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What’s All the Fuss About Antitrust Laws?

Image Credit: Canva

By Stevie Kernick, Owner Emeritus, Account Manager

There’s not much fuss at all until the Federal Trade Commission comes knocking at the door of your association. Under what circumstances could your association be vulnerable to antitrust violations and how can you, as the chief staff officer of the association, protect your association against antitrust charges?

For most trade association, day-to-day activities are competitively neutral. Associations provide education for members, set guidelines for effective operations and represent the industry with local and federal government entities. Generally, these basic activities, undertaken by all trade associations do not present any antitrust risk.

But no trade association is immune to potential antitrust violations. Violations of the antitrust laws are actionable offenses even if they are committed through a trade association.

Congress passed the first antitrust law, the Sherman Act, in 1890 as a “comprehensive charter of economic liberty aimed at preserving free and unfettered competition as the rule of trade.”

Congress subsequently passed two additional antitrust laws: the Federal Trade Commission Act, which created the FTC, and the Clayton Act. These two along with the Sherman Act, are the core federal antitrust laws still in effect today.

The basic objective of all three of these laws is the same…to protect the process of competition for the benefit of the consumer by assuring incentives for businesses to operate efficiently, keep prices down and keep quality up.

In addition to these federal statutes, most states have antitrust laws that are enforced by state attorneys general or private plaintiffs. Many of these statutes are based on the federal antitrust laws.

Here are the key antitrust issues that affect trade associations:

  1. Price Fixing – It is illegal for a trade association to control or suggest pricing to members, or for competitors to decide among themselves a method of pricing to achieve uniformity. Pricing information should NEVER be discussed among competitors.
  2. Bid Rigging – It is illegal to coordinate bidding among competitors.
  3. Market Division or Customer Allocation – It is illegal to systematically divide market areas and customers among competitors.
  4. Group Boycotts – Any company may, on its own, refuse to do business with another firm, but an agreement among competitors not to do business with targeted individuals or businesses may be an illegal boycott, especially if the group of competitors working together has market power.
  5. Other Agreements Among Competitors – Competitors may not collectively decide to use a standardized contract, establish uniform hours of operation, utilize the same methods of accounting or transportation methods or set restrictions on advertising content.

Trade associations frequently offer their members important benefits with the potential to improve efficiency and control costs. When an association of competitors withholds these benefits from nonmembers, the nonmember may be disadvantaged and the restriction may harm competition and keep prices high.

There is also the potential for the association to become involved in antitrust issues which occur during association-sponsored events, but without the knowledge or involvement of the association’s leadership. At the opening of all association events or meetings, members should be advised of the importance of adhering to antitrust laws and what to do if such discussions transpire.

An association whose members are under-fire for antitrust violations by the Department of Justice can expect to be drawn into the investigation, at the least, with a subpoena to produce documents – reams of them.

Best to take deliberate steps to avoid the fuss altogether.

Want to know more about association management? Contact us at info@imiae.com to find out more about what IMI Association Executives can do for your organization.

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Strategies for Responding to Criticism

Image Credit: Håkon Sataøen
Image Credit: Håkon Sataøen

 By Rachel Owen, communications manager

It’s going to happen. There’s just no way of getting around it. No matter how skilled you are, or how careful you are, eventually someone will come to you with negative feedback. Although the conversation may be uncomfortable, with the right response you can emerge looking like a gem.

Strategies for responding to criticism

Be prepared with a response.

Create a “go-to” phrase to use. Having a response ready to go adds a layer of calm and reduces the chance of saying something you will regret. Here are just a couple of examples:

  • “Thank you very much for your feedback.”
  • “I appreciate you taking the time to share that with me, thank you.”
  • “Thanks for sharing that feedback with me. I’ll keep that in mind if this situation happens again.”
  • “I appreciate that insight into your perspective. That feedback is helpful, thank you.”

Ask for more information.

If you don’t understand the feedback, be sure to ask for clarification. If you believe the feedback to be based on incorrect information, be sure to ask for more information before you respond. Examples:

  • “That’s really interesting. I’d never thought of it that way. Can you tell me a little more about [topic]?”
  • “I want to make sure I have all the information when I bring this concern back to my team. Can you explain a little more about [topic]?”
  • “That [term/concept] isn’t familiar to me. Can you explain what that means so I can make sure I understand correctly?”

Ask for more time to respond.

Sometimes it’s best to let an issue cool off a little. This is especially the case if you will need to refute some of the criticism, such as if there’s a misunderstanding about a contract or service. A little bit of distance will help you stay calm and will help the critic know you carefully considered their issue rather than rejecting it out of hand.

  • “Thank you for letting us know about the issue. We are sorry about the frustration. I’m going to check with my team to see if they have any insight into what happened. I will be in touch soon.”
  • “I would like to talk about this more but I need a little bit of time to process this information. Can we schedule a time to discuss this on Thursday?”
  • “This feedback is very important to me and you’ve given me a lot to think about. Can we set an appointment to discuss this again in a couple days?”

It’s okay to be wrong.

We all make mistakes. What you do in response to the mistake will set you apart from the others. If you made a mistake, simply apologize and offer solutions. Refusing to admit you made a mistake will only dig the hole deeper. A little bit of humility will go a long way.

Be humble.

No matter how high you climb, there is always room for improvement. Everyone can benefit from feedback. Stay humble and issue a simple, sincere “thank you” to show the best version of you.

Don’t argue.

It’s okay to clear up misinformation by sharing about the experience from your perspective, but don’t be confrontational. Don’t spend a lot of time picking apart the misunderstanding. When the situation dissolves into arguing, no one wins. The end goal of the discussion always should be resolving the conflict, not blame casting. Briefly share your perspective and then move on to solutions.

Say thanks.

My rule of thumb is always say thanks. Not sure what to say? Say thanks. You disagree with the feedback? Say thanks. The critic is being a jerk? Say thanks. The feedback really helped? Say thanks. “Thanks” is the best way to help the critic walk away feeling like you handle feedback well.

Do you have other strategies for responding well to criticism? Let us know in the comments!

Related posts:

The Other First Impression

The Gift You’re Probably Rejecting

How to Say No

Want to know more about association management? Contact us info@imiae.com to find out more about what IMI Association Executives can do for your organization.

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5 Steps to an Awesome Onboarding Experience

Image Credit: Canva
Image Credit: Canva

Anna Morris, administrative manager

When a new staff member joins your team, it can be a challenge to find a balance between providing a welcoming environment while bringing them up to speed as quickly as possible. Here are a few tips to ensure a seamless onboarding process for new hires.

1)  Have a designated Welcome Committee
While your first thought might be “How am I going to teach this person all this information?” keep in mind the way your new employee may be feeling. The first few days or weeks can be overwhelming for new staff members. They are trying to learn new names, processes, procedures, new everything! Through it all, you want new employees to feel welcome and valued by their new team. One way to ensure your employee feels welcome is to have a designated “Welcome Committee” or even just a “Welcome Person” that is accessible to answer any random questions the new person has. Other simple gestures like personally introducing the new hire to other staff members and making sure they have plans for lunch the first few days can go a long way to determining the tone of an employee’s time with an organization.

2) Provide an itinerary for the first few days or weeks
A detailed schedule broken down by day and time can help keep everyone on the same page by letting both the new employee and other staff members know where to be and when. If the employee will have important deadlines to meet right off the bat, providing a detailed “What is Due When and to Whom” document can help everyone keep their heads on straight. If you have a complicated building structure or specific parking instructions, make sure to help navigate those areas within the first few days as well.

3) Present new information in multiple forms of representation
Any new job comes with an overabundance of new information. Keep in mind that people process information in different ways, so being able to verbally explain a task in addition to having a written explanation of a policy can be a great way to help your new employee retain everything being thrown their way. Additionally, make sure to allow some down time for things like “office set-up” so they can process everything they have learned so far and see if they have any outstanding questions.

4) Provide documented processes and procedures for complex tasks
Depending on the type of tasks your new employee will be working on, providing step-by-step instructions or videos can be helpful in ensuring your employee has an ongoing resource to refer to. With membership entry into a database, for example, there are often many different buttons or items that may or may not need to be used for a certain task. While an experienced staff member may train the new employee on a task initially, if that person has questions the next time they do the same task, they can refer back to the written instructions or the video before going to the staff person. This type of documented procedure can help everyone save time in the long run.

5) Solicit feedback
In addition to implementing these tips, the best way to improve your onboarding process is to get feedback from someone who just went through it! Make sure to ask the  employee if they have any thoughts on how their experience went that you can incorporate to improve the process for the next new hire. This is also a great way to continue building a relationship so the new employee knows their voice is valued by the organization.

What other tips and tricks do you have for a great onboarding process? Let us know in the comments below!

Want to know more about association management? Contact us info@imiae.com to find out more about what IMI Association Executives can do for your organization.

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The Other “First Impression”

Image Credit: Ben Rosett

By Rachel Owen, communications manager

We hear a lot about how first impressions are one of the most important moments in any relationship. When we think of first impressions we primarily think of the first meeting, the first proposal to a new client or the first project after you join a new team. Instinctively, we understand that in that moment how we present ourselves can make or break a relationship.

How you respond to negative feedback creates a supercharged “first impression.”

Negative feedback is inevitable and how you respond can be a turning point in a relationship whether the feedback comes from a client, coworker or friend.

While we put a lot of time and effort into first impressions, we often overlook this important moment of receiving criticism. Here are a few reasons why your response to negative feedback is a critical “first impression.”

How you respond to feedback shows your character.

If you reject feedback by saying you are so successful that you don’t need feedback (as someone said to me recently) you will say a lot about yourself – and it may not be the story you want to tell. Think about how you want others to see you: Do you want to be known as someone who is willing to learn, who is able to change and who listens carefully? Or do you want to be seen as someone who always needs to be right? Be prepared so that you will always show the best version of yourself.

You can build bridges or you can burn them.

When you respond well to feedback you build bridges of communication. You teach your client, coworker, boss or friend that they can come to you with issues and you will make it right without a hassle. You show that it doesn’t take a sledgehammer to get through to you – and that’s a good thing. Also, when others see that you are easy to work with they are more likely to stay in connection with you – whether that means renewing contracts, selecting you for other projects, or otherwise maintaining the relationship.

You can turn the tide.

A frustrated caller once launched into our conversation by expressing that he was very angry. Despite his obvious frustration, I kept things casual and asked for more information “so we can make this right.” I’ll never forget how his voice and behavior immediately changed – he was pleasantly surprised! He expected defensiveness and an argument, but I let him know right away that we’d help. In the end, we had a great conversation, were able to resolve his issue and he learned firsthand how we respond to conflict.

Feedback is a gift.

We’ve talked before about how feedback is a gift. Just like receiving physical presents, how you receive their feedback is important. Remember, there is always a piece of the giver in the gift. If you reject the gift harshly you may create a breach in the relationship. Always be prepared to accept the gift with grace.

Stay tuned! Soon we’ll share some strategies on how to respond to criticism and come out better on the other side.

Related posts:

The Gift You’re Probably Rejecting

5 Ways to Save a Bad Day

Want to know more about association management? Contact us info@imiae.com to find out more about what IMI Association Executives can do for your organization.

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Simple Tips to Complete Your To-Do List

Image Credit: Canva
Image Credit: Canva

By Adrian Emerson, Association Accounting Specialist

Recently, I attended an interesting class presented by Emily Parks with Organize for Success, LLC, called, “Moving From To-Do to Done: Task & Project Management Tools.” The class was a combination of tips to get things done more efficiently and suggestions of software that can help. Did you know there are hundreds, if not thousands, of different technology options to help with your to-do list? Of course, everyone has their personal preferences. Here is a brief overview of what I found to be the best tips to help get things done.

Decisions, Decisions.

With every task you must first decide what to do with it. Parks suggests four main options: Discard, Delegate, Delay, or Do. Making this decision should be done as soon as you get the task and update your task list as necessary as part of regular daily/weekly planning. Parks recommends the following four questions to help you determine what to do with a task:

  • Does this task move you or your company towards achieving goals? Or are you passionate about the task? If not, is its completion legally required?
  • Does the task require skills that you are exclusively qualified for or can others complete the task in an acceptable manner?
  • Could another person gain useful experience by completing the task?
  • Does this task really need to be done immediately?

To automate is to delegate.

Delegating does not always mean assigning the task to another person. You can also use technology to automate some tasks, like scheduling social media or blog posts and email filters to automatically move certain emails to different folders for later viewing or automatic filing. There are even some online services that use the simple format that if a certain action happens then you can have the service automate another action. For example, if you’re tagged in a photo on one website then you can have the same photo posted to another website.

Make it manageable.

Now that you are left with only the necessary items on your to-do list, here are some tips Parks gives to make the list easier to manage. First, break larger projects into smaller tasks and always give a task a due date even if it’s a month into the future. Next, group similar items together, like blocking off a section of time to make all of your phone calls for the day or clean up and respond to emails instead of going back and forth between tasks. She also proposes have a list of small action items that only take a few minutes, like making a phone call or reviewing an invoice, to be completed during small time blocks, like waiting in carpool or waiting for a meeting to start. Lastly, be realistic about what you can complete in a day. Parks says that on average you should only schedule to complete 3-5 tasks each day depending on your meeting schedule for the day.

Prioritize to stay focused.

Next you have to prioritize your task list, which for me is one of the more difficult things to do. Sometimes we are faced with emergencies and last minute requests, but Parks has strategies for those unexpected tasks, too. She advises two concepts for prioritizing tasks. The first is the Urgent & Important Matrix:

Image Source: Karthik Gurumurthy

It is suggested that Urgent and Important items be completed first, followed by Not Urgent but Important items, then Urgent but Not Important, and finally Not Urgent and Not Important items.

Another concept which can be applied in conjunction with the Urgent & Important Matrix is the Rock vs. Pebbles vs. Grains of Sand. The idea is that tasks that are Urgent and Important are Rocks, Urgent but Not Important and Not Urgent but Important tasks are Pebbles, and Not Urgent and Not Important tasks are Grains of Sand. Each day’s tasks should be a good mix of all three items. Think about it like this: A Rock can be something big and important like spending time with your family, then a Pebble can be something like finishing the laundry, which you would like to do today but ultimately can wait until tomorrow, and then Grains of Sand can be watching the newest episode of your favorite show.

Schedule for success.

Finally, you should plan your schedule of tasks weekly and revisit the schedule daily. Parks suggests that once a week you should create a schedule of 3-5 tasks for each day of the following week. Start with any tasks that were not completed this week and coordinate around meetings or other projects due in the coming week. Remember to plan out your Rocks, Pebbles, and Grains of Sand evenly. Parks goes on to recommend doing a daily wrap up at the end of each day. She suggests you take 10-15 minutes to review completed tasks and tasks that need to be rescheduled. Make sure you are prepared for the tasks scheduled for the next day, and request updates from team members as needed. She also advises tiding up your work space for fewer distractions the following morning.

Forward movement!

Finally, she says to celebrate the work that you were able to accomplish, even if you didn’t actually “finish” anything. Remember, they say starting a project is often harder than completing it.

For more tips about organization and information about Emily Parks, visit her company website: www.organizeforsuccess.biz.

Want to know more about association management? Contact us info@imiae.com to find out more about what IMI Association Executives can do for your organization.

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When to Say “No” to Research

Image Credit: Luis Llerena
Image Credit: Luis Llerena

Jalene Bowersmith, executive director

These ideas are inspired by the session “Research Roadmap: Using Data to Make Informed Decisions” at the ASAE Annual Meeting on August 12, 2014, presented by Matthew D’Uva, Elena Gerstmann, Sarah Slater and Kory Ward-Cook.

Research is one of the best ways to make informed decisions about changes in your organization, but is research always the right step to take?

When Should You Say “No” to Research?

When research is just a delay tactic. Do you already have a great information base and the time is right to make a decision? It’s possible the request for more research at this time is just to delay decision making. It might be time to gently direct the board or committee away from research and towards a decision.

When moving forward just makes sense. Will the research provide very little benefit? Do you have a viable solution and an upcoming deadline? In these and in other cases, sometimes just moving forward makes sense.

When there is a quicker, easier way to get what you need. Rather than a costly professional survey, can you gather the needed information from a quick poll on social media? Can a small set of volunteers provide relevant information faster? Could some simple A/B testing help determine the best path?

When you’re not ready. Before you pay for a professional survey, or otherwise engage in time intensive research, make sure you have clearly defined goals. You need a research roadmap to make sure you aren’t researching on the fly and that you will stay within your budget. You don’t want to complete your costly survey and then realize you need further research to gather the needed information.

If you think it might be time to say “no” to research, check out these ideas on how to make your “no” a positive message.

Want to know more about association management? Contact us info@imiae.com to find out more about what IMI Association Executives can do for your organization.

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How to Say “No”

Image Credit: Padurariu Alexandru
Image Credit: Padurariu Alexandru

By Rachel Owen, communications manager

Let’s face it. The truth of the matter is that we all need to say “no” sometimes. What we may not think about is the very real idea that how you say “no” matters.

It might seem a little counter intuitive, but your “no” doesn’t have to be negative.

Think about how you normally say “no.” Do you focus on what you can’t do? Or do you lead with what you can do?

For example, what do you say when an attendee requests a refund past the deadline? According to your office’s policy, you can’t refund their registration fee but you can offer a credit towards the next conference. When you respond to the attendee, make sure to lead with the good news that their next conference is free!

Focus on the positive and it will help take the sting out of the “no.”

For some quick tips on how to make your “no” more positive, check out our handy infographic below.

2015-5-12 say no

Want to know more about association management? Contact us info@imiae.com to find out more about what IMI Association Executives can do for your organization.

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9 Tips to Recruit & Retain Volunteers

Image Credit: Aleksandr Kozlovskii
Image Credit: Aleksandr Kozlovskii

By Whitney Bertram, operations manager

We’ve talked before about how volunteers are at the heart of every association, but how do you recruit volunteers and then keep them engaged? The executive directors at IMI Association Executives met together to discuss this very issue and here are 9 ideas they came up with.

Awareness

  • This may seem like a no brainer, but make sure all your members are aware of the volunteer opportunities available.
  • Encourage volunteerism on everything you send out. Need help thinking of creative places to ask for volunteers? Here are a few ideas we came up with:
    • membership application
    • conference registration forms
    • membership renewals
    • link on website home page
    • make a volunteer page on website
    • member surveys – you can even use the exit landing page
    • social media
  • Don’t forget to credit the committee when work projects are completed. Members will make the connection that not only are there volunteer opportunities available, but they are making a difference in the association.

Connection

  • The #1 reason why people volunteer is because someone called them personally and asked them to volunteer. Not only is a face to face request more difficult to decline, but if the volunteer has questions moving forward they know they have a personal contact ready to help.
  • Volunteers make friends in the organization, take advantage of all that your association has to offer, and ultimately you create a member for life.
  • Clearly ask people what their interests are and how much time they are willing to give. When you connect members with a volunteer position that suits both their interests and their lifestyle they are more likely to be engaged.

Rewards

  • Remind volunteers that there is a career benefit to volunteering for your organization. Dedication to your industry looks great on a resume.
  • Ask volunteers why they are interested in volunteering. This will help you plug volunteers in where they will get the most personal satisfaction – and keep contributing. Volunteering really can be its own reward!
  • Be sure to thank and recognize your volunteers frequently. Whenever possible, make sure to connect with your volunteers through an email, phone call, or in person to show your appreciation.

Interested in more about volunteers? Check out 7 Evergreen Ideas to Engage Volunteers.

Want to know more about association management? Contact us info@imiae.com to find out more about what IMI Association Executives can do for your organization.

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Is Your Association Board Nimble?

Image Credit: Alex Jones
Image Credit: Alex Jones

By Jalene Bowersmith, Executive Director

The board for the Widgets of the World Association (WoWA) is having their monthly meeting. During the meeting the president announces that the National Thingamajig Association (NATA), a rival organization, has just released an online certification program. The program will provide NATA with additional revenue for years to come and may pull members from WoWA.

Let’s face it, in today’s fast paced world boards need to make well informed decisions quickly. The above example is fictitious, but the concerns are real. Deliberations that linger on meeting after meeting can be draining and leave your association rehashing the past, focusing on barriers to progress (like WoWA) while more nimble associations (like NATA) are focusing on the future, creating the next big thing. How do you get all your board members on the same page and help them make well informed decisions quickly and concisely?

Effective board members aren’t born, they are developed. Most volunteers don’t join a board knowing the skills needed to be effective, efficient board members. (In fact, a recent Stanford study showed that most nonprofit boards are largely ineffective.) Providing board members with effective tools, an understanding of expectations, and a common vocabulary is crucial to the success of any board. In addition, having difficult conversations about the barriers to success, before they arise, provides board members with a basic understanding and underlying foundation to become effective board members.

In 2014, I attended a session facilitated by the Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA) Center for Leadership Development, at ASAE’s Conference in Nashville. The session presented by Bill Shepherd and Elaine La Chappelle outlined training materials developed by OREA to combat the problems stated above.

At just over two hours in length, the tutorials OREA developed – Nimble Decision Making – provide a basis for board training, a common vocabulary to work more effectively together, tools to communicate and help board members think more strategically, as well as a candid discussion of barriers that can derail a board. The video recorded sessions are divided into three tutorials, which provide flexibility of delivery, and include workbooks with activates, discussion topics, and template tools which keep members engaged.

  • Tutorial 1 – Emerging Trends and making timely decisions
  • Tutorial 2 – Barriers to nimble decision making and Inspiring behaviors
  • Tutorial 3 – Planning, communicating and monitoring decisions to evaluate results

The tutorials come with a facilitator’s guide, so the Executive Director and/or President can lead the sessions without bringing in an outside facilitator.

Through a donation to OREA, our organization received the materials and we implemented Nimble Decision Making last fall. I have found it to be well received and very successful. Since implantation our board meetings have become much more effective. Our board members understand what is expected of them and can now take ownership in meeting since they understand their roles. We have improved communication at meetings by instituting several of the tools provided in the tutorials, such as briefing notes, discussion guides and dashboard. Board members are more engaged and excited about their role in shaping the future of the organization and when the board needs to make a difficult decisions, such as whether to raise membership dues, we can have a candid conversation about the barriers that are holding us back, so we can move forward together as a united board.

We are now incorporating Nimble Decision Making into our new board member training and all board members will review the tutorials at a face-to-face meeting once a year to general discussion and keep their focus on the future of the organization.

For more information on Nimble Decision Making contact Elaine La Chappelle with the Ontario Real Estate Association Center for Leadership Development. Email: ElaineL@orea.com Phone: (416) 445-9910

Want to know more about association management? Contact us info@imiae.com to find out more about what IMI Association Executives can do for your organization.

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3 Things I Learned About Membership

Image Credit: Brandon Morgan
Image Credit: Brandon Morgan

Beth Wallace, administrative manager

An association is nothing without their members; members need an association to reach their goals efficiently and effectively. Put the two together and you have a dynamic duo! After working in membership for almost a year with IMI, I have learned a few things.

1. Make Members Happy
While working with our Assistant Executive Director, who has many years of experience with membership, I have learned that caring for members and making sure they are happy is very important.

A few examples of what that practically would look like is, if our quarterly magazine didn’t arrive to their house for some reason, we make sure to re-send it again, just in case the postal service lost it. If a previous member didn’t renew due to major difficulties that arose during their membership year, it is a good idea to compensate them for another membership year. It is up to you to show the association values them as an individual member and to prove how valuable your association can be to them.

2. Retention, Recruitment, Engagement
Retention, recruitment, and engagement are the three words that establish the foundation of membership. Retention is getting members to return as member again the next year. We want to keep members coming back and sharing about the value of the association to non-members.

Recruiting members allows the association to grow and thrive off of more skills and talents to live out their mission and reach new goals. Whether it is through the testimony of current members or by providing incentives, such as free webinars, you need to draw people in to see what else you have to offer. Monthly tracking of your members by category type and where they are located are great ways of determining where you need to improve recruitment and how you can draw those members in.

Engaging members through the association benefits will circle back to retention. The more that members feel engaged and active in the association, the more likely they will renew when their membership expires. Some ways to inspire engagement:

– Start discussions on social media about current topics in the field
– Highlight membership benefits weekly/monthly as a reminder
– Conduct surveys to see what benefits interest your members the most

3. Growth & Change
Growth and change are two words that can either strike fear into the hearts or bring pure excitement to the minds of members. I admit that I can get stuck in my old ways and think they are the best and most efficient way of going about life. This can be the case for long standing members of an association, too. Change causes fear of the unknown and uncertainty of how things will work out. For new or potential members, change means more information or tools that are applicable to them.

During my time with this association, our new membership year in 2014 made a huge impact. We revamped the benefits and the look of our membership retention and recruitment pieces. New members and individuals were full of praise for the new “more professional” look. However, with new things comes some resistance. Some were hesitant to the new ideas coming about in the association. This is to be expected and is to be handled with care. When members resist changes, we have an excellent opportunity to reach out and build a relationship by sharing an explanation of why the association made these changes. I believe by responding that way, with care and transparency, we gained trust with our members.

Want to know more about association management? Contact us info@imiae.com to find out more about what IMI Association Executives can do for your organization.