When Apple made its big iPad announcement, we started thinking … How could small-staff associations use the iPad to manage their business operations? We were intrigued, and we wanted to find out! So, we decided to give a few away and find out for ourselves!

CEO Steve Jobs promised it would be “magical” and give us an even bigger, better mobile device than the iPhone, but what does that really mean?

The day after Apple’s big announcement, I tried to sort through the hype and figure out what the iPad could mean for small-staff associations down the road. We’re increasingly moving toward a mobile society, and the iPad takes that a step further. I see a lot of potential for the iPad down the road, but we want to find out exactly how a small-staff association would use this awesome device.

So, today marks the official kick-off of the MemberClicks’ Great Small-Staff iPad Giveaway!

Here’s the deal: We’re giving away two 32GB iPads, equipped with wi-fi — one to a current MemberClicks customer, the other to a non-customer.

How to enter: E-mail me at socialmedia@memberclicks.com with a short essay explaining why your organization needs the iPad and how you hope to use it. Be creative and specific! Events, meetings, mobility, creating an app … anything goes here!

How will an iPad affect your small-staff organization’s operations and/or use of the MemberClicks solution?

We’ll select two grand prize winners exactly two weeks from today, on March 23. The iPad becomes available on April 3, and we’ll be pre-ordering them when that’s available.

But the fun doesn’t stop after that. We want to know how your organization is utilizing the iPad. So we’ll be checking in periodically with each winner to get the low-down on how your organization is using the device. And your organization will be featured right on this blog to keep our readers updated.

Sound like something your association is interested in? E-mail entries to socialmedia@memberclicks.com.

We can’t wait to read how the iPad can affect the daily lives of small-staff associations.

Happy Monday! I hope everyone attending ASAE’s Great Ideas Conference made it to Colorado safely, and if you’re not able to be there in person, be sure to follow the Twitter hashtag #ideas10 for some great takeaways.

So, March is an exciting month for those of us here at MemberClicks. Generally, we send out a newsletter to our customers each month full of info about our training webinars, product updates, book reviews, useful PDFs (Beyond the Big Three, anyone?) and more.

This month, though, we’re launching a new, non-customer-focused e-newsletter, The Small-Staff Journal. We collect so much information about small-staff operations and want to give back to the community. You don’t have to be a MemberClicks customer to receive it, and we hope you’ll choose to connect with us in this way.

So, if you’re interested in receiving the first edition — which comes out tomorrow! — e-mail me at socialmedia@memberclicks.com. And trust me — if you like giveaways, you want in on this one to be one of the first people in the know. (It’s a biggie!)

I hope everyone’s week is off to a great start!

Happy Friday! It seemed the association blogosphere was a little quiet this week as some people gear up for the Great Ideas conference next week. I can’t wait to read everyone’s posts from Colorado!

Regardless, there was still some great stuff in the community this week!

1. Although this isn’t technically a post about association management, Replacing Leadership With … Warriorship? is a fantastic piece about leadership. Joe Gerstandt discusses the difference between leadership and warriorship, and says that warriorship isn’t a bad thing – and that anyone, no matter their level in the organization, can be a warrior. Check it out!

2. Maddie Grant posted her monthly recap post with tons of useful links for association professionals. From social media and event 2.0 to data and technology, there are many, many great links in a variety of categories. Good stuff.

3. Jeff Hurt got a lot of discussion going this week with his Open Letter to Association Board Members, Committees, Executives. He’s tired of associations paying big money for celebrity speakers when they don’t pertain to the event. There are tons of awesome comments, so be sure to check those out too.

4. I loved Jeff De Cagna’s post at SmartBlog Insights this week: The content challenge. Now that everyone can create and distribute content more easily, there’s the challenge to “curate” — collect quality information and making sure it can support innovation and action. What will your association do with all of the available information?

5. Continuing in the content curation area, Jeff Cobb wrote an excellent post defining what a content curator does and why the role is important. As the amount of content on the Web continues to multiply at huge rates, it’s crucial to be able to sift through and make sense of it.

I hope everyone has a great weekend! One more week until Daylight Savings Time starts — I’m psyched!

Image credit

When you survey members to gauge their satisfaction with their memberships, do you ask them to rate programs and services in terms of “usefulness” and “criticalness?”

Rather than striving stay relevant in this fast-paced society, aim higher. Be indispensable.

There’s a reason there’s an association for everything. Each one is designed to meet the needs of a special audience. Those of us at MemberClicks are reminded of this every day, as we serve many small-staff organizations specifically tailored toward their members’ unique needs.

It’s vital for association staffers to remember that there is no such thing as a typical member, so stop trying to cater your organization’s programs to fit an “average perception.” Don’t be average. Be extraordinary.

Even though members’ expectations can vary depending on their situations, it’s still possible to incite passion and commitment among them.

Does your mission statement reflect what makes your members special?

Does your communication drive the entire association?

Do the staff’s actions  create value “both within the marketplace and within an organization?”

Do you have a grander vision for your association?

Offer programs and services intrinsic to your members’ wellbeing. And don’t be afraid to get rid of programs that are highly rated as “useless.”

Just because your association has a high renewal rate doesn’t mean nothing should change within the organization. Make every effort to form a genuine sense and commitment toward indispensability.

Everyone in your organization should know how to best present the mission and energize members, volunteers and board members.

Once your team has a clear vision of the association’s mission, they will be able to more effectively demonstrate how and why the organization is irreplaceable in its members’ lives, which should be the all-encompassing goal.

Image credit

Once in awhile, I’ll read a blog post that particularly inspires me to contribute to the conversation. In this case, Bruce Hammond’s “Saving Your Job By Doing Something New” really struck a chord with me.

By training I’m a journalist, and I’ve written before about how I still have a soft spot for newspapers. Many of my friends work for newspapers, and as you no doubt know, that particular industry is in especially dire straits right now.

Because of that, I was so thrilled when my friend, a page designer, told me she was the unofficial Tweeter and “social media expert” at her newspaper. She’s also the fill-in sports editor and go-to travel editor. Although she was hired as a page designer, she used her social media know-how and interest in sports to make herself indispensable to the organization.

Stand out from the crowd

Association executives can do the same thing. The whole “that’s not in my job description” just doesn’t cut it anymore. It’s career suicide, especially in this economic environment. What other interests, hobbies or talents do you have that you can contribute to the organization?

Perhaps you’re a CPA who loves sports. Organize a March Madness bracket for your members. Although this may not help the “bottom line,” it engages members and fosters a sense of community, and — let’s face it — it’s fun.

Or maybe you’re a membership coordinator who loves to read. Could you contribute a book review to your organization’s newsletter?

This post was also inspired by Seth Godin’s newest book, “Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?”. In the book, Godin writes that everyone who does emotional, passionate work is an artist, and that doing so will make you irreplaceable to your organization, no matter which industry you area  part of.

We all have different interests and unique talents that we can apply to our professional lives. How can you cultivate your interests and talents to stand out from the crowd and help your association prosper?

Image source