Including members in your advocacy efforts is critical, not only for advancing your mission, but for keeping members engaged with your organization. And, thanks to rapid innovation in technology, it’s easier than ever before to involve more members in association advocacy work.
In this live, 30-minute webinar, John Torres, CAE, Executive Director at the Maryland Farm Bureau, and Michael Hoffman, CEO of Gather Voices, will discuss why associations need to include their members in their advocacy efforts and how to keep it simple. They’ll cover:
Michael Hoffman is the co-founder and CEO of Gather Voices, a technology company that automates the creation, management and publishing of video content. He is also the founder of See3 Communications, a digital marketing agency in Chicago and founder of the DoGooder Video Awards which honors the best social cause video on YouTube each year. Hoffman teaches marketing at the University of Chicago and is an internationally sought-after speaker and trainer who is a trusted advisor to association leaders on engagement strategy.
John Torres is the executive director of Maryland Farm Bureau, Inc. located in Davidsonville, Maryland. Growing up on a northwest Ohio grain farm, Torres has held several key positions within the Farm Bureau family since 2006. He has previously served as an organization director for the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, before joining the American Farm Bureau Federation in Washington, D.C. to work as director of leadership development. Previously he served as director of government and industry affairs for the Ohio Corn & Wheat Growers Association in Delaware, Ohio, where he oversaw state and federal government relations; legislative and regulatory affairs; grassroots policy development and the organization’s Political Action Committee.
Torres graduated from Ohio State University in 2005, where he majored in agricultural business and applied economics with a minor in agricultural education. He also holds the Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential from the American Society for Association Executives (ASAE) and serves on the ASAE Capital Area Advisory Council.
