Welcome to 2015! It’s only the first week of the New Year and we are already off to an exciting start as YourMembership proudly announced this week the acquisition of Digital Ignite and that we will be adding its Learning Management System to YM’s expanding suite of products. As quoted in our press release, “this significant addition makes YourMembership the leading engagement platform for organizations, delivering upon their mission of helping associations, organizations, publishers and other companies succeed by improving personalized user interactions across the web, social and mobile channels.”
You may be wondering why an LMS offering now? Learning Management Systems have quickly come to the forefront of technology offerings for associations to consider as they look for new ways to drive greater engagement while enhancing their continuing education offerings to members. As JP Guilbault, President and CEO of YourMembership put it, “There’s never been a better time for organizations worldwide to leverage their data and technology to create meaningful and personalized interactions to fulfill their missions, add member value and increase revenue.”
There’s no getting around the fact that new technology, tools and management techniques are coming at us faster and faster these days leaving little time to effectively evaluate and choose between alternatives. AMS, LMS and Job Board technologies have proven themselves in the association marketplace, but what about the new offerings we’ve yet to consider? According to Shelly Alcorn, CAE, “as changes happen in society, they can telegraph changes coming in our association environments. It is one thing to say you want to be innovative, and completely another to figure out how to do so.”
If only there was a guide to help with those efforts. Now there is, as we have just released our newest publication, The Essential Guide to Association Management Trends. We look at evolving technologies, changing member preferences and differences in generational values that pose management challenges for associations moving forward. To help you better prepare for these challenges, we’ve teamed up with our team of industry thought leaders to highlight some of the key themes associations can expect to see in 2015, including:
- Mobile experiences
- Changing membership models
- The leadership vacuum
- Associations becoming on-demand service providers
- And more
Be sure to download your copy today.
On January 22, we will hold our monthly CAE Thought Leadership Webinar titled Fads, Trends and Signals: Three Keys to Successful Innovation for Associations. Led by Shelly Alcorn, CAE, we will focus on the value of using a curve-jumping strategy and learn how to tell the difference between fads, trends and signals. Carefully deciding which objectives to pursue in an era of limited time, talent and treasure is the key to ensuring your association stays relevant in the lives of your members.
While we see increased content and discussion on new trends and ideas from a variety of experts every January, it is important to note that new trends don’t mysterious pop up January 1st, but rather develop throughout the previous year(s) and through adoption and experimentation make their way to the forefront. While many have an undeniable allure, you don’t want to find yourself living on the bleeding edge of technology where a good number of “cool” ideas flame out as fast as they appear.
Having the tools to help you readily identify new trends, assess their value, and determine how they might fit into your association’s efforts is a winning strategy to adopt as you prepare for a successful 2015.
