Planet Leadership

Adam Reider is the Manager of Technical Training and Support at the American Optometric Association, where he oversees training programs and end-user support. Adam works with business units to ensure all users have sufficient knowledge of applications through training workshops, documentation, and online help tools. His focus is on ensuring customer satisfaction and timely issue resolution. Adam also mentors support specialists to resolve issues and assists development staff in creating new features and implementing new modules.

• Adam discusses his role at the American Optometric Association (AOA), and he discusses the work the AOA does as a professional membership association
• How the AOA represents more than 44,000 constituents including doctors of optometry, optometric professionals and students across the United States
• What major changes the AOA has made to assist members due to the global coronavirus pandemic and the challenges members are facing
• What key long term plans and programs the AOA is working to implement to assist members, affiliates and even non-members to survive the challenge of the pandemic
• How AOA made the difficult decision to cancel their annual in-person conference, and how they are working to digitize their content
• How the AOA has worked to swiftly adapt to the new reality of work-from-home and social distancing

• Website: www.aoa.org
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/adam-reider-7109baa6

Teresa Zimmerman serves as the Vice President of Marketing at Personify. She leads Personify's global marketing organization and is responsible for driving market leadership, global awareness, demand generation, strategic events and product go-to-market plans. Teresa has a rich history of success driving excellence at enterprise SaaS companies, having spent time at Bazaarvoice, Lithium and Fuze where she oversaw North American marketing programs, including field and solutions marketing, demand creation, advertising and events. Beyond the office, Teresa serves on the board of directors for BookSpring, a nonprofit supporting childhood literacy and resides with her family in Austin, Texas.

A recognized leader in marketing, brand and content, Erin Geoffroy has spent over 10 years helping organizations tell meaningful stories and create effective engagement strategies. Her diverse background includes developing highly effective national marketing campaigns and digital tools in the software, consumer goods, healthcare and nonprofit sectors. Since obtaining her MBA in Marketing and MA in Journalism in 2016, Erin has focused on empowering nonprofits and associations to better engage their members and donors through technology and the use of data-driven insights. At Personify, Erin develops and executes marketing campaigns across Personify's verticals and suite of products and leads brand marketing initiatives.

• Why the virtual PersoniFest event shared the same goals as previous live PersoniFest conferences, and why the virtual event was a tremendous success
• How this year's virtual event had nearly five times the attendance of previous in-person events, with several hundred additional attendees registering on the day of the event
• Why the virtual event offered the chance to provide value without asking attendees to travel or spend money on lodging and meals
• Why a big part of the strength of the virtual Personifest was found in its incredible agenda packed with remarkable speakers
• Why pre-recording various parts of the event and the streaming it live in real-time was key to ensuring minimal technical issues
• Erin discusses PersoniFest 2020 keynote speaker, NASA Astronaut Mike Massimino, and how impactful his keynote address was
• What adjustments needed to be made to bring breakout session speakers to the audience through video conferencing tool Zoom
• How Erin and Teresa hosted live "round table happy hours" at the end of the day, allowing clients to interact with the Personify team and other clients
• How to sign up for updates and future details regarding PersoniFest 2020, to be held in the spring in Austin TX, Washington D.C., and Chicago IL

• Website: https://personifycorp.com/
• Teresa's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/tazimmerz/
• Erin's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/eringeoffroy/

Amy Jacobus is obsessed with helping service providers, entrepreneurs and mission-based business owners increase their impact with smart, human marketing online. Amy teaches workshops and leads programs full of simple, apply-it-now strategies for your website, email and social media, including her signature program, Confident + Consistent Marketing. She has designed courses, facilitated workshops and participated in panel discussions for the University of Denver, LEAP at St. Mary's College, Barnard College, New York Foundation for the Arts, Gibney Dance, The Artist Co-op and Pentacle, among others. Learn more about Amy and her work at amyjacobus.marketing and follow her at @amyjacobus on Instagram.

• How Amy's early interest in both dance and writing led her to her current career helping nonprofit organizations market themselves
• Amy shares some of the key lessons she has learned and favorite experiences she has had working in the nonprofit space
• Why "perfection paralysis" is a real challenge for nonprofit organizations, and why over-editing your work can be a problem
• Why engaging with your current audience is at least as important as attracting a new audience, and why it's worth overcoming the capacity challenge to nurture relationships
• Amy offers five key prompts to help you generate new content ideas that are relevant and valuable to your audience
• How Amy helps clients tell authentic and engaging stories to answer frequently asked questions about their organizations
• What steps Amy recommends to encourage your audience to view your content, and why teasing the content is the secret to getting subscribers to engage
• Why not all of your contacts needs to have a call to action, and why nurturing and delighting your existing subscribers can help spread your message
• Why starting one-on-one conversations with subscribers can help them feel connected to your organization on a deeper level
• Why it is important to celebrate your successes with your subscribers and express gratitude for their support

• Website: https://amyjacobus.marketing/
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/amynjacobus/

Teresa Zimmerman serves as the Vice President of Marketing at Personify. She leads Personify's global marketing organization and is responsible for driving market leadership, global awareness, demand generation, strategic events, and product go-to-market plans. Teresa has a rich history of success driving excellence at enterprise SaaS companies, having spent time at Bazaarvoice, Lithium, and Fuze where she oversaw North American marketing programs, including field and solutions marketing, demand creation, advertising, and events. Beyond the office, Teresa serves on the board of directors for BookSpring, nonprofit supporting childhood literacy and resides with her family in Austin, Texas.

• How, at the time of recording of this episode, the team at Personify is hard at work putting the finishing touches on their virtual Personifest 2020 event
• How Teresa and the team needed to be flexible and adapt to the challenge of shifting an in-person event to a virtual experience while maintaining attendee engagement
• What key questions Teresa and the team had to answer when making the leap from in-person to the virtual event
• What important elements the team focused on to shift to the virtual experience, and why these event elements were so important
• How the team has created a virtual sharing space where clients can communicate with each other and discuss important topics with their peers
• Why an in-person event can't be translated beat-for-beat to a virtual event, and why careful planning and consideration is vital

• Website: https://personifycorp.com/
• Teresa's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/tazimmerz/
• Personifest 2020 virtual event website: www.personifest.com

Teresa Zimmerman serves as the Vice President of Marketing at Personify. She leads Personify's global marketing organization and is responsible for driving market leadership, global awareness, demand generation, strategic events, and product go-to-market plans. Teresa has a rich history of success driving excellence at enterprise SaaS companies, having spent time at Bazaarvoice, Lithium, and Fuze where she oversaw North American marketing programs, including field and solutions marketing, demand creation, advertising, and events. Beyond the office, Teresa serves on the board of directors for BookSpring, nonprofit supporting childhood literacy and resides with her family in Austin, Texas.

A recognized leader in marketing, brand, and content, Erin Geoffroy has spent over 10 years helping organizations tell meaningful stories and create effective engagement strategies. Her diverse background includes developing highly effective national marketing campaigns and digital tools in the software, consumer goods, healthcare, and nonprofit sectors. Since obtaining her MBA in Marketing and MA in Journalism in 2016, Erin has focused on empowering nonprofits and associations to better engage their members and donors through technology and the use of data-driven insights. At Personify, Erin develops and executes marketing campaigns across Personify's verticals and a suite of products and leads brand marketing initiatives.

Kevin Gough helps deliver high-quality and relevant content to the association market as the Senior Campaigns Coordinator at Personify. He has been a multifunctional member of the marketing team during his time at Personify, beginning within the Demand Generation organization before subsequently transitioning to his current role in the Brand and Communications organization. As a member of the PersoniFest team, Kevin manages the sponsor experience and works to provide the tools and guidance sponsors need to maximize their presence at the conference. When he isn't at work, Kevin is an avid snowboarder and can usually be found re-reading his favorite books.

• Teresa explains how sponsors reached out to let the team know they were interested in participating in the Personifest virtual event due to great existing relationships
• How the team worked to build a structure for the virtual event that allows sponsors to connect with virtual attendees
• Why the team is charging a lower rate for virtual sponsor opportunities than they have in the past for the in-person event
• Kevin discusses the creative solutions that have been designed for sponsors to increase their visibility
• Why, even though a virtual event doesn't offer the same engagement opportunities as a live event, the increase in audience reach makes up for the difference
• Why communicating with sponsors throughout the virtual event setup is the key to strengthening relationships and tailoring the event to the sponsors' needs

• Website: https://personifycorp.com/
• Teresa's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/tazimmerz/
• Erin's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/eringeoffroy/
• Kevin's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kevinmgough/

Joy Duling has been working with leaders of associations, trade groups and nonprofits since 2005. She has also walked the same journey, serving for nearly 10 years as the Executive Director of a membership-based nonprofit which she helped launch from scratch and led to annual revenues of more than $1M exclusively from membership contributions.

Joy has been widely recognized as a speaker, an online educator and a trusted advisor, twice winning the "Unsung Hero Award" from the National Association of Women Business Owners' Central Illinois Chapter. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and a Master's Degree in Social Work with Specialization in Policy, Planning and Administration. She has extensive experience in strategic planning, team facilitation, change management, and association operations.

• How Joy initially got involved in nonprofits after originally planning on going into medicine, and how Joy's desire to help others was the common thread
• Why working with multiple nonprofit organizations allows Joy to create many positive ripple effects from her work
• How Joy's work with three unique and particular nonprofit organizations showcase her passion for helping others
• What advice Joy would offer to nonprofits who are struggling to progress, and why keeping a focus on the member or donor experience is vital
• Why nonprofit leaders need to adapt their strategies to make stronger connections with constituents and members
• Why the constituent experience is a common roadblock that many organizations face, and why it is important to demonstrate the value you create to the people you serve
• Why you should consider what your constituents' aspirations are, what questions they may have about your work, and what emotional state they are in
• Why a misalignment between what an organization is offering and what a community is needing can cause community disengagement
• Why you should focus on your constituents' aspirations first, and why once you understand their aspirations you can begin shaping your message and offerings
• Why you can focus on these three questions at any time and at any period of your organization's lifespan

• Website: www.missionandmagnetism.com
• Website: https://joyofmembership.com/help
• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://joyofmembership.com/
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/joyduling/

Teresa Zimmerman serves as the Vice President of Marketing at Personify. She leads Personify's global marketing organization and is responsible for driving market leadership, global awareness, demand generation, strategic events, and product go-to-market plans. Teresa has a rich history of success driving excellence at enterprise SaaS companies, having spent time at Bazaarvoice, Lithium, and Fuze where she oversaw North American marketing programs, including field and solutions marketing, demand creation, advertising, and events. Beyond the office, Teresa serves on the board of directors for BookSpring, nonprofit supporting childhood literacy and resides with her family in Austin, Texas.

A recognized leader in marketing, brand, and content, Erin Geoffroy has spent over 10 years helping organizations tell meaningful stories and create effective engagement strategies. Her diverse background includes developing highly effective national marketing campaigns and digital tools in the software, consumer goods, healthcare, and nonprofit sectors. Since obtaining her MBA in Marketing and MA in Journalism in 2016, Erin has focused on empowering nonprofits and associations to better engage their members and donors through technology and the use of data-driven insights. At Personify, Erin develops and executes marketing campaigns across Personify's verticals and a suite of products and leads brand marketing initiatives.

As Head of Product Marketing for Personify, Megan Lopez supports Personify go-to-market strategies across our constituent management and engagement solutions including positioning, messaging and buyer insights. Megan is a storyteller, working directly with our clients to understand their challenges and transform features into value-based benefits. She has led the PersoniFest program committee for the past three years, supporting the development of content, training, meet-ups and experiences for clients running our suite of solutions. Megan is a graduate of Baylor University with a degree in Marketing and Public Relations. Outside of the office, Megan enjoys spending time with her family, running and binging the latest Netflix releases.

• How Teresa has been working to understand the technology and engagement options Personify's partners have to help facilitate the virtual event
• How Teresa's team is working on a guide for best practices to educate and prepare speakers, and how they have designated speaker liaisons to help the flow of communication
• What recommendations Erin has to bring a sense of fun for your speakers and guests in a virtual environment
• How Teresa is working to ensure that content is being delivered that is both engaging and that works well in an online event
• What considerations Erin is making to maximize participant engagement with the content that will be delivered at the event
• How Megan has been working to convert three days of event content into a single day virtual event, and how she has been choosing what content to feature
• Why Megan and her team decided to build a tightly structured event, and what efforts they have made to tighten the content focus
• Why flexibility is key when designing a virtual event, and why prioritizing the attendee experience can guide all your other decisions

• Website: https://personifycorp.com/
• Teresa's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/tazimmerz/
• Erin's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/eringeoffroy/
• Megan's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/megan-lopez-299ba16a/

Teresa Zimmerman serves as the Vice President of Marketing at Personify. She leads Personify's global marketing organization and is responsible for driving market leadership, global awareness, demand generation, strategic events, and product go-to-market plans. Teresa has a rich history of success driving excellence at enterprise SaaS companies, having spent time at Bazaarvoice, Lithium, and Fuze where she oversaw North American marketing programs, including field and solutions marketing, demand creation, advertising, and events. Beyond the office, Teresa serves on the board of directors for BookSpring, nonprofit supporting childhood literacy and resides with her family in Austin, Texas.

A recognized leader in marketing, brand, and content, Erin Geoffroy has spent over 10 years helping organizations tell meaningful stories and create effective engagement strategies. Her diverse background includes developing highly effective national marketing campaigns and digital tools in the software, consumer goods, healthcare, and nonprofit sectors. Since obtaining her MBA in Marketing and MA in Journalism in 2016, Erin has focused on empowering nonprofits and associations to better engage their members and donors through technology and the use of data-driven insights. At Personify, Erin develops and executes marketing campaigns across Personify's verticals and a suite of products and leads brand marketing initiatives.

Julia Thurston's Bio:

As the head of marketing operations and demand generation for Personify, Julia Thurston is responsible for the marketing delivery functions across our digital ecosystem. Julia brings her technology leadership experience to this role having previously run operations, management and integration initiatives with our sales organization. Julia is passionate about the intersection between client experience and operational process, approaching the digital world through the lens of the physical. Julia is a graduate from Texas Christian University with a degree in Biology, a minor in Business and Chemistry and a member of the NCAA Women's Soccer Team. In her free time, Julia enjoys the outdoors and travel.

• Why communication and keeping PersoniFest stakeholders both internal and external informed has been key to moving the event to a virtual space
• How the PersoniFest virtual event will take place on Thursday, April 23, 2020, at 9:30 am EDT (8:30 am central)
• Why translating physical experiences to a virtual space has been challenging, and what innovative solutions the team has created to make the event special
• How a key early step in transferring PersoniFest into a virtual experience was to evaluate what tools and technology were available that could be leveraged
• Why establishing clear goals and technology needs for a virtual event and focusing on offering values to attendees is vital
• Why being mindful of the quality of the experience and ensuring that audio and video are sufficiently robust is very important

• Website: https://personifycorp.com/
• Teresa's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/tazimmerz/
• Erin's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/eringeoffroy/

Terry is a non-profit tech expert and SEO consultant, previously heading up the SEO department at Wild Apricot/Personify. Currently, he's following his passion and switching up careers by pursuing a degree in animation. He hosts his own podcast about all things Animation and is using his business expertise to pursue solo endeavors.

• How Terry initially got involved in working in the nonprofit world, and how he began at Wild Apricot and learned SEO (search engine optimization)
• Why SEO is an important visibility tool that nonprofit organizations should be using to promote their organizations
• Why SEO is a great, free option that can help you generate traffic and attract followers to your content
• Why optimizing your home page and filling out Google My Business are two powerful ways nonprofits of any size can increase their visibility
• Why it is important to know what keywords users are searching for to find your organization, and how Google Analytics can help you determine what keywords to use
• How Google indexes and ranks every page on the internet, and what steps you can take to help Google rank you more highly
• What "backlinks" are, and why it is important to get other websites to link back to your own to increase your Google ranking
• Why your first step should be to optimize your home page and demonstrate the value your nonprofit offers its members
• What well-optimized websites Terry recommend you look at to see examples of how sites use SEO to maximize their impact
• Why social media is a relatively minor component for your ranking, and why you should still make sure your social media is clean, consistent and somewhat active

• Google My Business website: www.google.com/business/
• Google Analytics website: https://analytics.google.com/analytics/
• Backlinko website: https://backlinko.com/
• AHREFS website: https://ahrefs.com/
• Email: [email protected]
• Twitter: @terrystories
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/terry-ibele-4924557/
• Website: www.terryibele.com

Teresa Zimmerman serves as the Vice President of Marketing at Personify. She leads Personify's global marketing organization and is responsible for driving market leadership, global awareness, demand generation, strategic events and product go-to-market plans. Teresa has a rich history of success driving excellence at enterprise SaaS companies, having spent time at Bazaarvoice, Lithium and Fuze where she oversaw North American marketing programs, including field and solutions marketing, demand creation, advertising and events. Beyond the office, Teresa serves on the board of directors for BookSpring, a nonprofit supporting childhood literacy and resides with her family in Austin, Texas.

A recognized leader in marketing, brand and content, Erin Geoffroy has spent over 10 years helping organizations tell meaningful stories and create effective engagement strategies. Her diverse background includes developing highly effective national marketing campaigns and digital tools in the software, consumer goods, healthcare and nonprofit sectors. Since obtaining her MBA in Marketing and MA in Journalism in 2016, Erin has focused on empowering nonprofits and associations to better engage their members and donors through technology and the use of data-driven insights. At Personify, Erin develops and executes marketing campaigns across Personify's verticals and suite of products and leads brand marketing initiatives.

• How the global coronavirus pandemic has broadly impacted associations across all industries, and how Personify is working to help these associations adapt
• How Teresa and Erin and their team have worked to shift the 2020 PersoniFest event into an entirely online virtual experience, and what steps they are taking to make it work
• Why it has been important to analyze and adjust the goals for PersoniFest and to adapt delivery to support those goals
• How adapting PersoniFest's more than three days of events to a single-day virtual event has been challenging but also has presented an exciting opportunity
• How teamwork and collaboration, both internally and with external vendors and other partners, has been critically important to adapting the event to the virtual space
• What advice Erin and Teresa would offer to associations who need to swiftly adapt their events to virtual experiences
• Why clear communication and keeping stakeholders well-informed, engaged and allowing them to be a part of the process is important

• Website: https://personifycorp.com/
• Teresa's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/tazimmerz/
• Erin's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/eringeoffroy/