Virtual Only Event

Membership & Marketing Symposium

Date: Thursday, March 5th, 2026

Time: 9:30 – 3:00 PM

This Symposium is a unique opportunity to engage with thought leaders and subject-matter experts who will guide us through the intricate and fascinating world of personal and professional development. Whether you are a seasoned professional, an emerging leader, or simply someone eager to enhance your understanding of these vital topics, this event is designed for you.  

Agenda: Each session is 1 CPE/CAE Credit

Keynote Speaker: (9:30 – 9:50)

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Session 1: (10:00-11:00 PM ET) Digital Marketing Analytics Starter Pack: Measuring What Matters for Membership Growth

Course Description: 

Associations must go beyond vanity metrics to understand how digital marketing efforts truly impact membership goals. This session introduces a practical “starter pack” of analytics tools and strategies—spanning email, social media, web, and paid ads—that help organizations measure what matters.

Using real-world examples and actionable insights, attendees will learn how to align digital tactics with strategic membership outcomes, such as acquisition, retention, and engagement. We’ll explore how to use UTM codes and GA4 to track campaign performance, build meaningful reports, and answer leadership’s most pressing questions: Is our marketing working? Are we reaching the right people? Are we driving member value?

Whether you’re just starting out or refining your analytics approach, this session will help you build a data-informed strategy that strengthens member relationships and demonstrates impact.

Learning Objectives:

• – Identify key digital marketing metrics across email, social media, web, and paid ads that signal progress toward membership goals.
• – Apply UTM codes and GA4 reporting to track campaign effectiveness and user engagement across channels.
• – Translate analytics into strategic insights that answer leadership questions and guide membership-focused decision-making.
• – Benchmark performance using internal and external data to refine content and outreach strategies.
• – Build a starter analytics toolkit that supports ongoing evaluation, optimization, and storytelling around member impact.

Speaker: Julie McDowell, Director, Strategic Communications & Digital Content at College of American Pathologists

CAE: Marketing & Communications

NASBA: Communications & Marketing

Session 2: (11:15-12:15 PM ET) Using AI to Power Smarter Membership and Marketing Strategies

Course Description:

AI is already reshaping how associations do the work they’ve always cared about: connecting people and industries, telling stories, and driving meaningful engagement. And it’s helping them do it in record time! While that speed opens up real opportunity, it also forces new strategic choices.

In this session, we’ll cover both the AI tools associations should be paying attention to and how to use them in day-to-day membership and marketing work AND how your overall strategy needs to change because of them. For example: How do you take advantage of working at scale while still maintaining your authenticity, credibility, and trust? How does your content strategy need to shift so your organization shows up as a source when AI is answering questions for your members? When does AI help create better, more responsive experiences, and when is a human touch still essential? You’ll leave understanding not just how to use AI, but how to rethink your membership and marketing strategies in response to it.

Learning Objectives:

• – Understand how AI is changing membership and marketing strategy, not just speeding up the work
• – Identify which AI tools are worth paying attention to and how associations are using them
• – Identify where strategy needs to shift in response to AI

Speaker: Joanna Pineda, CEO & Chief Troublemaker at Matrix Group International

CAE: Marketing & Communications

NASBA: Communications & Marketing

Session 3: (12:45-1:45 PM ET) Members Aren’t Responding—Now What?

Course Description: 

When your best marketing efforts fall flat, what’s really going on? This session helps you dig beneath the surface to discover why members tune out—and how to turn it around. Through interactive exercises, case studies, and honest conversation, learn how to spot whether the issue is segmentation, messaging, or product fit. Work with peers to rethink your approach, uncover fresh strategies for connecting with your audience, and leave with clear steps to boost member engagement and deliver genuine value for your association.

Learning Objectives:

• – Diagnose the real reasons behind poor member engagement using segmentation, messaging, and product-fit frameworks.​
• – Evaluate member data and campaign performance to identify what’s working—and what’s not—in your marketing strategy.​
• – Differentiate between symptoms of marketing problems (like low open rates) and underlying product or value gaps within the association.​
• – Redesign core marketing messages to align with meaningful member needs and motivations, avoiding one-size-fits-all communication.​
• – Collaborate with peers to create actionable solutions and engagement strategies that can be applied immediately within your organization.​
• – Implement a feedback and measurement loop to continuously improve marketing, segmentation, and product relevance over time.

Speaker: Laura Sparks, Director of Marketing and Communications at American Society of Appraisers

CAE: Marketing & Communications

NASBA: Communications & Marketing

Session 4: (2:00-3:00 PM ET) From Reactive to Strategic: Building a High-Impact Marketing Function in Today’s Associations

Course Description:

Association marketing teams are under extraordinary pressure—expected to drive membership growth, improve retention, support programs, and prove ROI, all while navigating shifting member expectations and limited resources. Too often, teams are stuck in reactive mode: juggling last-minute requests, unclear priorities, and a lack of measurable goals.

This session reframes marketing as a strategic, results-driving function—one that partners with leadership, makes data-informed decisions, and works from a clear quarterly plan. Grounded in real-world association examples, this interactive session will help attendees diagnose common dysfunctions, reset expectations with leadership, and build the operational foundation required for sustainable growth. Participants will leave with practical frameworks they can immediately use with their teams and executives.

Learning Objectives:

• – Identify and assess common failure points in association marketing teams, including misaligned priorities, lack of strategic clarity, and unclear performance expectations.
• – Apply a practical quarterly planning framework that helps teams stay focused, measure what matters, and communicate results to leadership more effectively.
• – Implement strategies to shift the internal perception of marketing—from order-taking to strategic partner—through better goals, reporting, and cross-team collaboration.

Speaker: Brianne Wheeler, CEO/Owner at Levitate Marketing

CAE: Marketing & Communications

NASBA: Communications & Marketing