tab)](https://entrepreneurs.maqtoob.com/why-you-should-write-a-premortem-for-your-startup-277de7766dc7#.s33qja8m1) . ### Other Links of Note **Working in the public interest sphere** and eyeing a shift to the association space? Make that change sooner rather than later, [argues Association Executive Management’s David M. Patt (opens in a new tab)](http://aem-patt.com/aem-blog/index.php?itemid=2137) . **We’re living in the future.** Proof: Aloft [has a new system in its hotel rooms (opens in a new tab)](http://www.fastcompany.com/3063118/introducing-the-first-voice-activated-hotel-room) that is voice-activated. **Still struggling to figure out** your HTML after all these years? [Mozilla’s Belén Albeza has some basic recommendations (opens in a new tab)](https://hacks.mozilla.org/2016/08/a-few-html-tips/) to ensure your website’s code is on point. (Slack press photo) [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Tags: [#community data](https://associationsnow.com/tag/community-data/) [#health benefits](https://associationsnow.com/tag/health-benefits/) [#Membership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/membership/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [TemplateMembers onlyORA MembershipGuide Booklet First Half Of YearJune 15, 2018](https://associationsnow.com/2018/06/15/ora-membershipguide-booklet-first-half-of-year/) - [VideoThe Impact of Delayed Retirement on Your Association’s Bottom-LineFebruary 26, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/02/26/the-impact-of-delayed-retirement-on-your-associations-bottom-line/) - [TemplateMembers onlyMember Onboarding ToolkitNovember 5, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/11/05/member-onboarding-toolkit/) - [TemplateMembers onlyStaff Phone A Thon ScriptApril 18, 2018](https://associationsnow.com/2018/04/18/staff-phone-a-thon-script/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2016%2F08%2F24%2Fwednesday-buzz-slack-as-a-member-benefit-maybe%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !