Although Facebook and Twitter have, yes, emerged as popular social media tools for associations and nonprofits, LinkedIn has recently redesigned its groups and I think organizations could start to take advantage of the “professional social media network” a bit more.

The changes will be rolling out over the next few weeks, but LinkedIn seems to be making an effort to encourage more discussions and conversations. Additionally, users can “follow” a certain group discussion if they find it particularly engaging. The feed will appear on your homepage and in your inbox. Users can now “like,” “pass” or comment on a discussion. This will push the most engaging conversations to the top of the group page.

Many people still prefer to communicate professionally through LinkedIn, rather than Facebook, which I think organizations can take advantage of. Many reserve Facebook for personal connections only, and keep LinkedIn purely professional. If your organization’s members prefer this, definitely reach out and see if engaging them via LinkedIn is possible. Or perhaps they’ve already created an “unofficial” LinkedIn group for your organization — particularly if it’s a small or local group.

Here’s a short video on LinkedIn’s new features. Do you think your organization could take advantage of them?

If you’re already using LinkedIn’s new group features, what do you think? Have you noticed more members engaging in conversations?

Happy Friday! Who’s getting into the World Cup spirit? I gotta say, I wasn’t feeling futbol until the U.S. played last Saturday, but I’m kinda-sorta getting caught up in the excitement of it all. Which is why I loved the first post in today’s Friday top five…

1. OK, so it doesn’t have to do with soccer, but it’s still sports-related … Bruce Hammond wrote about becoming a championship association after the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup. He shared parallels such as “don’t overlook a young leader” and “your fans love to cheer for a winner.” How can you take these lessons and apply them to your own organization to become a champion in the eyes of your fans (members)?

2. Deirdre Reid wrote a great post about how associations can encourage their online community to engage with one another offline. She suggests activity-oriented outings to get the conversations started, and describes how meeting online-only friends in-person for the first time felt like a reunion. (I can relate!) Has your organization ever tried something like this?

3. The first installment of Buzz 2010 was Wednesday morning, and the summary posts started rolling in soon after. I really enjoyed Holly Ross’ of the Nonprofit Technology Network: If you’re part of the cream, you’re gonna get licked. Buzz Speaker Charlene Li’s definition of “open leadership”? Having the confidence and humility to give up the need to be in control while inspiring a commitment from people to accomplish goals.

4. As a follow-up post to Joe Rominiecki’s “If I gave a commencement speech” (which got some great comments!), Jamie Notter wrote about the hard work of patience and the difference between being patient and merely waiting. If you’re ready to move on from a situation or conversation, reflect on whether or not it’s truly over or if you’re just frustrated. Active patience is a virtue.

5. Brian Birch has been writing a great series for the Acronym blog about his organization’s new Web launch. This week’s installment dealt with the pillars of success: content, community and communication. All are important factors for an organization’s Web presence, but to function properly, they all need to be present.

As I’m writing this, the U.S. is losing 2-1 to Slovenia, so go USA! And from everyone at MemberClicks, have a fantastic weekend!

(Photo Credit)

When it comes to renewal, technology can really help you out. Take advantage of your database. Ideally, members’ histories are catalogued, so you’ll know whether or not they’ve bought literature, volunteered or participated in programs. The more customized and personal a renewal letter is, the greater chance there is of an on-the-fence member renewing.

I know, for small-staff organizations especially, taking the time to personalize renewal letters can be extremely time-consuming. And I’m not saying you have to go crazy and devote 100 percent of your time to combing the database for information on your members, but you can have a few different “form” letters.

For those who have volunteered consistently and been quite active, thank them for their service and remind them continued benefits the organization offers to their professional growth and development.

For members who haven’t been as active, consider letting them know about the opportunities available and, if possible, include a few testimonials from active members.

When it comes down to it, everyone wants to know what’s in it for him or her. Career development, staying up to date in the industry and networking opportunities are all reasons members renew. Rather than listing the tangible things your organization offers, demonstrate the value to members in those offerings.

According to the Membership Marketing Benchmarking Survey, the more frequently you send out renewal notices, the better. There’s also an ideal balance between snail mail and e-mail notices, which was discussed in detail here last October.

There are lots of great resources out there for staffers involved with membership marketing and renewal. Specifically, I highly recommend two blogs: Erik’s Experts in Membership Marketing and the Membership Marketing Blog. Both offer great, tangible advice and tips for marketing and renewal.

How does your organization personalize its renewal process? What suggestions and tips do you have for small-staff organizations?

Although ASAE’s Great Ideas Conference concluded last week, I want to encourage everyone to take advantage of the free recording  of the general closing session from Great Ideas with Daniel Pink. Pink, who’s the author of bestselling “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us,” had a great session and discussed how the concept of motivation and rewards are more complex for humans than we may think.

I downloaded the presentation and took the time to watch it since I wasn’t at Great Ideas and only followed the tweets with hashtag #ideas10. I know others have blogged about their own takeaways, but I wanted to include a few of my own thoughts.

1. Dan Pink is a great speaker. He’s entertaining and truly knows what he’s talking about.

2. Higher rewards lead to worse performance. This may sound counter-intuitive, so if you’re curious, listen to Pink explain why.

3. Allowing employees pursue their own projects 20 percent of the time leads to innovation and engagement (two HUGE association buzzwords!). Google follows this model, and it led to Gmail and many other Google products we all use today.

4. Everyone wants to be a master at their trade/job/career/whatever. Humans crave progress no matter what the reward. It’s intrinsic.

What’s unique about Dan Pink is that his speaking at Great Ideas was crowdsourced. ASAE & The Center issued a survey to members and attendees, who overwhelmingly said they want to hear from Dan at the conference.

This is a fantastic presentation that I think association professionals of all ages and experience levels can benefit from. It’s definitely worth your time.

Who doesn’t love a good recognition program? No matter how big or small the achievement, I think we all enjoy a little positive reinforcement. But could a more unconventional program work for your organization?

This post was inspired by an old Acronym post about its unique recognition program – when someone achieves something noteworthy, a bell is rung throughout the office.

Some people may find this annoying, and I’m sure if used too liberally, it would be a little grating. But if you work for a small-staff association, I think something like this is a fun idea. Another option (perhaps for slightly larger associations) is to host a staff meeting every quarter and recognize people’s achievements.

At MemberClicks, we hosted the First Annual Clickies (loosely based on Michael Scott’s “Dundies” on “The Office”) last March. In addition to the more serious awards, people received semi-silly awards that garnered lots of laughs and allowed them to recount the past year.

Of course, the possibilities for recognition programs are nearly endless. You can host a ceremony at your annual meeting or conference, but be aware that many people find them too long and tedious. Recognize when members reach milestones such as five, 10 or 15 years of membership.

Keep in mind that not everyone likes to be recognized the same way. I’ve been discussing more casual recognition programs, but of course, formal options are often necessary (and important). And don’t forget to recognize your volunteers! Without volunteers, your organization likely wouldn’t function as well as it does.

How can your association recognize milestones in a fun, unconventional way?

Image via Kevin Patrick, MemberClicks Director of Product Experience