Would your association still work without members? Well, would it?

It’s a provocative question, and one posed by Tara Puckey at the Indiana Society of Association Executives, who suggests the idea as something of a thought exercise.

“Step out of that box. The one labeled, ‘Because We’ve Always Done It This Way,’ in big, bold letters,” she writes. “Let’s think for just a second about what would happen if we did it differently by working through the ‘What If’ exercise.”

Puckey breaks down all the considerations that might come to mind when rethinking the types of people considered members, the types of people who could be engaged, and how it might shift the way you consider membership.

The brainstorming exercise, she says, is meant to get you to think beyond your model.

“After all, organizations don’t just exist to serve their members, but the communities they engage with,” she writes. “Who is your community, and how can you serve?”

Consider Your Employer Branding

https://twitter.com/CMAAssociations/status/936383883385307136

If your organization has a poor reputation, you’re going to have a hard time succeeding in drawing new employees to open roles.

Over at Association Adviser, Naylor Corporate Recruiter Liz Ruble breaks down how good employee branding both keeps staffers at the organization and gives associations a better chance at hiring new employees.

Other Links of Note

In case you’re wondering, Apple says that the iPhone X, despite its high price tag, is a huge hit.

Need a mental health break? An app called Fabulous, which encourages you to build rituals into your routine, might be a good way to squeeze one in. The company, per Product Hunt, just introduced an iOS app after much success on Android.

Can you promote an event with Facebook? Of course! The Event Manager Blog has all the techniques you should use to draw in a few Facebook fans.

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