Associations exist to provide support to members of different professions, foster connections and create networking opportunities, and develop knowledge-sharing practices between members, among many other purposes. The strength of an association often depends on its ability to engage and cultivate a vibrant member community, and this is where an Association Management Company (AMC) comes in. AMCs help associations improve their communications, offer administrative support, financially manage the organization and help associations build strong, long lasting member communities. In this blog, we explore how an AMC can help your association achieve all of this and more.
AMC’s are experts in strategic planning, they can deep dive into how your organization runs and communicates with its members, and develop clear goals and strategy to achieve them. A good AMC will be able to bring members of staff with expertise in marketing, communications, certifications, member engagement and accounting, allowing each to analyze current practices and come together to create a joint and effective plan to provide and communicate a valuable proposition to your members.
Associations often operate with a Board of Directors who are responsible for decision making that affect members. An AMC comes in to provide governance support by guiding board members through best practices, ensuring all the association bylaws are followed and offering support with conflict resolution. A governing board that follows good practice, supported by their AMC will be better placed to offer good service to their members and build a strong community.
As associations are often run by volunteers (sometimes with a small number of paid employees) they often find themselves short on time to look at the big picture items as they deal with admin. An AMC can come in to provide effective administrative support, such as database management, accounting, and compliance with legal requirements. By taking care of these essential tasks, an AMC can allow the leadership of your association to focus on building a stronger member community.
An AMC can provide you with the expertise and resources to develop and deploy an effective communications and marketing strategy to attract new members. An AMC can manage your newsletters, social media accounts and content to keep existing members engaged. They can also deploy paid marketing, recruitment campaigns, website management and optimization to attract new members and find the right audiences to engage.
A strong community is not only built by attracting new members, but also retaining existing ones. An AMC can help your association develop effective membership growth and retention strategies. They can conduct membership model review projects to assess how members interact with your association, analyze member demographics and engagement patterns to tailor outreach and retention efforts that resonate with your membership.
Further, the most engaging and effective strategy for building your membership is to invest in your events. Whether virtual or in-person, events are vital in bringing your membership together to connect, share best practices and remain active members of the community. An AMC will be able to bring their expert event planners to plan and manage your event, conference and webinars to ensure it offers the best value for your members and much-needed networking opportunities.
To ensure that your association is financially sound is crucial in guaranteeing its survival. An AMC can offer expert accountants and financial managers to handle all budgeting, reporting and any other fiscal responsibilities to ensure financial stability. This financial stability will allow your organization to offer benefits to your members and invest in building a stronger community.
Lastly, Technology is another important part of your organization as it is vital in connecting your members and facilitating communication between them. An AMC will be able to review your current technology and offer researched recommendations on the best association management software for your organization and implement this effectively. They will be well-versed in the pros and cons of available platforms and have experience working with them.
To conclude, an Association Management Company can serve as an invaluable partner in helping your association build a more engaged and stronger member community. They bring expertise from specialist areas within their companies, and apply their expertise and knowledge to your association to develop and deploy effective strategies to achieve your association's goals.
To learn more about Managing Matters and how we can support your long-term membership goals, contact us!