I consider it an honor to be a presenter at the upcoming, the PRSA 2010 Association/Nonprofit Seminar on March 25 in Washington, D.C. PRSA has a reputation for making their events relevant, engaging and enlightening experiences.
I am sure many in the industry realize that staying current is essential to an association’s well-being. The world has changed and so have expectations for associations. While larger organizations are investing time and money to come up with the best ways to evolve, many small associations or components of larger ones, are left without the resources needed to overcome their challenges.
At the PRSA seminar, I look forward to sharing my interaction and experience with many association components and will present on some of the challenges I’m hearing about such as:
- Limited or inefficient online tools to facilitate collaboration and relevance.
- Difficulty connecting to and leveraging social media outlets to create awareness and drive participation.
- Understanding best-practice efforts from other organizations.
- Having disconnected or fragmented communications, brands or data.
- Not having the staff or financial resources to respond to change.
So what is the resolution to these challenges?
While there may not be a universal answer, I am confident of one thing: remaining idle and stagnant is a sure path to failure.
Nonprofits, associations and their chapters must start connecting with other compatible organizations if they care about being prosperous in the coming years, namely sharing best practices, resources, programs, benefits, products, fundraising strategies, events and more.
Sharing is a fundamental mindset that associations need to preserve and maintain as they tread into unchartered waters. To safeguard your organization’s future, I recommend asking yourself:
- How can your organization benefit by sharing with other associations?
- What would you share?
- Strategically, how would that relationship work between organizations?
- What tools would you need to execute this strategy?
I look forward to meeting you at the PRSA seminar, where we will discuss these questions and share information to the benefit of all associations, nonprofits and their respective memberships.
Sterling Raphael, president and CEO, NFi Studios, has twelve years of professional experience conceptualizing and directing the development of innovative Internet applications. With an intense background in creating powerful rich media applications for Disney Entertainment, the Orlando Magic, Universal Studios and many more, Sterling approaches all Web software development with an interactive, user-centric and creative mentality. Sterling’s knowledge of Web design and development allowed him to combine the two skill sets to construct highly creative Web applications. Adding a third facet of business marketing to his education, Sterling received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Marketing at the University of Central Florida. Sterling continues to lead a team comprised of exceptional designers, developers and marketing at NFi Studios. The company continues to grow as a leader in the association and meetings industry. Connect with Sterling on LinkedIn and on Twitter @sterlingraphael.
Join Sterling for his session “Unified Across All Fronts: Successful Communication For Local and National Objectives” at the PRSA 2010 Association/Nonprofit Seminar on March 25 in Washington, D.C.
