CSAE Connect

#CSAE09 iPhone Volunteer Session Slides

What's happening in the mobile space right now is really exciting to me, because it's so much more than a one-way platform associations can use to push out content.  Given the increasingly passionate love affair so many of us are having with our iPhones, Blackberries and other devices, mobile offers a compelling way for associations to build a meaningful, always-on, always-accessible presence in the lives of our members that we can use for mutual benefit.

Watch this commercial by mobile device manufacturer HTC that crystallizes the role mobile devices are now playing in our lives:

There is no question in my mind that mobile is the future of associating, and I hope association leaders will begin thinking creatively about how they can deconstruct their existing macro-level volunteer opportunities to create a full spectrum of micro-level opportunities for voluntary engagement.  If associations can broaden and deepen engagement by making it simpler, more attractive and more meaningful for their stakeholders, it will open the door to many more compelling strategic opportunities for radical value creation in the years ahead.

Download PDF of IPhone Volunteer Slides (CSAE 09)

Jeff De Cagna is chief strategist and founder of Principled Innovation LLC, located in Reston, Virginia.  He can be reached at jeff@principledinnovation.com.

#CSAE09: Associations Next Workshop Slides

Hi everybody, today is Thanksgiving in the United States, but I'm here in Toronto at #CSAE09, and so far it's been great fun.  Yesterday, I presented my workshop, Associations Next: Serious Questions for 2010 and Beyond, and I tried a little experiment.  As I wrote on one of my slides:

What if somebody led a workshop and only asked questions?

For a little over three hours yesterday morning, about 70 leaders in the Canadian association community participated in a series of small and large group conversations around the many, many questions I posed to them.  (Download Associations Next (CSAE09) slides).  As I've already written, it was an experiment that I was motivated to try because I wanted to do something creative that would help me advance my effort to nurture new ways of seeing and thinking within association leaders.

Based on the reaction I've heard around the conference, this different approach worked.  I was pleased with how the session went, and it was a valuable learning experience for me as well.  Many thanks to the terrific participants who stayed with it even if they were a little bit uncertain about what we were doing at times!

Jeff De Cagna is chief strategist and founder of Principled Innovation LLC, located in Reston, Virginia.  He can be reached at jeff@principledinnovation.com.

A Request For Input

Bud Crouch, Summit Leader of the 2009 Governance Summit would like the opinion of Canadian association executives, whether attending the Summit or not.  He values the opinions of association professionals such as yourself.

 

There are a lot people trying to prognosticate what the future of associations will look like 60 – 72 months out.  What will be the major challenges and what will successful association look like?

 

Below is the link to ‘The Association Future Scape’.  Please share your views on the subject.  Bud would like to compile the results and use them at the Governance Summit in November and when working with other organizations in the future.  You can post your comments here, on this CSAE conference blog or if you prefer through Twitter.  If you post on Twitter please use the hashtag - #csae09 so we may track the replies. Thank you for feedback and your help to put out a finger on the pulse of what is ahead for associations.

 

Article - http://www.csae.com/public.asp?WCE=C=56|K=228377|CAL=220579

A Message from Glenn Tecker

Glenn Tecker, the Keynote Speaker at the Opening Ceremonies taking place November 25th, 2009, is President and CEO of Tecker Consultants, an international consulting practice. He has served as an association executive and as a board member for both not-for-profit and for-profit organizations. Glenn has authored several books and articles on association leadership and excellence, including two books by the ASAE Foundation (Successful Association Leadership: Dimensions of 21st Century Competency for the CEO and  Building a Knowledge-based Culture: Using 21st Century Work and Decision-Making Systems in Associations).

Glenn does considerable work with CSAE. His leadership of CSAE’s CEO Symposium for the past 12 years has consistently received outstanding evaluations.

Lots of 'Big Ideas' On the Horizon for CSAE '09

 

 

Hi!  My name is Carol-Anne Moutinho.  I am a Senior Consultant with the Association Resource Centre Inc. (ARC), a full-service consulting firm that specializes in providing member, industry and consumer research as well as strategic planning for the not-for-profit sector.  I grew up in (and still love) Toronto but now live in Victoria B.C where I am extremely proud of the fact that I don’t own a shovel for my front steps or a scraper for my car.

As a member of the blogging team, I am really looking forward to helping make sure CSAE Connect is a valuable extension of the CSAE National Conference & Showcase ‘09. 

Few would argue that the not-for-profit sector is in the middle of a very interesting stage in its evolution.  In particular, world-wide phenomena like the economic slowdown, the information explosion, and the social media revolution are giving pause to not-for-profits everywhere on just about everything:  From governance and infrastructure to membership and member engagement, the very definition of the term ‘association’ is coming into question.

Its definitely time for some 'big ideas.'

On the roster for CSAE ‘09 in Toronto are several great industry innovators, leaders and experts getting ready to help generate a discussion on many of these key issues.  The Conference & Showcase promises to be a great opportunity for association professionals to connect, share ideas and innovate ways to mitigate the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities the sector currently faces.

This will be my third year attending the CSAE Annual Conference & Showcase and I couldn’t be more excited about this years’ program.  I hope you're planning on attending as well - its going to be a great show!

Cheers!

Did You Know 4.0

The original "Shift Happens" PowerPoint presentation was created in the summer of 2006 and posted to YouTube as a video in 2007. Over the last 2.5 years, at least 20 million people have viewed various versions of the presentation.  If you've attended a business conference during this period, you've probably seen a "Did You Know?" video at least once.

The video you see above is version 4.0, and it was posted to YouTube this week.  Take a few minutes to watch it, and think about the implications of the information it presents for your association, and for your industry or profession.  What did you know?  What surprised you?  What captures your imagination?

Please share your reactions to the video as comments below.  Let's get the conversation started!

My Thanksgiving in Toronto

During the last week of November, millions of Americans will be celebrate another Thanksgiving holiday in all the traditional ways: turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in the morning and professional football in the afternoon.  It's our yearly national ritual, and one to which I always look forward.

But this year, I have other plans.

This year, I will be spending Thanksgiving in Toronto at CSAE '09 as a speaker, blogger and enthusiastic participant, and I could not be more excited.  The CSAE National Conference is a fantastic education and networking experience.  I had a wonderful time last year in Vancouver, and I'm so very pleased to be joining delegates from across Canada again this year.  

Now I just need to find a place in Toronto where I can get some turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie!

The Launch of CSAE Connect

Welcome to CSAE Connect, the blog for happenings surrounding CSAE’s National Conference & Showcase ’09 taking place in Toronto November 25-27.  As a new initiative this year we hope that you will find the blog interesting, thought-provoking and entertaining.

 

Our team of bloggers, consisting of members, non-members, speakers and CSAE staff, will provide great diversity in the content provided on this blog.  You may find posts about a great education session, a hot spot to check out while in Toronto, or an interesting idea raised by a keynote speaker.  If you have comments or feedback about a posting, we encourage you to share them on the site.  We’d like to hear what you have to say.

 

Along with written content we will post pictures of the Conference throughout the event.  You may also share your pictures by uploading them live to the site.  This way it gives those who cannot attend a chance to see what’s happening and for those attending to remember some great moments.  We hope to have video posts and, possibly, live streaming content on CSAE Connect.  Stay tuned for more information.

 

This blog will provide an added bonus to those attending and for those unable to join us a chance to experience the event though various viewpoints.  I encourage you to bookmark this page, subscribe to the RSS, or follow us on any one of the social media sites we are involved with. 

 

More information and registration for the Conference is available at www.csae.com/conference.  Don’t forget we are offering some excellent pre-Conference education opportunities on November 24^th.

I look forward to seeing you in Toronto November 25^th – 27^th.  Share the information and enjoy the full benefit of the CSAE National Conference and Showcase Experience.

 

Michael Anderson, President & CEO

Canadian Society of Association Executives