Why do we love high member engagement? Because it indicates that your association is doing something right. But boosting it isn’t just a result of program offerings—you also have to take serious stock of internal organizational attitudes and the broader external culture.

To start, look inward. “When it comes to member engagement, I believe that engagement is the outcome of a strong culture,” writes cultural consultant Maddie Grant in a recent Association Success post. “To foster a strong, healthy culture, the component groups who make up your association must share a vision.”

It’s important to clearly define what engagement specifically means to your association, she says, and different associations should have different engagement goals.

Also, be sure to meet your members where they are in their careers. “At different points in a career, members have different needs,” says Grant. “Accept that certain groups will be more active than others and respond to their desired level of engagement.”

Ambassador Advice

How to Build Brand Ambassadors for Your Event https://t.co/ugspWf9vnM #events #eventprofs #ambassadors

— Chris Lee (@speakersearch) October 17, 2017

A tool of any good event marketing arsenal is the brand ambassador. Ambassadors are responsible for representing your event and singing its praises, and they’re effective because they often can reach people you can’t.

Event Manager Blog shares a few tips for developing a formal ambassador program for your next event, complete with onboarding. “When people agree to represent you, you want them to get excited about it,” says the post. “Sending them something, even if it’s just a welcome email, goes a long way to making them feel valued.”

The post also recommends giving ambassadors something unique and special, providing them content or discount codes to share with their audience, and asking their opinion.

Other Links of Note

Infographic of the day. The Nonprofit Marketing Blog reveals how Americans give after disasters.

If you need to get the word out, you’re going to have to pay for it. Nonprofit MarCommunity provides a guide for creating a marketing budget.

Business travel can get harried, but MinuteHack shares a few ways to optimize your next trip.

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