Wes Sovis is MSAE's Digital Communications Manager, responsible for putting out the association's vibes online. He's a social media and digital media fanatic, and his main goal to to help MSAE do more to engage, inform, and promote its members across a variety of digital mediums. 

I dread working in minutiae. It's just not my thing. I like to spend my time on the bigger picture, strategy, and longer-term thinking. But lately, I am reminded of how important the details are. 

Think about the experience of the individual member - details sure matter there. If communications make it out to 999 of your members, the member that didn't receive them will not only be disconnected from your association but is likely to share their disappointment with 10-13 other people. Tasks as simple as following the data standard for how an email address gets entered and the adhering to the appropriate frequency of pulling mailing lists matter.   

There's a lot happening at MSAE! Here's a quick update to keep you in the know.

Safe Meetings in Michigan

This is an inclusive effort and the workgroups have been doing a fantastic job! If you're interested in participating, consider this your invitation! Special note for communications professionals - we’re looking for assistance with reviewing and editing of the materials. If you’re interested in assisting, please email info@msae.org. 

MSAE is building a plan to re-engage volunteers in the association. Intentionally or unintentionally, for the most part, the association stopped utilizing volunteers several years back. 

The research on the "why" of volunteer programs is compelling. Volunteering improves member perceptions of the association.  In study after study, ASAE found that performing even a single, simple task for an association substantially improved the volunteer's perception of the association's value... 

MSAE's Board of Directors took decisive action this week in support of the restoration of funding for the Pure Michigan campaign. MSAE is proud to stand by many of our organizational and allied members urging state leaders to get Pure Michigan back on track before too much momentum is lost. Michigan's tourism lobby has done fantastic work in getting the message out about Pure Michigan's significance to the state's economy. If supporting this effort makes sense for your organization, they would certainly welcome additional voices to the cause...

April showers bring May flowers – welcome to spring!

American Associations Day, the Unrelated Business Income Tax (UBIT), and a look ahead at the potential future of your association’s membership data as U.S. “big tech” reignites debate of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in MSAE’s advocacy round-up through Friday, April 5^th.

Advocacy Corner: January thru Mid-February Round-Up

Michigan’s 100^th Legislature, executive branch, and the Michigan Supreme Court have each seen significant movement in shaping the state public policy arena through the first several weeks of 2019. A State of the State Address, a much anticipated release of the 2019 state budget, and more are discussed below in MSAE’s advocacy round-up through Friday, February 22^nd.

Starting in January of this year, Hanna Featherston joined the MSAE team as our meetings intern. She has already shown leadership in taking on any task and project available. Currently finishing her degree majoring in Recreational and Event Management with a minor in Business Administration at Central Michigan University, her graduation date is set for August 2018.