Author
Ernie Smith
Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now.
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AdvocacyArticleOver 5 years old
Tobacco Grower Associations Take Stand Against Using Child Labor
Earning praise from human rights advocates, two associations that represent tobacco growers are discouraging members from using children…
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Marketing / CommunicationsArticleOver 5 years old
Tuesday Buzz: When a Speaker Proves Less Relevant Than Expected
An association CEO rants about a presenter gimmick—and why it’s not particularly relevant to his leadership needs. Also:…
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AdvocacyArticleOver 5 years old
Forex Pros Band Together With New Trade Group
The Foreign Exchange Professionals Association, a new group representing the currency-markets space, hopes to advocate and develop best…
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What Happens When You Don’t Properly Vet Your Vendors
Law enforcement agencies across the country are smarting from a recent Electronic Frontier Foundation report highlighting software that…
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MembershipArticleOver 5 years old
Social Media Roundup: Keep That Member Database Updated
The low-tech approach to making sure your member database has the correct contact info. Also: Face-to-face still wins…
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FundraisingArticleOver 5 years old
ALS Association Doles Out Ice Bucket Challenge Funding Carefully
Fresh off a icy-cold summer that brought donations pouring in, ALSA has plenty of money to help fund…
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Meetings / EventsArticleOver 5 years old
FCC Takes Aim at Convention Center WiFi With Marriott Fine
The Federal Communications Commission handed out a $600,000 fine against the hotel giant over the use of wireless-blocking…
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LearningArticleOver 5 years old
Where the Great Places Are: Association Lists Top Community Spaces
The American Planning Association's annual Great Places in America list highlights examples of beautiful, well-planned community hubs. Check…
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OperationsArticleOver 5 years old
Airlines Working To Handle Expanding Ebola Crisis
In the days since the first confirmed case of Ebola showed up on American shores, the airline industry…
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AdvocacyArticleOver 5 years old
Freelancers Union Changes Healthcare Course
With restrictions under the Affordable Care Act cramping the association’s style, the group is moving away from offering…
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Marketing / CommunicationsArticleOver 5 years old
Friday Buzz: Evernote Gets Clean and Simple
After taking it on the chin from a user, the note-taking giant learns a thing or two about…
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Arkansas Realtor’s Murder Becomes “Big Reality Check” for Associations
In the days after the kidnapping and murder of agent Beverly Carter, Realtors associations are reflecting on the…
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MembershipArticleOver 5 years old
Ad Tech Hits the Lab: IAB Launches Skunkworks Project
The Interactive Advertising Bureau hopes to build stronger standards for the industry—both now, and far into the future—with…
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MembershipArticleOver 5 years old
Thursday Buzz: Weak Member Engagement? Look At Your Staff
You can't rely on your volunteers all the time to get your members motivated—your staffers have to do…
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AdvocacyArticleOver 5 years old
“Paper or Plastic?” California Answers That Question for its Residents
It'll be paper—and it'll cost ya. A new law in the state—the first of its kind—mandates that stores…
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GovernanceArticleOver 5 years old
FIFA Boardroom Rift Erupts Over Transparency Issues
Despite public and private demands for transparency regarding an investigative report detailing a corruption scandal, soccer's main governing…
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Meetings / EventsArticleOver 5 years old
To Attract Feds to Events, Conferences Are Becoming Luncheons
Federal conferences are becoming a tougher sell these days, and that’s led to more concise, tightly focused meeting…
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Meetings / EventsArticleOver 5 years old
Wednesday Buzz: The Start Menu Is Back, Windows Users
Microsoft's announcement of a new version of Windows isn't a big surprise, but its name—Windows 10, skipping version…
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Conscious InclusionArticleOver 5 years old
Nonprofits Help Make Room for Veterans At Elite Schools
With Ivy League and other liberal arts colleges struggling to integrate combat veterans into their student bodies, nonprofits…
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Marketing / CommunicationsArticleOver 5 years old
How Wheat Producers Counteracted a GMO Crisis
Facing a controversy that could have damaged industry efforts to introduce GMOs to the U.S. wheat supply, two…
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Marketing / CommunicationsArticleOver 5 years old
DuckTales: How to Revive Old Ideas
How two old-school cartoons have managed to keep things fresh with the help of the occasional twist. Also:…
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Marketing / CommunicationsArticleOver 5 years old
Customer Service Broken? Your Technology Probably Is, Too
The cable and internet giant Comcast is in the middle of a major shift on customer service, after…
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MembershipArticleOver 5 years old
Volunteers: Asking for Less in More Ways
Why drumming up interest from new members shouldn't start with a big ask but a more modest one.…
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Marketing / CommunicationsArticleOver 5 years old
Facebook Aims Beyond Its Borders With New Ad Offering
The company's retooled ad targeting platform, Atlas Solutions, offers something that many ad providers want—more details on the…
