Sector and AuSAE News

  • 22 Jan 2016 1:10 PM | Kerrie Green

    AuSAE has welcomed new members from the following organisations this month.


    Is your organisation on this list? If your organisation is on this list as an AuSAE organisational member but you are unsure if you are part of the membership bundle, please contact the friendly AuSAE team at info@ausae.org.au.


    Not on this list? To join AuSAE today please visit our membership information page here.


    AUSAE WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS FROM:


     Organisation  Membership Level
    Association of Wall & Ceiling Industries AUS & NZ Association (Organisational - Small)
    Leading Age Services Australia Association (Organisational - Small)
    Playgroup New South Wales Association (Organisational - Small)
    Rivers & Ranges Community Leadership Program Association (Organisational - Small)
    Australasian Association of Clinical Biochemists Association Executive (Individual)
    Australian College of Nurse Practitioners Association Executive (Individual)
    Carers QLD Association Executive (Individual)
    Clean Air Society of Australia & New Zealand Association Executive (Individual)
    New Zealand Association of Registered Beauty Therapists Association Executive (Individual)
    Parkinson’s New Zealand Association Executive (Individual)
    Parkinson's Queensland Inc. Association Executive (Individual)
    Surf Life Saving Northern Region Association Executive (Individual)
    Swimming Pool & Spa Association of Victoria Association Executive (Individual)
    Scrap Metal Recycling Association of New Zealand Board or Committee Participant
    Australian Hand Therapy Association Young Association Professional

    Note; To respect the privacy of our members, we only release membership type and organisation details publicly each month. 

  • 22 Jan 2016 12:46 PM | Kerrie Green

    Australian attendees at the 2015 AuSAE Leadership Symposium in New Zealand not only benefited from the ‘Building Sustainable Futures’ programme; they put the thinking into practice, building bridges with their New Zealand association counterparts for future cooperation and collaboration.


    Tourism New Zealand flew 11 Australian and Australasian association executives to the Symposium in Wellington in October for a busy education and networking programme – with the added incentive of a tailored familiarisation trip.


    Helen Bambry, Tourism New Zealand’s Business Events Manager - Australia, says: “We went to the AuSAE database and asked who would like to experience New Zealand as a destination. We had 67 responses for 11 spots. As well as exploring first-hand what New Zealand can offer in terms of events, this opportunity allowed these association organisers to connect with like-minded or sister organisations in New Zealand and start having talks about potential joint conferences.


    “Air New Zealand supported us with flights and we worked with the local convention bureaux on tailored itineraries. Six went to Auckland, four stayed in Wellington and one went to Dunedin. Aligning with the AuSAE Leadership Symposium meant it was much easier for people to justify their attendance, having that concrete educational return on their time out of the office.”


    One attendee, Marilena Salvo, Senior Executive Officer for the Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases Inc, was following up on ASID’s plans to conduct its Annual Scientific Meeting in Dunedin. Her tailored trip took in key hotels and venues as well as a visit to the Dunedin Public Hospital.


    “The trip was very useful as it gave me the opportunity to attend a quality conference targeted at associations managers such as myself. I got a few good ideas out of it and made or renewed valuable connections,” Salvo says. “The famil after the Symposium was extremely useful. This is a turning point for our conferences in New Zealand, as the conference will be held in a new New Zealand destination (Dunedin) and will mark the 40th anniversary of the Society. The support I received from Tourism New Zealand and the Dunedin Convention Bureau allowed me to visit key venues and support the conference convenor in a way that would not have been possible, if I had not been able to visit the city in person. The trip has paved the way to a smoother conference organising and a higher profile promotion of the 2016 event.”


    Dr Joanne Ramadge, CEO & Company Secretary of the Australian Diabetes Educators Association, undertook a familiarisation trip to Auckland post-Symposium. A busy programme of site visits also included time with key personnel from Auckland Convention Bureau and the Auckland Diabetes Centre to discuss her association’s plans to hold a joint event with a New Zealand partner in 2017.


    “It was more than I expected and had a lot of value, not just meeting a range of people whom I feel I can connect with when planning an event in New Zealand, but also being able to assess the feasibility of organising an event in New Zealand. I had not realised it will be so easy,” she says. “I also met with colleagues in Wellington and Auckland, which reduced our email traffic considerably. You can do so much more face-to-face and we agreed on actions to follow-up to get a joint event organised.


    “There is great support for holding an event in New Zealand and I am not sure many people in my position realise that. I have committed to a return trip as this visit just whetted my appetite to see more of New Zealand. It is so close and yet I have not taken the time to visit. This trip made me realise it is very easy to do and well worth it.”


    Tourism New Zealand’s Bambry says the initial interest in attending showed an increasing appetite in Australian-based associations to see what collaborative opportunities were available in New Zealand. “We had a very positive response from the participants who attended this event. We will offer more educational activities in future, and would like to hear from any other associations keen to take up the opportunity.”


    For further information about Tourism New Zealand please visit www.businessevents.newzealand.com


  • 22 Jan 2016 12:42 PM | Kerrie Green

    Happy New Year and welcome to what promises to be an exciting 2016. I’m really looking forward to my first ACE Conference and AGM in Canberra in May. This is the pinnacle event on our calendar, a great opportunity to hear from some outstanding speakers and an ideal chance to network with a wide selection of peers from across our sector. The planning and work that has already gone into ACE 2016 points to something special so if you haven’t registered now I encourage you to very soon.


    In addition to our exciting events programme for 2016, AuSAE will be launching a selection of exciting new products and services. These offerings are based on feedback from our members survey that was conducted in November 2015. Some of them will be delivered in partnership with other organisations, and I’m sure there will be something of value for everyone. Watch this space for more information coming soon.


    On a sadder note, unfortunately we are losing a key staff member. Kimberley Miller (General Manager Australia) has been with AuSAE for over three years and has been instrumental in the turnaround of the organisation. Kimberley leaves us at the end of January and she will be sorely missed. I sincerely wish her every success in the future and I am certain she will continue to positively influence and champion the sector.


    This has provided us with the opportunity to appoint Kerrie Lucas to the role of Events and Communications Manager. Kerrie joined AuSAE in April 2015 and has provided outstanding support in the Events and Communications team and I am extremely confident in her ability to lead this important part of our business. This means there is now a vacancy that AuSAE will be looking to fill. Watch out for the role that will be advertised soon if you are interested in being part of our future journey or know someone else who might be.


    At a recent communications planning session we were asked what gets us out of the bed in the morning in relation to AuSAE. In response I stated that my motivation is to contribute to the of building strong and resilient communities. I hope that 2016 leads all of us a step closer to achieving that.


    Brendon Ward, CEO, AuSAE 


  • 22 Jan 2016 12:35 PM | Kerrie Green

    THE CAP IS COMING…


    From the 1st April 2016 the Meal Entertainment and Holiday Accommodation/Venue Hire benefits will have a combined cap of $2,550?


    • Make sure you take advantage of this benefit from now until 31st March 2016 to maximise your savings whilst no cap is in place.
    • Any balances will need to be reimbursed before 31st March 2016.
    • Restaurants
    • Professionally catered functions
    • Self-catered functions
    • Holiday accommodation in a hotel, motel, caravan, cabin or serviced apartment
    • Cruise ships
    • Holiday package deals where total costs are inclusive

    Furthermore, these amounts will also become reportable on payment summaries and could impact certain government income tests such as child support, medicare levy surcharge and HECS/HELP obligations.


    Novated Leasing could benefit you and provide MORE tax savings for LESS work!


    • No GST on the purchase price of a motor vehicle (up to the luxury car threshold)
    • Fleet discounts on purchase price of new vehicles
    • Pay a portion of finance and running costs from pre-tax salary
    • Fleet discounts on running costs
    • Your choice of fuel card
    • 24 hour emergency hotline
    • Vehicle maintenance & servicing booking hotline

    For those working in the charity sector this will be a significant change. If you would like further information, please contact 1300 408 046 or email info@salarypackagingplus.com.au


  • 22 Jan 2016 12:20 PM | Kerrie Green

    It seems parents have no sooner paid for school books, uniforms and shoes—and for many Australian families, a decent amount for school fees—and the invoices begin arriving for the winter sports season.


    For families with multiple children wanting to play AFL, hockey, rugby, soccer, netball, Oztag and more, the burden on the budget can be overwhelming and can even factor some children out altogether.


    So how can sporting clubs and associations ease the financial pressure on families while retaining cash flow and boosting membership numbers?


    Direct debit billing is an ideal solution.

    The pinch point for many families is having to pay the membership fees or the fees for the season up front on sign-on day or shortly after the season begins. These bills can total in the thousands of dollars for families, and for the sporting clubs, this can result in a large influx of money to manage in one hit and becomes a major administrative task.


    However, direct debit subscription payments made either on a weekly or monthly basis, allow families to ‘pay off’ their fees over time—whether it’s over the season or throughout the year.


    Making sport more accessible for all Australian families

    If you’re managing a sporting club or association and want to help make your services more accessible and affordable, a direct debit service like PaySmart is ideal. Fees are paid automatically, so families don’t need to physically pay an invoice each month or worry about late fees, and your staff won’t have to chase up late payments. Plus, PaySmart offers free support from our Australian-based Customer Service Centre experts should you or your members ever need it.


    “PaySmart provided an ideal solution for us because we aim to be accessible to everyone in the community, and for many people and families, paying a lump sum for their membership is impossible. With PaySmart, members are able to pay their fees over time so it’s great for them, plus it means we’re not spending all of our time chasing payments—it’s a win-win.”

    — Brendon Boss, President Toowong Football Club


    Sporting clubs that use a direct debit billing system like PaySmart can also transform their cash flow management with a secure and ongoing line of cash coming into the club. It can also encourage membership retention with an easy system in place to pay fees for subsequent years.


    It’s not too late to talk to PaySmart today about getting a direct debit payment system in place for your sporting club in 2016.


    Talk to a local PaySmart Business Development Manager to get started with PaySmart, or if you’re a parent who is keen to recommend PaySmart to your club, get in touch and we can provide you with all the information you’ll need to share with management. We’ll even come out to your club and show you how easy PaySmart is to use for parents and staff.


    This article was supplied by PaySmart and written by Colin Walker. 


  • 22 Jan 2016 11:48 AM | Kerrie Green
    AuSAE Networking Lunches offer a great chance to get out of the office and meet new connections in the sector. Each lunch also features an insightful presentation on various topics of importance. Attending a lunch is a great chance to see what AuSAE really offers which is a place like-minded professionals can gather and share workplace challenges and achievements over a delicious two-course luncheon at a great venue. Check out the upcoming lunches below. We would love to see you there!


    Melbourne | 'Solving the Strategic Planning Puzzle' Lunch on Wednesday 24 February 

    Craig Richards (CEO at Bicycle Network) will reveal the mysteries behind preparing and implementing a great strategy using the Bicycle Network experience [more] 


    Perth | 'Answers to the Age Old Question: Why Should I be a Member?' on Wednesday 2 March

    Simon Glossop (CEO at Caravan Industry Association WA) will share his knowledge and experience on how to engage, retain and increase membership [more] 


    Brisbane | 'Solving the Strategic Planning Puzzle' Lunch on Thursday 3 March

    Craig Richards (CEO at Bicycle Network) will reveal the mysteries behind preparing and implementing a great strategy using the Bicycle Network experience [more] 


    Adelaide | 'Innovation and Risk Taking in 2016' Lunch on Wednesday 9 March 

    Vera Visevic (Partner at Mills Oakley Lawyers) will discuss how associations can take advantage of key innovative approaches that will help not-for-profits grow and thrive in 2016 [more]


    Canberra | 'Reinventing your Organisation for a Sustainable Future' Lunch on Thursday 10 March 

    Shahana McKenzie (CEO at AILA) will discuss how the AILA has doubled its membership, increased sponsorship from $20,000 to over $500,000 and changed the way the organisation communicates with members all in just 24 months [more] 


    Sydney | 'How to Prepare your Organisation for the Future' Lunch on Wednesday 16 March 

    Adrian Cosenza (CEO at AOA) will share contemporary global practice in leadership and strategy applicable for all not-for-profit organisations [more] 

  • 22 Jan 2016 11:37 AM | Kerrie Green

    Association software provider Abila predicts associations will start mixing up their membership and partnership models to meet their 2016 resolutions.


    With the turn of the new year, associations will start seeing some new trends. According to predictions from Abila, which provides software and services to associations, key changes will include a transition to hybrid membership models and increased for-profit partnerships.


    These projections come as the percentage of associations reporting year-over-year membership growth is down 6 percent, according to Abila’s Senior Product Marketing Manager Amanda Myers.


    “Both the hybrid model and both the partnerships, be it for-profit or nonprofit, are really about helping overcome some of those challenges,” Myers said. “It’s very solutions-based, and that’s really exciting seeing some of these associations get creative and start thinking outside of the box in terms of what they can bring to the table to help overcome their challenges and really set themselves up for a great 2016.”


    Associations will start turning to a hybrid membership model versus the traditional model, which Myers described as a one-size-fits-all strategy. Instead of having one set of benefits and dues, a hybrid model creates tiers by career stage, level of engagement, and the like.


    Tiers based on involvement offer several sets of benefits with corresponding dues. This structure allows people who can’t afford full dues, such as students or recent graduates, to still be part of the association’s network and community, but for less money and with lower output.


    To read the full article please click here


    This article was originally sourced from Associations Now here and was written by Alex Beall. 


  • 22 Jan 2016 11:30 AM | Kerrie Green

    Two associations in the plastics industry have partnered to grant free memberships to students, with an eye toward the long-term benefit to both associations and their industry as a whole.


    Staring at a membership report, it can be easy to look at the numbers and just wish they were a little bigger—especially in young-professional and student categories, where the numbers always seem stubbornly unmovable.


    The numbers, of course, represent actual people. And student members, in particular, are a constantly changing group of people who speed through that membership category in just a few short years. Their place in the industry your association serves is fluid but important.


    That viewpoint—that student members are more than just positive numbers on the membership dashboard—played a role in sparking a partnership between two associations in the plastics industry that has more students than ever before participating in the two organisations.


    I visited one of those associations, the Society of Plastics Engineers, last month and met Managing Director Russell Broome and fellow staff. Broome is a little more than a year into his tenure as the leader of SPE’s U.S. office, after more than 20 years as a member and volunteer with the organization, dating back to his own student days at North Carolina State University. He told me SPE had been spinning its wheels in recruiting student members for all the presumable reasons.


    “Students are very busy with coursework, internships, sports, and other activities. They don’t often feel the need to join a society—most times they feel that there is no value—especially since the time demands are already stressful,” he says. “Showing them why an SPE membership is valuable to them as a student as well as to their future career is important.”


    To read the full article please click here


    This article was originally sourced from Associations Now here and was written by Joe Rominiecki. 

  • 22 Jan 2016 11:20 AM | Kerrie Green

    Although some business trends come and go, there are some are some that have proven timeless. For example, doing what’s right for the client will never go out of style, and the same goes for treating employees well and putting the company in a position to succeed. As companies experiment with different processes and report on their successes or failures, others may adapt them as a part of their own policies in order to improve internal or external business operations.


    Here are 10 trends for CEOs and business leaders that various experts and writers have explored for 2016.


    1. Customer Experience

    The explosion of online commerce and marketing via social media has increased the already high-demand for excellent customer service. Laura McLellan discusses this in her article about marketing trends for 2016 on Gartner.com, saying that businesses must “look to new sources of differentiation.”


    “Most companies expect to compete primarily on customer experience in the next two years,” she explains. “In 2016, customer experience will garner the highest level of marketing investment; it is one of three areas in which CEOs’ expectations of CMOs will increase the most; and bleeding-edge technologies to improve it will be the top innovation project marketers undertake. Marketers will lead the customer experience cross-functionally across all touch points in the majority of companies by 2016.”


    2. Benefit Changes

    When major companies make a big change to their benefits policies, like Netflix did in 2015 with its extended parental leave, it tends to make headlines. This trend should continue in 2016, as this story on ExecutiveForum.com explains, and serve as a recruiting tool.


    “In order to compete for top talent, organizations will start looking at the overall competitiveness of their comp plans and identify the flexibility of paid leave time as an easy concession,” the story states. “The number of companies offering paid maternity leave now is disturbingly low, and paternity leave has been virtually nonexistent. But tech companies are quickly adjusting their leave policies in an attempt to retain their already limited female workforce, and that is creating a larger conversation in organizations across the U.S.”


    3. Focus on Connecting Customers

    Writing for Forbes, contributor Ian Altman describes “a connection economy,” which focuses on “building relationships and creating connections, rather than building assets by industrialism.” His examples:


    • “Uber is the largest ‘taxi’ company — yet they own no vehicles and excel at connecting riders with drivers.”
    • “AirBnB is the largest provider of accommodations — yet they own no real estate.”
    • “Facebook is the largest media company — yet they create no content.”
    • “Crowdfunding businesses like Kickstarter and IndieGoGo are expected to surpass venture capital for funding in 2016 — yet they have no funds to invest.”

    “Whereas it used to be sufficient to sell a product and receive revenues, customers now seek to connect with other like-minded individuals to get the most value in the long run,” he writes. “… If you want to build something that stands the test of time, you’ll connect your customers to each other and to valuable resources that extend beyond the sale.”


    4. Big Data

    This trendy phrase may still be vague to some, but the use of analytics in determining a business’ direction and outlook will continue to grow and become an important step in 2016. Tim Crawford, CIO of AVOA, explores its evolving role in information technology in a story for Hewlett Packard Enterprise.


    “We’ve been talking about Big Data for a while, but what most people call ‘Big Data’ today is actually tiny data compared to what’s coming down the road,” he says. “More importantly, the term ‘Big Data’ alone doesn’t capture the full scope of its real impact on IT. CIOs and their teams can’t simply focus on managing the technical complexity of exponentially growing data in their data centers. We must become more data-driven and analytical in all of our decision-making and strategies, because that’s what’s happening throughout the organization. Don’t mistake data analytics for a marketing trend. Almost all company decisions — whether about mergers and acquisitions, growth markets, or new opportunities, products, and services — are increasingly made based on data.”


    5. Innovations in Marketing

    Innovation is one of those concepts that should be entrenched in any list of business trends. As McLellan writes in her Gartner piece, CEOs and CMOs should have a sharp focus on new efforts and directions with marketing in 2016.


    “For the second year in a row we found that marketers are setting aside more than 9 percent of their budget for innovation,” she writes. “Leading a culture of change and company-wide innovation was the third-highest ranked increased CEO expectation of CMOs. More marketing executives have innovation in their title. An increasing number of CMOs manage product development as well as product management. Digital business transformation is causing many industries to shift their business model and offerings to digital vs. physical, putting marketing squarely in the middle of such innovation.”


    To read the full article please click here


    This article was originally sourced from Business2Community here and was written by David Kiger. 

  • 22 Jan 2016 11:11 AM | Kerrie Green

    Traditional and Digital PR are rapidly converging. A new Holmes report lays out five areas where digital changes are likely to intersect with, and have an impact on, Public Relations this year.


    1. Earned vs Paid Content: Publishing content is one of the core aspects of Digital PR. In December 2015 the FTC laid out guidelines for paid content in an effort to prevent consumers from being misled by native advertising. It’s no longer enough to label the content “promoted.” Disclosure now has to be above the content. One of the ways this affects PR is working with the media and influencers. The ability to identify the right influencers – in both traditional and social media – and provide them with content they value so that you get earned media coverage will become highly prized in 2016.


    2. Audio & Visual: There seems to be no end to the demand for immediate, visual content. Original images, smart infographics and engaging videos certainly capture the attention of your audience and are now important Digital PR skills. Then we have live-streaming video. The catch here is the skill needed to produce excellent quality visual material. It might be easy to write an engaging tweet, but taking high-quality photos on a smart phone or making a consistently interesting live-streaming video is not so simple.


    Despite this appetite for the visual, podcasts are still very popular and are a way to reach and engage your audience – a core PR function. They’re much easier to produce than video, they’re easy to digest and can be listened to while multi-tasking.


    3. The Shrinking Social Media Landscape: Facebook is now in its 12th year and shows no signs of slowing down. What we do see is a concentration of content and brand activity on the major social media platforms. PR pros need to hone their research skills, so they know exactly who is on which platform and what messages need to be posted where for best result. (Which means you have to understand data and analytics, another core Digital PR skill)


    If you have a Millennial audience it’s vital to be familiar with SnapChat, WhatsApp and Line. Line is going after disenchanted Facebookers as much as it’s hoping to woo Skype-calling addicts. And it would be wise to keep an eye other platforms coming out of Asia, like WeChat, QQ and QZone.


    4. Social Media at Work: LinkedIn cornered the market for business networking online. While still a major HR play, LinkedIn has also worked hard to make its platform appealing to journalists – and so it should be a priority for PR pros too. There are other apps making headway for internal comms – like Slack, which already has a large user base and has been valued at $1 Billion. Facebook at Work is a new product currently in beta for the work environment. If you are responsible for internal communication programs you need to be on top of these new services.


    5. There’s an App for That: There does appear to be an app for pretty much everything today. People are using apps in a more personal way – many of them health related. And the success of these health apps, along with the Internet of Things – opens the door to other brand engagement opportunities. Smart PR pros will investigate how their brand (or clients) could tap into this trend. There are tons of opportunities for engaging content that can not only entertain, but make the world a better place.


    This article was originally sourced from Business2Community here and was written by Sally Falkow. 



The Australasian Society of Association Executives (AuSAE)

Australian Office:
Address: Unit 6, 26 Navigator Place, Hendra QLD 4011 Australia
Free Call: +61 1300 764 576
Phone: +61 7 3268 7955
Email: info@ausae.org.au

New Zealand Office:
Address: 159 Otonga Rd, Rotorua 3015 New Zealand
Phone: +64 27 249 8677
Email: nzteam@ausae.org.au

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