Non Dues-a-Palooza (NDaP) is an organization on a mission: helping associations discover new, innovative revenue streams and strategies, and changing the way associations think about non-dues revenue. Bringing association leaders together alongside the latest tech and association service providers, Non Dues-a-Palooza’s community and events promise fresh ideas, thought leadership, and the chance to grow, connect, and thrive in new ways.

New for 2025, NDaP founder Teri Carden joins forces with Edward Byers and CANRev Collective to bring even greater focus to revenue generation strategies for charities, associations, and non-profits. 

We had the privilege of attending (and powering!) Non Dues-a-Palooza last month in Toronto. After a jam-packed day of sessions, conversation, and learning, we’re bringing some of our top takeaways from NDaP Toronto 2025 to you - straight from the source.

‍1. Events are commonly the #1 source of non-dues revenue - invest in them!

In an on-site poll, 52% of association executive attendees at NDaP Toronto 2025 indicated that events were the #1 source of non-dues revenue for their associations (followed by online learning, certifications, then sponsorships).

If you’re not already running events for your association, consider that events not only deliver value to members in the form of education and networking, but are often a strong revenue driver through ticket, exhibitor, and sponsorship sales. Done right, they’re a win-win for everyone involved - creating value for both your members and your association’s bottom line. No surprise here that events are a go-to non-dues revenue stream for the majority of associations. Find some key points on event planning below:

Leverage event technology to drive ROI and streamline event planning for small teams

While there are no shortage of strategies and best practices for optimizing your event’s ROI, our first recommendation (predictable, really) revolves around leveraging technology. Event technology platforms like PheedLoop can help you drive an events’ ROI, making it easier than ever for small teams to plan and execute events, sell tickets, exhibitor space and sponsorships, engage attendees, and measure impact after the fact. With limited staff time and resources identified as the #1 challenge for 76% of polled attendees, event technology that allows your team to streamline event planning can be crucial. Event technology that supports hybrid and virtual attendance can also open doors to greater attendance from members and beyond.
Plan events with contingency and scale in mind

Another great event related takeaway from NDaP was the idea of planning event elements with contingencies so your event can be scaled up or down depending on how tight the budget or timeline is. E.g., Do you want a live band? DJ? Will a Spotify playlist do? Consider what elements of your event can be executed to a more or less involved extent.

2. New sponsorship strategies are top of mind for 60% of associations.

A LinkedIn poll of NDaP followers identified sponsorship strategies as the #1 focus point of association executives attending NDaP. We took away a few pieces of sponsorship related advice from last month’s event:

Take the time to build real relationships with your sponsors

The topic of building genuine relationships with your sponsors came up time and again. A key takeaway was “talk to me” - instead of (or at least in addition to) your prospectus deck. It’s a win-win when you take the time to sit with your sponsors and get to know them on a deeper level - what are they about? What are they really interested in? What data do they need? Show them you’ve taken the time to understand their business and how they fit with your association. Strong, lasting partnerships are created when both sides can get together and get to know each other for real… “You want members for life, we want customers for life.”

Lean on your sponsors for perspective and deliverables

Bill Sheehan of D2L (Association Learning Management tech) brought his perspective as a frequent event sponsor, telling associations not to be afraid to lean on their sponsors for their perspective and deliverables. When time is limited, don’t hesitate to ask sponsors to help with their sponsorship deliverables. Sponsors are naturally incentivized to make their sponsorship dollars count and are often eager to help out with tasks related to their sponsorship items.

Leverage event technology for more sponsorship “real estate”

Event platforms like PheedLoop often have built-in sponsorship “real estate” that can help associations sell more sponsorship space. Sponsor logos can be strategically added to everything from invitation emails, your registration website, event app and more, showcasing your sponsors pre, during, and post-event.

Leverage your own data

Data is gold for your sponsors and exhibitors. Your association already has data that is proprietary to it - data about your members, their demographics, and even intent data that can be inferred from the right event tech platforms (e.g., track engagement across your event app, website, content, etc.). Cautiously, and with opt-in consent from members, this data can be monetized and sold - alongside lead retrieval, for instance. Consider what primary data you have about your members that would be valuable to your sponsors and exhibitors. 

3. Integrate your channels, re-purpose content and monetize learning

Consider the many channels for which you develop content and engage with your members. Are there great assets that can be re-purposed across different channels? Video recordings of speaker sessions can be re-packaged for online learning, which can in turn be gated and monetized for additional revenue streams. Selling online learning courses was identified as the #2 source of non-dues revenue by NDaP attendees, so it’s worth thinking about what existing assets you have that can be leveraged across different channels.

4. Pilot small, but pilot now

A best-practice and ideology with roots in software development but equally applicable to any association piloting any new revenue strategy program/experiment is the idea of the “MVP” - minimum viable product. In short, your best laid plans are only theories until they’re put to the test, so it’s important to get your program out there as soon as it’s “minimally viable” so you can begin to collect feedback and make improvements as quickly as possible. It’s okay and even optimal to experiment on a small scale, but the takeaway here is to begin experimenting now. Don’t be afraid to try new things and try a lot of them - rapid experimentation and iteration is key to figuring out what new innovative revenue strategies will work for your association.

5. Serve your members first

Self-explanatory perhaps, but in the whirlwind of conversation and new ideas at NDaP, a salient point was made: don’t forget to serve your members first.

Any new program, strategy or partnership must be evaluated through the lens of value to your members - ultimately, your association exists for them. Even as you pursue new revenue strategies, remember the big picture.

Learn more about Non Dues-a-Palooza at https://nonduesapalooza.com/ and CANRev Collective at https://www.canrevcollab.com/.