Everyone’s favorite time of year is just around the corner- Compliance Time! The June CLE compliance deadline can be a very busy, and if properly planned for, very lucrative time of year for membership associations. The best way to minimize the headaches and maximize the revenue is to plan in advance. As Alexander Graham Bell said, “Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.”

So take a minute to decide which courses you will highlight in advance of June compliance, how you will schedule them, and how you will communicate this to your members. Here are some things to consider:

Courses:

  • Offer a variety: Plan courses now to cover general topics like ethics, professionalism or general practice area updates that are relevant to all your members, as well as more specialized topics that apply to certain groups.
  • Meet multiple requirements: Many associations have professionals who practice in multiple states. This is especially true in the northeast where, for example, an attorney may practice in New York, Connecticut and New Jersey. By meeting requirements in neighboring states, you can ensure that your members don’t have to look elsewhere to maintain their credentials.
  • Bundle & Share! By creating bundles of required courses, you save your busy members time, and reap all the financial rewards. Speaking of financial rewards, don’t forget to check out the InReach Sharing Network to see what you can Share In to round out your catalog.

Scheduling:

  • Look to the past. Review historical data and select event, live webcast, and replay times that have proven to be successful in the past.
  • Embrace replays & on-demand. Though it may feel repetitive to you, offer replays of live courses many times to meet the “live” demands of your busy attorneys. You may even offer the same course three times – morning, noon and night – in one day! Offer any course that doesn’t have that “live” requirement on-demand to meet the needs of night-owls.

Member Communications:

  • Explain the options. Let your members know about all the course opportunities available to them. For example, if you have a webcast in conjunction with an in-person event, list them together to give your members the greatest flexibility in scheduling.
  • Slice and dice. Segment your member list by unfinished compliance, by specialty, family law verse patent law for example, or other distinguishing characteristics. Then, develop email content that aligns with the segmentation and include links to the specific courses you want your members to register for.
  • Send reminders! Not only should you send a reminder to registered attendees, but send a “Last Chance” reminder to members that may still need credit.

 

So follow Alexander Graham Bell’s lead, consider the tips above, and prepare! If you have any other suggestions for your harried colleagues, let us know and comment below.