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In this episode of The Association Insights Podcast powered by OnWrd & UpWrd, we wrap up our special fall series with Highland, exploring how associations can better attract, engage and retain younger professionals. Host Colleen Gallagher welcomes back David Whited, Principal of Research & Strategy at Highland, for a final conversation connecting the lessons from our association leader interviews with Highland's broader research into what younger professionals really need. David shares why associations must move beyond simply distributing benefits and resources to become trusted career partners – and how creating more intentional experiences at critical career moments can strengthen engagement and retention. Key Highlights: From Benefits to Career Partnership: Why younger professionals are looking for more than programs and resources – and what it means for associations to become essential partners in their careers. The Five Behaviors of Great Partners: How anticipating needs, responding to emotions, offering timely guidance, building confidence and making progress possible can transform the member experience. Meeting the Needs Behind the Needs: Why associations should look beyond functional support to address the social and emotional needs surrounding important career milestones. Trust as a Competitive Advantage: What associations can uniquely offer in a world of LinkedIn, Reddit and countless other professional communities. Start With What You Have: Why improving one high-impact member experience may be more valuable than launching another program – and how three-year retention and experience-based measures can help track progress. 🎧 Tune in for a practical conversation about turning existing association resources into meaningful career partnerships—and giving younger professionals a reason to stay. Resources: 🌐 Learn more about Highland: www.highlandsolutions.com 📊 Take the Young Professional Membership Index: https://www.highlandsolutions.com/member-index/sign-up Stay Connected: Subscribe to The Association Insights Podcast powered by OnWrd & UpWrd on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or YouTube Podcasts to ensure you never miss an episode. Follow us on LinkedIn at OnWrd & UpWrd for the latest in association trends and strategies. Coming Soon: More conversations with association leaders, innovators and industry experts sharing fresh perspectives, practical strategies and ideas shaping the future of associations. Stay tuned! 🎧 This special series was brought to you by our friends at Highland, where strategy meets research meets action.

In this episode of The Association Insights Podcast powered by OnWrd & UpWrd, we continue our special fall series with Highland, exploring how associations can better attract, engage and retain younger professionals. Host Colleen Gallagher and special co-host David Whited, Principal of Research & Strategy at Highland, sit down with Ryan Vanderbilt, Vice President of Membership, Marketing & Communications at the American Psychiatric Association (APA), to explore what it really means for members to feel they belong—and how associations can foster meaningful connections throughout their careers. From APA's new strategic plan to research-driven experiments with mentorship, micro-volunteering and member communities, Ryan shares how APA is moving beyond traditional benefits to become a more relevant and supportive professional home. Key Highlights: Belonging Beyond Benefits: Why APA made belonging a strategic priority and what it means for members to feel understood, valued and connected to their profession. Learning From Residency: How the close-knit relationships formed during training can inform new approaches to mentorship and career-long connections. Creating Community at Scale: How APA is leveraging local networks and practice-specific roundtables to help members find meaningful connections without manufacturing community. Making Engagement More Accessible: Why micro-volunteering, peer mentorship and shorter commitments can open new opportunities for younger professionals to contribute. Turning Research Into Action: How listening beyond the most engaged members, personalizing experiences by practice setting and testing new ideas can strengthen member value. 🎧 Tune in for a practical conversation about creating the conditions for belonging—and building member relationships that last. Resources: 🌐 Learn more about Highland: www.highlandsolutions.com 📊 Take the Young Professional Membership Index: https://www.highlandsolutions.com/member-index/sign-up Stay Connected: Subscribe to The Association Insights Podcast powered by OnWrd & UpWrd on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or YouTube Podcasts to ensure you never miss an episode. Follow us on LinkedIn at OnWrd & UpWrd for the latest in association trends and strategies. Coming Soon: We're wrapping up our special fall series with Highland! David Whited returns for a final conversation with Colleen to connect the lessons from our association leader interviews with Highland's research and explore what associations can do to better attract, engage and retain younger professionals. 🎧 This special series is brought to you by our friends at Highland, where strategy meets research meets action.

In this episode of The Association Insights Podcast powered by OnWrd & UpWrd, host Colleen Gallagher welcomes back Joanna Pineda, CEO & Chief Troublemaker at Matrix Group International, on the eve of the launch of her new book, When It Mattered Most: The Untold Stories of How Associations Protected Professions and Saved Industries During the Pandemic.  Joanna shares the remarkable stories she uncovered of associations working behind the scenes during the pandemic – and the lessons they offer association leaders navigating disruption today. From advocacy that kept industries operating to leaders making critical decisions in a matter of days, the conversation explores what associations accomplished, why so many of those stories remain untold and what we can learn from them now. Key Highlights The Stories We Never Heard: Joanna shares how one conversation with the School Nutrition Association led her to uncover dozens of stories about associations protecting their members, professions and communities during the pandemic.  Leadership When There Is No Playbook: Strong board relationships, trusted partnerships, organizational alignment and the ability to make decisions quickly helped associations respond when every day mattered.  The Lessons Still Matter: Today’s disruptions may look different, but Joanna argues that association leaders still need to recognize moments that demand urgency, adaptability and decisive leadership.  Tell the Story Behind the Work: Associations are often great at communicating what they do but less likely to tell the story of how they made it happen. Joanna explains why those stories matter—and why telling them isn’t bragging.  Taking Associations Beyond the Association World: Joanna hopes the book helps the broader public—and the next generation—better understand the role associations play in our professions, industries and everyday lives.  🎧 Tune in for a powerful conversation about leadership, storytelling and the extraordinary work associations can do when it matters most. Resources: 📘 Buy When It Mattered Most: The Untold Stories of How Associations Protected Professions and Saved Industries During the Pandemic: Kindle and paperback amzn.to/47IhtVOHardback https://www.amazon.com/dp/1963732464Barnes & Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/when-it-mattered-most-joanna-pineda/1151584099?ean=2940196685064Buy elsewhere https://books2read.com/u/31E607 Stay Connected: Subscribe to The Association Insights Podcast powered by OnWrd & UpWrd on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or YouTube Podcasts to ensure you never miss an episode. Follow us on LinkedIn at OnWrd & UpWrd for the latest in association trends and strategies. Coming Soon: Next week, we're resuming our special fall series in partnership with Highland, exploring how associations can better attract, engage and retain younger professionals. Colleen and Highland's David Whited will sit down with association leaders to unpack real-world approaches, lessons learned and what's working – before David returns to close out the series and connect those experiences back to Highland's research.

In this episode of The Association Insights Podcast powered by OnWrd & UpWrd, we continue our special fall series with Highland, exploring how associations can better attract, engage and retain younger professionals. Host Colleen Gallagher and special co-host David Whited, Principal of Research & Strategy at Highland, sit down with Laura Burch, Vice President of Product Evolution, and Kelsey King, Director of Product Development and Management, at the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) to explore how small, intentional experiments can help associations tackle big questions around member engagement, career support and retention. From testing an AI-powered career tool to rethinking how existing resources reach members, Laura and Kelsey share what worked, what didn’t—and why an experiment that doesn’t produce the expected result can still create tremendous value. Key Highlights: Start Small, Learn More: Why contained pilots and clear success metrics can help associations test new ideas responsibly before committing significant resources. When the Experiment Doesn’t “Work”: AAPA’s AI-powered career tool didn’t significantly impact retention—but revealed important insights about personalization, resource awareness and what members actually need. Don’t Create What Already Exists: Members were asking for career support AAPA already offered, reinforcing the need to surface the right resources at the right moments rather than continually creating something new. Think Differently About AI: Why associations may not need their own version of ChatGPT—and how AI could instead work behind the scenes to create more personalized member experiences. Consider the Risk of Doing Nothing: You’ll rarely have perfect data before making a decision. Kelsey shares why the potential cost of inaction belongs in the equation, too. 🎧 Tune in for a practical conversation about experimentation, learning from what doesn’t work and making smarter investments in the member experience. Resources: 🌐 Learn more about Highland:⁠ www.highlandsolutions.com⁠📊 Take the Young Professional Membership Index:⁠ https://www.highlandsolutions.com/member-index/sign-up Stay Connected: Stay Connected: Subscribe to The Association Insights podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or YouTube Podcasts to ensure you never miss an episode. Follow us on LinkedIn at OnWrd & UpWrd for the latest in association trends and strategies. Coming Soon: We’ll continue bringing you conversations with association professionals sharing insights and strategies shaping the industry today. And coming soon, we’ll resume our special fall series with Highland, exploring how associations can better attract, engage and retain younger professionals through real-world examples of what’s working. 🎧 This special series is brought to you by our friends at Highland, where strategy meets research meets action.

In this episode of The Association Insights Podcast powered by OnWrd & UpWrd, host Colleen Gallagher welcomes back Jen O’Brien, Director of Research and Innovation at the American Marketing Association (AMA), to unpack findings from AMA’s new 2026 State of Marketing Careers Report. Jen shares what AMA’s research reveals about how AI is reshaping marketing roles, why generalists may have an advantage in a rapidly changing environment and what these shifts mean for associations helping professionals navigate their careers. Key Highlights From Executor to Orchestrator: As AI takes on more execution, marketers are increasingly responsible for setting direction, making judgment calls and ensuring quality. Jen explains why even individual contributors need to think more like managers—and become the “CEO” of their own work. The Rise of the AI-Powered Generalist: Specialized roles aren’t disappearing entirely, but Jen sees growing value in professionals who can work across disciplines, think strategically and build deep expertise in multiple areas. Don’t Undervalue Human Skills: AMA found that marketers are placing less value on adaptability, collaboration, communication and critical thinking—even as research suggests these are among the skills AI is least able to replicate. For associations, that uncertainty creates an opportunity to help professionals understand where the market is headed. The Early-Career Pipeline Problem: With execution-heavy entry-level roles contracting, Jen explores what employers can do to continue developing young talent—and how early-career professionals can build experience through internships, freelancing, volunteering and diversified skill sets. A Bigger Role for Associations: As careers become less linear and skills change faster, associations have an opportunity to become trusted partners in continuous learning, reskilling and credentialing—with greater emphasis on demonstrating what professionals can actually do. AI Adoption Without “Brain Fry”: AI shouldn’t simply become a mandate to do more with less. Jen discusses why leaders need to create space for experimentation, meet employees where they are and pay attention to the less-visible signs of AI-related burnout. 🎧 Tune in for a timely conversation about what AI means for marketing careers—and how professionals and associations can prepare for what comes next. Resources 📊 Explore AMA’s 2026 State of Marketing Careers Report: https://www.ama.org/marketing-news/2026-career-report/ Stay Connected: Subscribe to The Association Insights Podcast powered by OnWrd & UpWrd on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or YouTube Podcasts to ensure you never miss an episode. Follow us on LinkedIn at OnWrd & UpWrd for the latest in association trends and strategies. Coming Soon: Next week, we're resuming our special fall series in partnership with Highland, exploring how associations can better attract, engage and retain younger professionals. Colleen and Highland's David Whited will sit down with association leaders to unpack real-world approaches, lessons learned and what's working – before David returns to close out the series and connect those experiences back to Highland's research.

In this episode of The Association Insights Podcast powered by OnWrd & UpWrd, we continue our special fall series with Highland exploring how associations can better attract, engage and retain younger professionals. Host Colleen Gallagher and special co-host David Whited, Principal of Research & Strategy at Highland, sit down with Sid Bhatnagar, CEO of the American Society for Quality (ASQ), to explore how associations can become career-long resources for their members. 🎧 If your association is rethinking how it supports members throughout their careers, this conversation is for you. Key Highlights: Beyond Transactional Member Value: How associations can become more integrated into members’ career journeys rather than simply offering individual programs and resources. Career Paths Aren’t Always Linear: How ASQ is helping professionals navigate changing roles, transferable skills and different routes through the quality profession. Engaging Younger Professionals: Why personalization, technology and understanding different career goals are increasingly important to the member experience. Community and Career Connection: How mentoring, career resources and stronger use of member data can help associations connect people with the right support at the right time. Start Somewhere: Why associations shouldn’t wait for the perfect solution—and how taking action, learning and adapting can create meaningful member value. 🎧 Tune in for a practical conversation about career pathing, personalization and becoming a more meaningful part of members’ careers. Resources: 🌐 Learn more about Highland: www.highlandsolutions.com📊 Take the Young Professional Membership Index: https://www.highlandsolutions.com/member-index/sign-up Stay Connected: Stay Connected: Subscribe to The Association Insights podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or YouTube Podcasts to ensure you never miss an episode. Follow us on LinkedIn at OnWrd & UpWrd for the latest in association trends and strategies. Coming Soon: We’ll continue bringing you conversations with association professionals sharing insights and strategies shaping the industry today. And coming soon, we’ll resume our special fall series with Highland, exploring how associations can better attract, engage and retain younger professionals through real-world examples of what’s working. 🎧 This special series is brought to you by our friends at Highland, where strategy meets research meets action.

In this episode of The Association Insights Podcast powered by OnWrd & UpWrd, recorded on the show floor at the 2026 ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition in Indianapolis, host Colleen Gallagher sits down with Tanika Coates, Director of Professional Development at the American Society for Cell Biology, to explore how associations can create more meaningful professional development experiences for members at every stage of their careers. Tanika shares how associations can move beyond one-size-fits-all programming by using data to better understand member needs, reimagining existing content and designing learning experiences with accessibility and inclusion built in from the start. Key Highlights Move Beyond One-Size-Fits-All Learning: Members have different needs throughout their careers, and professional development should be designed as a journey rather than a single package of programs and resources. Let Data Guide Your Investments: AI, analytics, surveys and program data can help associations identify what members actually use, what may no longer be sustainable and where resources could have greater impact. Reimagine What You Already Have: Creating greater value doesn't always mean creating something new. Tanika shares how associations can rethink existing publications, webinars and other content for new formats and audiences. Design for Accessibility From the Start: Rather than relying on members to request accommodations, associations can build inclusion into their events, education, content and services from the beginning. Rethink Value for the Next Generation: Younger professionals are looking for mentoring, networking, advocacy and opportunities to grow—not simply traditional benefits or discounts. 🎧 Tune in for practical ideas to help your association rethink professional development, make smarter use of its resources and create learning experiences that better support members throughout their careers. Stay Connected: Subscribe to The Association Insights Podcast powered by OnWrd & UpWrd on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or YouTube Podcasts to ensure you never miss an episode. Follow us on LinkedIn at OnWrd & UpWrd for the latest in association trends and strategies. Coming Soon: Next week, we're resuming our special fall series in partnership with Highland, exploring how associations can better attract, engage and retain younger professionals. Colleen and Highland's David Whited will sit down with association leaders to unpack real-world approaches, lessons learned and what's working – before David returns to close out the series and connect those experiences back to Highland's research.

In this episode of The Association Insights Podcast powered by OnWrd & UpWrd, we kick off our September series focused on how associations can better attract, engage and retain younger professionals—powered by our partners at Highland. Our guest is Jon Berbaum, President of Highland, who joins host Colleen Gallagher to explore why younger professional engagement has become an association-wide strategic issue—and why getting someone to join is only the beginning. 🎧 If your association is working hard to attract younger professionals but struggling to keep them, this conversation is for you. Key Highlights: Joining vs. Staying: Why younger professionals increasingly join for a specific, transactional reason—and why associations need to treat the decision to stay as an entirely separate challenge. The Long-Term Stakes: How low younger professional engagement can impact an association's mission, revenue and long-term relevance. From Customer to Member: Why the initial joining decision is an opportunity to begin building the experiences and relationships that give younger professionals a reason to stay. AI and Career Partnership: How associations can look beyond staff efficiency and use AI to create new member value by coordinating resources and personalizing career support. Trust Over Ownership: Why the question is shifting from What products and benefits do we own? to What trusted position do we occupy in someone's career? 🎧 Tune in for a thought-provoking conversation on earning the decision to stay and becoming a more meaningful part of younger professionals' career journeys. Resources: 🌐 Learn more about Highland: www.highlandsolutions.com 📊 Take the Young Professional Membership Index: https://www.highlandsolutions.com/member-index/sign-up The YPMI takes just 15 minutes to complete and helps association leaders see where their organization is strong, where it may be stuck and where to focus next – benchmarked against the field, with insights into young professional engagement, retention and AI maturity. Stay Connected: Subscribe to The Association Insights podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or YouTube Podcasts to ensure you never miss an episode. Follow us on LinkedIn at OnWrd & UpWrd for the latest in association trends and strategies. Coming Soon: Throughout September, we're exploring how associations can better attract, engage and retain younger professionals. Colleen and Highland's David Whited will sit down with association leaders to unpack real-world approaches, lessons learned and what's working—before David returns to close out the series and connect those experiences back to Highland's research. 🎧 This special series is brought to you by our friends at Highland, where strategy meets research meets action.

In this episode of The Association Insights Podcast powered by OnWrd & UpWrd, host Colleen Gallagher sits down with David Whited, Principal, Research & Strategy at Highland, to explore how associations can move beyond providing products and services to become essential career partners for their members. David shares why strong resources alone aren’t enough—and how associations can create greater value by understanding where members are in their careers, anticipating what they need, and showing up at the moments that matter.  🎧 Whether you lead membership, strategy, marketing, or the organization as a whole, this conversation offers a thought-provoking look at how associations can deepen member relationships and become more essential throughout a professional’s career. Key Highlights From Career Support to Career Partnership: Associations have built exceptional resources, but David argues that resources alone aren’t enough. He explains the difference between offering a “menu” of career support and creating a coordinated journey where members feel genuinely known and supported. How Associations Drifted from Their Original Purpose: Growth, specialization, departmental structures, pressure for non-dues revenue, and the need to scale all helped associations become highly effective distributors of products and services.  Competing in an Unbundled World: Professionals can increasingly find education, networking, information, communities, and career guidance across platforms like LinkedIn, Reddit, AI tools, podcasts, and peer networks.  The Moments That Matter: The biggest opportunities for member value aren’t always where associations expect them to be. David shares why research into pivotal career moments can uncover when members need support most—and, just as importantly, when they want associations to step back. Personalization That Actually Means Something: Meaningful personalization goes far beyond using a member’s first name. It means understanding where someone is in their career, recognizing the challenges they’re likely facing, and connecting them with the right resource or person at the right time. 🎧 Tune in for a forward-looking conversation about membership, trust, AI, and what it will take for associations to become indispensable career partners once again. Stay Connected: Subscribe to The Association Insights podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or YouTube Podcasts to ensure you never miss an episode. Follow us on LinkedIn at OnWrd & UpWrd for the latest in association trends and strategies. Coming Soon: We’re continuing the conversation with association professionals sharing top trends, challenges, and insights shaping the association world. And stay tuned throughout September for a special series, presented in partnership with Highland, exploring how associations can better engage, support and create lasting value for younger professionals.

In this episode of The Association Insights Podcast powered by OnWrd & UpWrd, recorded on the show floor at the 2026 ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition in Indianapolis, O&U’s Meghan Henning sits down with Gail R. Kulp, M.Ed., CAE, Executive Director of the Sea Tow Foundation, to talk about scaling programs, empowering partners and creating meaningful impact with a small team. The Sea Tow Foundation’s Life Jacket Loaner Program has grown to more than 1,500 loaner stations nationwide, and Gail shares the systems behind that growth – from making participation easy to using data and reporting to continually strengthen the program. Key Highlights Make It Easy to Participate: Sea Tow Foundation gives local partners everything from building plans and signage to talking points and marketing materials, removing barriers to participation. Listen and Keep Improving: Recurring questions from partners help Gail identify where additional resources, templates or guidance are needed. Build in Accountability: Reporting requirements help the Foundation understand how its resources are being used, measure impact and make smarter decisions about future support. Use Data to Scale Smarter: In 2026, the Foundation awarded 9,990 life jackets to 224 organizations, using application and reporting data to help determine where resources could have the greatest impact. Create Systems That Extend Your Team: Gail shares how templates, ready-to-use social content, media resources and outside partners allow a small staff to support a much larger network. 🎧 Tune in for practical ideas on scaling successful programs, empowering partners and helping a small team make a much bigger impact. Stay Connected: Subscribe to The Association Insights Podcast powered by OnWrd & UpWrd on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or YouTube Podcasts to ensure you never miss an episode. Follow us on LinkedIn at OnWrd & UpWrd for the latest in association trends and strategies. Coming Soon: We’re continuing to share conversations with association leaders on the ideas and strategies shaping the future of the industry. Stay tuned!

In this episode of The Association Insights Podcast powered by OnWrd & UpWrd, host Colleen Gallagher sits down with Phil Andrews, CEO of USA Fencing, to explore what it takes to build sustainable growth in today's association landscape. Since becoming CEO in 2022, Phil has led USA Fencing through significant membership, club, and revenue growth while positioning the organization for the opportunities surrounding the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games. But as Phil explains, lasting success isn't built around one marquee moment—it's built through member listening, strong local communities, creative partnerships, and a culture of trust. 🎧 Whether you're focused on growing membership, diversifying revenue, or strengthening member engagement, this episode is full of practical ideas association leaders can put to work. Key Highlights Listening Is a Leadership Strategy: Phil explains why treating members as your "bosses"—and acting on their feedback—creates stronger organizations and better long-term decisions. Local Communities Fuel Growth: Learn how investing in USA Fencing's network of clubs has strengthened membership and created a more resilient organization. Lead With Transparency: Phil shares how clear communication, accountability, and explaining the "why" behind decisions help build trust—even during difficult moments. Think Beyond the Big Event: As LA28 approaches, USA Fencing is using the excitement to build long-term engagement—not just short-term visibility. Rethinking Revenue Growth: Phil discusses how understanding members beyond their role in the association opens the door to stronger partnerships, sponsorships, and new revenue opportunities. Tell Stories That Reach New Audiences: From creator collaborations to Comic-Con, Phil shares how creative storytelling helps USA Fencing connect with people beyond the sport. Culture Drives Everything: Building a strong culture starts with leadership, accountability, and creating an environment where people feel they belong. 🎧 Tune in for an engaging conversation on membership growth, leadership, storytelling, and building associations that thrive for the long term. Stay Connected: Subscribe to The Association Insights podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or YouTube Podcasts to ensure you never miss an episode. Follow us on LinkedIn at OnWrd & UpWrd for the latest in association trends and strategies. Coming Soon: We're continuing to feature association executives and industry leaders sharing practical insights on the trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping the future of associations. Stay tuned for more conversations designed to help association professionals grow, innovate, and lead with confidence.

In this episode of The Association Insights Podcast powered by OnWrd & UpWrd, host Colleen Gallagher welcomes Denny Lengkong, President of IntelliData, back to the podcast to explore one of the biggest challenges facing associations today: turning mountains of data into meaningful decisions. While many organizations have more data than ever before, few are fully leveraging it to drive strategy. Denny shares practical advice on how association leaders can move beyond reporting, ask better questions, prepare their organizations for AI, and build a data culture that supports smarter decision-making—not just more dashboards. 🎧 Whether you're just beginning your data journey or looking to make AI work more effectively for your organization, this episode offers practical, actionable insights for association leaders at every stage. Key Highlights Why Associations Are "Data Rich but Insight Poor": Denny explains why so many organizations treat their AMS or CRM as a "glorified filing cabinet" instead of a strategic asset—and what prevents teams from turning data into action. From Reporting to Decision Support: Learn why the most valuable data questions aren't "How many members do we have?" but "What actions will improve engagement, retention, and member value?" Preparing Your Data for AI Success: AI isn't a magic fix for poor data. Denny shares why clean data, shared definitions, and organizational context are essential before AI can deliver meaningful results. The Small Data Points That Predict Big Outcomes: Discover how seemingly minor patterns—like changes in a member contact or recurring attendance trends—can reveal valuable insights into member behavior and retention. Creating a Single Source of Truth: Breaking down silos starts with shared definitions. Denny explains why agreeing on something as simple as what qualifies as a "member" lays the foundation for better reporting, analytics, and AI adoption. Resources: Sign up for IntelliData’s monthly newsletter, The Slice: https://intellidata.tech/#newsletter-signup  🎧 Tune in for an engaging conversation filled with practical advice on building a stronger data strategy, embracing AI thoughtfully, and helping your association make better decisions with the information it already has. Stay Connected: Subscribe to The Association Insights podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or YouTube Podcasts to ensure you never miss an episode. Follow us on LinkedIn at OnWrd & UpWrd for the latest in association trends and strategies. Coming Soon We're continuing to sit down with association professionals and industry leaders to share practical perspectives on the trends, challenges, and innovations shaping the future of associations. Stay tuned for more conversations designed to help you strengthen your organization, engage your members, and lead with confidence.

In this episode of The Association Insights Podcast powered by OnWrd & UpWrd, host Colleen Gallagher sits down with Candice Warltier, CEO & Founding Partner of CS-Effect, to explore how associations can use trusted voices to combat misinformation, educate new audiences, and strengthen their credibility in an increasingly noisy digital landscape. Drawing from CS-Effect's award-winning work with the American Association of Endodontists (AAE), Candice shares how a strategic influencer campaign helped counter myths about root canals by partnering with respected physicians, pediatricians, and healthcare content creators—not to promote products, but to deliver science-based education people could trust. 🎧 Whether you're leading communications, marketing, membership, or advocacy, this episode offers practical insights into how associations can thoughtfully incorporate influencer marketing to expand their reach, build trust, and engage the next generation. Key Highlights Why Influencer Marketing Belongs in the Association Toolkit: Candice explains how member concerns about online misinformation sparked a campaign that reached audiences traditional communications couldn't. Trust Starts with the Right Voices: Learn why AAE intentionally partnered with physicians and healthcare educators outside dentistry—and how third-party credibility helped strengthen the campaign. The Vetting Process Matters: From audience engagement and brand alignment to years of past content, Candice shares the rigorous process associations should use before partnering with any content creator. Authenticity Beats Scripts: Discover why giving creators messaging guidance—not word-for-word scripts—results in content that feels genuine and resonates with audiences. Measuring Success Beyond Likes: The campaign generated thousands of saves and shares while driving users to AAE's educational resources and Find My Endodontist locator, proving meaningful engagement goes far beyond impressions. 🎧 Tune in for a practical conversation on building trust through credible voices, combating misinformation with confidence, and using influencer partnerships to help your association reach new audiences with authenticity. Stay Connected: Subscribe to The Association Insights Podcast powered by OnWrd & UpWrd on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or YouTube Podcasts to ensure you never miss an episode. Follow us on LinkedIn at OnWrd & UpWrd for the latest in association trends and strategies. Coming Soon We're continuing to sit down with association professionals and industry leaders to explore the top trends, innovative strategies, and practical insights helping associations strengthen member engagement, navigate change, and prepare for what's next. Stay tuned!

In this special episode of the Association Insights Podcast powered by OnWrd & UpWrd, host Colleen Gallagher shares a live panel discussion from Washington Women in Public Relations (WWPR) on how associations can use strategic storytelling to build trust, strengthen member engagement, and drive organizational results. Joining Colleen are: Courtney Rhodes, Head of News Media Relations, U.S. Travel Association Jeanne Metzger, Vice President, Membership, Marketing & Analytics, Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) Alexandra Bradley, Director of Communications & Marketing, American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) Together, they share practical strategies for helping associations move beyond promoting programs to becoming trusted, strategic voices during times of uncertainty, rapid technological change, and shifting member expectations. 🎧 Whether you lead communications, marketing, membership, or strategy, this episode offers actionable ideas for building trust, creating stories that resonate, and positioning communications as a driver of organizational success. Key Highlights Communications as a Business Driver: Why communications deserves a seat at the leadership table—and how it supports membership, revenue, advocacy, and reputation. Leading Through Uncertainty: How associations can communicate with confidence, avoid reactive messaging, and build trust during challenging moments. Tell Better Stories, Not More Stories: Why audience segmentation, member insights, and authentic storytelling outperform constant promotion. Putting Members at the Center: Learn how member experiences, volunteer voices, and community stories create stronger engagement than organizational messaging alone. Using AI with Intention: Practical ways AI can improve efficiency while preserving the authenticity that only people can provide. Stay Connected: Subscribe to The Association Insights Podcast powered by OnWrd & UpWrd on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or YouTube Podcasts to ensure you never miss an episode. Follow us on LinkedIn at OnWrd & UpWrd for the latest in association trends and strategies. Coming Soon: More conversations with association professionals sharing the trends, insights, and strategies helping associations navigate change, engage members, and lead with confidence. Stay tuned!

In this episode of The Association Insights Podcast powered by OnWrd & UpWrd, host Meghan Henning sits down with Tara Puckey, MBA, FASAE, CAE, CMP, President & CEO of the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA), for a thoughtful conversation on trust, leadership, organizational culture, and the evolving information landscape. Drawing on her unique background in both journalism and association leadership, Tara explores why trust has become one of the defining challenges of our time—and what association leaders can do to build resilient organizations in an era of rapid technological change, increasing polarization, and rising expectations around transparency and wellbeing. 🎧 Whether you're leading through uncertainty, strengthening organizational culture, or preparing your association for what's next, this episode offers timely insights into the leadership skills today's association executives need most. Key Highlights Trust Is Every Association's Business: Tara explains how declining trust—once primarily a challenge for journalism—has expanded across industries, creating new expectations for associations to demonstrate credibility, transparency, and value to both members and the public. Leading Through Polarization Without Losing Your Mission: As social and political issues increasingly intersect with organizational leadership, Tara shares why associations should proactively define their values and discuss potential response strategies before difficult moments arise. Building Cultures Where People Thrive: Strong organizational cultures don't happen by accident. Tara discusses why trust, empathy, and authentic relationships are foundational to high-performing teams—and why putting people first ultimately leads to stronger organizational outcomes. Why Leadership Can Feel Lonely: Even in collaborative organizations, CEOs often carry challenges they can't always share internally. Tara highlights the importance of peer networks, mentorship, and professional communities that provide support, perspective, and practical advice. 🎧 Tune in for an inspiring conversation on leading with purpose, building trust in uncertain times, and creating organizations that are prepared for the future—not just reacting to it. Stay Connected: Subscribe to The Association Insights Podcast powered by OnWrd & UpWrd on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or YouTube Podcasts to ensure you never miss an episode. Follow us on LinkedIn at OnWrd & UpWrd for the latest in association trends and strategies. Coming Soon We're continuing to sit down with association leaders from across industries to explore the trends, leadership lessons, and innovative strategies shaping the future of associations. Stay tuned for more conversations designed to help your organization stay resilient, relevant, and ready for what's next.