This document discusses creating compelling chapter stories and benchmarking chapter performance. It provides tools and strategies for chapter leaders to communicate the value and impact of their chapters. This includes identifying strategic goals chapters can support, selecting key performance indicators to measure chapter effectiveness, and crafting different types of stories around chapters, such as highlighting their overall impact, specific initiatives they enable, and smaller successes. The document emphasizes using data and member insights to guide these efforts and shares examples of effective storytelling from other associations.
6. How can I provide chapter
leaders with tools to alleviate
the administrative burden?
How do I provide better resources
and support to my volunteers?
Ask the Hosts…
7. Day 1: How associations view
chapters – CRP, CEO & CL
perspective
Day 2: Using dashboards to
tell the story of chapters &
guide health
Day 3: Creating a
compelling chapter story
Our Roadmap
01 02 03
Recordings, slide decks, resources & the report all available
next week! Watch your email!
10. Preparing for the Future: 3 Deserts
DATA DESERT
Let’s show chapters &
staff the power of data
VOLUNTEER
DESERT
Let’s reduce the load
& embrace the new
volunteer
STRATEGIC DESERT
Let’s put on the member
shoes to change the
conversation
11. Begin with your association’s strategic
goals? Ask Yourself…
Setting Up Your
Dashboard
What role can/should chapter play?
(Think “Local Presence”)
What should we measure to accurately assess their
effectiveness in fulfilling their role(s)?
How can we measure it? (We tend to manage what
is measured)
How should we share those measurements?
12. 01
Actionable
Do I have any control over this outcome?
Common Interpretation
Does my “10” = your “10”?
02
Accessible/Credible
Is the data available with modest effort from a
trustworthy source?
03
The Right KPIs
Transparent/Simple Calculation
Does everyone understand how it was
generated?
04
Valid/Reliable
Does this truly measure the desired outcome?
05
The Right
Data Sources
Direct Access
Sampling
Reports
13. Insight to
Selecting Chapter
Roles & KPIs
Important to get feedback from
members & chapter leaders
• What do they care about?
• What do they see as achievable?
• Can they see the big picture?
14. Strategic Pillars Primary Inputs
Intermediate
Inputs/Outcomes
Ultimate Outcomes
Education - A Well-
Qualified Workforce
Seminars
Workshops
Conferences
Publications
Participation
Posts
Registrations
Volunteering
Donations
…
Satisfaction
NPS
Ratings
Comments
CEUs
Certifications
Graduations
Promotions
Awards
Recruitment
Retention
Market Penetration
Advocacy - A Safe Work
Environment
Letters/Calls
Town Halls
PAC$
Media Placements
Influencers
Passage/Defeat
Awareness
Behavior Change
Operational Strength &
Flexibility - Long Term
Viablity
Leadership
Staffing
Systems
Financials
Legal Compliance
Collaboration
Long Term Viablity
SAA – The Sample Association of America – Chapter Roles
15. Strategic Pillars Primary Inputs
Intermediate
Inputs/
Outcomes
Ultimate
Outcomes
Education: A Well-
Qualified Workforce
Seminars
Workshops
Registrations
Satisfaction
CEUs
Certifications
SAA – The Sample Association of America – Chapter Roles
What do we measure?
Just because it’s easy to count, does it really count?
Do we want quantity or quality?
What’s the right “blend” of metrics?
16. Dashboard becomes way you
have strategic conversations
with the chapter leaders and
the c-suite
18. Big Picture
ROI impact of all
chapters
Winning Plays
Small successes
and bright spots
Theme
How chapters
contribute to key
initiatives
What stories can we tell?
23. 11 Common Channels
distribution channel direct value
track profit/income
communication channel price service
track saved cost of the service
listening channel price volunteer
hours track value of hours
training/mentoring next-gen indirect
value track increase in participation
30. BRIGHT SPOTS: EARLY GLIMMERS
A bright spot is something that’s
going right. They can be described
as “early glimmers.”
TIMES OF CHANGE
Bright spots are particularly
helpful in times of change.
Story 3:
Winning Plays
31. POLL
Have you seen bright spots
in your chapters?
• Yes
• No
• Somewhat
• Not sure
• Haven’t looked
33. We have lots of ‘winning plays’
NAIOP FL
legislative victory
PMI
military program
operation
NTMA
Utah chapter
bright spot
34. Make a Case for Chapters
Pull your numbers together to make your case
• Members reached
• Events, services offered
• Sharing of national info/resources
• Advocacy wins
• Retention numbers
Capture the intangibles
• Insight gained through chapter activities
• Insight gained about members through chapters
• Progress on critical issues (trust, collaboration…)
Tell the chapter value story
• Think AGC’s video
35. How
to
Hack
It Reporting to Management
Let the Dashboard be a visual
Create a high-level report to share with staff
Annual report highlighting impact
39. Billhighway Mariner Management
• Current financial reporting
• Chapter member engagement
data
• Number of events they’re hosting
• Types of events they’re hosting
• Percentage of members and non-
members attending
• Discovering your chapter ROI
• Innovating your chapter structure
• Rethinking your volunteer strategy
• Training & developing chapters
leaders
• In-depth & quick bites
Tap
us
for…
With Billhighway, you can see chapter
performance data in real time—no
more nagging chapters for:
Want more? Contact us for a 15
minute chat.
Your chapters need help? You
need help with your chapters?
Want more? Contact us for a 15
minute chat.
40. Peggy Hoffman & Peter Houstle
Mariner Management
(301) 725-2508
phoffman@marinermanagement.com
phoustle@marinermanagement.com
Mark Prevost
Billhighway
(740) 817-0135
mprevost@billhighway.com
Contact Us
@Peggy
WE’LL COVER
How to build and create a compelling story about the value of your chapters
@Peggy
Ice Breaker #1 – It's time to warm up your fingers...
Share one quick aha you’ve had recently. Maybe it was from yesterday’s convo, maybe not
@Peggy
Let’s keep things fun and light throughout…if you hear a data point and like it, give us a thumbs up or applause.
@Peggy here’s a chance to use the reactions ….
@Peggy
Quick shout out to the “Behind the Scenes” crew…
Let’s Meet the Team – This workshop & study is brought to you by the fab partnership of Billhighway & Mariner Management!
@Mark - Billhighway – Chapter Management Solution. We increase ROI across your entire organization by providing technology tools to help chapters perform better; as well as delivering member engagement and component performance data to headquarters.
@Peggy - Mariner – Let’s create the greatest possible value for your members and volunteers!
Our Shared Purpose
To build community the component relations community and connect CRPs.
@Peggy – We will be recording the sessions so attend what you can and we’ll send out the recording afterwards!
Roadmap
Day 1 > where we are today. Useful helps us see the challenges, opportunities, adjust services
Day 2 > future & your strat plan. That’s were we want the chapters to be. The dashboard is how we bring them to that success. Measuring and celebrating and resourcing the goals that matter
Day 3 > telling the story to (a) create a shared vision for having meaningful data and the power of data (b) getting resources and making support decisions (c) celebrating volunteers in a way that helps build the volunteer pool, muscle and membership through member engagement
@Peggy
Quick recap from Day 2
Reminder that we recorded Day 1 & 2, so if you missed it, we’ll be sending the recording , slide deck, and full report out next week!
@Sarah – drop reminder in the chat as well
Preparing for the future: 3 Deserts
Data Desert - The “data desert” represents a consistent and disturbing theme throughout this research. We continue to rely on fragmented, disconnected systems which offer a fractured view at best of how our chapter system delivers value to the member and serves the mission. Though none are perfect, there are plenty of systems out there which could provide a far more accurate picture of our chapters’ performance and a much stronger basis on which to allocate our limited resources to the support of that system.
Use the dashboard to teach the value of collecting the right data & using it
Use the dashboard to show the power of shared data
Volunteer Desert – One CEO observed, “The grass is always greener…where you water it!” Our volunteers represent a precious resource which we tend to waste by asking them to spend their very limited time dealing with administrative “checklist” functions rather than the mission and member service. We need to apply our resources to those areas (esp. technology) to those areas which reduce or eliminate the need for volunteers to fulfill such roles and build a volunteer development system that supports and places our volunteers in roles where they are most likely to succeed.
Use the dashboard to move from checklist to outcome tracking
Use the dashboard to help leaders focus on less that matters rather than chasing to-do lists
Strategic Desert – Far too much of our collective time (CEOs, CRPs and Chapter Leaders) is spent in the tactical weeds. We need to step back and view our chapters as one part of what should be a vibrant ecosystem working collaboratively to serve the member and move the mission. We allow ourselves to be hamstrung by territorial squabbles which reinforce an us vs them culture. Let’s throw off our HQ shoes or chapter shoes and put on our member shoes so we can focus on why we’re here in the first place.
Use the dashboard to show the collective impact of chapters
Setting up your dashboard
What is your goal?
What are the strategic goals for your components? Clearly articulate how your components advance the mission of the association.
How will you know that has been achieved?
How can you measure that?
Checking your list: are these the right key performance indicators (Valid, Reliable, Appropriate)?
Actionable – Do I have any control over this outcome?
Common Interpretation – Does my “10” = your “10”?
Accessible/Credible – Is the data available with modest from trustworthy source?
Transparent/Simple Calculation – Does everyone understand how it was generated?
Wasn’t sure if you wanted to include in recap or not
Insight to CRP’s to creating your metrics:
Important to get feedback from members on what they value – to discover what are the priority points
Dashboard > start with your assn strat plan > strategies > where is chapters/affiliates?
What does success look like > how can I measure that > metric that the dashboard shows
[follow example from Peter; look at education … they offer x hours that draws in x people; maybe they offer sponsored which brings in x registrants (and dollars)
Shows the power of having data
[follow example from Peter; look at education … they offer x hours that draws in x people; maybe they offer sponsored which brings in x registrants (and dollars)
Shows the power of having data
What do we measure >
Just because it’s easy to count, does it really count?
Do we want quantity or quality?
What’s the right “blend” of metrics?
How >
What do/don’t we have direct access to?
Should we sample?
Rely on reports?
Invest in tech?
How this dashboard then becomes the way you have strategic conversations with the c-suite
Story options – think (1) big picture, (2) theme, (3) small/specific successes (aka building your picture out of many individual successes)
ROI impact of all chapters – Big Picture
How chapters contribute to key initiatives -- theme
Bright spots – specific successes
Who do you share your chapter story with – mostly keep it in the chapters, share with some or all staff, report to the board, page or promo to members? [Chapters, Internal Staff, Board, Members, Other]
What stories do you tell? [Just the basics (we have chapters, check out the link); Stats (member counts, number of events, etc.); Impact (tell us more in chat); Other]
How do you share your story? [Website; Chapter communications/training events; Member publications; Board reports; Social media; Other]
#1: Id clear focus … Set The Parameters
Your business story should be engaging. But if it doesn’t have a clear focus, you’ll quickly lose the attention of consumers. Establish context right off the bat.
Who is telling the story?
Why is the story being told?
When and where is the story taking place?
Who are the people in the story?
What are the people trying to achieve?
What challenges are faced?
#2: Be Authentic
Authentic storytelling is key to gaining consumer trust. Don’t try to fool your audience with an over-the-top tale. Your business’s story doesn’t need to be elaborate. In fact, if your business doesn’t have an earth-shattering history, your story shouldn’t try to create one. A genuine narrative is more likely to connect with consumers
#3: Have A Clear Outcome
A great business story leaves your audience with something. What lesson was learned in the story, and what should consumers learn from hearing it?
Business stories should have a clear outcome. Provide a hopeful, thought-provoking message with actionable points that compel your audience to connect with your brand.
#4: Get Members Involved
Use business storytelling to strike an emotional connection with customers. Talk about how an event related to your business affected you and what you learned. This creates an immediate response that makes your story memorable and shareable.
People like to be a part of stories. Your customers can be characters in your brand. Come up with ways to get your audience involved.
Big picture – impact of the chapter “system” on member value and the association’s strat plan
One way of doing this is calculating your chapter ROI
Discovering your chapter system ROI is about telling the story of how your chapters contribute value in economic terms to the association. We did a webinar on the ROI Valuation Matrix which outlined channels/ways in which chapters can contribute.
In its simplest terms, you might show
The value of the education produced system-wide in terms of contact hours or CEUs awarded or registration fees
The value of membership dues – new or renewals – generated through your chapters
There are 11 common channels – let’s look at four to see four ways of calculating value of the contribution
Serving as distribution channels for selling and delivering products to members > direct value
Delivering marketing and communication messages > price of the “service”
Providing a listening tool for the association to learn about developing issues, trends, and more > price of the volunteer
Training and mentoring next-gen professionals and preparing them, if applicable, for certification > indirect value
Other channels
Channeling association advocacy messages to lawmakers
Purchasing and participating in continuing education
Being a local resource the association can turn to for additional expertise
Assisting in product development by testing and giving feedback on new programs
Demonstrating member engagement by volunteering for short-term projects
Offering leadership development to members that allows them to improve their readiness to participate on the national stage
Watch this webinar for a deep dive: https://www.billhighway.co/chapters-are-they-worth-the-effort-a-chapter-roi-template/
@Sarah drop link into chat
Here’s an example from RAPS:
#of events – 44
# people attended – 1465
# of chapters – 17
Here’s an example from AGC
In response to the threat of COVID-19, AGC chapters immediately took action and provided a new level of service to their members. Chapters took unique measures to ensure that their members had the latest news, resources, support, and even the COVID-19 compliant PPEs they needed.
@Sarah share link: Watch the video >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrCtcETHp-c&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR3_cW0DkWpBpNO4esmpzhmP27B9qY7ISuf1Nf850HjhiexuoT_uHc4sKG0
Just look at the number who sourced PPE for members like the AGC Texo Chapter. Purchased 2,000 touchless thermometers and supply list for members. Made $350,000 PPE purchases for members.
Established hotline for any member to call if they had concerns.
Key initiative, e.g. legislative victory, AGC Chapter covid response (we just talked about), collective total on local CE offerings
supporting chapters
Key initiative, e.g. legislative victory, AGC Chapter covid response, collective total on local CE offerings
Connect to the association’s strategic initiative
Collect the ways chapters support that and aggregate the outcome or input
Choose video, blog posts, infographics
APTA Legislative wins – they shared the wins and the almost or pending wins … few states didn’t make it across the finish line before adjournment or are still awaiting their fate in committee or elsewhere
@Sarah drop link - https://www.apta.org/article/2021/07/26/state-legislative-roundup-july-2021
Story 3: Winning Plays! Think bright spot – success in the face of challenge. Think innovation – try something different that makes a difference.
Let’s start with bright spot – success in the face of challenge. We did a webinar on how you find these and then how you clone them or replicate. What we didn’t talk about is the power these have in sharing the power of chapters to other staff, CEO, board, key stakeholders, members
@Sarah – share link to webinar & perhaps the blog posts
Bright Spot story that NACE shared a replicated … NACE Maine: #postponedontcancel
Launched information campaigns for the industry like NACE Maine Chapter #PostponeDon’tCancel
Watch the video >> https://youtu.be/0Bv1_Ry-nSo
View article. https://www.specialevents.com/news/industry-professionals-maine-come-together-postponedontcancel-campaign?_mc=sm_sm_x_x_x_x_hashtagcampaign_11-10-2020&fbclid=IwAR3tu_8I_C6C2hNbAdE49k8Dmu2A7ccxGMvvnUBm_PrEHe7A_XlvMmVVNFA
We have three stories that we’re going to share with you and each one taps into a slightly different element of how to share and replicate bright spots across your chapters.
NAIOP FL big leg win - In fact, the 2021 legislative session was one of its most successful. https://www.naiop.org/en/Research-and-Publications/Magazine/2021/Fall-2021/Advocacy/NAIOP-of-Florida-Achieves-Major-Legislative-Victories
PMI’s successful Military Program Operation: Quality for Hire Local > Regional > National
Aid Veterans, active military and/or their families
Help them make the transition back into the Civilian world (and into the project management community)
Assist them in becoming qualified for project management certifications and help them secure employment in the Project Management profession
https://ncpmi.org/38-membership/206-pmi-s-military-program-operation-qualify-for-hire
Maddie No Utah Chapter shared this as a bright spot at the conference I did this week. I’m trying to get more info … Interestingly NTMA postponed their national 2020 Emerging Leaders Conference, originally scheduled for April 27 – 29 in Kansas City, MO. So this was a bright spot for NTMA
@Peggy –
Make the case for your chapters.
Chapter relevancy in 2021 is tied to engagement, recruitment & retention....local is important, you an get some interesting things going on quickly, connect with people you might not be able to connect with. Components reach a whole new segment of members and non-members. Opportunities to focus on chapter members and highlight the local angle and impact of broad national topics. Ability to create micro-moments.
Pull your numbers together to make your case. Show the number of people, registration counts, events happened, how many chapters did what.
Teach chapters how to tell their value.
Metrics for the stuff we’re not getting done or doing and how its impact was negligible so we can do other things.
Reporting to Management
Let the Dashboard be a visual
Create a highlight level report (monthly?) to share with staff
Annual report highlighting impact
Closing the conversation [combo of Peggy/Peter/Mark]
Chat
What will you try?
60 seconds of silence – Take a moment to reflect on the last 90 minutes
Where do you go from here? What's your next step? Take a minute to think.
What is the first thing you need to do? Write it down. Put a date to accomplish it by. Make sure it’s SMART. No lofty “revamp our volunteer strategy”…make it something actionable like “call 3 volunteers in the next 30 days and check-in/ask how I could better support them.”
Billhighway
Software like Billhighway allows for a healthy balance of association visibility and chapter autonomy. You can see chapter performance data in real time—no nagging required. For example, with Billhighway, you can see the:
Full financial picture of chapters
Insight into member data
Number of events chapters are hosting
Types of events they’re hosting
Percentage of members attending
Percentage of non-members attending
Mariner
We are all about optimizing your local presence, whether it’s the traditional chapter or something else. We help you empower volunteers, improve the member experience, answer tough questions about components.
If you’re looking to bring technology into the ROI fold…contact Billhighway!
If you’re looking to up your volunteer game…talk to Mariner!
@PEGGY
You’ll be directed to a post-event survey – please fill it out and tell us what you thought of today’s session!
We’ll be sending out the recordings and CAE credits next week.
Proposed Survey Questions:
1-5 How much did you enjoy the workshop?
What was your biggest take-away from today?
What would you change about today?
What other topics do you want to hear about?
Are you interested in any services provided by today's speakers/hosts? (check all that apply)
Billhighway
Mariner