About Jonathan N. Strauss

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So far Jonathan N. Strauss has created 42 blog entries.

Adapting Board Leadership to Challenges of the Pandemic

By |2021-04-23T14:16:42-05:00April 22nd, 2021|

The last 14-months have felt more like a daily one-hundred-meter dash rather than a marathon. While I am no runner, I prefer the steady pace of a marathon. But, like most association leaders, I can handle the occasional sprint. During the pandemic, we have missed the personal connections and [...]

Hosting Association Events Amidst a Global Pandemic: Adapting to New Health and Safety Standards

By |2020-10-28T08:26:14-05:00August 27th, 2020|

2020 has seen association events cancelled left, right, and centre due to physical distancing protocols. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, social gatherings now restricted to small groups. Hotels, convention centres, and other venues are enacting new health and safety guidelines. In August, I hosted an online brainstorming session with [...]

Keep Engaging Association Members During this Pandemic

By |2020-10-28T14:48:18-05:00April 30th, 2020|

What have I learned during March and April amidst the global economic pause and stay at home orders? I’ve learned that despite legislated closures, jobs lost, and event cancellations, association members are engaging with their associations more than ever! They want to be engaged and connected; they want to [...]

The Best-Intentioned Association Boards Can Get Sidetracked

By |2024-12-19T11:25:13-06:00February 20th, 2020|

A lot of thought and energy goes into preparing the agenda for an association’s board of directors meeting. However, without proper planning and structure, a strong board can easily lose track of priorities throughout the meeting. Planning an agenda and ensuring that board members arrive prepared is equally about [...]

Managing Tough Board Conversations

By |2020-11-16T14:21:44-06:00December 5th, 2019|

Whether you are the Chair of an association board of directors, or the chief staff officer (Executive Director), facilitating tough conversations at the board level isn’t always easy. The best way to handle tough conversations is through open and transparent dialogue and, whenever possible, by arranging face to face [...]

The Message of Change – Content is as Important as Dissemination

By |2024-12-19T11:21:52-06:00June 20th, 2019|

It is critical that associations communicate openly to their members with information about events, staff and policy changes, publications, website updates and more. It is especially important to communicate with members regarding changes within the association. Even small modifications, like a minor change in schedule or location for a [...]

Managing Remote Association Teams

By |2020-10-21T15:16:58-05:00April 25th, 2019|

National and international associations by their nature are accustomed to managing projects with a remote workforce, whether that is volunteers or staff. As our team of association professionals has grown, it has meant that all our staff are no longer working from our association management company’s office, rather we [...]

Adding Value to Association Membership: Creating Two-Way Communication Opportunities

By |2020-10-15T08:16:08-05:00February 28th, 2019|

As stated in one of our previous articles, “Members are the lifeblood of associations. Without members, an association would cease to exist. An association’s members are its most valuable asset and bring the life, the drive, and the mission to associations.” An association should be using a variety of [...]

Association Leadership Changes Can Be Hard – Lessons Learned

By |2020-10-21T15:18:35-05:00January 24th, 2019|

I spent a large part of the last year leading a national trade association through a major management change. The year saw the departure of the long-time CEO, the appointment of an interim CEO, and finally the transition from a stand-alone association to one managed by an association management [...]

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