As a nonprofit leader, I prioritize supporting my staff, recognizing that the most valuable resource of any organization is its people. This support takes various forms, with continuous learning and networking standing out as indispensable tools for organizational and staff growth and success. That's why we send our entire team to the ACCESSE Conference.

ACCESSE offers a unique platform for development and networking, particularly beneficial for nonprofit staff across various levels in STEM societies and associations. Indeed, this conference holds significant value for organizations and their staff alike. 

And, like our membership, our senior staff is composed of a lot of “seasoned” veterans. Most of us have been on board for more than a decade and we have a few “lifers,” like me (37 years and counting). So, this resilient team, charged with breathing new life into our meeting, had to consider the effects of change on two audiences.  We were to present a plan to surpass pre-pandemic attendance levels and pique the curiosity of millennials and Gen Z without disenfranchising the loyal Boomers who had always kept our association out of the doghouse.

Six years ago, I was starting a new job; I’d done the association thing before (I live in DC—they let you reach into a hat and randomly select a career pathway between government, contractors, associations, NGOs and fancy burger restaurants) but this was my first time in a STEM society. On about my fifth day, our ED said, “I’d like to send you to this conference, help you get a better understanding of how these organizations work and get some ideas for the job.” I said, “cool, but it starts next week, and also what’s a ’Sess?’” 

I’ve now been to ACCESSE three times, and I’m looking forward to my fourth. And I mean looking forward. I had the dates highlighted on my calendar ever since I got back from Detroit! Why?