Learner’s Digest: February 2021

I love the idea of innovation. That’s why it’s baked right into my job title. After all, if you are the vice-president of learning and innovation, you can never say, “we don’t know how we’d do that,” or, “this is how we’ve always done it.” Over the past year, we’ve all had to innovate and adapt. Like so many of you, CSAE held its first entirely virtual summit, AGM, conference and trade show. Like you, we’ve adjusted to shorter planning cycles, less predictability and more uncertainty. And we continue to learn along the way, while still grappling with questions. What’s the best duration for an online event? What’s the right price point, given the event design and objectives? How will the pandemic play out for future events? We can control some of the factors; others are beyond our influence. When we wrapped up CSAE Ottawa-Gatineau’s virtual Tête-à-tête, we were on an absolute high. CSAE hit some of our biggest participation numbers ever for this 31-year-old event –virtually. We saw many areas for improvement, but feedback said it had been a compelling opportunity for building connections. As a member-driven association, facilitating this engagement is a critical part of our raison d’être. So, when registration for the upcoming CSAE Trillium Winter Summit got off to a slow start, we wondered how we could pivot once again – responsibly, while meeting the needs of our members. The program is powerful and offers leaders a chance to connect and solve challenges. We’re exploring resilience – personal and organizational – at a time when we are all running out of steam. In response to the slow start, we adapted once again — with our sponsors enabling us , for the first time ever, to offer free registration for Winter Summit to CSAE’s executive members.  This would support association leaders in attending, and build robust participation benefitting our business members as well, providing opportunities to connect with so many more attendees than would otherwise be possible. No matter where you are, I hope you’ll join us for the Winter Summit. Carve out a few hours to spend with your people. Share what’s been working for your organization and where you face challenges. Draw from the wisdom of the Canadian association community, reconnect with colleagues and make brand new connections to spark fresh ideas. It is the perfect chance to recharge and get your March started off on a positive and revitalizing note! Danielle Lamothe Vice President, Learning and Innovation

Thanks to the generous support of our sponsors, you can shake off the isolation and gather with peers and friends at the CSAE Trillium Winter Summit for NO CHARGE!

Start your March off by celebrating joy and resilience in an inspiring and practical program that will help you feel re-connected and revitalized. For those of you who haven’t experienced CSAE’s interactive platform, you’re in for a refreshing change from Zoom fatigue.

This is an opportunity exclusive to CSAE executive members only! Take a look at some of the programming below, and register for free today.

Keynote Speakers
Join empowerment expert Hamza Khan and learn how to boost your leadership through a focus on resilience and productivity. Hamza’s TEDx talk “Stop Managing, Start Leading” has been viewed over a million times.

Discover practical tips for improving mental health, fostering emotional intelligence and strengthening resiliency with learning architect and humanitarian Dr. Rumeet Billan. Find out how to unlock the true potential of your team while promoting a healthier organizational culture.

Concurrent Sessions
Take advantage of a wealth of information at the Winter Summit’s concurrent sessions. Get tips for transitioning to a virtual office with CSAE President and CEO, Tracy Folkes Hanson, and Director of Corporate Services, Rhonda McIntyre. Join Heather Reid of Planner Protect and Liz Holtby of Meetings Escrow Inc. to learn how to safeguard your association events by managing financial risk during uncertain times.

Plus, choose from a full roster of additional sessions covering important topics like streamlining annual meetings, rethinking non-dues revenue, embracing digital marketing, leveraging fierce conversation to get results and fighting stress with humour. We’ve also got tips on facilitating online meetings, getting ready for the new Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporations Act, securing your online infrastructure and growing the three mental muscles that will help you thrive during challenging times!

Plenary Event – What Keeps You Up At Night?
Here’s your invitation to join this peer-based learning event that will help you renew your resiliency as you draw from the wisdom of the crowd. This 90-minute session is hosted in Remo, so you will hop from table to table to engage in facilitated discussion. Learn more here.

THANK YOU to our generous sponsors for bringing this powerful program to CSAE Executive Members for free. See you there!

Click here to register for the Winter Summit.

Governance Forum with Dr. David Weiss – April 8, 2021 This year, you can bring your entire board and team leadership together – at a single price – for a productive session that will set you up for success in 2021. Dr. David S. Weiss will expertly lead you through this specially-designed, interactive workshop where you will:engage your boardclarify accountabilitiesestablish your key strategic prioritiescollaboratively determine how you’ll measure successreach a clear understanding of what good governance means for your association in the year aheadIt’s like a leadership retreat with all the planning taken care of for you! Learn more and register here.

Welcome New CAE® Graduates! A big round of applause to the following members for successfully achieving their Certified Association Executive® (CAE®) designation! Welcome, new CAE®s! Silva Chan Yowali Kabamba Laura Korneluk Stephanie Lockhart Theresa Maguire-Garber Janel Matheson Denyse Mehta Betsy Nejat Aime O’Connor Karin Sheldrick Heidi Theelen Jaime Rose Tieu Justin Wah Kan Rhonda McIntyre  “I built and grew competencies in marketing, membership, operations support, and products and services. I conducted benchmarking with almost 20 organizations. In many areas, I pushed to transform the organization and I built confidence and self-belief until I eventually completed the designation. Now, I am ready to take my career forward, to serve and support the not-for-profit industry.” – New CAE® Denyse Mehta   Interested in acquiring the CAE® for yourself? The Spring term is open for registration. Click here for details.

Upcoming Events Talk Tuesday – Member-Exclusive Tuesday, March 9 – 2:00 PM EST Join Tracy Folkes Hanson, CSAE president and CEO, and your association colleagues from across the country to discuss challenges and opportunities specific to the not-for-profit sector. All CSAE Members are welcome at these no-charge chats! Access meeting details here. CSAE BC Executive Roundtable Wednesday, March 10 – 11:00 AM  PST Join Catarina Moreno, Consultant, Ignite Management Services Ltd., for CSAE BC’s new Roundtable Series! Executive Directors and CEOs are welcome to share the top three things they are doing now to manage risk for their association. All are welcome to this event at no charge (both members and non-members). Register here. How AI Will Transform Financial Management March 11, 2021This webinar is hosted be Sage Intacct RPA. Machine Learning. Algorithms. What do these terms have in common? They are all part of Artificial Intelligence, and they’re being used all around us, from the spam filter on your email to your digital assistant. But what does AI do for businesses, and what does it really mean for the finance function? Join us as we discuss AI and the impact it will have on how you manage your financials. Our expert panel will be discussing AI, the benefits for companies of all sizes, and how you can prepare today for the financial management of tomorrow. Register here>> CSAE Atlantic Meet & Mingle March 16, 2021 – 11:00 AM AST Join Natalie Wallace, CAE, for CSAE Atlantic’s new Meet & Mingle! Atlantic professionals are welcome to come and talk about current trends in association management. All are welcome to this event at no charge (both members and non-members). Register here.   CSAE Ottawa-Gatineau CEO Roundtable Series March 17, 2021 – 12 :00 PM EST Calling all CEOs and executive directors for the second session of CSAE Ottawa-Gatineau’s CEO Roundtable Series. Come talk about the issue of re-integration of staff to the office once it is safe to return, and issues that should be considered given the learnings that have stemmed from virtual and remote work experience. Register here.   CSAE Alberta Chat & Cheers March 18, 2021 – 4:00 PM EST Join CSAE Alberta Council Vice-Chair Gemma Beierback, CAE to talk about surviving your audit and using it as a tool and process for organizational improvement. All are welcome to this event at no charge (both members and non-members). Register here.   CSAE BC MLA Panel: Government Relations During the COVID-19 Age March 19, 2021 – 11:00 AM PST Get practical tips for maximizing your government relations efforts even during a pandemic. Tune in to hear perspectives from Janet Routledge, BC MLA Burnaby North; Blair L. Qualey, President & CEO, New Car Dealers Association of BC; Damian Stathonikos, CAE, President of Building Owners & Managers Association – BC; and Mark Jiles of Bluestone Government Relations. Register here.   CSAE Trillium Feel Good Friday March 26, 2021 – 12 PM EST Join this free virtual networking event hosted the last Friday of each month by CSAE Trillium’s Network council. Both members and non members are welcome to attend at no charge for a facilitated conversation about the digital transformation of workplace – is there any going back? Register for the March session here. Thanks to event sponsor:   What’s Brewing Ottawa-Gatineau! March 30, 2021 – 8:00 AM EST Join Halmyre’s President Christine Saunders to explore five tools you must use to measure engagement in a post-pandemic world. Register here.   CSAE BC MLA Panel: Government Relations During the COVID-19 Age March 19, 2021 – 11:00 AM PST Get practical tips for maximizing your government relations efforts even during a pandemic. Tune in to hear perspectives from Janet Routledge, BC MLA Burnaby North; Blair L. Qualey, President & CEO, New Car Dealers Association of BC; Damian Stathonikos, CAE, President of Building Owners & Managers Association – BC; and Mark Jiles of Bluestone Government Relations. Register here.   CSAE New Member Orientation Thursday, April 1  – 1:00 PM EST New to CSAE? Learn how to get the most from your membership at our next virtual orientation session. Connect with fellow members and find out about the many opportunities that come with being part of the CSAE family! Register here for the free session – the access code is your member ID. If you are unable to attend on April 1, contact janice@scae.com for information on future sessions.

Volunteer Opportunity: Pan-Canadian Young Professional Committee Are you under 35 and a CSAE member? Help us create a vibrant network for young association professionals to learn, connect, and grow in the association sector as a member of CSAE’s Young Professional Committee. To apply, Click here. Essential Reading Should we have been better prepared for the organizational challenges presented by COVID-19? There were warning signs in the past, including SARS and H1N1. Why, then, were so many of us seemingly caught by surprise? Authors Dr. David S. Weiss and Peter Primdahl share 7 Tips to Prepare Your Association for the Unexpected in this must-read CSAE blog. Bookstore Selection – Best Practices and Tools for Not-for-Profit Boards, 2nd Edition As the essential resource for all senior association executives and volunteer leaders in Canada, this book combines best practices and easy-to-use tools to develop and enhance Board leadership. Learn the answers to key fundamental questions about a Board’s role, liability, process and policies.  Visit the CSAE Bookstore.