In this episode of The Association Insights Podcast, we launch our Member Value Reimagined series with a bold and inspiring story from the American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT). Host Meghan Henning sits down with Pat White, Director of Membership, and Nealy Wheat, Chief Financial & Administrative Officer, to explore how ASNT broke the mold—replacing a traditional dues-based model with a freemium structure that’s already delivering surprising results.

🎧 From board buy-in to cross-team collaboration, this episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at how associations can challenge the status quo, grow their reach, and still drive revenue—without sacrificing value.

Key Highlights:

A Strategic Pivot, Driven by Data: Faced with declining membership and ambitious growth goals, ASNT asked a radical question: What if we started with free? Pat and Nealy walk through how this question set off a cross-functional strategy shift that redefined what member value looks like—and who gets access to it.

What the Freemium Model Actually Includes: Hear how ASNT reduced 11 membership categories down to 4, created a new “Associate” level with limited but meaningful benefits, and structured the experience so members could opt in to value rather than be forced to buy in.

The Financials Behind the Shift: With membership revenue making up less than 10% of total income, ASNT had room to explore—and a CFO willing to model every risk scenario. Nealy shares what it took to balance boldness with sustainability, and how the organization made the case to its board.

$100K in New Revenue—From Non-Paying Members: That’s right. Since launching in January 2025, ASNT has welcomed 2,000+ new and returning members into its Associate category—resulting in over $100,000 in new non-dues revenue. Pat breaks down where the dollars are coming from and how engagement is higher than ever.

The Marketing and Rollout That Made It Work: From a smart survey to a savvy social media launch, Pat credits ASNT’s marketing team for building buzz, generating leads, and crafting campaigns that resonated with the right audiences—without overwhelming them.

Lessons in Leadership and Change Management: Nealy and Pat offer candid insights on what made this transformation possible—from a risk-tolerant board and empowered staff to a culture of innovation that embraces iteration and continuous improvement.

🎧 Tune in for a real-world case study of a freemium membership model that actually works, along with smart strategy and practical advice from finance, membership, and operations pros. You’ll also hear fresh thinking on how to reduce friction, streamline benefits, and attract more members—without sacrificing your bottom line.

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: Our Member Value Reimagined series continues throughout October, featuring association leaders who are redefining benefits, access, and experiences to better serve today’s members. Tune in next week for more ideas that challenge assumptions—and deliver results.

The Association PR Toolkit—Smart, Strategic, and Actually DoableIn this solo episode of The Association Insights Podcast, host Colleen Gallagher, CEO of OnWrd & UpWrd, walks through the essential tools every association needs in their PR playbook. From mapping out the right stories to building the right press list—and pitching them to the right people—this is your tactical, honest, and refreshingly practical guide to PR that works.

Whether you're new to PR or looking to tighten your approach, Colleen lays out a clear framework for how associations can stop playing defense and start leading with strategy.

🎧 Get ready for a fast-moving, tip-packed episode designed to help you build visibility, credibility, and momentum—on your terms.

Key Highlights:

Your Editorial Calendar = Your North Star: Why a strategic, flexible editorial calendar is the foundation of all great PR—and how to align your content with awareness days, legislative priorities, and member moments.

The Press List That Actually Works: Forget mass email blasts. Learn how to build a press list that’s focused, up-to-date, and built around relationships—not just reach.

Pitching, Personalized: Colleen breaks down how to craft stories that resonate—whether you’re pitching national, local, trade, or digital-first outlets.

The Follow-Up Formula: Learn when to follow up, how often, and what not to do if you want to build real relationships with reporters.

Media Training 101: Why polished spokespeople matter, what good training looks like, and how to prepare your team for tough questions without sounding robotic.

Make Every Media Hit Go Further: Once you land a story, the work isn’t over. Colleen shares how to amplify your media wins through owned channels—email, social, newsletters, and board reports—so your results don’t end when the segment does.

🎧 Tune in for a candid, practical solo episode that gives associations a real plan for PR success.

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: Our October series, Member Value Reimagined, kicks off next week. We’re talking to association leaders and innovators who are redefining what value looks like in today’s changing landscape. From content and community to benefits and beyond—you won’t want to miss it.

In this solo episode of The Association Insights Podcast, host Colleen Gallagher, CEO of OnWrd & UpWrd, breaks down one of the most debated tactics in association PR: awareness days. While some call them overdone or ineffective, Colleen makes the case that, done right, awareness days can unlock real visibility, credibility, and media wins—especially for associations.

With real client examples and a clear, strategic framework, this episode is packed with practical advice on how to tap into awareness days in a way that’s smart, localized, and aligned with your mission.

Key Highlights:

Why Awareness Days Still Work: Despite the critiques, awareness days can offer a timely, built-in hook—if you avoid generic outreach and focus on relevance, localization, and timing.

Market Selection That Matters: You don’t need to pitch everywhere. Colleen shares how choosing 5–10 key markets—based on membership, media openness, or strategic visibility—can help you go deeper, not wider.

The Power of Localized Storytelling: From local data to member quotes to recent incidents, localizing your pitch is what turns an awareness day from a missed opportunity into a media win.

Real-World Examples in Action

Hear how OnWrd & UpWrd helped:

• A mental health association land TV interviews by tying Childhood Obesity Awareness Month to trending stories around GLP-1 drugs and presidential fitness tests.

• A boating safety client secure coverage by combining Global Drowning Prevention Awareness Day with localized accident data and seasonal relevance.
  

Takeaway Tips You Can Use Now

Colleen shares six actionable strategies your team can implement today, from choosing markets and building in lead time, to layering news hooks and leveraging public data.

Don’t Stop at the Hit—Maximize It:

Once you land coverage, amplify it across your owned channels.

At OnWrd & UpWrd, we believe the best PR efforts start with earned media and grow with owned media. Awareness days can be a powerful part of that strategy—when they’re done with intention, not just instinct.

🎧 Tune in now for a smart, strategic solo episode packed with ideas your association can put into action before your next awareness day.

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 top association leaders and industry experts for real-world insights on what’s working, what’s changing, and how to navigate the challenges—and opportunities—ahead. Stay tuned!

A True Video Partner: Rethinking Storytelling at Your Association

In this episode of The Association Insights Podcast, O&U CEO and host Colleen Gallagher sits down with C. Dallas Golden, DES, founder and Chief Video Strategist of Pond Ripple Media, for an honest and energizing conversation about the power of authentic storytelling. Dallas has spent the last decade helping associations and nonprofits elevate their video strategies—not as a vendor, but as a true partner.

From interviews that spark emotion to B-roll that brings conferences to life, Dallas shares how associations can use video to connect more deeply with members, sponsors, and mission—all without blowing the budget.

🎧 Whether you’re just getting started with video or looking to grow your strategy across departments, this episode is packed with practical takeaways and fresh perspective on what it means to tell your story well.

Key Highlights:

Authenticity Above All: Dallas shares his origin story—from actor to documentarian to video strategist—and explains why authenticity, not polish, is the secret to compelling content.

Beyond the Marketing Budget: Associations often limit video to the marketing line item, but Dallas breaks down how to stretch investment across membership, sponsorship, conference, and education budgets—and why spreading ownership builds greater buy-in.

From One Conference, 60 Videos: Using his ongoing work with the Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP) as a case study, Dallas outlines how 20 interviews can yield 40+ pieces of evergreen video content that fuel engagement all year long.

Video as a Sponsorship Opportunity: Don’t just spend on video—monetize it. Dallas shares how associations are incorporating interview segments into sponsorship packages and helping their corporate partners tell their own stories of impact and alignment.

Partnership Over Production: It’s not just about being behind the camera—it’s about listening, aligning, and strategizing together. Dallas explains why being treated as a partner, not a vendor, is key to meaningful results.

Fast Turnaround, High ROI: Learn how a 45-second thank you video from an ED (produced on-site and turned around in 48 hours) helped one client generate over 6,300 impressions and more than 100 click-throughs—in just one day.

Metrics That Matter: From impressions to engagement to click-through rates, Dallas explains what data points help show the ROI of video and how associations can better track results to make the case for continued investment.

🎧 Tune in for a real-world, results-driven conversation about how associations can create video content that resonates, gets seen, and makes a difference.

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 top association leaders and industry experts for real-world insights on what’s working, what’s changing, and how to navigate the challenges—and opportunities—ahead. Stay tuned!

In this episode of The Association Insights Podcast, we’re bringing you a special replay of our summer LinkedIn Live panel: Communicating What Matters—How Associations Can Lead with Strategic Storytelling.

Originally hosted by OnWrd & UpWrd CEO Colleen Gallagher, this roundtable features two communications leaders navigating some of the most complex issues facing associations today:

Tim Ebner, Senior Director of Communications at the Can Manufacturers InstituteSean Luechtefeld, Ph.D., Senior Director of Communications at ANCOR

🎧 From politicized narratives and media scrutiny to member trust and message discipline, this conversation offers honest, experience-driven advice for association pros navigating the intersection of policy, people, and purpose.

Key Highlights:

Mission Over Moment: Why clarity of mission and values is critical for staying grounded in complex, polarized environments—and how communications can lead with focus, not fear.

Storytelling with Intention: How to elevate real member stories in a way that resonates—and why it's about amplifying, not exploiting.

Crisis Isn’t the Time to Build a Playbook: Why the best comms leaders prepare before a flashpoint—and how Tim and Sean work cross-functionally to set expectations and build trust.

Empathy, Not Neutrality: Why staying neutral often isn’t an option—and how associations can lead with empathy and authenticity while holding firm on their values.

Media Readiness & Message Discipline: Tips for navigating media inquiries, staying on message, and preparing staff and board members for sensitive conversations.

Advice for Communicators: Whether you're a one-person team or leading a full department, Tim and Sean offer tactical guidance for aligning your communications strategy with what matters most.

🎧 Tune in for a thoughtful, unfiltered conversation about what it means to lead with clarity, courage, and purpose in today’s association landscape.

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: New episodes weekly featuring association leaders, content strategists, and storytellers exploring the power of clear, values-driven communication. Stay tuned!

In this episode of The Association Insights Podcast, host Meghan Henning sits down with Marilena Vrana, Vice President of Public Affairs and EU Operations at the Plasma Protein Therapeutics Association (PPTA), to explore what it takes to lead a global association strategy with unity, speed, and impact.

From Brussels to Washington, Marilena shares how her team navigates cultural, regulatory, and political complexity while keeping member needs and patient access front and center. With decades of experience in European health policy and a deep commitment to collaboration, she offers powerful lessons in stakeholder engagement, cross-border communication, and values-based leadership.

🎧 Whether you’re managing regional offices or rethinking your global footprint, this episode delivers clear, thoughtful insight into how associations can stay aligned across continents—and stay ahead of change.

Key Highlights:

Anticipating Change, Not Just Reacting: Marilena explains how PPTA stayed ahead of new EU legislation on substances of human origin—mobilizing early, preparing members, and showing up as a trusted, expert voice.

Stakeholder Listening with Empathy and Intent: Why true advocacy starts with active listening—not just to members and partners, but to policymakers too. Marilena shares how building human-centered relationships helps advance shared goals.

Transatlantic Alignment in Practice: From messaging consistency to cultural fluency, Marilena breaks down how her team collaborates across European and American offices—and why diversity is their greatest strength.

What Makes PPTA a Model for Global Associations: Learn how PPTA evolved from fragmented entities into one global voice—driven by strategic planning, agile operations, and a shared mission of patient access to life-saving plasma-derived therapies.

Mission-Led Strategy for 2025 and Beyond: Hear PPTA’s three priorities for the next two years: raising awareness of plasma therapies, ensuring policies work in practice, and building trust through transparency, evidence, and partnership.

Leadership Lessons from Lived Experience: From navigating uncertainty to leading with empathy, Marilena shares deeply personal reflections on how her experience as a patient shaped her leadership philosophy—and why authenticity is her greatest asset.

🎧 Tune in for a global perspective on association leadership that’s grounded, strategic, and refreshingly human.

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 top association leaders for real-world insights on what’s working, what’s changing, and how they’re navigating the challenges—and opportunities—ahead. Stay tuned!

In this episode of The Association Insights Podcast, we wrap up our August series on artificial intelligence with a standout example of AI in action. Host Colleen Gallagher sits down with Dave Dellin, Chief Executive Officer of the American Paint Horse Association (APHA), to explore how a tech-forward mindset is transforming a legacy association.

From reducing call volume to enhancing 24/7 member support, Dave shares how APHA’s AI-powered chatbot, BeccaBot, is making life easier for both members and staff—and what’s next as they plan to use AI across their digital ecosystem.

🎧 Whether you're leading a small staff or managing a large membership base, this episode offers smart, grounded insights into how associations can implement AI with intentionality, purpose, and clear member value.

Key Highlights:

Why AI, Why Now?: Dave shares what drove his team to explore AI in the first place—and how curiosity, peer learning, and strategic pain points led to a practical use case that delivered results.

Meet BeccaBot: Named in honor of APHA’s founder, BeccaBot is an AI-powered chatbot trained on 400+ pages of complex rulebooks and website content—offering clear, accurate answers to more than 1,000 member questions each month.

Staff Impact: 36% Fewer Calls: With over 4,000–6,000 member calls per month, BeccaBot has helped reduce call volume by more than a third—giving staff more time to focus on meaningful member support.

Better Insights, Better Service: From flagging confusing processes to identifying member pain points in real time, Dave explains how BeccaBot is also helping APHA streamline operations and improve service design.

What Makes a Good Chatbot?: Dave breaks down the key lessons from months of training, testing, and refining BeccaBot—and why not all chatbots are created equal.

Beyond the Bot: What’s Next for AI at APHA: From personalized content to smarter classifieds, Dave offers a peek into how APHA is exploring AI to strengthen member engagement and create new digital experiences.

Advice for Association Leaders: If you're still on the fence about AI, Dave shares candid, practical advice for getting started—including how to identify use cases, vet vendors, and build internal buy-in.

🎧 Tune in for a real-world look at how one association is embracing AI with clear goals, thoughtful implementation, and a deep commitment to its members.

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 top association leaders for real-world insights on what’s working, what’s changing, and how they’re navigating the challenges—and opportunities—ahead. Stay tuned!

In this episode of The Association Insights Podcast, we continue our August series on artificial intelligence with a thoughtful conversation about voice, values, and the real-world applications of generative AI.

Host Meghan Henning sits down with Preeti Vasishtha, Director of Content and Editor in Chief at the American Academy of Actuaries, to explore how she’s using AI as both an intern and a strategic partner—from onboarding to a highly technical industry to developing smarter content workflows that save time without sacrificing authenticity.

🎧 Whether you’re building your first AI policy, experimenting with tools, or just trying to wrap your head around the potential, this episode offers honest perspective and practical insights from someone who’s learning by doing—and doing it thoughtfully.

Key Highlights:

AI as Intern and Ally – Why Preeti sees GenAI as both a time-saving assistant and a powerful partner—and how she uses it to accelerate learning, streamline research, and support strategic storytelling.

How to Write a Better Prompt – The importance of framing, values, and specificity when prompting—and why your vision matters more than the tool itself.

Repurpose, Reuse, Rethink – From condensing 100-page reports to surfacing hidden gems in your knowledge library, Preeti shares how associations can use AI to unlock more value from existing content.

Finding—and Keeping—Your Voice – Preeti explains how to maintain authenticity in AI-generated content, why she still starts with a messy first draft, and how to recognize a “too-polished” AI tone.

Where Associations Stand – What she’s seeing across the sector, including common barriers to adoption, examples of smart implementation, and the growing gap between member expectations and association readiness.

Data, Policy, and Trust – Why good data governance is the backbone of ethical AI use—and how associations can start small while building guardrails for the future.

🎧 Tune in for a candid, thoughtful conversation on how associations can approach AI not just as a tool—but as a strategic decision rooted in mission, member value, and clear-eyed curiosity.

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 our August series on AI with more conversations featuring association leaders who are experimenting with tools, testing use cases, and working through the policy, people, and purpose of AI adoption. Stay tuned!