Announcing the launch of The Open Garden Organization, A Blueprint for Associations in the Digital Age
At rasa.io, we do a lot in the way of intelligent email content, but today, we are excited to announce the launch of a new book that is very close to our team: The Open Garden Organization, A Blueprint for Associations in the Digital Age. Open Garden is written by our rasa.io Chairman, Amith Nagarajan, and the book encourages experimentation and innovation within associations in order for them to remain relevant in our world of rapid technological advancement.About the author, Amith Nagarajan
Amith is passionate about helping associations, non-profits, and other brands engage with their audiences on a daily basis. He founded and grew Aptify into a worldwide leader in Association Management Software, and he sold the company in 2017 to Community Brands. Now, along with our team at rasa.io, Amith works on developing cutting edge AI to drive meaningful daily engagement between brands and their audiences via personalized content curation. Outside of rasa.io, Amith is an active early stage investor in B2B SaaS companies.Embracing The Open Garden Model and fostering a culture of experimentation
The book begins by encouraging organizations to foster a culture of experimentation. The “business as usual” mindset is easy to fall into when you are not constantly innovating new ways to drive success. Without this kind of experimental culture, you may achieve short-term success in order to satisfy immediate stakeholder needs, but such a short-term mindset will ultimately lead to stagnation. Now, more than ever, it is important to take advantage of new resources and new ideas in order to maintain relevance. The Open Garden Organization brings contemporary ideas about technological solutions and business management into the hands of association professionals. Associations need to leverage technology and explore new frontiers in order to maintain the historic trust they have developed with their members.A Brief Overview of the book and The Open Garden Model
The book’s Open Garden Model is an equation founded on the following principles: purpose + culture + inclusivity. These principles are expanded upon in the book’s three sections: “The Bedrock,” “The Soil,” and “The Crops”.The Bedrock of the Open Garden
The Bedrock focuses on finding your Core Purpose and defining your Core Values. In order to find your true purpose, you must ask yourself why your organization exists in the first place. Once you’ve established why you exist, you can begin to define the set of behaviors – or Core Values – that you need to implement in order to successfully pursue your Core Purpose. Your Core Values need to be communicated regularly to your team and persistently reinforced in order to effectively live up to your Core Purpose. At rasa.io, our Core Purpose is “To Better Inform The World,” and we behave guided by seven core values in our daily actions in order to achieve that purpose.
The Soil of the Open Garden
The second part of the book concentrates on constructing and nurturing your culture. The culture of your organization should be created internally, and intentionally. Nagarajan calls this concept “Culture by Design.” Culture By Design is driven by three things: Core Purpose, Core Values, and an Envisioned Future. When these pillars are carefully crafted and clearly communicated, it creates a purpose-driven culture throughout the organization and a stable foundation for success.
An Envisioned Future should include a BHAG, or “Big Hairy Audacious Goal.” A BHAG is a far-out, massive-scale aspiration that an organization establishes in order to motivate the internal team, and all other stakeholders, in working together toward a long-term, uniting goal. rasa.io’s BHAG is: “By 2030 we will improve the lives of one billion people around the world through better information,” and you can read more about it here.
The Crops of the Open Garden
This final section of the book is all about finding and engaging your community. In the Digital Age, people are exposed to more content than ever before. Because of this information overload, we consume this content with less confidence in its credibility. Associations have already established that credibility but they often don’t engage their membership as frequently as they should.
At rasa.io, our mission is to bridge that engagement gap with our daily, personalized newsbriefs. Our AI-driven approach to finding the most relevant industry news makes this an email that members will look forward to opening. Higher engagement levels won’t just keep your members happy, they will also open the door to new economic benefits for your organization.
Buy the Open Garden today
The Open Garden Organization, A Blueprint for Associations in the Digital Age is now available for purchase on Amazon. Buy your copy today in order to learn about how you can position your association for success in this new era of technological advancement.
