ROI TO R.O.M.E. (Return on Member Engagement) At the majority of associations, member engagement takes a back seat to fighting fires and meeting budget expectations. Over time, member dissatisfaction, poor retention, or weak membership growth can prompt boards to ask the tough questions. Proactive In several instances executives are demonstrating the direct linkages between their…
Author: Dan Varroney
3 decades of experience working with multiple Industries and understanding different Association challenges by helping build strategies that add long term value.
Comprehensive understanding of Associations, as Senior Vice President for the National Association of Manufacturers’ National Membership & Grass Roots operation, as President of the American Solutions Advocacy organization, & as President and CEO of the Association for Corporate Growth.
Considerable background on impact of legislative and regulatory policy on Industries, has provided analysis on economic performance and M&A trends in outlets that include CNBC, CNBC Europe, Fox News, Fox Business, Dow Jones Marketwatch, Bloomberg, and the BBC.
Strategic perspectives are frequently sought out by CEO Update, a leading source for Association news and information. Authored over 145 blog articles on Strategic Planning & Member Engagement.
Facilitates knowledge sharing among forty -five Association CEO’s at the Growth Strategies & Member Engagement Forum.
Served as a member of the Prince William County, Virginia Strategic Business Planning Team.
District Three Councilman in the Village of Palatine, Cook County, Illinois, twenty one years.
B.A. in American History from the Catholic University of America, Washington D.C. and earned a Certificate from the Yale School of Management, New Haven, Connecticut in Leadership and Team Effectiveness.
Member of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE).
Selling or Engagement?
Selling or Engagement? Engagement drives the association’s business model, while enhancing the association’s influence, prestige, and competitive positioning. Discussions like these can completely change the conversations away from: “what do I get for my dues?” Associations looking to grow revenues and membership and improve engaging instead of selling could better position their organizations for longer…
Aligning Infrastructure
Associations are the ideal organizational model to leverage a culture of “we”. But this requires a shift from today’s association structures and processes that are primarily built to push out offerings. Today, staff are reinforced for their efficiency, not for working innovatively with members to create better solutions. Strategic Member Engagement requires aligning infrastructure at organizations…
Game Changing Accelerator
Game Changing Accelerator. How do you build a connected community that positions both your organization and your constituencies for long term success? Having a strategic board to help Associations connect and maintain the member outcome focus can be a game changing accelerator. Strategic Boards Thom Dammrich, President & CEO of Chicago, Illinois based NMMA (National…
Competitive Positioning and Engagement
Competitive Positioning and Engagement. As domestic and international for profit competitors attempt to eat into services and product offerings once only delivered by Associations, Competitive Positioning (http://bit.ly/1g8g1J2) is a must. However, a key first step forward is knowing and understanding member “up at night” issues. Up at Night Issues Whether obtained in surveys, focus groups, interviews,…
Knowledge Sharing And Engagement
Knowledge Sharing And Engagement. In a knowledge economy, it’s all about having just in time sources that help members drive their business and professional outcomes (http://bit.ly/1g8g1J2). With more information and knowledge sharing sources, corporate and individual members can vote with their feet and connect somewhere else. New Norm With today’s new norm, how do Association’s differentiate…
Strategic Association Boards?
Strategic Association Boards? New CEO’s who want their association boards to have a more strategic posture are more likely to be successful if they’ve first demonstrate their business and operations expertise. Having balanced budgets, a focused staff team, and satisfied members help newly minted CEO’s earn the trust they need. Once this is accomplished, they…
Engagement Drives Results
Engagement Drives Results. The degree to which leadership understand and strategize about member issues and engage members in creating new solutions has far greater correlation to the following 3-year operating results: Member Retention, Annual Operating Revenue, Registrations to the Primary Annual Meeting, Annual Revenue from Fee-for-Service Offerings, and Timely Membership Renewals. Research provided through the…
Is Association Member Engagement About Selling Stuff?
Is Association Member Engagement About Selling Stuff? Imagine the discussion that took place when an association’s founders first convened. Did they say: “Let’s go hire some staff and ask them to sell us stuff.” Likely not at all. Why? Intuitively, founders understood that people seek out others who have a common interest, and become most…
Will Engagement Change the Association Conversation?
Moving away from selling and testing satisfaction with Association “outputs” to engaging members in knowledge sharing and collaboration is crucial. The process begins with a highly engaged and strategically focused Board. Association CEO Moves the Needle Understanding the complexities and realities facing Associations Christopher E. Laxton, CAE, Executive Director, AMDA, www.amda.com,The Society for Post-Acute and…