As we close the door on 2021, a year still filled with plenty of uncertainty but a glimmer of hope for the year to come, it’s time to look back on some of the biggest stories and trends in the association space and beyond.
Picking top posts can always be a challenge, especially when you count the time and effort put into creating each one. In the last year, we published over 140 blogs, each with unique and highly researched insights.
However, this is a top 10, which means we have to pick the best and we’re using data and analytics to showcase what our users viewed the most in 2021.
For many associations, keeping meeting minutes is an essential part of board meetings, town halls and any other gathering where members may be absent. In our post, we cover what the purpose of meeting minutes is along with some helpful templates to keep you at your best.
While there are still a lot of unknowns due to the pandemic, the one certainty is that hosting creative virtual events has become more important than ever. Our post outlines five of the more creative events and what we can learn from them to improve our own conferences and hybrid events moving forward.
As the world continues to explore the uses of cryptocurrencies, creator coins emerged with the potential to boost member engagement. How? Because these coins allowed individuals and organizations to create their own form of cryptocurrency that can be used within the organization – a perfect application for associations.
In 2021, Wild Apricot published a survey with 68% of participants indicating they were seeing a decline in their membership growth. However, understanding why there may have been a decline was just as important. In our blog, we went in-depth to determine those factors and outline some changes associations can make to improve those numbers.
Finding members is only half the battle – especially when you don’t have a strategy for welcoming them in. Our post outlines all the essential components of a welcome letter and other strategies associations should use to help those new members feel welcomed.
Ah, the ever-illusive digital transformation. As organizations continue to look towards an increasingly digital-focused world, prioritizing transformation is more important than ever. In our post, we outline exactly what a digital transformation is and how organizations can make it happen – just in time for 2022.
Change takes time. However, there are still ways to speed things up. In this post from Amith Nagarajan, he outlines exactly what it takes to cultivate that growth mindset and what organizations can do to bring on the very best talent and creativity.
With an audience of 1 billion and growing, Tiktok is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms out there. While still in the early stages for associations, there are some organizations finding great success. In our post, we outline lessons learned after attending TikTok for nonprofits: A secret weapon to drive your cause.
If Tiktok is part of your 2022 plans, you may find our post on making educational Tiktoks the perfect guide to help you get started.
Leadership is a lot more than just driving your organization to profitability. In our post, we outline what purpose-driven leadership is, how to become a purposeful leader and some practical examples to inspire those changes.
Our second crypto-related post on the list, this post delved into the case of Noora Health and co-founder and CEO Edith Elliott’s use of NFT technology. Spoiler, the NFT sold after Paul Graham bid 1,337 tokens (or the equivalent of $4.5 million) – a huge win for the use of cryptocurrency in the nonprofit sector.
Bonus: My personal favorites
Having started at Sidecar in September, it was such an amazing experience to work on some really interesting and impactful projects. There are three blogs specifically that I am extremely proud to have worked on.
McKinsey & Company has published their Women in the Workplace study since 2015 – and the data highlights some very crucial information on representation and the future of female workers. While there was a lot of data to unpack, one of the most jarring pieces of information was the fact that over 42% of women said they were almost always burned out in 2021 – a trend that should be a priority in the new year.
The answer is yes. As someone who joined the Sidecar team as part of the Great Resignation, I can attest to the impact it’s having on just about every industry. However, with many associations in the healthcare and technology spaces alone, it could have a bigger impact than they realize.
Of course, after discussing the Great Resignation, it was just as important to understand how to retain talent too. In this ultimate guide, we discuss specific factors that are causing staffers to leave and how organizations can create a strategy to boost retention and improve their overall culture too.
And that’s it – the best of the best for 2021. From myself and everyone on the Sidecar team, we wish you a happy new year and look forward to being a part of your journey in 2022!
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