Module One: Association Management Foundation

Understand the importance of associations and review the roles associations play within the industry, profession, and society. Characterize different types of associations and articulate the significance of having a mission, vision and value statement.

Module Two: Governance and Volunteer Management

Illustrate the roles and relationships of those within the governance structure. Describe the governance system and organizational units, classify the diverse patterns of volunteer involvement, and summarize the volunteer management process.

Module Three: Membership Value

Discuss the value of membership. Identify traditional benefits and explore ideas and realizations uncovered through the research of ASAE's Decision to Join.

Module Four: Trends and Success Measures

Recognize external and internal trends and their impact on the association sector. Compare the commitment factors identified in 7 Measures of Success and discover concrete steps that can be taken to improve organizational performance.

Leave with a better understanding of the unique nature of associations, how they are organized, how the leadership and management functions work, the value of members, key principles for working with volunteers, and how your role contributes to the overall success of the organization.

Course 2: Effectively Managing Volunteer Committees and Task Forces

Module One: Volunteer Overview - Importance to Associations

Determine the importance of volunteers and explore the relationship between an association’s governance structure and its volunteers. Define general characteristics of association volunteers and recognize the benefits of volunteering for both individuals and organizations.

Module Two: Volunteer Recruitment and Retention

Differentiate recruitment methods and their applicability to association volunteers. Identify efforts that can be made to recruit motivated and satisfied volunteers. Learn how to communicate opportunities as and showcase their benefits. Understand the critical relationship between motivation and retention.

Module Three: Volunteer Recognition and Rewards

Explore the benefits of recognition for both volunteers and the association and learn the basics behind how and when to offer sincere appreciation. Discover the differences and value between informal and formal volunteer recognition and find creative ways to reward volunteers.

Module Four: Volunteer Management

Learn how to create and foster an environment that will attract and retain volunteers to your organization. Identify behaviors essential to healthy staff/volunteer relationships and determine effective systems for communicating with volunteers and ways that you can empower them.

Leave with a better understanding of volunteer management and how doing it successfully can ensure a healthy and
vibrant organization. Take with you concrete ideas on how to recruit, reward and retain the volunteers you want and need.

Course 3: Membership Development

Module One: Offering Value and Purpose

Determine the importance and purpose of membership. Differentiate the two main types of associations and their roles in membership. Learn the typical classifications and categories of association membership and identify the benefits and value associated with each.

Module Two: Structuring the Membership Offering

Explore membership related challenges, including economic and demographic impact on various models. Differentiate structures based on dues and benefits and explore the limits of what can and cannot be included with membership.

Module Three: Membership Recruitment

Recognize the importance of member recruitment and learn the components of a membership recruitment campaign. Identify common recruitment methods, marketing vehicles and strategies.

Module Four: Membership Retention

Understand how retention is key to an association's success and identify efforts, methods, and strategies employed to create a positive member experience. Explore what value means to members and steps to take to improve membership renewal rates and overall retention.

After this full-day course, you will leave with a better understanding of the unique nature of membership organizations, how demographic and technological changes are affecting membership models, and how associations must structure their membership programs to optimize retention and maintain relevance.

Course 4: Communication and Public Relations

Module One: Maintaining a Positive Image

Understand the definition, importance and role of public relations in association management and differentiate the practice from its role in other organizations. Identify activities that share a connection with the practice of association public relations and describe the four-phase model used in effective association public relation campaigns.

Module Two: Communicating Your Message

Identify association-specific audiences and learn how to differentiate communications using a variety of channels. Learn techniques for interacting both proactively and reactively with the media and understand critical elements that associations should include in their crisis communication plan.

Module Three: Listening Effectively

Understand the importance of effective listening skills and identify common barriers that inhibit effective listening. Outline the steps involved during a successful listening process and explore techniques that can be applied to improve the process of effective listening.

Module Four: Preparing and Delivering Presentations

Outline an effective presentation structure and learn guidelines for delivery. Identify common presenter mistakes and learn ways to avoid them. Explore presentation anxiety and ways to overcome it. Attend this full-day course and leave with a better understanding of how a polished presentation can enhance your professional image and that of the organization, and how positive and smart relations with the media are critical to organizational success and reputation.

Course 5: Developing Your Leadership Potential

Module One: Leadership Characteristics and Development

Understand and appreciate the unique leadership role played by those within associations. Recognize leadership as a learned behavior and identify common characteristics embodied by leaders. Learn to characterize the differences between leadership and management.

Module Two: Team Development

Learn how to recognize potential leadership traits in team members and how to interpret the relationship between team development and organizational performance. Identify steps that can be taken to empower team members.

Module Three: Decision-Making

Discover the importance of decision making in leadership positions and four distinct decision making styles and their effect on team members. Understand how to use various decision making approaches and how to foster an environment that embraces decision making.

Module Four: Conflict Management

Explore the nature of conflict and learn to identify the underlying causes of conflict. Recognize styles that are used when dealing with conflict and walk away with guidelines that can be applied during conflict resolution. Attend this full-day course and leave with a better understanding of leadership challenges and how membership organizations require both internal and external leadership to be successful.

Take with you concrete ideas on how to find resolution to myriad conflicts and how to develop your own leadership potential.