Strauss Articles
Knowledge, Insight, and Experience
Every Thursday, our experts provide insights into industry trends and issues that readers can leverage to improve their associations and signature events.
Creating To Do Lists that Keep Your Association Work on Track
To-do lists are a helpful tool for managing your association workload. Sometimes, however, instead of reducing your stress, they add to [...]
Making the Most of an In-Person Association Board Meeting
When was the last time you got together with colleagues for an in-person association meeting or event? For me, it was [...]
Teach Your Association Board How to FISH! The Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion Argument
I don’t fish as I have never had the patience to sit that long but I recently took part in an [...]
Growing Your Association’s Membership Post-Pandemic
In the association management profession in Canada, we are now learning to adapt to the new normal and bring back business [...]
Taking Your Virtual Events from Good to Great
Our virtual events were good, but we wanted more for our attendees, our exhibitors, our sponsors, and our association partners. We [...]
Our First Post-COVID Trade Show
Flashback to February 2020, for one of our clients’ TRAVELING trade show tour. Our team is moving from Vancouver, to Calgary, [...]
The Gift of Volunteering
In addition to a hard-working staff, associations are most often run by a board and committees made up of volunteers. These [...]
Association Meeting Minutes: The Dos and Don’ts
One thing all associations have in common is the recording of meeting minutes. Minutes are an official record of actions that [...]
Planning Your Membership Renewal Campaign: Convey the Benefits of Renewal
The fall is a busy time for everyone. Summer vacation is ending and students go back to school. Suddenly, your inbox, [...]
Organization and Time Management: Four Steps to Success
For an association leader, the daily responsibilities tend to fall under a wide jurisdiction. Committee reports and board meetings require preparation [...]
Lessons From 20 Years of Association Leadership
Milestone anniversaries are a time to reflect on the past and to think about the future. I’ve recently reached the milestone [...]
No Two Boards are Exactly the Same
If you are an athlete, a sports fan, or played in a rec league as a child, you know that each [...]
Rewarding Your Association Members with Awards
There are many exciting ways to engage the members of your association, whether it’s by involving them as volunteers or engaging [...]
Growth and Mentorship: The Path to Finding Your Place
As a young professional working in today’s economic climate, I have experienced the struggle to find my way on the career [...]
Business Cards in the Post-Covid World
Through the pandemic, our world has changed quite a bit. Associations are holding virtual events, and staff and volunteers are working [...]
Migration Complete – Moving Your Membership Database to a New Platform
Have you ever taken a step back to consider whether your association membership database is performing at its peak for members? [...]
Building Trust Virtually at the Board Level
Associations operate on trust between the CEO, Chair, and board members. In our new virtual world, we are losing that in-person [...]
Are You Really Listening? The Importance of Active Listening for an Association Leader
Between your “day job”, and your volunteer commitments to your association’s board and/or committees, you are pulled in many different directions [...]
Ready, Willing, and Able – The Return of Association Events
I am one of the optimists; I believe that Canadians will see the safe return of association events in the fall [...]
Ensuring a Smooth Transition of Association Staff
In the association world, executive directors/Chief Staff Officers come and go. Sometimes it does not make sense to continue a relationship [...]