What Is Assocation Management?
Understanding Association Management
While the missions and goals differ greatly among the more than 60,000 not-for-profit organizations operating in the United States, the administrative structure, legal requirements and development skills required by each are similar.
Some organizations decide to establish and support their own staff. Others choose to use a professional association management company (AMC) to provide administrative support. The International Association of Association Management Companies (IAAMC) defines an AMC as "a firm of skilled professionals whose goal is to provide management expertise and specialized administration services for associations in an efficient, cost-effective manner."
Using an AMC allows association leadership to focus their energy on industry and professional issues rather than time-consuming administrative detail. This approach can also be more economical, allowing increased resources to be spent on member benefit programs.
With staff specially trained and experienced in the needs of associations, AMCs understand the complexity of issues facing associations and the rapid changes within professions, technology, and government regulations. Using AMC can reduce an association's overhead and personnel expenses while providing depth of staff, comparative experience, consolidated industry knowledge and efficient and cost-effective practices.
The core service areas AMCs generally address are:
- Strategic planning
- Financial and executive management
- Membership development
- Marketing and public relations
- Education and professional development
- Communication services
- Meeting and event planning
- Personnel, equipment, facilities and budget
- Administrative tasks