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How often do you review/update your Employee Handbook and Employee Benefits?

40 Responses
30% - More like 5+ years
23% - Annually
23% - Every 2-3 years
13% - Other
13% - Not sure - what are previous responses

• We review policies much more frequently. It is usually every 3-4 months, but sometimes it is more often.
• As necessary, we’re looking at it this year to include language about remote work and teleworking. Otherwise we’ve been pretty consistent with practicing as it’s written
• 2-3 Years, but sometimes it goes past that. We should put it on a schedule. We did it recently, Made it pretty, added a remote work section and updated our holidays.
• Policy states it should be reviewed every three years, in addition to a compensation study to ensure we remain a competitive in the workplace. I will add that we don't always meet that mark, but we try.
• While annually, there are special circumstances that may require more frequent updates.
• 2-3 Years, we are currently undertaking this process and I would like to see it reviewed more frequently

Where do you / your organization primarily work? (Not counting as-needed circumstances)

92 Responses
32% - 100% Remote
32% - 100% In the office
30% - Split in-office and remote
3% - Other
3% - Not sure - what are other responses

• It's up to the employee whether they want to work in the office full-time or remotely (50/50). Some employees choose 100% in the office; some alternate days in and days remote; and others work half-days in and remote. We've been doing it since we came back after the Covid shutdown and it's worked well.
• It's going great. You have to know if you're a work from home person or a work in the office person and be honest with yourself!
• It's going great.
• We are 2 days in office, 3 days remote. It works extremely well for in-person collaboration while meeting the flexibility needs of our team members. The 2 day in office are decided by team / department.
• Monday, Tuesday, Friday in office Wed, Th remote seems to be going well.
• There are benefits to being in-office as a team, but many of us wish we could find a balanced hybrid set-up. We could be as productive with regular remote day or two.
• We work from home on Mondays. I think it's a great start to the work week.
• Great, we have been remote since 2017
• Punctuality and availability can be an issue. The team has better comradery, compassion, and empathy for each other when in the office. Performance hasn't lagged, but it is difficult to judge whether overall efficiency and performance would improve if in the office full-time as a change of this nature is sure to negatively impact morale - at least for the short term.
• 100% in office, for the Administration/ Accounting
• Split - It works well, we like the flexibility.
• All but one staff are 100% in the office and one staff lives in south Florida and is 100% remote.
• We have a few staff who travel a lot but were otherwise 100% in the office.
• Staff can occasionally WFH, but we're 95% in the office. (We're a local Realtor Association, so most of what we do is in person) We were remote for only a few months in early 2020.
• We have some employees that thrive in the remote environment and others who do not and I question their productivity without supervision such as doing other jobs while they clocked in to this one. Hate to resort to keyboard monitors or such but it is concerning.
• Excellent. If your team is made up of self motivated people, then remote work is great and a money saver.
• We have been remote since 2008 when it was a novel concept. We have given many webinars, breakouts, etc on working remote. We are very intentional about connection and feel like we have a strong culture and perform well for our members.
• We like the hybrid/remote split - best of both worlds. We have set in office days all together for meetings/in person collaboration.
• Mixed bag - but it's the way the world works now, especially with a national organization
• We have 8 staff full time in office and 4 staff fully remote. Those in the office are rarely allowed to work remotely. It's a strange dynamic!
• Our organization (created from a merger of two regional associations) was 100% remote from the beginning (Oct 2019) and it works well!
• This works great for us! Our "office" is really a Professional Development Center that is meant for classes, events, trainings, etc. So the bulk of our time is spent remote.
• 100% Remote - I love the flexibility, plus I travel a decent amount.
• Split - Fabulous. It is a part of our culture that everyone loves and appreciates!
• Work-life balance is important to me and to my employees. Allowing for a hybrid option has given staff an opportunity to be productive on work assignments while allowing them to not be as stressed about home. I don't see us ever returning to fully in office.
• We have two offices - Fort Lauderdale and DC. Both hybrid. The majority of our 31 team members work remotely throughout the country which began prior to COVID. We developed a virtual team culture and communications strategy that has proven to successful serve our 30 plus association clients. This approach has also helped us recruit great talent.
• 100% in Office - We prefer it. More collaborating and bouncing ideas. We like the interaction.
• We’re a staff of three, two staff members are 100% remote. Our newest staff member works two days remote, with the possibility of going to 100% remote.

How many times per year does your full Board of Directors meet (mostly)?

81 Responses
70% - Quarterly (3-4 times)
19% - Monthly (10-12 times)
10% - Other
1% - Twice Annually

How many of these meetings are virtual?

71 Responses

34% - None - all are in-person only
26% - 1-2
18% - Half
12% - Other
10% - All of them

When is your organization's fiscal year-end?

67 Responses:
54% - We're on a calendar year, with year-end in December
21% - We follow the State with year-end in June
15% - Other
10% - September year-end for us

• March 31 is the last day of our fiscal year.
• We have an October 31, fiscal year end. I am not sure the reason behind that decades ago.
• We follow leadership term which is based on annual conference.
• Not sure that schedule makes the most sense for us because of "season," but it's never been decided to bother changing it. Before my tenure began 11 years ago, they used to wait until November to send membership renewals, but I start sending during the summer, more in line with the fiscal year.
• We follow federal October 1-September 30 since our members are federally funded
• One association is September year end and the other is year-end in December.
• FPMA follows our national organization's calendar year of June 1 - May 31
• October
• Our members are health care providers whose primary payer is Medicare (90+%), so they are on the federal fiscal year of October 1-September 30 for alignment purposes.
• Our fiscal year ends August 31.
• June 30

Is your online membership directory private/members-only or open to the public?

43 Responses

As a rule, what does your organization provide to your members who present at your conference?

50 Responses
26% - Discounted registration
24% - Comp registration only
20% - Nothing - they should be there anyway
12% - Complimentary registration, hotel and travel
8% - Other
6% - No idea - what are previous responses
4% - Hotel or travel costs only

• Most of the speakers are experts in the field and attend for free, the discounted registration is if they want to attend the Full Program with access to the food events.
• We generally provide complimentary registration, but this has varied over the years.
• At times it has been discounted registration or the 'nothing - they will be there' thought process.
• At our annual conference, we offer all of our speakers complimentary registration whether they're a member or not. For some speakers, generally outside our area/more broadly known, we may also pay a fee and/or hotel/travel expenses, but that's case-by-case, not automatic.
• We are not a member-based association. We pay them for their session and all travel related expenses.
• We also pay an honorarium if the presentation is an hour or longer
• Speakers for General Sessions are treated a little differently, and usually get a free registration and sometimes we pay for travel costs. But, for breakout sessions, we do NOT give them anything.
• All speakers receive comp registrations! If we do a panel, speakers may receive a slightly discounted rate (25-50% off). We generally only have a budget to provide 1-2 Keynotes honorarium or to cover travel/hotel fees. If we don't that year - then we provide a trade with an exhibit booth.
• We work with members that need assistance, but as a rule don't offer perks for speaking

Do you offer affinity programs to your members?

33 Responses
39% - No, we have never offered affinity programs
15% - Not sure - what are previous responses
12% - Yes, we offer multiple programs but they are not well-utilized
9% - Yes, we offer multiple programs and they are well utilized by members
9% - We offer one or two programs and they are utilized by members
9% - Not anymore - we terminated previous affinity programs
6% - Other

• We offer online training through our LMS, energy purchasing and business insurance.
• Sometimes it is difficult to measure the success of affinity programs because of not receiving usage data. Programs tend to fade out because they are not monitored and promoted over time.
• We've mostly moved away from affinity programs, but our national counterpart has a for-profit related organization that offers them to our members.
• We don't have affinity programs but want to start offering some
• They are all the same; Hertz/1800Flowers/Tires etc....
• Their companies all offer similar benefits. It's hard to get members to engage with the same old/same old. How do I find meatier packages

Do you have a General Counsel as part of your association?

43 Responses
53% - No, we just contract with an attorney when needed
26% - Yes, but our General Counsel is on contract – not an employee
14% - Yes, we have a General Counsel on staff
7% - Other

• In the 13 years I've been with the Association, we only needed to contract one time with an attorney.
• We use the same attorney, but it is on an "as needed" basis.
• One of our executive officers is an attorney but we contract for specific expertise when needed
• Our attorney is used on as needed basis - not necessarily a contact but use the same attorney
• We contract with a firm for our lobbying and if others services are required we consult with attorneys from the same firm.
• We have an attorney that is experienced in our profession who also serves in the capacity of a corporate attorney when needed.. We offer a benefit that allows questions from a member one a year regarding a workplace issue.

For Trade Associations or those with Organizational Members: What percentage of Board representation is CEO / C-Suite?

24 Responses
38% - 75% CEO / 25% C-Suite
33% - Not Sure - what are previous responses
13% - 25% CEO / 75% C-Suite or Managers/Administrators or Other
8% - 50% CEO / 50% C-Suite or Managers/Administrators
4% - Something Else
4% - 100% CEOs

• Voting board members are local government entities.
• 76% CEO/President / 24% C-Suite/EVP/SVP/VP
• We do not have a requirement that the board member be the CEO or owner. But the majority happen to be. We do require Board candidates that are not the CEO or owner to have a signed affidavit from the CEO or owner as part of their Board application

Do your Board Members pay registration fees, lodging and travel for your Annual Meeting?

61 Responses
54% - Yes - Board Members pay full prices
20% - No - the association pays all Board expenses
13% - Other
10% - Board Members pay discounted amounts
3% - Not sure - what are previous responses

• Board members pay for discounted registration and our organization covers hotel, mileage and meals not provided at the event.
• We cover hotel for our President and President Elect. All other Board members pay their own expenses.
• We don't have that type of annual meeting.
• Board personally or company pays all travel, lodging and food we comp conference reg
• We cover lodging and travel for the majority of our board of director mem
• They do not pay for registration, but pay for lodging and travel
• Board members pay full registration (and other) fees just the same as other members. Plus, they are expected to be active and engaged in the organization.
• We give Board Members a special offer, not available to the public, to entice them to stay through the Awards Luncheon on the first day of conference. The Board Meeting occurs the day before conference begins.
• We are a trade association and each of our primary member companies has one representative on our board. The only volunteer-related discount we offer for our events are to those who assist in the development or delivery (speakers) in some way.
• Board members receive comp registration, but travel expenses are on their own except for President and President-Elect.
• Executive Committee is reimbursed hotel, mileage. Board pays full price without reimbursements
• AMC: We see all of the above. But most often I see the board pay full price (no travel reimbursements), but may receive room upgrades. One event comp's guest/spouse registration.
• They don't pay anything - They are volunteers
• We pay the registration fee but they pay for all other expenses.
• President and President Elect only we pay for
• Our BOD Chairman is comped at some events because they are so busy helping run the meeting. They often don’t get to enjoy your finish our meal, etc.
• They are volunteers so we cover all expenses.
• They receive free registration
• We pay travel expenses if the Board meeting is stand alone and not connected to another membership wide event, like the Annual Conference or Legislative Conference.
• We pick up the sleeping room for the President, but the board pays all registration fees and travel.

Do you provide your audit documents to your Membership at the Annual Meeting?

38 Responses
45% - We provide the audit to the Board; members may access it if they ask us for it
29% - Only Board members can access the audit documents
8% - Yes, we provide access to the audit to all members and leadership
8% - Other
8% - Not sure - what are previous responses
3% - We provide audited financial statements only

• We do not provide our audit reports online. Only PDF to the BOD and in BOD mtg materials.
• We provide access to our annual audit to all members through the member portal.
• We do a report out during a session at our annual meeting. The statement of activity is made available to the membership.

What is your policy about canceling an event registration, particularly if it's just a few days before the event?

58 Responses
66% - No refunds past specific date / we invoice full amount due
19% - Other
12% - Partial refund past specific date / invoice partial amount due
3% - Full refunds allowed - no invoices sent

• Invoice up front, with partial refund at specific date and no refund after a specific date.
• Most likely if something is getting Cancelled, just a few days before any of our events, it would have to be some type of catastrophic occurrence, in any event we would have already had expenses incur to set up and run the event, hotels, exhibitors, catering, etc, if refunds were provided it would be on a prorated amount, after these expenses have been deducted, and would be done on a case by case, and would depend on if the event will be rescheduled during that budget year and also if that event qualified to have event cancellation insurance.
• We have a cancellation policy in place: If one cancels within 2-4 weeks of the event, they get a refund, minus a 25% processing fee. There are no refunds or credits for cancellations within two weeks of an event.
• No refunds for cancellation less than 30 day prior to event. Refund less $50 admin fee prior to that. Will grant an exception if Candian registrants have to cancel due to travel restrictions.
• Typically handled on a case-by-case basis, and tracked for misuse.
• We established the expectation that payment is due with registration but do offer to invoice members when they register. We tell guests or exhibitors who are non-members / new to us that their spot is not confirmed until we receive payment, which helps limit our paying for tables or meals that aren't needed.
  We have a formal policy of refunding up to a certain date (typically at least 2-3 weeks before the event because of meal guarantee deadlines) less a 25% fee to offset costs we've already invested (think credit card fees, space reservation). Requests to cancel must be received in writing (email is fine).
  After that date, we specifically state that we do not refund and do not refund for non-attendance, which is a good policy for last minute folks. Those who plan late will call and ask if "there's still room", and if I can accommodate them, we do, and we can collect payment on site.
  Most of our folks realize that our primary event is a fundraiser and have no problem with having paid and not being able to attend last minute. We have refunded in full only a couple of times, and both were medical emergencies for long-term members. So in short: set the expectation up front, collect up front, and avoid invoicing after the fact if possible, which can leave a bad taste.
• We allow refunds until about 2 weeks out and charge an admin fee to recoup credit card feest. After that date, no refunds are permitted.
• within 10 days of the event we have a no refund policy. Almost all vendors have been paid by that time and final arrangements have been made.
• They pay in full before the event. If they meet deadline they get refund minus a $25 processing fee.
• No refunds unless the request is accompanied by medical documentation with an excuse that would not allow the attendee to be present at the event.
• We charge a fee ($25.00- mostly to cover credit card fees) if cancelled prior to a certain time. At about 2 weeks out, no cancellations, only substitutions. However, people mark "pay by check" don't show up, then, don't pay.
• We take payment in advance for all events. Once a "Seat" has been purchased and taken out of play, there are no refunds
• A 4-day cancellation policy applies prior to the event, with no refunds after that.
• Generally we tell attendees that there are no refunds past a certain date. And we enforce that. However, if a situation arises where they do need to cancel and would like a refund, we require that in writing and an explanation as to why. We present this at the board meeting onsite and allow them to review all requests as a group/total financial break. Some years everyone is a yes, some years it's 50/50 based on situations. Sometimes it's 2 requests, sometimes it's 7.
• We just implemented this policy after a rash of cancellations after critic dates of guarantees to property/facility.
• Our cancelation policy sets a date for written cancellations (minus a $30 processing fee) before meal counts have to be submitted before an event. Anything received after that date can be transferred to another person or no refunds are provided
• Generally our events are wait-listed so there is almost always someone to take the registration.
• We do not offer full refunds, only partial refunds. Many requests we receive are unrelated to the event itself, and staff time has already been allocated to planning the event. Partial refunds are provided on a case-by-case basis.
• Up until 1 week prior to the event, we offer a refund of fees minus $30 service charge. After that time, no refunds.

Does your organization rely on federal or state funding?

57 Responses
75% - We don't get either type
14% - We receive state funds
7% - Other
2% - We receive federal funding
2% - Not sure - what are previous responses

• We receive grants specific to addressing a required compliance or legislation. No other funding.
• No. However, some memberships/registrations are paid by Federal/State Employers.
• No funding at all other than dues revenue and non-dues revenue generated
• The association does not receive direct funds from the federal or state; however, our members do.
• We provide services to municipalities, but no grant funding.
• We don't get either - But how do I get it?? LOL!
• The state of Florida offers grant funding to educate our members. It's a large part of our annual non-dues revenue.

What is your best fundraiser?

14 Responses

• A friend's org partnered with a pet shelter during their conference. The shelter had a booth in org's expo allowing attendees to touch and admire shelter pets. The fundraiser was a pet naming content where attendees could donate money to name the pets. People donated money toward their favorite name. Proceeds were split between the org and the shelter.
• Two come to mind -- one was when we moved into our new office, we launched a room naming campaign/donor recognition wall. Second was similar but celebrating a milestone anniversary for the organization.
• We had a pie in the face fundraiser at our trade show where members could pie (whipped cream) their boss, one of the board members and our Executive Director in the face. It was a hit!
• Pies in the face for volunteers at our circus themed trade show
• Don't do them, our Annual Conference raises the most money for us
• Auction
• Annual Golf Tournament
• RPAC Auction and Realtor-Builder Trade Show
• Affinity Programs are our most consistent although they do not bring in the revenue of the past. Our Foundation was founded on the concept of naming funds after people for a $10,000 donation. This was established in 1987 and we still get these endowments today. They are allowed to fund them gradually. We started with $11,000 and now have over $1.6 million for grants and scholarships.
• Golf Tournament
• Golf tournament
• We have 2. We did a cornhole tournament in teams of 6 with 4 rounds at 22 minutes. Teams switched cornhole lanes every 12 minute’s creating great connection. The other was selling tickets to pick 6 winners of autographed shirts, footballs and a helmet of our Keynote Joe Theismann. Broke our record for funds raised.
• Big Ticket Raffle-$10 for one ticket or $25 for one three tickets
• Gala honoring a member

What is the ratio of buyers/members to sellers/suppliers at your annual conference/annual meeting?

44 Responses
25% - 60% buyers/40% sellers
18% - 75% buyers/25% sellers
16% - Not Sure - what are previous responses
14% - 40% buyers/60% sellers
11% - 50% buyers/50% sellers
9% - Other
7% - 25% buyers/75% sellers

• 25% buyers - I would love some suggestions to flip this ratio
• Our sellers/suppliers are equal to processors, distributors, and brokers in their membership. They pay the same for dues and for event registrations.
• Ours is more like 90/10 buyers to sellers. We do not do a trade show of any kind, so we tend not to get many sellers.
• Probably more like 85% buyers to 15% sellers
• Ours is 66% Buyers, 34% Sellers. In between the last two choices.
• 10% sellers 90% buyers

Do you have active Student members/memberships?

57 Responses
39% - We don't offer student memberships
28% - We have student members and offer programs/services designed for them
23% - We have student members but no specific programs/services
7% - Other
4% - I'm not sure - what are previous responses

• We have removed honorary & student memberships.
• Students are either free or $15 (versus $170 or $120 respectively). No different benefits beyond general membership - but conference registration is heavily discounted to the point where it really is just there to cover their meal fees. We have had individuals take advantage of these heavy discounts and therefore we require documentation of current enrollment/transcripts/etc. Unofficially, we grant up to a year after graduation with this type to allow time for a license to be earned (considering our renewal cycle). Receive very little push-back from those utilizing that membership type.
• We offer students reduced membership fees and conference rates, as well as offer competitive sponsorships to attend conferences. We hold two conferences a year, and one of the conferences offers a poster competition. Students submit an abstract, and a panel of judges determine which students are awarded complimentary registration to present their work and compete for scholarships. The second conference has a competitive essay-based scholarship. These students are awarded a travel scholarship to attend the conference. Recipients are asked to volunteer five hours while at the event.
• We are Girl Scouts of West Central Florida! It’s what we do!
• We offer over 150 different classes for continuing education via a vetted pool of over 235 instructors that our local associations can pull from. In addition, we offer support and education for our Education Directors, state-wide, a Leadership Academy for emerging future volunteer leaders, and additional designations of recognition o support the professional growth journey of our members.
• We don't have student memberships but we have a strong relationship with the student organization and we offer the first year free to new graduates who belong to their association.
• We work with the student organization at USF but do not have a student membership at our organization.
• They are our student doctors and their membership is free during their medical school years. We have a student association on campus. We visit the campus twice a year, once to welcome the incoming freshmen and again to conduct a workshop. We also have a student event (lecture/workshop) for them at both our annual conferences.
• When students reach out to us, we have made exceptions. We would like to develop a more concerted effort around student outreach/engagement to promote careers in the industry.
• We don't but I would love to hear what other associations offer.
• We currently have 576 student memberships. Osteopathic medicine day at the Capitol is 1 event specifically for our students.
• We have specific on campus events for law students and host a mock trial competition
• We have a student on our Board. Our Foundation provides student scholarships, we have student posters at our annual and we recognize all schools of pharmacy at our House of Delegates by allowing one voting member as a delegate. Students can also join our councils and committees.
• We do not have student memberships, however we do use student interns from the FSU (sourcing through both the school of hospitality and the Jim Moran program). We also fund scholarships at all of the law schools in Florida and have scholarships for law students to attend continuing education programs we present.
• student education track at convention

Do you/your board include staff and overhead expenses in the budget calculations when determining profitability of a program or event?

53 Responses
32% - Yes - we factor in all things to determine true profitability
32% - Sort of - we include some internal expenses but not staff salary or overhead
28% - No - we only include hard costs that are billed/paid out
6% - Not sure - what are previous responses
2% - Other

• We do not include salary and benefits, but do include expenses, such as travel, staff, hotel, food, etc
• We actually produce two financial reports. One with the administrative costs and one without. We like to see the true cost of an event with and without the administrative costs.
• We kind of do both just to show them. We actually had a loss this year due to rescheduling due to hurricane, We are utilizing the cancellation insurance to recoup some of them. Note: make sure your folks cancel in writing because we are having to supply the cancellation emails emails to file the claim.
• Our event budgets only include direct costs for the event, no overhead or salaries.
• This is something I am going through right now and would be interested in other's responses. Currently I am excluding staff expenses because we budget for general staff travel.

What’s your biggest challenge with meetings currently?

65 Responses
71% - Costs – especially food & beverage and AV
14% - Getting attendees to come
9% - Not relevant to me, but I want to see the answers from last week’s question
3% - Securing space and/or getting responses from hoteliers and CVBs
3% - Other

• The costs of food, beverages, and accommodations have been rising, which may lead our pension boards to send trustees to just one event instead of two or three. Additionally, the guaranteed amounts for food and beverages continue to increase.  Regarding AV, we have been working with a reliable AV company for the last 30 years, and their services are much more affordable than the hotel AV options. If you would like the name of the company, please feel free to contact me, and I'll be happy to share the details.
• Costs are the biggest challenge as it relates to everything- registration fees, sponsorships, and so forth. When you are charging up to $1,000 per attendee they better receive more than a bag of chips to eat!
• Like everything else, hotels have increased their pricing, including items (like coffee) that were already overpriced, and room rental, even when you're providing F&B revenue. We're also being charged for things we never had to pay for before, like a few display tables in the foyer. Don't get me started on what they're charging for sleeping rooms! The days of recovering from COVID are OVER!
• F&B and AV costs are definitely high, but nightly room rates are getting ridiculous also.
• In addition to skyrocketing AV and F&B costs, the higher end properties are becoming unaffordable with very high ++ fees as well as room nights rates that are continuing to climb.
• All of the above. We use a site selection firm but they struggle to find an affordable option due to rooms to space ratio. Food requirements are a challenge since COVID. We have a core group that attends along with new attendees but members are ageing out of travel and our members tend to attend their specialty conferences. We even give members a rebate from a fund we created when we changed structure.
• Costs-especially food & beverage and AV, and even the hotel room cost has increased substantially in the last 2 years.

Does your organization offer a certification?

50 Responses
36% - Yes - we have a Certification Program*
34% - No - we don't do this and aren't planning to
16% - We offer a certificate (no renewing)
8% - Other
4% - We are in the process of creating one or thinking about it
4% - Please show me previous responses
*Responses corrected to reflect certification programs

• We have 12 certifications and no certificate programs.
• Certifications are a big part of what we do.
• We started an apprenticeship program for Direct Support Professionals that helps to educate and build a career ladder for the staff that work with individuals our members serve.
• We offer a full certification program. Would love to connect with others who offer certification and/or micro credentials.
• Our association's primary goal is to establish ways for our members to connect and network. We do not offer any education or certifications.
• full blown certification programs are too expensive to implement correctly try for us
• We offer the Travel Marketing Professional (TMP)
• We offer multiple certifications, some renewed annually and most are lifetime certifications.
• Our affiliates offer designation and certificate programs.
• We have 7 certificate programs
• Yes - Certified Waterfront Specialist (CWS)
• We offer national designations and certifications, and are in the process of creating Florida specific ones
• We have both certifications and certificates
• We also have an accreditation program related to our certifications as well
• We have one accredited certification (LACP) and one designation (LUTCF).  We will likely add more designations to our portfolio in the future.
• We offer smaller in scope certificate programs and more advanced certification programs as well

Are you planning a Legislative Day / Lobby Day for your members for Florida's 2025 Legislative Session?

68 Responses
63% - Yes
22% - We don't lobby
15% - No

• Many of our members are frequently engaged in lobbying activities and we believe the "legislative days" do not have positive impact on the legislators and there are more beneficial ways to effectuate change. We do concede "legislative days" are good for member morale but we can address member opportunities in other ways.
• We will have two lobby days for the 2025 Session. We had success with having two days during committee weeks to meet our legislative priorities.
• This year it will be the first week of February. Traditionally we usually host the Monday-Wednesday after the MLK holiday. This gives members the different perspectives of a committee week vs. Session atmosphere.
• We stopped doing this 2 years ago, too much work for not enough benefit.
• We schedule our Lobby Days event during committee weeks prior to the beginning of session. We have found it is a much more effective time to secure quality time with legislators.

Does your association operate a secondary for-profit subsidiary income stream?

58 Responses
71% - No
26% - Yes
3% - Please show previous responses

• NEFAR is a not-for-profit 501(c)6 and 100% owns two for-profit corporations but not for an income stream. We also have a not-for-profit Charitable Foundation 501(c)3
• We have a secondary c3 but not a for profit

On average, has your membership been growing, flat or declining annually since COVID/2021? (not counting 2020)

46 Responses
57% - Growing
26% - Flat
9% - Declining
7% - I'm not sure / Other
2% - What are previous responses

• We have had minor growth due to mergers, but overall the enterprise has been losing members for 30 years.
• Beginning to decline this year.
• We are seeing a small uptick right now but it has been up and down.
• Had been growing but is flat this year
• Growing since 2021, but have not yet passed our pre-covid peak
• It grew and then shrank again as prices went up and now it's growing again. Yo yo, I guess
• We are sort of artificially inflating it with giving away free years, etc.
• We have been growing a lot!
• This year’s (2024) renewals are our highest ever!
• Consolidation is driving a decline, while Florida’s economy is bringing in new out of state members n the growth side. Revenue from membership is lower.
• We’ve grown every year since 2019, including 2020.

Do you use any project management software to organize tasks or plan events?

65 Responses
38% - Not really - just Excel or Word docs
37% - Yes - we use an external software like Slack, Asana, Trello, etc.
14% - We don't but are interested in one
5% - I'm not sure - what are previous question responses
3% - Our AMS has a project component
3% - Other

• We use Slack and Asana
• We used to have a contracted programmer who wrote proprietary software for the association. Currently, we are using GoExpo and Attendee Interactive.
• We used to use Microsoft Task Manager, but have not been using any formal project mgmt tools recently. As we embark on a few new projects, we are seeking good software.
• Excel and One Note
• Our Association uses Asana and Jira for event project management, ticketing systems, all membership functions and many other operations
• Todoist / we use slack for chatting, but todoist to organize tasks/projects
• Would love to be able to obtain event management software. Just too expensive. So, we plan everything in excel.
• Basecamp
• Planner via Microsoft Teams.
• Asana
• We use Planner which is part of the Microsoft 365 suite and connect with OneNote and Excel.
• We use Slack
• We use a Gannt chart, excel, and word docs
• We set up a kanban task board in MS Teams to organize tasks. It is fairly simple but is customizable and works for our needs.
• Asana and Toggl
• We use JotForm, Trello, Word, Excel, but would like to look into software that does it all
• Inside of teams MS has a plugin called Planner
• Basecamp is the best!!
• We use Asana, but not as much as we could and not everyone uses it. We're currently working on finding a better way to manage our events.
• We primarily use Trello but have started using Monday for a large event, such as the annual convention.
• We are small and mainly use Google Docs, but we also use Slack for bigger projects.
• We needed a way to assign tasks, deadlines, and communicate with each other that was NOT email.
• VenueSight for our conference logistics
• We use Teams
• We use a variety - Basecamp, Teams, Monday.com, Govenda
• Airtable
• Basecamp

What have you found to be the most valuable part of FSAE this past year?

51 Responses
31% - All of the Above
22% - Educational Events & Opportunities
20% - Networking with Peers
12% - Annual Conference
8% - Volunteering on a Committee
6% - Other
2% - I struggled to find value

• Being a member of the very active Marketing Committee helped me make deeper connections with other FSAE members.
• There's so much value to all aspects of membership in FSAE. I encourage many people I know to join, as I know how enriching membership opportunities are in FSAE.
• It's a lot of emails to go through, so I feel like the value is buried sometimes
• Unfortunately, my workload has prevented me from engaging with FSAE, and being the sole staff member has its own set of challenges.
• I appreciate the educational opportunities to a) expand my industry knowledge and b) satisfy requirements to maintain my CMP accreditation.
• We are not allowed to travel so webinars have to prove the value to our CEO
• What I learned in the break out about Canva has been worth every penny i have paid FSAE!
• I am still so new I don't know that I know just yet. I will tell you I have found it to be very beneficial overall. I have already completed the QAS so it has also helped with my career development.
• I am working toward my CAE and appreciate the incredible value provided through education. I also am excited at the possibility of volunteering on a committee in 2025.
• Serving on committees has broaden my network - which leads to invaluable conversations with friends and colleagues about struggles and solutions. And the best part is - everyone wants you to win!
• Discussion groups

When is the last time you updated your strategic plan?

48 Responses
44% - Less than one year ago
44% - 1-5 years ago
4% - What strategic plan? :)
4% - 6-10 years ago
2% - Other
2% - Not sure - what are previous responses

• We are finalizing our latest plan, which is an update on our 2025 plan (adopted in 2020), which will be our blueprint until 2030.
• Over the past 20-years we have gone through many iterations of a strategic plan ranging from an unrealistic 16-pages to and unambitious 1.5-pages. Currently, it is consists of six specific strategic objectives to be completed over a three-year period. In this current iteration, each strategic objective has an Executive Committee Member assigned to oversee the effort.
• We create a 3 year in-depth plan and then review and refresh a bit annually.
• We have moved away from a traditional strategic plan. In January 2024, we developed for strategic imperatives that are impacting our organization and need to be addressed for the organization to survive and thrive.
• We typically set a three-year plan that we revisit each year to adjust based on current conditions.
• We update ours every 3 years, after sending a survey to membership on our current strategies and what they'd like our focus to be looking ahead.
• We have just updated our strategic plan without a lot of changes for the past 10 years. This year at the advice of our association advisor/facilitator we slimmed it down a bit., I took the key components and put it in Chat GPT and it came up with a great plan and this is what we used for the board discussion. They made minor changes and we went with it,.
• We try to go through the process every five years. We just completed the plan and are now working on implementation.
• We review our strategic plan every 24 months. One year doesn’t give initiatives time to develop and 3 years is too long for change to happen. Our process has kept us focused with making minor changes instead of needing monumental shifts.
• Ours is a 5 year plan. It is reviewed annually to ensure it is still on track. Major review / updates happen every 5 years. We have just started to update for July 1, 25
• Will probably update our plan next year.
• Long overdue. Planning one now.
• My goal for 2025 is to get my organization to focus on a strategic plan

What is your organization's membership structure?

64 Responses
34% - Individual Memberships

How are you funding non-Conference/Convention educational programs?

33 Responses
47% - Registration and Sponsorships
22% - Registration fees or Tickets with member/non-member pricing
16% - Sponsorships or partnerships
13% - Other
3% - From dues revenue

• Funding from 3 levels - registration fees, sponsorships, and member/non-member pricing.
• There are some webinars offered at no cost to members, but we charge for our certificate trainings which are a substantial part of our revenue
• no fee
• Through non-dues revenue
• We use a combination of registration fees, sponsorships, and dues revenue to offset our meeting costs. Our Board doesn't want our meetings to be a revenue generating activity because they see them as a member benefit.
• Both registration fees and dues.
• Registration fees or tickets with member/non-member pricing and sponsorships
• We use sponsorships to fund education.
• Received a grant from our "mother" organization for JEDI education programs. Other programs are supported by registration fees. Some are free. We also get support from our Foundation for a Research Conference and for our Annual Meeting.

As a CEO/Executive Director/CSE, how involved are you in the financial aspects of the association you manage?

55 Responses (2-Part Question)
47% - I mostly approve expenditures, monitor profit and loss, bank accounts and credit cards
38% - I am more intimately involved with the day-to-day processes
11% - Doesn’t apply to me / Not Sure
4% - Other

Additionally, do you know where your accounting software and other files are located and do you have access?

67% - Yes to both
28% - I know where they are, but don’t have access
2% - Other
2% - I can’t do either
0% - I have access but don’t know where they are

• I'm also involved in the day to day operations. I'm responsible for staff, maintenance of building, public policy. etc.
• I have limited access to some websites as it's managed by our accounting firm. But I can view/pull materials as needed
• I'm the only full time staff member, so, I am pretty involved in all financial aspects of the association. We do contract with a bookkeeper to send invoices, write the checks, and enter information into QuickBooks.
• We have a CPA that handles all of the bookkeeping aspects of the association but I process and approve all expenditures of the association and receive all revenue coming in.

When you have raised dues, what percentage if any, did membership decrease?

42 Responses
40% - We lost no members
24% - We haven't raised dues
14% - Other
12% - Not sure - what are previous responses
5% - We saw up to 5% decrease
5% - We saw a 6-15% decrease

• We only lost a smidgen and that was because we reminded the automatic deduction people that they were paying. We did an information campaign using some graphics such as the prices of things the last time we raised dues and another on resources and benefits we may have to cut. Another graphic regarding the price of a cup of coffee every day for a year exceeded our dues.
• We saw very few drops (less than a 1%)
• Our increase was our standard 2% COL. Our renewals are actually higher this year!
• We are a trade association with very large company members. As far as I know we have not lost members for dues increases.
• We just raised dues for the first time since 1993, we'll see when we go through renewal in October how it goes.
• We hadn't raised dues in a long time and passed not only an increase, but a policy change that dues would be raised every other as an automatic adjustment for CPI rounded to the nearest $5 (with $5 set as the minimum increase). There is no downward adjustment to negative CPI.
• No one noticed the initial or subsequent increases.
• Dues increase first time in 10 years was voted on and implemented nine days ago. Will let you know
• We keep dues at same rate and make additional money through events.
• We have not raised dues in many years and had a significant raise this spring. It was explained well and the members seemed to understand the need. We lost no members and have actually increased membership slightly. It seems people are ok paying if they believe it is ultimately a good value.
• Raising dues didn’t effect our membership numbers.
• The members lost after a dues increase was not any more than years without an increase.
• We’ve held dues steady for a while. When calculate what we’ll raise through an increase - increase as offset by potential members lost - we often find that we would not make sufficient gains to justify more than a modest increase. Instead, we utilize other avenues for revenue, such as sponsorships and one time donations.

What are your biggest organizational challenges currently?

53 Responses
30% - Growth
25% - Budget
23% - Personnel
9% - Culture
8% - Not sure - what are previous responses
6% - Other

• Hiring issues. :)
• Our donations, membership and revenues are still bouncing back from COVID at the same time expenses are going up, insurance is going up (properties, health, other) and higher demand for more competitive pay. The first year without government pandemic support was a challenge and we are having to be more lean in our budget -- more focused on strategies that will return revenue.
• We are growing quickly, which is great, but needing to scale up to meet the needs of our members.
• Can't find qualified people willing to work.
• We have had a lot of turnover in the last couple years. Budget is finally doing well after a number of other issues despite that.
• F&B costs have gone way up and we can't increase registration prices to cover. Everyone is competing for the same sponsorship dollars.
• Creating non-dues revenue
• The association is growing, and education/events are great. But there's not a culture of getting involved, serving on a committee nor any growth ladders to build leadership skills. Would love to see them build for the future.
• Getting the right people on staff.
• Member engagement
• Escalation in prices for everything now is requiring additional salary for staff and we need to find a way to logically increase our fees at the same time.
• The organization built its entire business model on one revenue source, a one-time membership fee. For the past several years, that revenue source has been slowly getting smaller to the point that we are faced with a significant budget deficit.
• Hiring good employees
• There are many challenges currently related primarily to personnel and budget.

Is your association seeing slower and/or lower registrations or event sponsorships?

64 Responses
50% - Both of these are trending with previous years (or better)
16% - Registration is down, but not sponsorship
14% - Yes - both registration and sponsorships are down unfortunately
11% - Sponsorship is down, but not registration
6% - Other
3% - Not sure - what are previous responses

• We are selling almost as many booths, but exhibitors are taking smaller space, so revenue is down. General registrations are trending well compared to last year.
• Our registrations for all events have been higher than last year.
• Online education has negatively affected events in our industry. Over time, lower registration numbers has led to sponsors lessening their generosity of sponsorships.
• We are seeing an increase in sponsorships which allows us to set more reasonable prices for registration since employers are no longer paying as much or not at all for education conferences. We also have competition from specialty conferences which clinical members connect with as it directly relates to their work. We have a core (aging and aged) group that always attend and then a smattering of newer members.
• We are finally seeing a resurgence in energy around our events, both on the attendee and sponsorship side.
• Increased event registrations, but we don't do sponsorships so NA on that part of the question
• We still offer her virtual/hybrid attendance to our annual conference, which makes the overall numbers technically higher, but we have not matched the in person numbers pre-Covid
• Both were down 2020-2022 but both are increasing now, this year we are seeing numbers close to pre-pandemic years.
• Exhibit & sponsorships are a tiny bit slower/lower than in the past but only slightly. The attendees? With 2 conferences I'm seeing significant drops or late registrations. Last show was 70% of last year's attendance.
• Beginning late last year, our registrations and sponsorships have both slowed. Our members were already typically late to register, but that seems even closer to event dates too.
• In our industry, people are having difficulty hiring staff, which results in less conference/event participation, and companies are not as financially supportive as they have been.
• Our sponsorship money is up 17% but registration for events is down 20%
• People are waiting longer to register and commit to sponsorships (last minute) but we are still getting the trending numbers - just closer to event time.

Does your association (or a related entity, like a Foundation) release an annual "state-of-the-state" report on your industry?

49 Responses
55% - No
27% - Yes
14% - Kind of
2% - Other
2% - Not sure - what are previous responses?

If you have a credit card processor that charges a fee per transaction, is that fee put back on the members/customers or does the association cover the fee as a cost of doing business?

66 Responses
77% - We cover the processing fee
8% - Members pay for the processing fee as an additional fee on top of the transaction
5% - We don't process credit cards
5% - Members have the option to pay the processing fee or not
3% - We use a third-party company to facilitate membership/registration and process credit card transactions
3% - Not sure - what are previous

• It’s just the cost of doing business.
• For now I believe the staff time that is saved by not manually processing checks or even ach payments is worth it.
• We just started asking members to pay the fee this year as we have previously covered the processing fee.
• We allow cc purchase up to $5k. After that it must me check or ACH.
• We are a trade association and our members are large companies.
• We figure it into our budget and figure it is a cost of doing business.
• We are a 501c3 so we state that it is helping us to save expenses allowing our resources to stay focused on mission delivery.
• We cover fees but we allow the member to pay their card fee for their auction purchases.
• We build the cost into the base payment for registering for conferences. Dues do not include an upcharge for this fee. It is just the cost of doing business.

How is your association handling the backlash over DEI programming and the woke movement?

56 Responses
41% - Not relevant to me, but I want to see the answers from previous questions
27% - We're continuing the course/no change
14% - Other
11% - We renamed the programs so it doesn't say 'diversity'
5% - We've reducing DEI programs offered
2% - We paused any DEI programs

• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Racial Justice are core values of our organization and also key to our membership growth strategies. We proceed full speed ahead!
• We lose members each time we use DEI or Diversity in the title of a program or an article, so we've rebranded it as expanding access, serving all communities, etc.
• We have a JEDI Special Interest group planning multiple events and activities as well as articles in each newsletter.
• Weirdly, our association JUST STARTED a NEW DEI committee.
• I am a person of two minority groups and I personally do not support the woke movement.
• Renamed to Culture Committee
• It has been difficult to find good programming that is effective.
• Objecting voices, though one loud, have been extremely minimal. Our board heard them out then kept moving forward.
• We do not teach courses specifically on this topic.
• We are promoting and giving leadership, and promotions to members and staff based on merit and not other characteristics
• Our association's disengagement from DEI predates the backlash by several years. Most of our members have various types of diversity programs - those aimed at workforce, and those aimed at the customer base - essentially, seeking to better serve everyone. On the workforce front, because they are faced with a serious workforce shortage, most are content to just keep positions filled. Our members do collect analytical data related to their workforce, and have a good grasp of what is on the horizon, but most are not eager to share proprietary data because it is impossible to separate peers from competitors.
  ALL of our members train their employees in DEI matters (unconscious bias, sensitivity, etc.) with regard to their customers without any prompting from us.
  When we explored an association DEI workgroup several years ago, we received zealous interest from one or two members, who already had internal DEI programs in place, and crickets from everyone else - including the largest and most sophisticated members. When I discussed the situation with leadership, they said the lack of interest speaks for itself as to whether it should be a priority of the association, and warned against allowing a few very vocal people drive an agenda membership is ambivalent about.
• We work with Governor DeSantis closely and so we just felt it best to stop the programs- we still look to expand out DEI, but not formal programs
• I am continuing my efforts, but many of the people I serve including at universities and community colleges have cancelled all DEI efforts due to the governor's order. Entire departments have been shut down, and it is sad.
• Because diversity to some degree is part of the reason we exist we haven't spun up a bunch of different diversity related programming. Our members work with a diverse group each and every day.
• We still have a diversity committee that meets regularly but all professional learning uses viability similar to what the state uses.
• We chose to stay focused on our mission of driving value to our members success and not get involved with social issues.

If your staff is still working remotely, how is it going?

50 Responses
40% - Better than expected, everyone is engaged and productive
34% - Not relevant to me, but I want to see the answers from previous questions
12% - Most employees are pulling their weight but there are one or two that are concerning
8% - Other
4% - It would have been better if we had returned to the office full time early on
2% - Member service is a concern

• We mainly work in the office but I have found with the right staff members it is fine to work hybrid. Just a few will take advantage and not be very productive.
• We had a fairly strict in person office policy - we've moved to unlimited PTO and flexible work from home policy and the staff still generally comes into the office. It's working well.
• I am a staff of one.
• We've always been fully remote. we have great engagement tools, resources and communication. doesn't feel like a remote environment.
• We returned to the office in May 2020. However, we do have three full-time remote employees.
• We were fully remote long before COVID (going back to at least 2013). With our small team it works great and is a big employee benefit (a big reason for our employee longevity). Remote work may not be conducive for everyone, but it is a major perk for those who value it, it can decrease overhead costs for the organization and make the org overall more resilient/flexible (disaster preparedness, minimal downtime for travel, succession, etc.).
• Our office has been remote since I took over as Executive Director 17 years ago. We continue to be a highly effective remote staff and have even been asked to train others on how to have a remote office.
• Hard to see what work is actually being done sometimes. I'm working on tightening up the controls a hair but I am interested in seeing what other people are doing.
• We have adopted a modified remote. We have an anchor day, where everyone is expected to be in the office. It's up to the staff if they work remotely or in the office the other days depending on their respective job duties.
• I've been remote with the association since 2012, when I was hired. We've got 1 part time contractor who has also been remote well before 2020.
• We have a staff of about 150. Last fall we went from a 2 day in office / 3 day remote schedule to at 3 day in office / 2 day remote schedule. I find my staff were more productive working 3 days remote as they didn't have to battle the commute into the office.
• Our membership didn't have a clue we went remote until the President spoke about it at our June 2021 conference. January 2024, my board voted to donate all our office furniture and the commitment is to continue with the virtual office.
• We are a staff of three and two employees are 100% remote and the third employee is 50%. We meet in person for about four hours once a week and we have two virtual staff ‘huddles’ one on Monday and the other on Friday. It works well because all staff have proven to be able to work independently and with a team, and we all seem to be more productive.
• We were almost fully remote prior to the pandemic. It was planful and is very successful.

If you are a c6 with a related c3, do you think it is worthwhile and beneficial to your organization or is it more trouble than it's worth?

54  Responses
55% - Not relevant to me, but I want to see the answers from previous questions
38% - Yes - the c3 is beneficial
8% - No, it hasn't been beneficial for us

• The biggest benefit is that our members can contribute to it and it is tax deductible. That is the main reason we created one in the past year.
• We started with $10,000 many years ago and now have over $1,300,000 and we give 20,000 in scholarships and research grants each year. It does require some work and time. But it's worth it.
• Our related c3 is staff intensive and time spent on the Foundation is not time spent on the Association. The Foundation does not provide a management fee or other financial support to offset the diverted attention to the business of the Association. Some folks tend to forget, Associations are a business and need to be run as such.
• We don't have a c6, but are thinking about setting one up.
• So far we are just using c6 resources with little in return. But, once established and the c3 is revenue positive I can see how it COULD be beneficial.
• We have a great collaboration with our Foundation. We have assisted with creating lots of programs for students, including scholarships and created a statewide conference for residents.
• We just merged with 2 other associations and all 3 have (c)(3) affiliates. They are useful in that it shows the organization is engaged in meaningful charitable programs (each of ours sponsors scholarships and/or produces education - financial literacy classes - for the public). We are planning to consolidate the 3 into 1.
• We are a c3, but I am involved with an in-process merger of two national orgs with c6, c4, & c3, PACs, and for-profit subs, and interested in the answer.

Who is the internal (staff) leader of your organization?

78 Responses

• 45% - Executive Director
• 28% - CEO
• 14% - President and CEO
• 6% - President
• 3% - Other
• 3% - Executive Vice President or EVP
• 1% - Not sure - please show previous responses

 

How do you encourage attendees with decision-making power to participate in traditional trade shows (not hosted buyer)?

46 Responses
37% - Food or receptions in the trade show
20% - Gamification or drawings - participants win prizes for visiting exhibitors
13% - We don't have a traditional trade show
13% - Doesn't apply to me - what are previous responses
11% - Something else
7% - We struggle with this too

• We host meals and breaks with beverages in there as well, and host drawings for visiting exhibitors. We also provide a lot of seating so exhibitors can sit down and chat more if someone doesn't go to a class but they want to talk business.
• We have a big make your own sandwich buffet along with various salads and desserts. We have a cash bar, although we give exhibitors free drink tickets to use or give go clients. We also have a DJ, a cigar roller and drawings for door prizes every 1/2 hour.
• We promote that there is no other viable opportunity to be able to visit with a who's who's list of suppliers who can meet your needs in the new business environment with rapid pace change. In 3 days you can connect with every major supplier as oppose to taking up your time in your office or traveling to see them all individually.
• We do have gamification and food/receptions in the trade show. But, we also assign each of our General Managers (GM) to visit vendor booths. I divvy up the vendors and print them out on little pieces of paper and put them in each GM's name tag. So, we do guarantee that each vendor has at least one GM or Board Member stop by.
• We do not schedule any meetings, presentations, break-outs during the tradeshow. During the tradeshow hours we always have F&B to attract attendees.
• Gamification, cash prize drawings on the hour, f&b included, free parking, discounted bundle tickets, show hours both during workday and after. We try to remove any barriers to attendance.
• We create tailored content and programming for c-suite and exec level members at our annual conference, and reinforce participate via virtual forums throughout the year.
• We do small senior level meetings but no large conference or trade show.
• Our members attend our State Association's trade show.
• We have tried many things, such as food in the expo hall, drawings, prizes, scheduled demos, etc., but nothing has worked.
• We do gamification, drawings, food, receptions, huge key note, and more
• We do both games and food and receptions in the trade show. Ours is small/boutique and most all attending the conference visit with the vendors.
• Both prizes and food/drink
• I could only select one. We have food and drawings, but most do not have a booth visiting requirement (though they should :))
• We have exhibitors set up in the foyer near the educational session during the entire conference.
• We offer a continuing education credit for an hour of the trade show. But also our game vacation is top-notch with a grand prize of $2500 but smaller prizes with the value each above $500. We also have our online auction with viewing of the item in the center of our tradeshow that benefits our political action committee. The owner and decision makers find value in the as it directly relates to the amount of money they raise for the legislative session or political, so it is a huge incentive to raise as much money as possible. And we have received numerous feedback that the jovial atmosphere and the dedication adds to a more relaxed experience where the decision-makers don’t feel like they are just eye candy walking through our show.
• We also do door prize drawings and host our “Mystery Vendor” where if you are the 20th person to find and introduce yourself to the vendor you win gift cards.

Do you have a Peer/Member Disciplinary Process/Policy?

34 Responses
44% - Yes, it is in our bylaws and there are additional policies
21% - Not sure - what are previous responses
21% - No, we do not have any problems that require discipline
6% - We are discussing it at this time
6% - Something else
3% - We just ignore them until they go away

• We have a policy on how to discipline members for non-payment of dues.
• I believe we do. Unsure of what it is. I am not management level but feel this would definitely come in handy for a peer.
• We have a brand new Governance Committee made up of ex officio and at-large elected board members [every member organization has a seat(s) on the board]. Currently, we have a few policies in place - mostly related to financial matters, but recognize the need for others. Governance Committee will be looking at a broad range of topics to ascertain which need policies. Policies will require full board adoption (probably on the Consent Agenda). Disciplinary action will be one of the topics we look at.
• We handle on a case by case basis and rarely have these issues.
• We have an ethics process and a manual to assist when a complaint arises.
• We have not encountered any issues at this time. We are working on codifying a process for our certification program, however.
• We usually just have someone in leadership or close to them reach out and have a conversation about the issue.
• Our national organization, and therefore local components adhere to a code of ethics and there is a complaint process through AIA national.
• Our bylaws state that we have an ethics board trained to handle ethics and grievances as written in policies/procedures
• We truly have no issues that require disciplinary procedures.
• We have a full conduct policy that registrants to events receive and are required to sign prior to the event. It is built into our online registration, and printed on paper registrations.
• National Association Code of Ethics
• The Board may suspend or expel any member in any category of membership for conduct deemed harmful to the aims and purposes of the Network. Grievances shall be submitted in writing to the SVN home offices and addressed to the Board. The Executive Director, in consultation with the Board, may conduct a review of the grievance. The Board may delegate this review to an appropriate committee.
• Code of Conduct Policy.

Do you have a leadership training program for your members?

61 Responses
52% - Yes
32% - No
7% - We are working on one
3% - We tried one but our members weren't interested
3% - Other
3% - Not relevant to me, but I want to see the answers from previous questions

• We are debating on what that would look like since all of our members have a masters in educational leadership.
• We offer an Aspiring Leaders class every summer. This year, we are changing it to a one day format. We offer 6-8 classes on all levels of leadership from sales to HR all led by qualified members.
• Sponsored by our Florida School Music Association (FSMA) and held each summer for members selected from applications from our Florida Vocal Association, Florida Orchestra Association, and Florida Bandmasters Association. A three and one half day event held in Orlando.
• Our association is for networking. We do not provide any training or educational programs.
• We have several - we have a general leadership course called LILI (Leadership in Life Institute), training for our members to be more proficient as advisors, offer CE, and have chapter leader training programs.
• We have a yearly cohort we facilitate for Career and Technical Education directors or those interested in leadership. One year we focus on secondary and the next post-secondary education.
• Sells out every year with a waiting list!
• We have an Emerging Leaders Program.
• Under FMEA, there is the Summer Institute and under FSMA, there is a Summer Leadership program. The members are nominated by their component leadership to attend the programs.
• We have tried to gauge the Board's interest in pursuing a leadership program. They say it's a great idea, but we can't get enough commitments to make it worth moving forward with it.
• Leadership training is so important.
• We have three intensive leadership training programs - one for Emerging Leaders, one for our mid-level supervisors, and an Academy for our next generation of parks and recreation agency executive leadership teams.
• Our training program has become very popular the past couple years and developed into a pipeline for our members who are interested in serving on boards or running for office, inlucing President of our association. The graduates are using it as a "resume builder" as much as a training program. Last year, we had more applications than we could accommodate.
• We compiled training focusing on leadership and management, hiring, performance review, transitioning to leadership, and big-picture thinking.
• We are utilizing materials from Bob Harris' website as well as our leadership manual to craft a lseries, including, our history, mission and vision.association governance, legal considerations/fiduciary responsibilty, organizational structure, and engagement opportunities for leadership development roles, We will give a certificate at the end..
• Every other year we have a program that lasts about 10 months.
• MTI has graduated almost 600 executives since 2007 in our 10 month long leadership training. It now has a 2 year wait for the class.
• We had a leadership academy years ago but it fizzled out due to lack of interest.

How do you on-board new members?

39 Responses
31% - We host an orientation meeting - virtual or in-person
31% - We do all of this
23% - We send a Welcome email
5% - Something else
5% - New members are added to a welcome email series
3% - Our membership committee reaches out by phone or email
3% - Not sure what we do - what are previous question responses

• We send a welcome email, call, and mail a welcome kit that includes a card and members benefits guide. We are starting a quarterly zoom orientation for new members to attend.
• We reach out by email and send a welcome email with links to resources on the website to help familiarize them with what they will find there. We also mail a little swag and then follow up 30 days later.
• We send a welcome letter and plan to institute 6 month new member surveys.
• The welcome email outlines benefits and opportunities for involvement. We also list names in our newsletter to welcome new members.
• Welcome email, followed by a personal phone call and sometime in-person visit. Finally, on-boarding virtual meeting scheduled.
• We do all of the above with the exception of a membership committee reaching out.
• We have a serious of emails or mailings we start the day they join. We touch them at the 1st day, week 1, month 1, months 3,6,9. Don't want the first time they hear from us to be when they get their invoice.
• We probably do all of these options, but I don't know for sure.
• We also send out a new member welcome packet. A letter from our Executive director, business card, T-Shirt, and a few promotional items.
• We TRY to do all of this - it's not systematic and not always executed but it is intended.
• Email also with links to governing documents, plus personal phone call

Do you offer special interest groups (SIGs) or committees for areas like diversity, young professionals or other specialties?

33 Responses
58% - We have several, including diversity/DEI and Young Professionals
18% - Not relevant to me, but I want to see the answers from previous questions
12% - Our members aren’t interested in these
12% - Other

• We have Early Career Nurses, Health Policy, Nursing Ethics, JEDI, Nursing Research, Holistic Nursing as Special Interest Groups. When there is a lack of interest, we sunset them.
• Not politically popular at this time, unfortunately.
• We were forced to do away with DEI.
• Committees for DEI, emerging professionals and other specialty areas that are important to our membership.
• We have about 5 active SIGs that meet on a monthly basis and some others that have stalled out. They serve as an open discussion forum for members, providing insight into many current issues from members of the profession and often lead to programming and other initiatives.
• We don't have a "Young Professionals" group but we do have DEI and several other specialty groups/committees.
• We have SIG for women in leadership and for emerging professionals that have planned events and programming, and several social groups based on profession
• We have a board committee for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion with two subcommittees, one for awards and one for programming.
• Commercial Real Estate
• We have Higher Logic platform with several groups and committees focused on industry issues and alumni from our executive management training program.

What is your organization struggling with most in regards to diversity, equity & inclusion?

36 Responses:
31% - Political climate or push-back from members
22% - Encouraging diverse engagement, volunteer service and leadership
17% - Doesn't apply - I'd like to see previous responses
11% - Leadership buy-in / getting started
8% - We don’t have DEI efforts / How do we know if we need DEI efforts
6% - Professional development opportunities/How to implement what we're learning
6% - Other

• Are we doing enough, how does it matter to stakeholders, what true difference are we making, KPIs, etc.
• We are an organization that has chapters on college campuses and lifetime members, many from conservative areas. We are trying to thread the needle of being responsive to the environment on many campuses AND knowing that we cannot comment on every situation.
• No obvious pushback from members. We are progressing due to a few enthusiastic members. Will be testing out interest with some activities soon. Our trouble with all activities is consistent returning members. Lots of attendance, but different people each time. Please share good speakers on related topics.
• Formulating a strategy has been the #1 pain point
• We need leaders at the state and national level to not vilify our DEI efforts.
• We have a statement on our website. But as for the association we will allow any one in the business toy join and participate in any function. Now maybe we could teach on this at convention for the business owners of the association.

What’s your biggest challenge with meetings currently?

58 Responses
63% - Costs – especially food & beverage and AV
21% - Getting attendees to come in-person
9% - Not relevant to me, but I want to see the answers from last week’s question
5% - Securing space and/or getting responses from hoteliers and CVBs
2% - Other

• These costs are changing the structuring of the registration cost to membership. Members are surprised to see that their membership no longer includes free attendance at the conferences.
• The food costs are just getting too high. We've canceled the closing lunch and replaced it with just a dessert and coffee a bit later in the day.
• The av companies are out of control. They are fixing to kill the golden goose if they keep it up.
• The requirements for food has caused us to cut back on new programs. We also have trouble getting people to attend in person, particularly younger people.
• AV and F&B costs have been absolutely brutal post-Covid.
• AV for a 1.5 day conference, with only one live tech in general session for just a half-day. Without wifi for attendees... :/ And that's with the in-house discount. I'm not into it at all.
• it's simply getting people to come to anything these days is a challenge. Our industry is having a hiring crisis so the staff they do have are doing double duty. Most of our members have put a policy in place which limits the number of people they can send to conferences/trainings.
• Prices are insane. F&B and AV are bad, but room rates are worse. In addition, there is much less flexibility to add rooms at the group rate when we exceed our block because they can sell those rooms to leisure guests for triple the rate.
• Due to escalating F&B/venue and hotel room costs fewer people are sending their employees to our conference. Our conference is not a revenue center for the association, but it is mission critical to why we exist as a 501(c)(3), and our member need the CEUs. Everyone agrees that the content of our conference is great - better even than our big national affiliates.
• Getting answers back from hotels since we're s space hog, being denied by more than we receive yeses to.
• I have a small-ish group and hotels just aren’t willing to respond until much later.

If part of your job includes bringing in sponsors, exhibitors, and/or advertisers, how do you feel when wearing the Sales Hat?

51 Responses
24% - Not a fan but it’s part of the job
24% - Doesn’t apply to me but I want to see previous weeks' answers
22% - Love it – Bring it on!
20% - I like it but wish I was more comfortable
12% - I’d rather not do it at all

• Fortunately, some of them come ro us. But also, our demographic for conferences have changed and not as appealing to our past sponsors.
• Lots of 'sales' disguised in association work!
• It's not part of my job, but I LOVE influencing people to do things! :)
• I prefer to work on programs but fundraising is a necessary evil
• I enjoy letting people know the value of our products and finding the best fit for them. I treat it like a planning a wedding and helping the person find the best match with our offerings.
• Evil necessity.

What generation reflects the *majority* of your membership?

55 Responses
76% - Gen X (ages around 40-60)
13% - We have a pretty even split
7% - Not sure but I want to see the answers from last week’s question
4% - Boomers (ages around 60+)

• Boomers and Millennials in a close second, but more GenX
• The majority of our members are multi-generational family businesses, usually on the third generation. I would say all 3 generations can be involved at the same time, from time to time, but most of the day-to-day tends to lean in the Gen X range.
• We mainly have Generation Alpha, but it was not an option. Generation Z was born 1995 to 2009 and Generation Alpha from 2010 to 2024.

Do you have a mentor/mentee program?

51 Responses
43% - No

Do you send regular print-pieces to members for news / newsletters? (Monthly / quarterly / regular intervals)

53 Responses
64% - No - we are digital only
25% - We have a magazine (or other printed piece) that includes news items, but isn't just news items
11% - Yes - we have a regularly printed newsletter

• Quarterly magazine that may include news items if shared with us.
• Our printed monthly magazine went digital only last year.
• Went to 100% digital newsletters 17-years ago, with zero complaints. Prior to that, we used color printed copy-machine produced newsletters (folded and stapled). Our members like the digital version because they cand easily forward it via email to their teams. Technology improvements have made the digital product better in the years, since. We also use highly tailored listservs for specific subjects and committees, with our members selecting who on their team receives which listserv notices - a VERY popular comms feature. We have never utilized a printed magazine.
• It is printed by a third party and they get the advertising revenue. We do get sponsorship money from them.
• I've been trying to get rid of it for 11 years, but the board continues to tell me they like this printed quarterly newsletter.
• We mail an annual report and three postcards per year.
• We look at print as key marketing materials that drive revenues. Not a cost center.
• We have a quarterly full color publication that allows us to feature more in-depth articles and current news but is less expensive than a magazine.

Q: What social channels are most successful for your organization?

60 Responses:
37% - LinkedIn
27% - Facebook
13% - Not sure - what are last week's responses
7% - Instagram
5% - None of them - our members are anti-social
5% - All of them - I'm a social rock star!
3% - Twitter / X
3% - Other

• LinkedIn gets the most responses but we use all of them.
• We have a presence on most of the social media platforms, but we need to increase our activity and boost our presence across all channels.
• It used to be Instagram, but our Linkedin has grown dramatically over the last 2-3 years and it now overshadows all our platforms.
• Interactions certainly could be better...
• We use FB, IG, LI and just started TT, but so far the "oldie but goodie" Facebook has the most engagement with our members
• Facebook and LinkedIn
• We are active on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter

Q: How do you best communicate with members?

52 Responses
58% - Email

Q: How do you recognize past leaders/chairs/presidents in your association?

53 Responses:
36% - Awards
21% - List names on website / member directory
11% - Special activities / events
11% - Pins
11% - Not sure - please show last week's responses
9% - Other

• We give a gift to them
• A plaque and a ceremonial sword (verified - it's really a sword)
• We really don’t. Maybe just shout-outs during certain events.
• Some receive life membership upon retirement
• we do both an award and list names on the website, they also remain on the board with voting rights.
• They receive their award during Annual and are listed on our website (just Past Presidents). One of my clients also holds a Past President's Luncheon during Annual but I think we did away with that once the perception got to be 'good ol boys club'.
• When a board member serves their term we provide a personalized gift to show our appreciation for their service to the board. We recognize our outgoing president with a plaque and a special gift.
• After the chair's term, we give them a plaque and a $500 gift card. For those that have made significant achievements, we give out a Hall of Fame award.
• Current and Past Presidents receive pins and are announced at meetings where they are in attendance. All leadership have ribbons on their name tags provided for all meetings.
• We provide retiring Board members with an outgoing plaque commemorating their time on the Board. Retiring Presidents receive a plaque with a gavel, and we also include them in our Awards programs each year as a Past President.
• Recognition at annual meeting and adding name to plaque. Also nice personal gift.
• We engrave a personalized paver on the Tampa Riverwalk for each board chair!
• Past Presidents are listed on the website and also in conference materials. The Immediate Past President gets a ribbon at each conference for their after their tenure.
• Committee chairs are recognized and thanked with a gift at the final board meeting of each year. Outgoing president is recongnized and presented with a service and dedication award at the annual conference which also marks the beginning of the new president’s term.
• Past President lapel pins
• All of the above.

Q: Do you expect funds for your professional development to increase or decrease for 2024?

67 Responses
27% - Other (majority of these commented 'stay the same')
25% - Increase
19% - Not Sure Yet
15% - Doesn't apply to me - See last week's responses
13% - Decrease

• They can only go up from $0! lol
• We are increasing individual fees for almost every event due to rising costs, but, we also expect higher turnouts.
• We're moving to a new structure for prodev allocations in 2024 that decreased personal funds in favor of a general pool, with our professional memberships & subscriptions given line items in the budget and the pool funds being used for events on request.
• I expect them to stay the same, they have been stagnant for years.
• The Professional Development budget increased for 2023 so will likely stay the same for 2024 2025.
• Our members are experiencing staffing crisis and sending people to training events is become increasingly harder. They are also limiting the number of people they are able to send.

Q: Who was your highest ranked keynote speaker?

27 Responses:

• Bertice Berry (DEI content, author), Charlie Linville (resilience content, marine amputee who summited Everest)
• Too many to respond to this. One of my favorites was Bob Kodzis who is hilarious while imparting very inspirational content.
• Ken Hartley, Transformational Truths Global, LLC, ken@hartleyleadership.com, 423-498-0077
• James Robilotta and Arel Moodie
• Simon Bailey
• We don’t do keynotes
• Rick Pollack, President and CEO, American Hospital Association
• Russ Webb’s session was both educating and entertaining!
• Joe Theismann
• Lee Tomlinson (https://leetomlinson.com/)
• Meredith Oliver
• Susie Orman
• I don't have keynote speakers.
• John Cochrane with HumanGood
• Melissa Stockwell, Sebastian Terry, Nick Ebeling, Deedre Daniel, Melissa Hughes, Amy Purdy, Liz Murray, Daniel Burke, Maurice Ashley, Platon, Anne Grady, many more.
• Andrew Evans with National Geographic. He told a story about him taking public transportation from Washington DC to Antartica. Fascinating!
• General Petraeus
• Alex Sheen - famous for walking and Founder of 'because I said I would' and also Dr. Keith Ayoob - nutritionist
• Kevin Brown
• Roy Spence out of GDS&M in Austin. The Power of Purpose.
• All of our patient keynotes have the biggest impact - showing how the work that our members do (pharma manufacturing) make an impact.
• Jessica Stollings-Holder
• Steven David
• Robert J Darling
• Oh my... so many. Joe Theisman, Michael Brody Waite and Walter Bone are three who stick out.
• Probably Gene Marks

Q: How do you select speakers for your meetings/conferences?

70 Responses
33% - Call for Presentations / open form to submit topics
31% - Education committee selects speakers from the industry
17% - Other
11% - Not relevant to me, but I want to see the answers from last week’s question
7% - Members submit papers/abstracts to a committee for review

• We do this as a Call for Presentations based on the selected theme of the conference (loosely). We have a program that we use for abstracts, scholarships, research presentations etc. Then we discuss and select based on various factors including duplication of topics, interest of the members and adherence to the theme. We also have some traditional presentations that we always try to include as they are relevant and popular.
• We also have a small percentage of sessions where we identify a current/important topic and invite designated speakers to present on the information.
• Then we have an industry committee review and place into predefined tracks.
• Members give EO updates on things happening in their county and speakers are invited based on pertinence.
• The quality of presentation content improved materially when we ceased RFPs and focused upon well known speakers. We also adopted a model where we expect to compensate faculty. Of course, we accept pro bono speakers, but that is not the first consideration. This policy has more than paid for itself. There was also a significant reduction in staffing and volunteer workload with the elimination of vetting and processing RFPs.
• Our full board is our education committee. They do the outreach and initial contact.
• The committee then decides the speakers or seeks out additional proposals to meet any identified holes.
• Conference committee selects industry experts for most speaker slots. I select any additional speakers (motivational, lifestyle, etc)
• We work with a committee for our annual convention content and also do a call for presenters for our other programs. In addition, we have a professional development committee that helps vet content to determine if it's something we want to offer our members through continuing education.
• Education committee surveys members to determine topics that are hot on members’s mind. Staff selects the best experts to speak on topics.
• We do a combination of an open call and have a committee actively recruiting speakers.
• The ED screens them and forwards the top 3 or 4 to the events committee for final selection.

Q: Who is in charge of getting out the push for renewals beyond email reminders and invoices?

74 Responses:
44% - Membership Staff
19% - Executive Director
15% - Membership Committee
11% - Other
10% - Not sure - what are last week's responses?

• Some President's have helped out. One president who was retired visited every county in Florida to talk to the School Nutrition director about FSNA. We do not have a membership committee.
• Chief Operating Officer, Director of Accounting
• Membership Committee And Leadership
• Everyone on staff is
• Team work makes the dream work - board, committees, components and management.
• Our membership is based on strict criteria including multiple tests and peer reviews. Our national organization sends reminder notices and members pay. If they don't, they must do the entire reapplication/testing process over. That has never happened in Florida.
• All Staff have a role, but it's the primary attention of membership staff.
• Staff execute the plans, but planning is (sometimes) collaborative with volunteer committees.
• VP of Communications and Engagement
• For our group, our board does some outreach to those they know. They do share and follow up on my social media posts but I have to initiate.
• As a 3 FTE association - we all work on renewals.
• Staff does social media, but membership committee creates plan and does outreach for member participation
• Board members
• All staff and membership committee
• One person staff!

Q: What do you see as the most promising non-dues revenue opportunity for your organization?

73 Responses:
56% - In-Person Events
15% - Not relevant to me, let's see last week's question.
15% - Certifications/Credentialing
7% - Virtual Learning
4% - Other
1% - Buyer's Guide/Digital Sponsorships
1% - Affinity Programs

• Tradeshow
• For profit insurance subsidiary
• sponsorships of our in-person events
• We receive grant funding from the state of Florida for both in-person and virtual learning, making both options our most profitable non-dues revenue.
• Sponsorships of in person events- tournaments, convention- are our largest source of income.
• In person events, advertising and sponsorships! Can’t do it without all three!
• In-Person Meetings are 70% of our revenue

Q: What's one of the most interesting opportunities your sponsors support (or that you've seen sponsors support)?

21 Responses

• Logo floor decals leading to the event space
• Team Building
• Inexpensive webinar sponsorships. They sell easily and some companies want them over and over again
• Cornhole tournament. Uber/Lyft codes for transportation
• We created a $1933 sponsorship for our 90th anniversary this year signifying our year we were established in 1933. Sponsors jumped on board immediately
• Our sponsors support a variety of sponsorships. I wouldn't say any of them is interesting if you mean surprising. One that others may not be doing is a Learning Lab presentation which is a 15-min "Ted Talk" style speaking opportunity the day before our conference that gives them a head start to connect with attendees.
• Building or remodeling homes for veterans
• Scholarships
• Room Drops/Amenities
• Golf carts to transport attendees from the hotel to the onsite convention hall (across property) - their reps drove the carts
• Executive Roundtables - which are CEU-worthy events featuring national caliber subject matter experts brought in as a value-add to reward Board Members and their C-suite folks who attend the Board of Directors meetings in person.
• We are hearing more from sponsors about wanting to increase their support for more unique experiences. When those experiences are $$$ it's encouraging to hear them take the initiative for more dynamic events.
• Specialty Drink at Annual Conference Party, Lounge in trade show hall
• Bathroom mirror clings
• Student Hackathon
• The most popular sponsorship I've seen has been a "LinkedIn or self branding help booth." It included professional headshots that the participants could keep.
• Hands-on training for architects - where architects are able to "build" concrete walls to learn more about Masonry (vs. hearing someone lecture about it in a classroom).
• Bunk bed builds for kids without beds
• A sponsorship package to sponsor all of our events and conferences at one time.
• Drinks at the bar

Q: What is *your* biggest challenge professionally currently?

67 Responses:
30% - Work/life balance
27% - Time management
18% - Professional development and education – having time/money to improve myself
10% - Growth – tools/training and opportunity to advance
9% - Not sure, I just want to see the answers from last week’s question
6% - Other

• Time management plays into the Work/life balance (-:
• Actually all of the above
• Change is happening so fast, trying to make sure you are in front of the RELEVANT changes in all aspects of association life.
• I've worked in Membership for well over 10 years. I enjoy association work, but would love to break into management and ultimately into a director position. I'm not sure how to navigate that or increase my salary so that I can advance.
• Burnout - daily.
• Too much work and too little time!

Q: Have you experimented with AI tools or ChatGPT?

77  Responses
49% - “Experimented” and tried these a few times
32% - Not yet, but I’m curious about it
12% - I’m an early-adopter and frequent flyer
4% - Not relevant to me, but I want to see the answers from last week’s question
3% - It scares me and I stay away

• Have used it quite a bit lately to generate some information sheets for a conference and to provided a good basis for an article that I enhanced significantly. Also attended a webinar and experimented with some of the ones that generate images.
• Recently experimented with using ChatGPT to expedite the writing process for some standard membership/event marketing content. I was absolutely blown away with the quality and accuracy of the content. Since then, we've been using it as a timesaver for polishing up old pieces or drafting up quick marketing content. As association staff wearing multiple hats, it has become a new asset for helping us achieve more quickly and focus on bigger projects. We definitely still have to proof and edit the content to make it our own and align with our association's brand but it is definitely a time and energy saver.
• Love that its a time saver when used well
• I think it's hilarious that this question is posed as "have you tried it (now or in the future) OR are you scared of it??". That is a false dichotomy! There are those of us who aren't interested in a sourceless, unverified bot that steals public content for others use. Why this response? Because original content (and their authors/artists) matter and efficiency is not the highest priority. I'm not against it, I just want to see credit go to the actual intelligence that creates content, not to the developers who want to poach other's creativity, intellect, design and originality for their own monetary gain.
• I like it for editing and/rephrasing content
• I'm obsessed with ChatGPT and have learned about other AI tools but haven't experimented with them as much as I have GPT.
• ChatGPT is amazing and can be very helpful for creating draft versions of documents that can then just be refined

Q: Where do you / your organization primarily work? (Not counting as-needed circumstances)

86 Responses
41% - Split in-office and remote
29% - 100% In the office
28% - 100% Remote
1% - I travel too much to know

• New program and have to share work space so I work approx. 75% remote and 25% in office
• We have a regular standing "hybrid schedule" Monday and Tuesday in office Wed and Thursday remote if you choose (almost all choose) and Friday in office.
• I operate a remote region without the overhead of office space.
• We work mostly in our office. However, if we need to work remotely we are able to do so.
• Our team members that are located in the city where our office is located have a split in-office and remote schedule. I am not located where our office is, so I am 100% remote. I also travel way too much to know where any other staff member is currently working from on a given day!
• We have flexible schedules and as long work is done, it doesn't matter if we are in the office or at home.

Q: How is your board elected?

68 Responses:
46% - Appointed by nominating committee and ratified by members
25% - 100% by Membership vote
15% - Partial membership vote / partial board or nominating committee vote
10% - Other
4% - I just want to see the answers from last week’s question

• Several "works well" and "it's tradition" comments
• Chapter representatives are elected by their chapters, directors at large and officers are nominated by committee and voted upon by members present at annual meeting.
• Members like it but we find is constrains our ability to build an include board. We are exploring moving to slate based elections
• The president selects the members of his/her board. The members don't participate in the process of selecting the board. The members only elect the president and president-elect. I have not heard the membership voice an opinion one way or the other.
• The nominating committee screens all candidates and makes a recommendation to the board for the candidates whose names will appear on the ballot.
• We are a limited member trade association. Each member has one seat on the Board.
• Membership elects the Board members. Board elects the officers
• We changed bylaws 2 years ago Members must elect 2/3 of the board and the rest may be appointed by the board. It enables us to have skill sets and backgrounds we were not able to recruit before

Q: What kinds of volunteer opportunities do you primarily offer your members?

65 Responses
49% - A combination of both
31% - Standing committees with year-long service commitment
15% - I struggle to get member volunteers
3% - ‘Micro’ opportunities throughout the year with minimal or various commitment levels
2% - Other

• Most members volunteer for a committee and we have a few that offer to volunteer just at our conference.
• We call upon members with specific expertise on an as-needed basis to prepare responses to specialized or highly technical issues. Standing Committees are tied to our Strategic Plan and our organizational identity, so those meet at least quarterly, and in some cases, bi-monthly.
• I struggle to get volunteers, but iI have found if I reach out to people on an individual basis they will often reply with "I would be honored to help" - not always but I have found that individual asks help.
• We do provide ad hoc and committee level engagement, but still struggle. Because our membership is corporate and the individuals we target within the organizations are at the senior level, it's difficult to get time commitments from them.
• My members are in the field and they are extremely busy so getting volunteers for various activities can be a challenge.
• We have standing committees, a couple of task forces, and some annual "tasks" such as reviewing, awards, scholarships and grants and research projects, and selecting speakers for conferences that are all popular ways for members to engage.
• We host many meetings and events throughout the year and everyone of them is an opportunity for our members to serve. Meetings are facilitated by members with an agenda prepared by staff so they are in the spotlight. Committees are chaired by our members with staff support and everyone knows that events don't happen without our volunteers!
• We have 3 standing committees anything that falls outside of those committees becomes an adhoc committee with a specific purpose and time frame.
• Micro includes onsite volunteering at conference or specific projects 
• We have established committees that are renewed by calendar year and we have individual volunteer opportunities as our schedule requires. We have volunteers who do one or the other but often times they like to do both