--- title: "Friday Buzz: Do a Member Risk Assessment" id: "35466" type: "post" slug: "friday-buzz-do-a-member-risk-assessment" published_at: "2016-10-14T21:27:30+00:00" modified_at: "2016-10-14T21:27:30+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2016/10/14/friday-buzz-do-a-member-risk-assessment/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2016/10/14/friday-buzz-do-a-member-risk-assessment.md" excerpt: "Are your members afraid of trying new things? Why it's important to understand the answer to that question. Also: A new startup wants to turn stories into nonprofit action." taxonomy_category: - "Membership" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Member Engagement" - "Membership" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "Director" - "Manager" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Friday Buzz: Do a Member Risk Assessment When a new adventure is put in front of your members, are they risk-takers or risk-averse? The answer to that question might just tell you what sort of relationship your organization has with them, [Amanda Kaiser notes on her Smooth the Path blog (opens in a new tab)](http://www.smooththepath.net/2016/10/12/people-gravitate-status-quo-probably-dont-feel-safe-association/) . “No one wants to put themselves out there when it is unsafe,” she says. Is the social climate around your association unsafe? If so, that means your members will stick to the status quo—might be unwilling to dance, to act goofy, or to try something that requires them to experiment in new ways. Kaiser suggests putting these tests out there for your members, and then adjusting as needed. “So try to engage people in a whole new way, gauge their reaction you will learn how safe staff, the board and members feel at the association,” [she adds (opens in a new tab)](http://www.smooththepath.net/2016/10/12/people-gravitate-status-quo-probably-dont-feel-safe-association/) . “Now you can go about making it safer for them to do fun-loving, zany, creative and interesting things.” ### Interesting Idea of the Day **Often, people read important stories online**—stories that affect them and make them want to do something. Problem is, of course, that next step often isn’t tied to that article. Speakable, [a new startup highlighted by TechCrunch on Thursday (opens in a new tab)](https://techcrunch.com/2016/10/13/speakable-lets-you-take-action-on-news-articles-that-move-you/) , tries to solve this with something it calls the Action Button, which calls on users to take direct action—whether in the form of a poll, signing a petition, or making a donation. So far, the company has convinced *The Huffington Post*, the U.S. edition of *The Guardian*, and *VICE Media* to hop aboard. Check out the video above, or [learn more at the Speakable website (opens in a new tab)](https://actionbutton.org/) . ### Other Links of Note **Disagree without fighting:** Sarah Weber, a contributor at *The Muse*, [offers tips for dealing with coworker conflicts (opens in a new tab)](https://www.themuse.com/advice/how-to-disagree-with-a-coworker-without-getting-into-a-fight-because-you-dont-have-time-for-that) without letting them get out of hand. **Quid pro quo membership?** At Frank J. Kenny’s blog, Christina R. Green [makes the case (opens in a new tab)](http://frankjkenny.com/should-you-trade-chamber-membership-for-services/) for membership in exchange for services. **Is your website converting** visitors into members? If not, take a gander at how the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters pulled it off, [according to Association HQ (opens in a new tab)](http://info.ahredchair.com/blog/converting-web-visitors-into-members-a-short-story-from-an-ah-client-partner) . (iStock/Thinkstock) [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. 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