One of the biggest logistical undertakings at events is check-in. You want it to be a short and smooth process, or you risk upsetting attendees and wasting their time. That’s where self-service check-in technology comes in.

“Much like the self-service check-in kiosks you see at airports and doctors’ clinics, the system allows people to use simple touchscreen technology to check in quickly to events through a simple name search or QR code scan,” writes the Eventsforce team.

In addition to saving time, self-service check-in technology can give planners more accurate data, including who the attendees are, when they arrived, and how your attendance and registration numbers compare. Rather than manually checking names off a list, any changes to registrations can also be updated automatically and then sync with  other data systems.

Plus, the tech can give planners real-time information about where attendees are spending the most time. “Accurate attendance recording also means that organizations like associations can do a better job of tracking the sessions and events their members are actually attending,” the team writes. “This helps them issue attendance certificates and manage CPD (Continual Professional Development) accreditation a lot more effectively.”

Text Your Volunteers

Now that most individuals walk around w/ a 📞 in their back pocket, texting has become one of the most effective forms of communication. Learn how to leverage the power of texting in our latest guest blog. #volmgmt https://t.co/RxxZEvkgzo

— VolunteerMatch (@VolunteerMatch) March 4, 2019

How do you communicate with your volunteers? Sure, email works fine, but with so many plugged into their mobile devices, texting might be the easiest way to get in touch. “In fact, text message open rates are as high as 98 percent, while email open rates, for comparison, are typically 20 percent,” says Shaunak Wanikar on the VolunteerMatch blog.

He suggests exploring:

Peer-to-peer texting, or one-on-one conversations between your staff and volunteers.

Broadcast texting, which lets you send one message to all volunteers.

Opt-in texting, where interested volunteers can subscribe to your text communications.

Other Links of Note

Early-bird registrations will attract more attendees. The Eventbrite blog shares how to keep the momentum going after they sell out.

How do you measure the success of your membership numbers? The Membership Guys explore the answer in their latest podcast.

Speaking of membership, Nonprofit Hub offers a how-to guide on setting up a membership program for supporters.

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