04/03/2019

Daily Buzz: Engage Members Through Online Meetings

Establish attendee expectations from the start

When nonprofit experts say to meet members where they are, they don’t usually mean it literally—but maybe they should. With an influx of digital meeting tools on the market, organizations can engage more of their members by hosting meetings with remote-connectivity capabilities.

“For one, it’ll make those meetings more accessible to members who have tight schedules or live far away,” said Colleen Bottorff on the MemberClicks blog. “It’ll also demonstrate that your organization can keep up with trends. And, it shows members you’re willing to be accommodating and allow them to join from wherever they’re most comfortable.”

To ensure online meetings run smoothly, Bottorff suggests having a staff member join in for the first few gatherings.

“Until you get into a good flow, it’ll be really helpful to have someone on staff sit in on the other end,” she said. “That way they can see (and hear!) exactly what your remote members are experiencing.”

It’s also important to set attendee expectations from the start, so send out meeting rules, such as when remote guests should be on mute, in your pre-event communications.

And don’t forget to test and set up technology prior to the meeting start time, either.

“If there are any hiccups, you’ll be able to fix them before members start joining,” Bottorff said.

Please select this link to read the original article from Associations Now.