The Write Stuff Creating the Must-Read Article
by Karla Pollack and Paula Hartman
Write it, and they will read. Unfortunately, that’s not always true. Increasingly, it’s becoming all about the content, content, content. That’s where sales and marketing techniques come into play. Start by taking inventory of the stack of reading materials on your desk not to mention in the reception area and in the recycling bucket, never to be opened by the target readers. Read the Complete Article about Good Writing Habits
A Quality Choice
An association management company
(AMC) is a firm of skilled professionals
whose goal is to provide management
expertise and specialized administrative
services to associations in an efficient,
cost-effective manner.
Every association is different. Each
has different needs, ideas and goals.
Whether your association has 10 members
or 100,000 members, a management structure
can make or break it. Over the years,
associations have grown in number and
size. Managing these associations has
become increasingly complex. Association
management companies are able to deal
with this complexity and the rapid
changes taking place in professions,
technology and government regulations.
Many decisions, from the smallest
to the most crucial, have to be made
in your association. Association management
firms allow association leaders to
put more energy into their industry
and profession rather than into time
consuming administrative tasks. An
association management company allows
your organization to do this, along
with helping meet its overall mission
and goals. An AMC also will provide
general and specialized areas of expertise
including:
• Strategic
Planning
• Financial
Management
• Executive Management
• Membership
Development
• Marketing & Public
Relations
• Educational & Professional
Development
• Communication
Services
• Meeting & Event
Planning
• Cost-Effective
Solutions
• Personnel, Equipment,
Facilities & Budget
• Administrative
Tasks Association management firms have
helped obtain quality and consistency
in these areas for over 100 years.
AMCs remain the effective solution
to the management problem. By offering
advantages that more associations are
discovering, association management
companies can help you obtain your
mission.
Effective Management Selection
Selecting a form of management must
be based on an association's own goals,
members, ideas and mission.
Association Management Company Education
Foundation (AMCEF) compiled a scientific
study, Re-Assessing Effective Association
Management: 1995 Survey of Elected
Leaders, concerning association leaders'
perception of critical factors utilized
in selecting and evaluating forms of
management. The study showed that elected
leaders look at the association management
company as an efficient and effective
form of management. This includes quality
staff management and financial control
along with management continuity in
the face of changing leadership.
According to association leaders,
the most important areas when selecting
a form of management are:
• good
communications
• planning
and organizational skills
• good
leadership
• public relations
and marketing expertise
• association
management experience
• cost-effective
solutions
• continuity of
management
• depth of staff
• personal
style Choosing the most professional
and effective management should be the
main objective for any association.
Perhaps now is the time to consider
an association management company for
your organization.
The
Quality Choices
Professionalism
and Experience in Management
An
association has to anticipate and
plan for its future needs. Planning
is a primary task of management.
Planning is essential to making things
happen and allows management to identify
and address problems before they
occur. By anticipating and identifying
industry change, an association management
company can develop collective problem
solving techniques needed to keep
an industry prosperous. Association
management companies have immediate
access to tried and proven techniques
from their experience with other
associations who have faced some
of the same obstacles you may encounter.
AMCs' depth of staff will create
more diversity, expertise and foster
idea exchange. Your association will
benefit from the management company's
experienced staff customizing services
for your specific goals and assistance
during those complex peak periods.
Many associations are limited by
size and qualifications of staff
which may result in inefficient staff
utilization. Your association will
no longer waste downtime by training
employees. Marketing
and public relations is your communication
with the public and is often neglected
in associations because of staff
shortage or lack of expertise. An
association management company's
diverse staff experience in association
marketing and public relations can
result in more effective event and
meeting planning. Through research,
planning and feedback, an association
management company can also create
effective systems necessary to carry
out and monitor progress toward your
priorities and objectives.
Innovative and Effective Communications
Communications and motivation of staff
and volunteers play a big role in keeping
an association on its feet and moving,
and cannot be overlooked when deciding
on which management to choose. Management
delivery of timely, accurate and appropriate
information to the elected leaders
and association membership is a crucial
part of the communications process.
Membership retention and solicitation
are vital to all associations. Current
member needs must be met along with
identifying future problems that may
occur. The key to membership is listening
to what members need and using the
proper communication channels to fulfill
those needs.
In today's fast paced world, technology
is constantly changing. An association
management company is equipped to meet
the demands of today's high-tech business
environment. By having this high-tech
knowledge backing your association,
it will make meeting challenges easier
- - not to mention saving time and
money.
As your association grows and develops,
your members should develop and benefit
from it. An association management
company can plan and maintain educational
and professional development programs,
which will enrich communications and
fill members' professional and personal
growth needs.
A quality association management company
believes in the integrity of service
built upon the communication of client
expectation and company commitment.
Financial Management: Cost-Effective
Solutions
Handling association funds is a critical
area and must be evaluated closely
when choosing a form of management.
Your organization should not have to
make major investments in full-time
staff and office facilities. Operating
with volunteers who often lack time,
experience and expertise in key areas
will create downtime and in turn will
result in wasted resources. This will
result in high overhead and headaches
because long term goals frequently
get lost in day to day details.
Your organization can enjoy the best
of both worlds by obtaining the professional
expertise of top specialists with an
association management company for
a fraction of what it would cost to
hire them as full-time staff. These
experienced professionals will execute
assigned tasks cost-effectively for
clients and this will allow your organization's
needs to be customized to meet specific
goals.
AMCEF survey results showed association
leaders rated financial and operational
performance to be of great importance
to their management structure. Association
management companies establish clear
performance standards and regularly
review the quality and cost of purchased
services.
In order for your association to grow,
it must take cautious steps when investing
resources. By becoming partners with
an association management company,
it will allow your association to save
valuable resources. An association
management company has the facilities
for you to have a centralized office.
Sharing overhead costs for professional
offices with other associations will
increase your resources and capabilities
without major capital investment.
An association management company
has the ability and expertise to handle
all your financial operations and bring
your association up to speed in its
accounting systems. Maintaining tight
control over resources and keeping
your cash fully vested with detailed
reporting will become part of your
association's financial services. Your
association can eliminate costly problems
such as payroll and personnel duties
along with liability problems, property
issues, insurance and employee benefits.
Many associations try to take on all
these administrative tasks and lose
sight of goals and become counterproductive.
An association management company can
alleviate this for you and make your
organization run financially smooth.
Written and Approved
by the International Association of
Association Management Companies (IAAMC) |
Historic Mill Hill District