Academy Session Descriptions

This session is designed to foster understanding, inclusivity, and actionable strategies within Associations. Participants will explore the importance of intentional leadership through policy, awareness, and accountability to support diversity and inclusiveness. They will also learn about the impact of unconscious bias and explore the principles of equity. Through engaging discussions and real-life examples, attendees will gain practical insights and tools to cultivate an inclusive workplace.

Participants will be able to:

• Define diversity, equity, and inclusion and their benefit to the association and its membership.
• Discuss the influence of both conscious and unconscious biases within the organization and its culture
• Identify policies that champion diversity and inclusiveness

Financial results are a vital component to gauging an association’s success and accomplishing its mission. As a result, it’s important that even those outside of the finance department understand the benchmarks and metrics, as well as the policies and procedures necessary to maintain and safeguard an association’s assets. 

This session provides the foundational skills necessary to interpret your financial information and make impactful decisions to maintain financial health and adapt for the challenges ahead.

Learning objectives:

• Understand the importance of budgeting and the basics of creating and monitoring your association’s budget.
• Identify the key financial terms and concepts relevant to association management.
• Learn how to establish key ratios and performance indicators to measure financial health and success.
• Discuss the importance of internal controls in safeguarding your association’s assets and mitigating the risk of fraud.

The Governance Structure session explores how organizations develop and maintain effective systems for direction and control.  Typical structures and processes for decision making, accountability, control and behavior at the top of an entity will be presented in depth as well as how governance influences on how an organization's objectives are set and achieved, how risk is monitored and addressed and how performance is optimized.

Learning Objectives

Understand the importance of the following governance components:

• Major governance legal requirements of not-for-profit organizations
• Aligning roles, processes and capacity for organization success.
• Interconnectedness of multiple governance dimensions. 

^{Times they are a changing.  Where good policy was driven by good policy, today it is sometimes determined by the political winds.  In this session you will learn how to create a policy agenda, work with ALL interests at the table and bring others into your space of advocating for success.  From setting policy, creating coalitions and delivering your message, this session will walk you through it all.}

^{•    How Your Structure Dictates Your Ability to Lobby}

^{•    Determining Your Policy Agenda}

^{•    Building Coalitions}

^{•    Delivering Your Message} 

^{How does your association identify, organize and make available the collective knowledge and information that is contained within it? The overall objective of knowledge management is to create value and to leverage, improve, and refine an association's competencies and knowledge assets to meet organizational goals and member needs. In this Academy session, attendees will learn to:}

• ^{Assess the state of knowledge management in their organizations}
• ^{Recognize the need for intentional development of knowledge management resources}
• ^{Begin to develop a content strategy for their departments within a larger knowledge management environment}

^{In many ways, membership is the very essence of associations. This session will provide participants with an overview of the important role that membership plays in various types of non-profit organizations. Participants will learn about fundamental principles, key strategies, and best practices that drive successful membership management including innovative approaches to attract, engage and retain members while ensuring the sustained growth and prosperity of your organization.}  

^{Key Learning Objectives
•    Identify the basic governing documents that define membership
•    Recognize the importance of dues & non-dues revenue in your organization
•    Understand trends in membership models and dues types
•    Recognize the importance of dues and non-dues revenue in your organization
•    Understand the membership life cycle
•    Utilizing member segmentation, and personalization
•    Identify compelling value propositions and effective recruitment strategies
•    Using technology for member management and data-driven decision making
•    Effective recruitment, onboarding, retention, and renewal best practices
•    Member engagement strategies
•    Understand Legal and ethical considerations}

This session will provide a basic overview of best practices in meeting planning for virtual and in-person meetings from the perspectives of both a veteran meetings planner and a supplier.

Participants will gain an understanding of:

1. An event planning timeline from securing a venue through meeting promotions and communications
2. Meeting budget preparation including data collection for assumptions and pricing strategies
3. Speaker identification and contracts
4. Meeting logistics, including setup, capacities, special needs as well as food and beverage

^{Industry-specific professional development is a core benefit provided by most associations. In this session, participants will consider professional development within the context of their organizations at both the macro and micro levels. At the macro level, participants will explore what it means to manage a cohesive portfolio of meetings and events considering issues such as key trends, feasibility, and diversity. At the micro-level, participants will examine a comprehensive approach to designing and delivering both learning and networking experiences for a selected event that not only meets but exceeds changing customer expectations.}

^{Participants will:
•    Explore what it means to manage a cohesive portfolio of meetings and events in their current environment
•    Discuss how the sub-dividing of members impacts both marketing and the overall member experience
•    Identify ways learning is evaluated and data used in planning
•    Examine a comprehensive approach to designing and delivering both learning and networking experiences for a selected event} 

In this session on strategic planning, we will learn how to create an actionable and resilient strategic plan that enhances organizational effectiveness through: 

• Assessing your organization’s readiness for change
• Developing a toolkit to understand stakeholder and member needs
• Understanding how strategy is developed, who is involved, and how your plan will address the needs of your organization
• Applying the interacting elements of strategy into an effective, sustainable process based on your organization's culture.