As an association management company, we spend a lot of time speaking to associations that are exploring different management options. During these discussions, some of the most common questions revolve around association management systems (AMS), which consist of databases, a website, payment systems, and sometimes much more. We are [...]
Recruiting and identifying future association board members and leaders should not be a seasonal activity for associations, rather it should be top of mind all year long. Progressive associations add “future leadership” as a standing agenda item at every board meeting to keep this on everyone’s radar, instead of [...]
I recently attended the Symposium for Chief Staff and Elected Officers led by Glenn Tecker and presented by the Canadian Society of Association Executives. This is an event that I attend each year with a volunteer leader from one of the associations that we manage as an association management [...]
It should go without saying, members want value for their membership dues Times have changed and people no longer feel the need to belong to an association, rather they see themselves as customers of an association. For some generations, the desire to belong is enough, but more and more [...]
Even for the best run associations, inevitably a bump in the road will appear, seemingly out of nowhere. A variety of things can pop-up to surprise or derail a successful association, and how these situations are handled by the Executive Director or Chair, is the sign of the association’s [...]
As an association management company, we advise boards of directors on many issues, including managing conflicts of interest. In an earlier article, Are You in a Conflict of Interest?, Geoff Powell addresses the broad elements of conflict of interest and how to manage them (he also includes references to [...]
If the banquet menu price of a cup of coffee is $3, what does it really cost? In a downtown Toronto hotel with an 18% service charge (often referred to as a gratuity) it will end-up costing $4. How does that happen? In the case of Ontario, HST is [...]
Too often, the obvious questions are the ones that are never asked. When planning a new event or starting the planning cycle for an annual one it is important to start by asking some key questions. Some baseline information is needed to provide a framework for making decisions during [...]
One of the most important elements of a signature event is that it tells an organization’s story in a way that is compelling to current and potential donors or stakeholders. The greatest and most commonly missed opportunity of signature events is that they focus only on fundraising and miss [...]
Associations are in the partnership business - they bring people together. No matter the structure or level of formality of the relationship, successful associations facilitate and build strong partnerships for the profession or industry they represent, for their members and for their stakeholders. As well as those partnerships that [...]