ASAE Launches New Book Guiding Association Professionals on How to Use Research for Results

WASHINGTON, July 30, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- How do you design objectives and choose the right method to conduct research? How do you separate pertinent information from irrelevant data and put good research into action? The Informed Association: A Practical Guide to Using Research for Results, from ASAE's publishing arm, Association Management Press, equips association executives with the fundamentals to make research a practical tool. The resource provides a framework to work from, and it walks associations through the process of conducting research. The book will launch in August.

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Editors Sarah Slater, MS, and Sharon Moss, PhD, CRA, CAE, worked with several contributing authors to put together a nine-chapter guide helping association professionals and leaders understand the importance of data-based decision making and how to ask the right research questions and gather data in a meaningful way. The resource underscores an ASAE Foundation goal of making research meaningful and useful to the association community.

"We wanted to put together a resource that provides a 'roadmap' with practical guidance for association professionals including: detailed definitions, case studies, and charts, so association professionals have the tools needed to be productive, effective consumers of research. It's a valuable tool for the community because we are all are interested in data-driven decision making, and it provides meaningful guidance to ensure we are gathering, using, and interpreting good information to guide our choices," said Sarah Slater, MS, co-author of the book.

The guide includes information on

• Why you use data to make decisions
• When to say "no" to a research project
• How to manage the research process internally or through a vendor
• What collection methods can work for you and how to determine and recruit your survey audience
• The ethical issues that arise when conducting research
• How to analyze and interpret data results
• How to identify common pitfalls and errors to avoid
• Which medium is best for conveying your results to an audience

Sarah C. Slater, MS, is the director of surveys and analysis at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) in Rockville, Maryland, and she entered the association field in 1986. Since 1996, Sarah has overseen ASHA's data-gathering efforts including the development, implementation, conduct, analysis, and reporting of all Association program evaluation, survey, and other data-gathering activities.

Sharon E. Moss, PhD, CRA, CAE, is the chief research officer of the ASAE Foundation, Washington, DC. She currently oversees the development and implementation of the Foundation's research agenda; directs the organization's research initiatives designed to advance applied and scholarly knowledge in association management; and leads the development of new research-based revenue-generating publications. She has served as a research professional in academic, government/biomedical, and association sectors; and has worked in the association management profession for over 15 years. She has led research and policy development initiatives in the area of research ethics, and she has served as the research integrity officer for a professional association.

The Informed Association is available for $32.95 to ASAE members and $42.95 to nonmembers. For more information, and to purchase your copy, visit ASAE's book store.

About ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership
ASAE is a membership organization of more than 21,000 association executives and industry partners representing 10,000 organizations. Its members manage leading trade associations, individual membership societies and voluntary organizations across the United States and in nearly 50 countries around the world. With support of the ASAE Foundation, a separate nonprofit entity, ASAE is the premier source of learning, knowledge and future-oriented research for the association and nonprofit profession, and provides resources, education, ideas and advocacy to enhance the power and performance of the association and nonprofit community. For more information about ASAE, visit www.asaecenter.org.

SOURCE ASAE