Measuring Progress

I’m going to relate a personal anecdote about an experience I had over the weekend. The purpose in relating this is not be “braggadocios” in any way, but to make a point about how we measure progress in any of our endeavors, be they personal, professional, or whatever. I got a “last minute” registration with a small group of friends in a Mud Run / obstacle race, which raised funds for the Gateway Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. It’s actually hard to describe the event ...think of it as a cross between a cross country running race and a military boot camp activity. The course covered 10 K (6.2 miles) and had 18 total obstacles that you got 3 attempts each to complete. It’s really something you have to see and/or experience to truly understand what’s involved. Here’s a link to the event page which includes access to Facebook photos of the event. http://bit.ly/9pGptE There were two divisions for the participants: competitive and general. The competitive division required wearing boots and military fatigues (long pants) to adhere to the military roots of the event. My team entered the general division so we could wear trail running shoes. Here’s where I get reflective in the anecdote. After the event, I thought back to two years ago when I was still just getting serious about health and fitness and re-shaping my body. Prior to that I was headed down a bad path of excessive weight, belly fat, high blood glucose levels and generally not taking good care of my body. As anyone who has started a health and fitness kick knows, there are many, many ways and chances to measure your progress along the way. For some, it’s simply the number a weight scale shows you every morning. For others, it’s a more technical thing like blood glucose or cholesterol levels. For others, it’s when you finally have to go out and buy new clothes because all your old clothes are too big and don’t fit anymore. Well, whatever. The Mud Run was a measurable for me, because there is NO POSSIBLE WAY I would have had the strength and endurance just two years ago to complete that course. It really was very physically demanding. A couple of the climbing obstacles required a great deal of upper body strength and dexterity. We had to crawl through two rain culverts under a road, and that’s just not easy. (Remember that scene in Shawshank Redemption when Tim Robbins finally escaped from prison? ...yeah, it was kinda like that.) Plus all the mud and water pits ...it was really tough. So I thought back to all those nights I went running by myself in the cold and dark, or got up early to go lift weights in the gym when I would’ve felt better sleeping in. And I thought, “well this race made it all worthwhile.” Yep, that’s a measurable to me. And not only did I complete the course, but I did rather well compared to the rest of the field in the general division. I finished 2nd in my wave (not everyone started at the same moment, they spaced out the groups so the course didn’t get crowded). I also finished 2nd out of 26 total men in the 40-44 age group, 8th out of 158 men total and 10th overall out of all 388 participants in the general division. I finished all 18 obstacles on the first attempt and completed the course in just under 75 minutes. To reiterate, I’m not just trying to brag on something I did, but I’m trying to make a point. And that is, when you are looking for grit, determination or “stick-to-it-iveness” during difficult, boring or trying times of something; keep in mind that there will be unexpected measures of success. Don’t get bogged down in just one way to measure success. Always take the chance to try new things or new ways of doing things, because you can have a whole new way of measuring progress upon completion. Maybe your association is still at the same number of members it was 3 years ago, in spite of a membership recruiting program. OK, that’s one way to measure, but what if those members are significantly more loyal and start their own recruiting of members? That will have a cumulative effect that can’t be measured right away. Maybe your industry has only sold the same number of Christmas trees 3 years in a row. OK, that’s one way to measure, but what if a higher percentage of those were young adults? That will have a cumulative effect that can’t be measured right away. There have been times for me in the past couple years when I wondered if I was making progress in my fitness level. Then I did that MS Mud Run -- just for fun with a group of friends. And afterwards, I thought: wow, I’ve made a LOT of progress in my fitness level. But I wouldn’t have known it if I hadn’t tried, or particularly if I had given up on fitness before that event. Not even completing the marathon earlier this year had the same effect, because the training for that is so long and prescribed that finishing seemed like a foregone conclusion and somewhat anti-climactic. The Mud Run was totally unexpected. So stick to it – whatever “IT” is that your engaged in – and you’ll be surprised along the way at how much progress you are making, even it can’t be measured in a typical way. PS: and what a great cause the Mud Run was...600 total runners and volunteers raised $77,260 for the Gateway Chapter of the MS Society ...that’s almost $129 per person. I’m also participating in the Gateway MS 150 mile bike race in September. You can see my page for that event here http://bit.ly/aU6fxc Just two years ago, I don’t think I would’ve been able to ride a bike 150 miles in two days .....

Tis the Season to be Giving …

... Fa la la la la ... la la la la

I am entering my fourth week at Drake & Company and I find myself humming “Fa la la la la … la la la la!” Where else could one go and get to celebrate Christmas year round? And better yet, you get to celebrate Christmas with a cause.

Background: I grew up in a very rural town in central Illinois, had a grandfather that farmed and a dad that sold Allis-Chalmers farm equipment. I worked my way through school as a student receptionist at the College of Agriculture at Southern Illinois University – Carbondale and graduated with a communications degree. And still, if you would have asked me as a ‘teen’ what I wanted to do when I ‘grew up’ – I would have had no idea. Little did I know the answer was right in front of me!

I have worked in agriculture for the past 18 years and I still find it fascinating. I have worked for small agricultural associations to corporate agricultural giants and have always found myself coming back to the associations with a cause. I had a college graduate ask me the other day, which I liked better – corporate or association work. For me, that was easy. I enjoy working for associations because that is where I know I can make a difference.

The Christmas Spirit Foundation’s Trees for Troops program is something that I have already thrown myself into whole-heartedly. What an awesome program, where everyone benefits: the Christmas tree farm helps to donate a beautiful, fresh-cut Christmas tree; Fed-Ex gets to ‘play’ Santa and deliver the trees to military families; military kids and families get to experience Christmas with a real tree; and their tradition of a live tree gets passed on from generation-to-generation.

The other great part of working with Trees for Troops is the camaraderie you get to experience. We entered the Christmas Spirit Foundation’s Trees for Troops program into the Chase Community Giving program. We have a chance of receiving a grant of $20,000 to be able to spread more Christmas wealth to military families. The groups who are willing to support us, using Facebook, has been terrific. And what is neat is how we can utilize our social network to reciprocate.

Global-giving programs like the Chase Community program revolves around social-marketing. It is one thing to sit around and talk only to the audiences you are comfortable with, but when you reach out to other partners via Facebook, Twitter, blogs, You Tube, etc. is where you are really going to gain the momentum. This isn’t about being competitive, or supporting something that may not match your corporate culture – it is about supporting a program that does good for military kids, parents, siblings, grandparents alike.



In less than 5 minutes you can thank U.S. military troops by voting for the Trees for Troops program. Please click here to get started.

Futbol, Football and Association Collaboration

I listened to the USA v. Slovinia World Cup (soccer) game last week. I'm not a soccer fan, but it's pretty exciting to think about how one sport's crown jewel draws people together. The reports I'm reading say more than a billion people will watch the World Cup. It's a huge collaborative effort on the part of FIFA (the sport's governing body), the South African government, private industry (hotels, restaurants, vuvuzela vendors), participating countries and worldwide media.

It's also a collaborative effort on the part of the premier soccer leagues of Europe and South America -- to loan out players who play for country, rather than club. The effort stakeholders put forward to make the event meaningful for fans is astonishing (coincidentally, it generates truckloads of revenue for FIFA and the host economy).

Moreover, it makes me wonder what our organizations and associations in general are doing to collaborate with stakeholders, members and non-members to generate excitement, create value and foster passion among our "fans?"

I contrast this with a sport which has a history of not playing well together -- major college football (American Football, that is). Despite the promise of a huge payday from a Division I football playoff system, the NCAA and BCS have essentially designed a system to keep a few powerhouse players in control. And recently, a few league executives decided they'd expand their conferences to stake claim to larger TV contracts. This led to speculation that the Big 10 would add up to five new members, the Pac 10 would match them and others would follow suit to insure revenue parody.

One of the conferences, the Big 12, was at the center of speculation because the leagues' TV contract brought in less revenue than other conferences and didn't share revenue equally among members (whether equal is fair is another story). Most of the revenue went to powerhouse programs at the University of Texas and University of Oklahoma. And there was a lot of talk about what would happen to the Big 12 if this member or that member left for another conference.

When the Big 10 came courting new members -- University of Missouri (my alma mater), Kansas and Nebraska -- listened because they offered a better value: equal revenue-sharing among members and more money than they were currently receiving from the Big 12. 

But this ruffled the feathers of other conference members and caused more speculation on where Texas (Pac 10?) and the Big 12 (disbanded?) would end up.

In the end, University of Colorado and University of Nebraska left the Big 12. Legendary Nebraska coach Tom Osborne may as well have given Texas the finger at the press conference.

And the remaining Big 12 members presented Texas and Oklahoma with a lopsided revenue package so they could "save" the conference. On one hand, the weaker, remaining members used their collaborative clout to get a better television deal and save traditional rivalries, but clearly the interests of the few were served, rather than the interests of the whole. The maneuvering and posturing made two powerful members (Texas, Oklahoma) more powerful while keeping Missouri, Iowa State, Kansas and others on a lower tier.

Organizations have a duty to serve their members' best interests. When a few members manipulate the association to personal benefit, it robs the organization of value for others. A rising tide should lift all ships, not force others to run aground.

In the current economy, there are many opportunities for associations to work together with other nonprofits, vendors and corporations to provide value to members. We may not reach 1 billion screaming, passionate fans, but by collaborating with stakeholders within our industries, rather than conspiring against them, we can generate more engaged members and build value for our associations.

Here's another recent article on organizational collaboration from Associations NOW:
http://www.asaecenter.org/PublicationsResources/ANowDetail.cfm?ItemNumber=50767 

Economic Impact of the World Cup:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economics_of_the_FIFA_World_Cup

Conference Expansion Winners and Losers (from a fellow Mizzou J-School grad):
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=5291319

Steps to a Great Meeting for Your Clients

DrakeCo director of meetings, Miriam Yanders, was recently featured in the St. Louis Business Journal's "How to" section. Here's her expanded how-to on creating a great meeting for your group.

DrakeCo plans more than 50 board meetings and nine national conferences each year. Miriam Yanders, meetings director for Drake & Co., works to ensure that all go off without a hitch.

Here are some of her suggestions to get you started on selecting an appropriate site as well as making sure the meeting runs smoothly.

• Make short list of venue providers to interview.
• The more preparation you do on the front end, the easier it is to sift through the responses.
• Know what's important to you or your client, then send out a detailed RFP (request for proposal) customized for that meeting.
• Set up a spreadsheet to compile the responses so you can easily compare the proprieties that meet the specifications of that meeting.
• Negotiate to meet your budget. The first answer usually isn't their best offer.

Questions to ask:

• Is the sleeping room rate negotiable?
• Will they increase the attrition percentage?
• If you exceed your room block, will they continue to sell your guests rooms at your rate if rooms are available?
• Will they guarantee that they won't publically offer rooms for less than your rate?
• If guests book rooms outside your block at lower rates, will they still count toward your room block and commission if applicable?
• Will they extend the cutoff date for sleeping room reservations?
• Will they offer “off the menu” pricing or hold pricing to current year?
• Can you provide your own AV without penalty?
• Can you choose your own decorator, or do you have to use theirs?
• What type of transportation will they provide – to and from airport and around town?
• Is any construction being planned for the time that your event will be there?

Things to include in an agreement:

• Room block that is attainable
• A/V
• Decorators
• Force Majeur/Indeminification/Cancellation policy/Quiet Enjoyment (these things protect our clients and make their meeting experience more enjoyable)
• Concessions (upgrades in sleeping rooms/comp meeting space)
• Everything that they have verbally promised you
• Any special or unusual needs of your client

What makes a good provider:

• Willing to work with you to meet your meeting needs
• Customer-oriented

Can't We All Just Get Along?

Let's face it, no association (and especially no successful association) can operate in a vacuum. Regardless of your size or industry, there are usually other organizations out there doing similar work. Maybe you're working collaboratively, or maybe you're competing for members and dollars. Maybe you're nonprofit and they're for-profit, and maybe you've each got your sights set on a slightly different target. In some of our upcoming posts, we'll be looking at organizational collaboration and what it means for the world of association management. One of the most obvious distinctions for associations, and for several of our clients, is national vs. regional vs. state vs. local associations. And all too often, that "vs." is pretty accurate, with groups duking it out for the attention of the same audience. Even in associations where a affiliate/chapter system is in place (i.e. national oversees the state associations or members join both simultaneously), relationships between staffs and boards can be strained and communication can be challenging. At Drake & Company, we manage primarily national associations but work closely with numerous regional, state and local associations. And while I'd love to say that every one of these interactions is rainbows and kittens, I'm not sure anyone in the association world would believe me. Like all relationships, relationships between associations take work. Here's some "relationship advice" I've learned along the way: 1) Never stop "courting" or "wooing." Like I said before, relationships are work - and you have to put in the time. Just because your relationship with a charter association is wedded bliss at the moment doesn't mean it always will be, especially as boards and leaders change. You know the associations you cross paths with on a regular basis - stay in touch, find out what they're doing and the challenges they're facing. Problems that start on a local or state level often have a way of working their way up to the national arena; better to know about them before they come across your desk. 2) Don't lose yourself in the relationship - set boundaries early. The biggest power struggles seem to erupt when roles are unclear. Know who you are as association, who you represent/serve and stick to this plan. If you find your national association constantly getting mired down in local issues, then maybe it's time to take a step back. When you're working together with another association on a project/program, it's better to set clear roles/expectations upfront then to waste time stepping on toes. 3) Don't expect your partner to be a mind reader - communicate! I've sometimes heard association staff or leaders complain about their affiliate or local associations not helping to promote membership or meetings. Well, did you ever ask them to? Or did you just assume they would? And did you give them tools to help them do so? In the case of the National Christmas Tree Association, we created a special Web page just for state/regional association leaders, providing them with articles they could use in their publications, the latest news, meeting announcements and ads, graphics and more. Another organization I belong to sends out a training DVD at the beginning of the year with helpful tools and suggestions for all their chapter leaders. 4) Don't take your partner for granted. It's easy to forget when you're butting heads, but there's a reason why that other association/partnership exists. Recognize the work that they're doing and show your appreciation. The Trees for Troops program would not be the tremendous success it is without the hard work of our state/regional Christmas Tree associations - and I doubt that we ever tell them that enough. (Thanks everyone!) Sounds simple enough, but it's usually those simple things that get overlooked. So, how do you make it work at your associations? How do we avoid creating an "us" vs. "them" mentality among associations? How do we all just "kiss and make up"?

Behind Every Great Organization are Great Volunteers!

Managing volunteers is difficult because people are donating their time for something they believe in, but you know things also have to get done.

There needs to be a balance. You should let volunteers know how much you appreciate them and the time they are putting in.
Appreciate your volunteers with:
-recognition in newsletters and journals at conferences
-personalized thank you notes or special gifts
You should also be able to effectively direct and manage them to make sure they are getting what they need to get done done.

There are different kinds of volunteers in the case of the American Academy on Communication in Healthcare. There are some who want to be associated with the group and that’s it. Others don’t have a lot of time to give, but have the passion so if you need them once in a while to do something they will do it. Some volunteers will always be there when you need them, but they do not wish to take on leadership roles. And, lastly, there are those who take on leadership roles, always desire to improve the organization and will give up much of their time to help out. The last type of volunteer is, of course, ideal, but it is unrealistic to think that all volunteers will be like that. People are just too busy. Plus, you don't want too many cooks in the kitchen!

For AACH, I always try to be very appreciative of the time our volunteers put in for our courses and conferences. Sometimes I forget that these people are volunteering because they do so much. Many of the volunteers are doctors, so they definitely have a lot on their plate! I have found that if I do the base work and administrative work for them, they are able to focus on some of the more important tasks. AACH benefits from this because we are able to utilize our volunteers' strengths in a timely way. We work as a team to achieve this.

Most doctors are not sitting by their computer all the time, so the issue of getting a hold of them arises. AACH schedules standing meetings every couple of weeks which gives us the time to get updates from everyone and talk about next steps. It is important for us to have an organized agenda and know what needs to get done, so that these meetings can be productive. The meetings only last an hour or so, so everyone must be focused and committed.

Remember to respect a volunteer's:
-Time: give them agendas, specific duties, deadlines, and keep meetings short
-Commitments outside of the organization: be flexible, give them plenty of leadtime
-Passion: don't crush a visionary with detail work

I found a great article online from ASAE and the Center for Association Leadership. It is called Volunteer Management: Improving the Volunteer Experience and Reducing Risk. It covers everything from recruiting, training and supervising volunteers. It also a great source for ideas on engaging your volunteers. http://www.asaecenter.org/PublicationsResources/whitepaperdetail.cfm?ItemNumber=24190 .

Volunteers are choosing to volunteer because they want to. Find their strengths and utilize them for the betterment of the organization. Identify what kind of volunteer they are and use them the best way possible. Be sure to stay organized and let the volunteers know what needs to be done and when it needs to be done by. And, lastly, appreciate them. Behind every great organization are great volunteers!