a successful relation-centered strategy designed by a staff professional

Every day, volunteer and staff leaders are exploring new and better ways to deliver profound learning experiences to their members. Many are doing so because they realize that their members want more than the opportunity to gain access to information, knowledge, and tools. They realize that what their members really want is to gain a better understanding of how to replicate strategies developed by their fellow members that have been proven successful.

In essence, what most members want, more than anything else, is to learn from one another.

They are eager to discover the simple or complex steps that others have taken to introduce or continue implementing their new and/or successful programs, projects or initiatives. This case example offers a rare insight of three specific ways that Lauren Kotkin, a life-long learning specialist/instructional designer/ event planner, at a national membership-based organization, worked with her colleagues to adjust and/or create opportunities for members to contribute in a consequential way in their MBO’s learning process.

In addition to describing these learning opportunities, this case example offers an in-depth analysis of how her actions changed the way her members viewed their MBO’s annual conference…and how it became a platform to encourage other kinds of member engagement.