Membership

Posted on January 14, 2021

Gen Z: The Youth Vote and The 2020 Election

XYZ University defines Gen Z as those who were born between 1996 and 2009, now making up almost 30% of the world’s population. Since the oldest members of Generation Z are just starting to become adults, their impact on the political world is only just beginning. Gen Zers have grown up with massive interconnectivity to peers and strangers alike through access to social media, global news, and research, resulting in a high awareness of what is occurring around the world. This has...

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by Anna Sladek

Posted on December 9, 2019

Generation X, Generation Y, Generation Z, Generations, Membership

Why the Generational Topic is More Controversial — and More Relevant — Than Ever

There’s been considerable debate in recent weeks on the topic of generations. The ‘OK, Boomer’ campaign reached a fever pitch globally. The phenomenon started when an unidentified Boomer man posted a rant on TikTok against young people. Thousands of teens and 20-somethings on TikTok responded, posting videos and memes and creating ‘Ok, Boomer’ merchandise. The campaign has been referred to as a “mass retaliation” by Gen Z to the political, economic, and environmental choices made by decision-makers which have negatively...

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by Sarah Sladek

Posted on January 7, 2019

General, Generation Z, Membership, Save the Associations

The Future is Bright

By Josh Miller “If you take associations and put them in the middle of everything going on in society, I’d say that the association industry is way ahead of the curve. We are ready to embrace young people, and I think that Gen Z will find that associations are welcoming and inspiring places for them to work and give their talents.” - John Graham, CEO of the American Society of Association Executives This year was my first as Director of Gen Z...

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by Sarah Sladek

Posted on December 11, 2018

Membership, Save the Associations

Flip Your Perspective to Achieve Greater Success

Reporting live from Australia, Sarah Sladek invites associations to flip their perspectives to reverse membership decline and disengagement. This five-part video series explores key challenges associations are facing and provides tips to help them successfully transition and 'flip' their perspectives. Part 1 - Flip Your Perspective - Australia 2018 https://vimeo.com/304752547 Part 2 - Flip Your Perspective - Plan for the Future https://vimeo.com/306193597 Part 3 - Flip Your Perspective - Membership Value https://vimeo.com/306193806 Part 4 - Flip Your Perspective - Commit to Change https://vimeo.com/306194044 Part 5 - Flip Your Perspective - Leaders of...

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by Sarah Sladek

Posted on November 29, 2018

Membership, Save the Associations

Thank You for the Lessons You Taught Me in 2018

By Elisa Webb Hill It’s November, the perfect month to celebrate and be thankful for a year of change, surprise, and success. Today, the world’s population is over 7.6 billion, according to Worldometers, with countries like China, India, and the U.S. leading the way. This year XYZ University has had the pleasure of working with associations, companies, and organizations across the globe, and we want to thank all of you for your support. The world is incredibly and wonderfully diverse. Just think what we...

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by XYZ University

Posted on October 31, 2018

Membership, Save the Associations, Scary Stats

The Stats Don’t Lie

Scary Stats is baaaaack…in its 6th edition! 62% of associations are experiencing flat or declining membership. 7,000 U.S. retail stores closed in 2017. The construction industry is projected to lose 1.1 million workers to retirement by 2024. Only 60 companies from 1955’s Fortune 500 list are still in existence today. For the 6th year in a row, skilled trades positions are the hardest to fill globally. Businesses lose $75 billion annually due to poor customer service. Throughout October, XYZ University has been sharing scary stats haunting associations...

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by Sarah Sladek

Posted on September 26, 2018

Generation X, Generation Y, Generation Z, Membership, Millennials, Save the Associations, Succession Planning

UN Commits to Working For Young People

By Sarah Sladek “Youth make up 25% of the population, but 100% of the future.” – Lilly Singh, speaking at UN Youth 2030 This week marked a historic event, with the United Nation's launch of Youth2030. Following is an excerpt from UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ opening remarks at the event which took place in New York: “It is a rare treat to see so many young people at the United Nations – unfortunately far too rare. Our world today is very young; home to 1.8 billion...

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by Sarah Sladek

Posted on September 11, 2018

Membership

Membership is not dead. Far from it.

By Sarah Sladek, CEO of XYZ University I started researching the widespread decline in membership in 2002, and authored a best-selling book for ASAE in 2011 titled, The End of Membership As We Know It. (This book has continued to top the sales charts for the past seven years.) What I discovered while researching that book was that membership associations were facing unexpected challenges while also facing an unprecedented opportunity to grow—but few were recognizing or capitalizing on the growth opportunities. It’s simple...

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by Sarah Sladek

Posted on August 24, 2018

Generation Y, Membership, Millennials, Talent Development

Keynote Urges Associations to Solve Global Workforce Crisis

Sarah Sladek issues up a call to action to the global association community to solve the workforce crisis at the Association World Congress. Yesterday, I was in Vienna for the Associations World Congress. I had the incredible honor of being an opening keynote presenter, and I took the responsibility quite seriously, issuing up a call to action to the global association community to solve the workforce crisis. The following are excerpts from my speech, which was largely based on my new book, Talent Generation,...

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by Sarah Sladek

Posted on August 22, 2018

Generation Y, Membership, Millennials

Do You Think You Know What Millennials Need?

Steve Jobs knew what people wanted before they did. Maybe we know what Millennials need before they do? I was asked this by a Baby Boomer executive at a membership engagement summit I was running last week. This was in response to my comment that the reason younger generations weren’t engaging with organizations was because what was being offered was no longer relevant. His response, in essence, was “We’re older, don’t we know what’s best for them?” Fair question, sir. That’s a...

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by XYZ University

Membership

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