Association Leadership - March/April 2008 - (Page 11)

TSAE update 60-Second Solutions Quick Information You Can Use NOW Cheap Web Tools By Nicholas Kramer (nkramer@wlion.com) White Lion Internet Agency (www.wlion.com) Beyond “Who is your audience and what do you want to say?” • Identify purpose (mission statement) on main page • Rule of 7 – no more than seven constant links at top of home page • Eye scans ﬁrst and last tab – make those most important • Try not to say too much on home page – keep it simple • Have 65-75 characters per line – don’t run across entire screen with text Navigation tips • Color change on the tab you’re on, so you can know where you are at any time • Sub-page tabs stay up on each page, so you can change pages from any page Common mistakes • Not resizing graphics – Photoshop, gimp.org (free) • Don’t underline text if it’s not a link • Don’t say “click here” – put hyperlink on actual wording for stand-alone value • Have validation on contact forms (phone # must have certain number of characters, etc.) • Navigation is navigation – should take you to a Web page • Don’t have a link go directly to a PDF – should go to a page with a link to a PDF • Don’t open new window unless really necessary – photos can be in DIV layer • PDFs should have PDF icon next to them, Word doc, Excel, Zip, etc. – use icons to denote Source: TSAE Learn @ Lunch, 11/27/2007 Staff Quiz Need to gauge staff awareness of association issues and programs? Here is an easy way to encourage staff members to have association basics at their ﬁngertips. You can tailor this to your association and pull it out for a pop quiz every six months; to make certain everyone has the answers to frequently asked questions. 1. If a member of the press asks for a copy of our mission statement, where is the best copy ﬁled for public distribution? 2. Name the ofﬁcer positions and ofﬁce holders of the executive committee. 3. What is the most-requested member beneﬁt, and how do we most effectively respond to members asking for the information? 4. Is the nomination committee a standing committee or ad hoc? Name the standing committees identiﬁed in the bylaws. 5. Identify past presidents for the last three years. 6. If someone asks you for the association’s federal tax return, what procedures should you follow? 7. Identify the various membership categories in our bylaws. Source: Bob Harris, CAE – bob@nonproﬁtcenter.com or (850) 222-6000. A Service Sampler 1. Five ideas from membership service connoisseurs. Train your staff not to say “No problem.” There are much warmer replies to “Thank you.” Instead, try “It is my pleasure,” “Of course” or “I’d be happy to.” 2. Give a photographic memory. For top volunteers, frame a ﬂattering candid or formal picture from an association gathering. Then send it to them – or send it with ﬂowers to their room during the convention – to remind them of the fun of contributing over the years. 3. Keep track of what matters to members. Many hotels keep databases of guest preferences. Your members have preferences, too – vegetarian meals at your conference, special transportation and registration forms that “remember” their contact information so they don’t have to constantly retype it. 4. Empower your staff to make wrongs right. And back up your commitment with budget. Set aside a special service fund to enable staff members who see a problem to solve it. The money could fund event or drink tickets, complimentary books, a box of candy or whatever suits the situation. 5. If things do go awry, extend apologies from the top – instantly. Consider establishing a policy that if a member sends a complaint via survey form, the executive director will get in touch by the end of the day to apologize, assure the member the mistake won’t happen again and say thank you for the feedback. Many times these conversations teach the staff a lot about the association’s own service culture. Source: Associations Now, November 2006. March/April 2008 | Association LEADERSHIP 11 http://www.wlion.com http://gimp.org

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Association Leadership - March/April 2008 Contents Chairman's Column Homepage 60-Second Solutions Southwest Showcase Highlights Feature: Succession Plans Interim Executives Job Documentation Coaching: A Walk in the Park Perspectives Technology Column Association Case Study Government Affairs: Focus On Electronic Resources New Members Community Spotlight Houston Index to Advertisers Advertiser.com Board of Directors

Association Leadership - March/April 2008

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