Association leaders often pour a lot of their resources into the annual conference, hoping a few days of high-energy networking will sustain members’ enthusiasm year-round. However, preserving your community requires consistent validation between flagship events. Members constantly evaluate the return on investment of their dues, and that calculation relies heavily on the recognition they receive throughout the year, not just the messages you send right after your association’s big events.

ISAE is excited to announce the winners for the 2026 STAR Awards, which recognize the outstanding achievements, innovation, and impact of Indiana’s association community.

ISAE recently launched its first Interactive Insights session, bringing association professionals together for a candid conversation on government affairs and advocacy. The discussion was facilitated by Katie Feltman, CAE, CEO of the American College of Sports Medicine, along with Monte Ward, ACSM’s Vice President of Governmental Relations.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming nonprofit business operations. AI provides great promise with respect to enhancing efficiency, optimizing workflows, analyzing data, and boosting productivity. At the same time, AI presents various legal, ethical, reputational, and other risks. A sound AI usage policy can enable a nonprofit organization to leverage the promise of AI without compromising work product integrity, disclosing privileged, confidential, or proprietary information, eroding its mission, jeopardizing its reputation, or subjecting the nonprofit to undue legal exposure. Leaders in the nonprofit community should consider the following practical advice when developing and implementing an AI usage policy for their organizations.

According to the 2025 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report, only 11% of association leaders believe their organization offers a compelling value proposition, and 38% attribute this to an insufficient budget. After all, how can your association demonstrate its value to members if your budget doesn’t reflect measurable impact?

As an association leader, you know that there are many factors that contribute to your organization’s success. Much of your time likely goes into setting and working toward strategic goals that help you expand and fund your efforts long-term. At the same time, it’s essential to continuously provide value through your membership program to maintain engagement and encourage renewals.

For associations, generating revenue is an ongoing priority. Sponsorship revenue provides a reliable source of non-dues income, helping trade and professional associations strengthen their financial base and build lasting partnerships. In this guide, we’ll cover what sponsorship revenue is, the different sponsorship types and revenue models, and practical strategies to increase sponsorship value.

Planning an event—whether it’s a conference, convention, or corporate meeting—can quickly become overwhelming. Between selecting the right venue, managing accommodations, coordinating catering, and planning activities, there’s a lot to keep track of. That’s where DMO knowledge really makes a difference.

Strategic goals are the roadmap to an association’s future success and longevity. Without them, even the most passionate teams can veer off course, missing out on opportunities for growth, engagement, and impact.

Creating a memorable event for your association doesn't have to mean reinventing the wheel. The secret lies in making intentional decisions that elevate your members' experience.

Every nonprofit strives to make a difference. However, achieving efficiency and scalability often requires digital transformation—a journey that can be complex given the unique challenges nonprofits face, such as limited staffing and constrained budgets. With the right strategy, nonprofits can leverage technology to optimize operations and drive their mission forward.

As associations face increasing competition from other communities and specialized content providers, creating an engaging member experience is more important now than ever. However, many organizations still struggle to define what engagement really means, let alone respond to shifting expectations effectively.

Event planning is an evolution in every sense. Beyond the changing trends driving technology, food and beverage, registration processes, and event structure, planners are juggling the social trends that often are the hitch pin to connecting attendees with their association and each other. For most associations, events are the foremost source for member engagement and revenue, the core elements of association sustainability. It’s a cyclical process: organizations must evolve to engage … and engage to evolve.

The same drive that makes you an exceptional leader can also trap you in a cycle of stress—unless you learn to live in the moment.

Meeting planners are no strangers to the relentless pace of hard deadlines, evolving requests, and constant multitasking. As natural overachievers, you’re wired to chase success, often at the expense of living in the present moment. 

Planning a meeting or conference? DMOs are your secret weapon. As local experts, we offer complimentary services to simplify event planning, enhance attendee experiences, and ensure your event runs seamlessly.

You’ve noticed it — attendance at events is dwindling, member feedback is scarce, and the once-vibrant conversations in your community are fading. What if we told you the problem isn’t your members but the way you engage with them?

According to a 2025 benchmark report, the top goal among membership organizations this year is to increase engagement. Accomplishing this goal, however, is easier said than done.

Building a membership funnel may sound complex, but it’s one of the most effective strategies for growing your association. It helps attract, convert and retain members by guiding them through a structured journey—from first learning about your organization to becoming loyal supporters.

While some organizations write off direct mail as a thing of the past, smart marketers still leverage this channel to unlock better results. In fact, 70% of marketers reported improvements in direct mail performance in the last 12 months. And when combining direct mail with digital marketing, 60% of marketers reported increased return on investment (ROI).

There are a lot of factors to consider when choosing a location for your meeting, so to make your job a little easier, we've rounded up five things to consider when deciding on the location of your next meeting. From easy access to industry experts in the local community to the welcoming and vibrant atmosphere, the location of your meeting directly impacts the satisfaction of your attendees. With many factors to contemplate, utilizing a Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) can save you a lot of time (and money)!