Associations Thrive

How do we create community in a post-pandemic world? How do you reinvent your company and what does it mean to create a startup culture again?

In this episode of Associations Thrive, host Joanna Pineda interviews Sandra Nam, Co-Founder and CEO of Qiqo Chat. Sandra discusses:

• How Qiqo stands for Quality In, Quality Out.
• How Sandra was studying to become a landscape architect when she and a friend came up with the idea to develop a community platform to help her find fellow students and study effectively together.
• How Qiqo was an early Zoom API integrator, stringing Zoom meetings together to create breakout rooms.
• During the pandemic, she and Lucas Cioffi decided to focus on Qiqo full-time to help associations and nonprofits create a variety of different online meeting formats.
• How she calls the entrepreneurial journey “crazy fun.”
• The company’s pivot away from virtual meetings to an online marketplace, or a Buyer’s Guide on steroids, to help association members connect and find partners.
• One lasting effect of the pandemic is that today, we are able to meet and connect in a meaningful way online because that’s now an acceptable way to connect.
• Qiqo’s goal to help their clients be THE network, be THE community for their members.

References:

• Qiqo
• Association Marketplace

Crucial DEI data has been missing in the association world. Learn about the first comprehensive survey tracking diversity and career advancement in the association sector.

In this episode of Associations Thrive, host Joanna Pineda interviews three guests. Jose Segarra, Board Member of Association Latinos, Don Dea, Founder and Chair of the ASAE AANHPI Association Community, and Rick Burt, Board President of Black Association Executives. They discuss:

• The purpose and goals of the Association Workforce Trends survey.
• How everyone in the association space, from CEOs to entry-level employees, across all demographics, should participate in the survey
• The demographics and professional development questions included in the survey.
• The relevance of collecting data on work settings and salary comparisons across regions.
• How the survey aims to fill a gap in data on DEI initiatives within the association community.
• How diversity, equity, and inclusion within the association community drives meaningful change and supports professional growth for all groups.

References:

• Take the survey!
• Association Latinos Website
• Association Latinos LinkedIn Page
• ASAE AANHPI LinkedIn Page
• Black Association Executives Website

How do you distill your organization’s signature member benefits to create focus in your association? How do you make membership a business imperative?

In this episode of Associations Thrive, host Joanna Pineda interviews Jennifer Abril, President & CEO of the Society of Chemical Manufacturers & Affiliates (SOCMA). Jennifer discusses:

• How her members are contract chemical manufacturers or divisions within larger companies that create small batch specialty chemicals for a huge spread of industries across the country.
• How SOCMA focuses on three things:
• B2B Networking
• Advocacy
• Safety
• SOCMA has different ways to connect members, including:
• On online directory that lets companies find contract manufacturers based on the most specific of capabilities.
• Lead sheets that allow companies to specify their needs, with help from a SOCMA members; these lead sheets are circulated to all members. To date, nearly 300 lead sheets have gone out to members, and an estimated 55% have resulted in business for members.
• A tradeshow that connects companies with members.
• SOCMA had sold its tradeshow many years ago and when they did, they realized that the industry lost a critical way to network, share and find partners. Many years later, SOCMA bought a tradeshow and is on the way back to a thriving show.
• How SOCMA advocates to regulators around the special circumstances of contract manufacturers, who manufacture different chemical on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.
• How SOCMA provides members with a suite of safety trainings and guidance documents.
• SOCMA membership is growing and the organization is thriving.
• The new SOCMA strategic plan calls for SOCMA membership to become a “business imperative” - we love this bold thinking and messaging!

References:

• SOCMA
• SOCMA Show

Can agriculture be climate-friendly? How do we encourage climate-friendly and biologically-centric agriculture, while at the same time, helping farmers be more profitable?

In this episode of Associations Thrive, host Joanna Pineda interviews Patrick Smith, Founder and Executive Director at Soil Upside. Patrick discusses:

• Climate Smart Agriculture is a movement to move away from just chemically-focused agriculture into biologically-centric agriculture.
• How the transition to climate-smart or regenerative agriculture is a difficult one, but once the transition is made, farming is more profitable.
• How Soil Upside is building a database of funding opportunities to help farmers make this transition.
• His entrepreneurial journey, including how he is uniquely qualified to run a tech company that is focused on climate and regenerative agriculture.
• How Soil Upside is a fiscally sponsored project and that’s how Patrick has been fundraising for the organization.
• How he is running Soil Upside to be a temporary organization. Once he builds the database, he will donate the company to a non-profit that can give the project the attention and care that it needs indefinitely.
• How Soil Upside could only be possible today because of AI and APIs.

References:

• Soil Upside

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/zoo/clarity

License code: RQWZMZXYSBVT16ZW

What was it like to be an infection preventionist at a hospital during the pandemic? How do you support your members during a world-changing event like a global pandemic?

In this episode of Associations Thrive, host Joanna Pineda interviews Devin Jopp, CEO at the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).

Devin discusses:

• The founding of APIC and how their members’ job is to prevent the spread of infection in all health care centers.
• The training and certifications that infection preventionists (IPs) get.
• Devin’s journey, moving from IT to CIO, and then to CEO of several health care associations.
• When Devin was at ACHA, he gathered emeritus members who helped write the guidelines for college reopening during the pandemic.
• How Devin’s doctorate taught him that when things don’t work in an organization, it’s often not because of technology, but the structures, policies, and processes.
• How as CEO of APIC, he has seen the overhaul of all the technology systems at APIC.
• How APIC is launching new products called Policy Pro and APIC Text Online. Both products help members do their jobs better.
• How APIC is exploring how generative AI will make their products better in the future, especially since APIC literally has thousands of resources on its website. 
• How APIC has APIC Consulting, which is a network of IPs who go into healthcare settings to help organizations develop their plans, write the procedures, train people, or bring in consultants who work as IPs.
• How it was hell being an IP during the pandemic, and even today we don’t talk enough about the health and safety of healthcare staff.
• APIC is launching a new ethics framework and a new advanced certification program.

References:

• APIC
• PolicyPRO Info
• Apic Text Online
• Apic Consulting Services

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/paul-yudin/quiet-flight

License code: KJRRI6GHC7WKCLDT

The AANHPI tent covers Asian immigrants from more than 70 nations. Despite the wide spread of cultures, Asians are severely underrepresented within the Association community.

In this episode of Associations Thrive, host Joanna Pineda welcomes back a returning guest in Wendy-Jo Toyama, CEO, of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Care (AAHPM). 

Wendy-Jo discusses:

• The four focus areas of AAHPM.
• How they have increased both voice and vote for interdisciplinary team members.
• How AI is changing healthcare, and how it is going to add some risks and take away other risks.
• How hospice is changing to shift towards at-home care.
• How associations are going to be operating in an increasingly competitive environment because there are so many places where people can belong.
• How associations must offer comprehensive value to members structured around education, access, and community.
• The risks to associations that don’t take advantage of AI models that help to catch mistakes and improve data analysis.
• How and why she came to work for an association management company.
• While looking for her first CEO job she led with her values and selected a firm with a culture aligned with her values.
• How AMC is doing a lot of things right regarding diversity, including having a DEI week every year and a DEI advisory group, as well as housing a number of ERGs (employee resource groups).
• How May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AANHPI).
• How AANHPI is an incredibly diverse community, encompassing people from various ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds. She explains the issues that are overlooked due to the sheer size of the community
• How Asian Americans have some of the highest income communities across the nation as well as communities among the lowest.
• How Wendy is a chair of ASAEs AANHPI Advisory Group, which aims to create a community for execs in the association space, alongside attracting more Asian Americans to the field.
• How Wendy urges listeners to visit the ASAE AANHPI LinkedIn page and collaborate community.
• How we need to use our voices to raise people up, spread awareness, and move the community forward.

References:

• AAHPM
• AMC
• Wendy-Jo’s Previous Episode
• AANHPI Association Community LinkedIn Page
• AANHPI Collaborate Community

During this AANHPI Heritage Month, we need to ask ourselves: What can we do to end systemic sexism, racism, and any other ism that divides us and robs groups of opportunities?

In this episode of Associations Thrive, host Joanna Pineda interviews Sue Ann Hong-Whitaker, President & CEO at the Center for Asian Pacific American Women (CAPAW).

Sue Ann discusses:

• How she flew to the U.S. on her own as a child, which taught her how to be independent, resilient, and adaptable.
• How CAPAW’s founder, Martha Lee, wanted to address the persistent sexism and racism that plagues Asian women professionals.
• How AANHPI women are more likely to keep quiet, keep their heads down, and do a good job, but not ask for what they want; THIS holds them back.
• How Sue Ann had a successful career working for a Fortune 50 company, but because of a reorganization and threats to her health from the lifestyle, she decided to make a change, and that’s when she became CEO of CAPAW.
• The mental shift of going from a large Fortune 50 company to a small non-profit with a tiny staff.
• How her number one job at CAPAW is to build relationships.
• How she became activated when the Atlanta Spa shootings occurred.
• CAPAW’s signature programs: The sHERO program and the APAWLI program. The sHERO program is for all women of color, with 5 or fewer years of experience in the professional workforce. The APAWLI program focuses on leadership and targets mid-career professionals who are looking to move up or explore their careers in a new and different way.
• To end racism, sexism, ageism, and all other -isms, organizations must partner to focus on solving these issues. CAPAW is focused on these partnerships.

References:

• CAPAW
• sHERO Program
• APAWLI Program

What will YOUR profession look like in the future? How are social, economic and technological trends shaping your future and how is your organization adapting to these forces?

Joanna welcomes the return of Vince Talucci, CEO of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). In episode 13 of Associations Thrive, Vince talked about his journey to become the CEO, and the changes that IACP has made to grow and thrive, by focusing on younger members, going global, IACP research, education, professional development, and law enforcement support. 

In this episode of Associations Thrive, Vince discusses:

• How the IACP now has 34,000 members, double the number of members in 2016. 
• How membership growth is being fueled by IACPs advocacy work, annual conferences, publications, and education.
• IACP just concluded a 10-city listening tour to find out what's on the minds of their members. They asked their members two questions: What is the most pressing issue confronting your agency, and what is the most important issue facing the profession?
• IACP members reported that the top-of-mind issues are recruitment and retention, officer safety and wellness, violence against police officers, legalization of marijuana, and highway safety.
• How IACP has a timeless strategic plan, but is always thinking about the future and where the profession is going. Technology and AI are issues they are tracking.
• How community policing and having police agencies that look like their communities are evergreen issues.
• When talking about AI and technology, civil rights, privacy, data storage, and ethical usage must be at the forefront of every conversation.
• IACP is exploring what AI is to the policing profession: what it is, the pros, the pitfalls, and interpreting these findings in a meaningful way for members.
• How staffing at police agencies in the future will include professionals who are complementing the police officers out on the street.
• How IACP is focused on leadership in policing organizations through the concept that everyone in a police organization is a leader.
• How IACP was already able to make quick decisions before the pandemic and continues to do so post-pandemic.
• Vince’s proudest moment during the pandemic was how his staff handled COVID.

References:

• IACP
• IACP Conference
• Police Chief Magazine

This is a special episode of Associations Thrive. Director of Marketing, Leah Monica interviews Joanna Pineda, CEO and Chief Troublemaker of Matrix Group International, Inc. on the occasion of Matrix Group turning 25 this month. Joanna discusses:

• When and why she started Matrix Group.
• How Matrix Group’s mission has not changed. We help associations and non-profits increase membership, increase revenue, increase engagement, and thrive in the digital space.
• How there is a real fit between the mission of associations and the capabilities of the web.
• How during the early days, Matrix group had MMM (Making Matrix Marvelous) nights, during which the staff would devote themselves to developing the internal systems that the organization needed to thrive, including the website, intranet, and extranet.
• The fortune taped to her desk that says: Nothing stays sold. We need to make sure that we demonstrate to clients that are still the best choice for them because of our services, tech, innovation, people, and culture, even if they picked us 10, 15, or 25 years ago.
• How to scale your services so that you offer your clients appropriate products and services during lean times and times when they can afford to make investments.
• How leadership development is one of the most important investments a CEO can make in her organization.
• Why she’s called the “Chief Troublemaker.”
• The story behind why Joanna doesn’t like to take no for an answer.
• The company fundamentals that are so important to the Matrix Group culture. Her favorites are “Do or do not. There is no try.” and “Don’t let your boss make a mistake.”
• How AI is changing how we do the work, as well as influencing new product development at the company.
• The advice that she would give to herself or any young entrepreneur just starting out.

References:

• Matrix Group website
• One of Joanna’s many blog posts on company fundamentals
• 9th Anniversary blog post
• 10th Anniversary blog post

How does your organization get started with AI? How does an organization develop deep AI expertise in AI, which arguably is the most transformative technology we will see in our lifetimes?

In this episode of Associations Thrive, host Joanna Pineda interviews Amith Nagarajan, Chairman of Blue Cypress. Amith discusses:

• His ecosystem of companies that is focused on helping associations transform digitally through positive disruption.
• How he stumbled across associations 30 years ago and never looked back.
• How the people in the association market care deeply about their mission and members.
• How there are two types of innovation: customer-led innovation and inspiration that comes from other sources, including outside the industry.
• How, as a leader, he allocates a couple of days a week to experimentation.
• When to kill ideas that don’t make sense, even if those products are in flight.
• What leaders need to do is create more free time for themselves to think.
• How most of his time is spent being a cheerleader for AI to associations. In his opinion, AI is the most transformative technology that any of us will experience in our lifetimes.
• When it comes to AI, doing something is better than nothing. Start by allocating 15 minutes a week. By the end of the year, you will have developed deep AI expertise, especially when you dedicate time company-wide.
• How AI is here, and whether we ride the wave or are crushed by it, it will continue to accelerate and evolve for decades to come.
• Blue Cypress has several events coming up about associations and AI (see links in the show notes).

References:

• Blue Cypress
• Sidecar Global
• Blue Cypress Events