How to Find Out What Your Association's Members REALLY Need

I came across this post over on Elizabeth Weaver Engel's blog (which you should follow, if you don't already). In it, she talked about a recent Twitter discussion on capturing and keeping track of what members really need. It's a good question and is one I know many association professionals face, so I have pulled from this post a few examples of how some of our clients have used processes that actively incorporate member feedback into the decision-making process - this is by no means a comprehensive list but hopefully gets the juices flowing.

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What is Your Nonprofit's Blue Ocean?

Blue Ocean Strategy is a framework that focuses on market differentiation and innovation - two things we don't see enough of in nonprofit circles. Here's the gist of it...

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Finding Your Inner Hulk: Uncovering the 80/20 In Your Association

The Pareto Principle can apply to more than just to revenues. It can apply to other areas of your association as well. Marketing efforts, fundraising, sponsorship...Of course it doesn't apply everywhere and the breakdown is not always 80/20...but it does give some interesting food for thought.

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Keep Looking. Don't Settle. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

The world has lost a true innovator in Steve Jobs. This is a man whose vision has changed the way we all experience the world. He is one of the people that is responsible for the technology allowing you to read this blog post. If you haven’t seen it already, Jobs’ Commencement Address to the 2005 graduating class at Stanford University is a must-see.

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TED Talks You Should Watch: Chris Anderson on Online Video as an Innovation Accelerator

This is an interesting TED talk by Chris Anderson about the role online video, and other social media for that matter, is playing in accelerating innovation by encouraging and environment of continual improvement.

Have you used social media as a way to kickstart or boost innovation in your own career or organization?