Menu

avae@ewald.com

About avae@ewald.com

Posts by Ava Ewald:

Government

Associations Next: The World of Government Relations

, , 0

In this episode, we got to sit down and discuss setting professional development goals with our Vice President of Human Resources and Staff Development, Becca Pryse.

Takeaways:

  1. Everyone has a lobbyist. From the Boy Scouts to golf courses, Phil explained that just about every area of your life has someone who represents you. It is easy to hear “lobbyist” and think of corrupt politicians, but the reality is many are out there to help everyday people and organizations.
  2. It is crucial to maintain relationships in the legislature. Allie conducts check-up meetings to make sure that everything is in order with each client.
  3. Call your representatives. Allie explained that many politicians, especially on the state level are everyday people. They are not experts on everything, so using your experiences and stories to help them understand their constituents helps them while also helping you.

Listen to the episode: The World of Government Relations

Government Building

How to Use Your Organization’s Stories in Government Relations

0

In a recent post, we covered the importance of associations to the government and vice versa. The two have an interdependent relationship—associations support areas that the government may not have the ability/resources to cover, and the government is essential for creating legislation that helps associations and their members.

So how do you go about influencing legislation and making real change? One way is by utilizing the powerful stories and testimonials your organization has.

According to the Public Advocacy Council, “Professionals in advocacy and public affairs can use stories to humanize less exciting issues to improve the success of their lobbying or advocacy campaigns and boost their organization’s reputation.”

The Public Advocacy Council suggests that video is a great way to tell a story. Some issues are quite complex to those outside your industry, so creating an engaging prerecorded video can provide you with exposition and emotion that you know will hit the mark.

Further, The London School of Economics and Political Science lays out 5 steps to create an effective narrative to influence policy:

  1. Understand that you are telling a story. It may not seem like it, but your mission has a narrative.
  2. Decide what you need to include. Some details are necessary, some are not. Use only the information you need to get your point across and make sure that you add some tangible, attention-grabbing elements.
  3. Follow a plot. A story arc can help you drive home the issue at hand and why it needs to be solved.
  4. Use your people to show how important your issue is. Show why you are the heroes of your story and why your association is needed.
  5. Show that you are morally right – that your desired policy change is needed to better the lives of those you serve.

The Association of Fundraising Professionals recommends identifying members of your association who would be willing to provide testimony for government relations purposes so you know ahead of time where you can go for a compelling story.

Building a narrative for your organization is key to successfully influencing policy.

As The Public Advisory Council put it, “It is important for organizations to see beyond routine relationship building with policymakers and focus on sharing their story and trying to shape the narrative around their issue.”

Large Government Room

A Brief Rundown on the Importance of Government Relations for Associations

0

Ewald Consulting was originally founded in 1982 by former Legislator Doug Ewald to provide government relations (GR) services to associations. Since then, we have grown to include a multitude of services such as sales, marketing, events and more. Still, government relations remain as a core part of our mission.

Why are government relations so important for associations? As an association, you aim to create a community that provides resources and support for those you serve. According to Association Forum, associations are the unified voice that can be used to impact legislation or policy.

In Lobbying: A Misunderstood Profession, Paul Miller explained, “One of the misunderstood facts about the lobbying profession is that the individuals and organizations listed in this book — all 17,000 of them — represent the interests of every American all across the country, from the small rural towns to the big cities. Yes, that’s true. If you were ever a member of the Girl Scouts. If you ever used a library. If you ever rode a snowmobile. If you ever played on a sports team…If you have done any of these or thousands of other activities in this country, you have been represented at some time by a lobbyist. In other words, anyone young or old or somewhere in the middle has a lobbyist and, in most cases is unaware of it…It’s not the stereotypical caricature, which is as familiar as the name: portly, cigar-smoking men who wine and dine lawmakers while slipping money into their pockets.”

While associations may rely on the government, the government also needs non-profits. According to Sarah Pettijohn for Urban Wire, the government may make budget cuts where they know non-profits will fill in the gaps. So while your association may need the government’s help from time to time, they need you too.

Because multiple layers of government and associations benefit from each other’s help, nurturing your association’s relationship with the government is paramount.

The American Society of Association Executives offers several resources to help nonprofit organizations know when to speak out and how to engage policymakers during the pandemic.

Having a great government relations program is just part of what it means to be a people-serving association.

Goals

Associations Next: Setting Professional Development Goals

, , 0

In this episode, we got to sit down and discuss setting professional development goals with our Vice President of Human Resources and Staff Development, Becca Pryse.

Takeaways:

  1. Setting professional development goals with your staff shows your dedication to your employees’ long-term career goals by helping them engage in what they are curious about. By helping your employees become the best version of themselves, you are also helping your clients receive the best service.
  2. Measuring the progress of professional development goals is crucial. Becca explains that she does all she can to make sure goals are reached through positive reinforcement.
  3. Motivate. Motivate. Becca explained that sometimes she will help employees set higher goals because she knows they can accomplish more than they think. Be your teammates’ biggest cheerleader.

Listen to the episode: Setting Professional Development Goals

Global communication network

Creating a Game Plan for Virtual Sponsorship Offerings

, , 0

Virtual sponsorship opportunities give your supporting companies the ability to connect with your members and attendees in a completely different way than in person. They can gather more precise data points, improve their follow-up activities, and have prominent logo recognition throughout the event.

The key to successfully monetizing your virtual sponsorships is to avoid heavy discounts for your sponsorships and to increase the benefits. Applying a drastic discount to your virtual sponsorships will give the impression that the overall event is inferior to a normal, in-person event. We recommend keeping your sponsorship prices the same for your virtual event while adding additional value and benefits. After all, your sponsors are crucial to the financial success of your association. Giving them a few extra benefits will go a long way in your sponsorship retention efforts.

Those extra benefits may include playing a video in advance of a sponsored session, introducing a presenter, or rebooting the idea of an exhibit booth. Learn more about these ideas now: Download our new Guide to Record-setting Sponsorship & Advertising Sales Success.

Professional Development

Professional Development Goals for Managers

0

In recent posts, we explored the ins and outs of professional development. We discussed how you can support employees’ career goals, examples of professional development goals, and professional development platforms. But how can you become the best version of yourself as a manager?

In this post, we will go over some examples of professional development goals for leaders. While these examples focus on employees, they also translate well to leaders who are working with volunteers.

Vital learning explains that managers should have six key goals:

  • Enhance communication: great communication skills can turn a manager into a coach and a mentor. Learn how to give productive criticism and lift up your employees.
  • Develop coaching skills: as Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone said, we all do better when we all do better. No one comes into an organization knowing all of its ins and outs. Your job as a manager is to make your team better and more united.
  • Work on motivating: positive reinforcement builds trust between you and your employees and it makes criticism more digestible when they know you appreciate them.
  • Be more productive: “Leading from behind” is a crucial practice that shows you are with them. Set a good example by being efficient and demonstrating care in your work, and when your employees need help, lend a hand.
  • Be more flexible: As a manager, your focus should be on supporting your employees. It is important that you are adapting to their needs and the organization’s needs in order to have a productive, unified team.
  • Improve retention: By leading from behind and working to motivate employees, you will improve your retention rate. Continuously work to be a boss your employees want to work for.

Think through which of these goals may help you become a better manager and put them into action. In a previous post, we discussed how to set a professional development goal. The Education Service Center of Lake Erie West laid out a framework (PDF) to properly set what they call IPDP (Individual Professional Development Plan). This includes:

  1. An area of focus. What do you want to accomplish?
  2. An action. What action will you take to get there?
  3. Why? Why do you want to achieve this goal?

In your case, a goal like this may look something like this:

I want to learn how to give more positive reinforcement so that I can build trust between my employees and me.

According to Indeed, setting goals for yourself shows your team the importance of developing their own goals. Professional development goals also help define the values of your organization. If you take the time to set some professional development goals, you will become an even better manager than you were before.

Hands on Computer

The Best Virtual Professional Development Platforms

, 0

You have likely settled into a new “normal.” Whether that be working from home or getting used to meeting clients on Zoom rather than in person, it seems that these changes are around for the long haul.

With increased time online, many have taken advantage of the boundless resources available online. Employees have been able to use their time to learn more about their professions and industries.

With so many options available online, it can seem daunting to narrow down these platforms. Read on for a rundown of some of the most popular online professional development platforms:

LinkedIn Learning
Powered by the professional social platform, LinkedIn Learning offers a wide variety of short and long courses such as tutorials on Excel and filmmaking.

This platform is a great resource for employees. For example, if an employee needs to edit a video but does not have experience in editing, LinkedIn Learning offers a 3-hour course on how to use iMovie.

Individuals can subscribe to LinkedIn Learning for $30 a month or $300 a year. There are also plans for teams and companies available at an undisclosed price.

Coursera
Coursera offers longer courses where you can earn certificates in things like applied project management, according to a blog post on Zapier. These courses are offered by various universities or organizations, meaning you can earn certificates from Yale or many other highly respected organizations.

While many courses are offered for a fee, quite a few can be audited for free.

edX
Zapier explains that edX can fly under the radar because it lacks the technological flash that many of its competitors have. However, it makes up in content as many of the instructors are revered professors from Harvard or higher-ups at major companies like Microsoft.

Alison
Alison also utilizes the knowledge of experts to teach its users. The company believes in the open use of information, meaning most of its courses are completely free with a small price tag to get a certificate if you choose to obtain one.

Udacity
Udacity partners with companies like Google to provide new and relevant topics. Some of the courses are free, but many need to be purchased.

The “nanodegree” program provides users very specific coursework. Udacity then can connect graduates with industry partners who tend to hire these graduates.

These are just a few of many learning platforms available online. If you are interested in learning more, Adam Enfroy’s blog has a comprehensive list of these platforms and what they do.

To learn more, check out our podcast, Associations Next on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Inclusion

Associations Next: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Associations

, , 0

In this episode, we talk with two of Ewald Consulting’s account executives, Arzu Alimohd and Margaux Meyer about what diversity looks like in associations.

Takeaways:

  1. Associations serve people, so it is especially important that they dive into diversity practices. Take time to think about who you serve and how you could potentially be underserving some members.
  2. Take small steps. Diversity, equity and inclusion are so important, but it can be overwhelming to start making change. Start by thinking about things such as your bylaws that could be unintentionally harming certain groups of people.
  3. Be open. Take the time to listen to members about what you could be doing to be an even better organization.

Listen to the episode: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Associations

Goals

Setting Professional Development Goals: How to help you and your staff become the best version of yourselves

0

Takeaways:

  1. Setting professional development goals with your staff shows your dedication to your employees’ long-term career goals by helping them engage in what they are curious about. By helping your employees become the best version of themselves, you are also helping your clients receive the best service. 
  2. Measuring the progress of professional development goals is crucial. Becca explains that she does all she can to make sure goals are reached through positive reinforcement. 
  3. Motivate. Motivate. Motivate. Becca explained that sometimes she will help employees set higher goals because she knows they can accomplish more than they think. Be your teammates’ biggest cheerleader. 

Examples of Professional Development Goals

, 0

Many organizations have drastically altered the way they do things. Where and how we work has been altered to accommodate a way of life that is completely different from what most of us know. With the rush of changes that came with a global pandemic, many employees need to learn new skills to adapt.

Professional development has long been a staple of employee engagement. By providing employees with the tools to learn, you are investing in their future at the organization and in them as individuals.

As of 2018, Forbes explains that 71% of employees feel they need skills training to successfully operate in their role. Whether you are an employee or a leader who helps your team set goals, it’s vital to your personal and organizational success that your training goals are achievable.

In a previous post, we discussed how you might set a professional development goal. The Education Service Center of Lake Erie West laid out a framework to properly set what they call IPDP (Individual Professional Development Plan). This includes:

  1. An area of focus. What do you want to accomplish?
  2. An action. What action will you take to get there?
  3. Why? Why do you want to achieve this goal?

So what might these goals look like? Here are some examples to improve your understanding of a productive professional development goal. The focus is in bold, the action is italicized and the why statement is underlined. Examples drawn and altered from Indeed and Impraise.

  1. I want to learn more about what other departments do to further my knowledge of the organization.
  2. I want to complete a professional certificate to improve my credibility with clients.
  3. I would like to be more comfortable asking for feedback so I can improve my job performance on a more consistent basis.
  4. I want to apply for a promotion to demonstrate my value and commitment to the organization.
  5. I would like to improve my networking skills so I can experience new opportunities.
  6. I want to complete a leadership training this quarter so I can better my chances of receiving a promotion.
  7. I would like to improve how I manage remote teams so that I can be a better leader.
  8. I want to learn how to give feedback in a positive, productive tone so I can help my employees while motivating them.

By following this format, you are ensuring that your professional development goals are clear and action-oriented.

Ewald in Practice is focusing on professional development this quarter. Check out the other blog posts on PD via the links below.

Load More

Let's Get Started!
Loading...