A significant anniversary for an association is a testament to resilience, adaptability, and the ability to thrive against all odds. Many industries that associations represent, including ours, have done just that.

The National Agricultural Aviation Association celebrated 100 years of the industry in August 2021. Despite several pandemic-related obstacles, limited budget, and a small staff, we planned festivities that highlighted the industry and were meaningful to members. Below are four tactics we used to help turn our ideal celebration into a reality. 

1. Start Early

We started planning the milestone programs in 2018, four years before our centennial. We planned to tackle several anniversary projects with six staff, member volunteers, one ghostwriter, and a public relations consultant.

As with many association projects, it’s never too early to start planning. Tackling key items in advance of the milestone date allows staff to balance the annual workload, along with accomplishing work that is part of a special project.

2. Get Staff on the Same Page

As you brainstorm with staff, communicate that all ideas are welcome. Bring everything to the table and see what sticks.

After brainstorming, we determined priority projects, assigned staff, and created deadlines. Three of our large projects included a 268-page historical book on the industry, a documentary about the association, and a 100-year timeline of the industry’s history and advances.

We decided on the book and documentary because both could be used internally and externally for the public, schools, and media. For the 100-year timeline, we wanted to showcase important advancements and events that occurred in the industry that helped build the industry to where it is today.

We ensured that everyone was on the same page to reduce misunderstandings. Two staff departed the association during the process, so we went back to the drawing board to determine who would handle their projects. We reshuffled and made sure staff understood their new responsibilities to avoid confusion.

Regular project status meetings are important when working on projects or campaigns of this size. By dividing the work, we kept the workload evenly distributed and manageable. Everyone was included in the projects, from our administrative staff to our CEO.

3. Outsource to Trusted Professionals

Association professionals can’t do everything on their own; that’s where consultants, contract workers, and members come in. For our historical book, we hired a ghostwriter and brought in our magazine publishing company to print and publish it. One of our trade publication members sold and shipped our book through his website and housed the printed books.

We also outsourced documentary production to an agency we worked with on other educational videos. Through our discussions, we created a two-minute trailer, as well as an eight- and 19-minute version.

For the timeline, staff did the research—with input from members—and digitized 10 decades of photographs. We hired our annual convention general services contractor to design the artwork and build the structures. An experienced industry member on contract worked with other members to identify individuals and equipment in the photos. He also helped match the photos to timeline text, video script, and book content. 

Member volunteers can play a key role in helping plan successful milestone projects. They know the industry’s history and can serve as volunteers for milestone projects. Our members also participated at events promoting the anniversary and donated items for projects including photographs, film, and, in one case, an aircraft to the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum. We also had members volunteer at events and share their history and passion for the industry with attendees.

Despite the cost, it can be worthwhile to budget for a public relations professional. Our PR specialist worked on past projects with us, so he understood the industry and knew how to gain media coverage of our centennial. Our PR campaign netted nearly 200 media mentions nationwide with estimates of a potential audience reaching 400 million consumers.

For us, working with trusted companies and members helped raise momentum and lower everyone’s stress levels.

4. Repurpose Content

One time-saving trick that helped us was repurposing content for our milestone projects.

We used past newsletter and magazine content for our book, and then used parts of the book as feature stories for our 2021 magazine issues. The photos for the book and the timeline were also used for our magazine and website, and on booth designs for events.

We also printed the timeline content in the book and anniversary website and then used it at events throughout 2021, including our convention. The documentary helped kickstart our convention’s general session that featured a panel of experts discussing the past, present, and future direction of the industry.

Completing these projects was a testament to the power of dedication, creativity, and teamwork. Despite the challenges, our milestone projects were a success and a meaningful way to honor our industry. The lessons we learned, as well as the campaign’s accomplishments, helped redirect our association’s communications resources and are valuable for any team embarking on celebrating a significant milestone.