One of ASAE’s most respected leaders is receiving a posthumous honor in the coming weeks.

John Graham IV, FASAE, CAE, who led ASAE for nearly two decades before his death last year, is among the figures who will join the Events Industry Council’s Hall of Leaders at EIC’s 2020 Global Awards Virtual Celebration, taking place next month.

With the honor [PDF], Graham will become one of 140 honorees the EIC has found “have had a legacy impact on [the] global business events sector.”

In a news release, ASAE President and CEO Susan Robertson, CAE, said the association was “honored and gratified” by the selection, and emphasized that Graham’s leadership was a continued source of influence on the organization.

“John passed away just over one year ago but we think of him every day as we continue his legacy of working to advance the association community,” she said. “John left an indelible mark on not just ASAE and the other associations he led, but on the entire industry and multiple generations of professionals who have chosen association management as their career path.”

Other inductees chosen for the Hall of Leaders this year include Anita Pires, the president of Pires Destinations & Events Intelligence, and Jonathan Howe, Esq., president & senior partner of the law firm Howe & Hutton.

Other recent headlines:

Speaking out against vaccine waste. In response to a recent viral news story involving a Texas doctor who was charged with misdemeanor theft because he distributed a coronavirus vaccine rather than letting it go to waste, the Texas Medical Association has called on its members to ensure no vaccine goes to waste, even if it means giving it to family and friends. “You can’t save it after six hours of the Pfizer one, for instance. You have to throw it out if that’s the case,” TMA President Diana Fite said in comments to KXAN. “You’re supposed to try to find someone that’s in the bracket that you’re vaccinating, but if you can’t, you can just get anybody you can find to give that vaccination. Do not waste it.” TMA also publicly spoke in support of Dr. Hasan Gokal, whose story was featured in The New York Times last week.

Launching an executive residency program. Graduates in the pharmaceutical field will have a chance to understand the ins and outs of association management through a new paid yearlong executive residency program launched by the American Pharmacists Association. Six graduates of accredited schools of pharmacy will take part in the program, which will help support the organization’s brand identity and strategic programs.

Leaving Money on the Table

Associations should take a lesson from this #justsayin #assnchat https://t.co/QIvXTYMAu4

— maggielmcg (@maggielmcg) February 12, 2021

Terms such as “nondues revenue” have long been drilled into association strategy, but money isn’t everything—especially when it comes at the cost of member experience.

The Membership Guys, a platform focused on entrepreneurs building for-profit membership businesses, offers a show of support for considering the other costs of maximizing revenue in a recent blog post.

“The truth is, it takes much more confidence to say no and focus on your membership as the core of your business,” writer Mike Morrison says. “You might have some other revenue streams, but your membership is the beating heart of what you do, and that’s fine.”

As Maggie McGary of McGary Associates wrote above, it’s a useful lesson for associations to embrace.

ICYMI …

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Here are just a few considerations for governance that your association should take into what could be a fully remote year.

Should your content be short or long? Kim Moutsos, vice president of editorial for the Content Marketing Institute, says the effectiveness of your words is a starting point.

(Handout photo)