When nonprofit experts say to meet members where they are, they don’t usually mean it literally—but maybe they should. With an influx of digital meeting tools on the market, organizations can engage more of their members by hosting meetings with remote-connectivity capabilities.

“For one, it’ll make those meetings more accessible to members who have tight schedules or live far away,” says Colleen Bottorff on the MemberClicks blog. “It’ll also demonstrate that your organization can keep up with trends. And, it shows members you’re willing to be accommodating and allow them to join from wherever they’re most comfortable.”

To ensure online meetings run smoothly, Bottorff suggests having a staff member join in for the first few gatherings. “Until you get into a good flow, it’ll be really helpful to have someone on staff sit in on the other end,” she says. “That way they can see (and hear!) exactly what your remote members are experiencing.”

It’s also important to set attendee expectations from the start, so send out meeting rules, such as when remote guests should be on mute, in your pre-event communications.

And don’t forget to test and set up technology prior to the meeting start time, either. “If there are any hiccups, you’ll be able to fix them before members start joining,” Bottorff says.

The Gender Pay Gap Problem

Exclusive: 52% of women say that male coworkers with lower job titles earn more money https://t.co/nYNZUxbe7M

— Fast Company (@FastCompany) April 2, 2019

It’s Equal Pay Day, a day that symbolizes how far into the year women must work to match the previous year’s pay of their male counterparts.

And according to research from Fast Company, the pay disparities between men and women don’t stop there. About 75 percent of women in a survey said they negotiated their salary, a raise, or both—yet 52 percent say they’ve found out men in equal or lower positions still make more.

“The bottom line is that the gender pay gap is complicated—it’s wrapped up in generations of bias and it’s impossible to explain away or fix with one simple cause or solution,” writes Kathleen Davis. “And before you think that your company is the outlier without a pay gap problem, consider this: In our survey only 17 percent of respondents said that they felt that there wasn’t a pay gap at their company.”

Other Links of Note

Leading a data-driven organization means creating a culture that embraces digital transformation, says CMSWire.

As the meeting industry evolves, Convene Cofounder Ryan Simonetti shares five trends shaping corporate events today.

Recognizing “invisible wins” can drive employee productivity, from Inc.

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