Uncategorized

It’s a fact. The world is a much different place than it was even two short years ago. The global pandemic necessitated a sudden and dramatic shift in association operations. This included adapting to a work-from-home scenario that no one could have anticipated. And yet, we made it work; we had to.

What the Pandemic Changed

Fast forward several months and Boards are now considering what that new normal will look like in terms of association operations and staffing. Associations by their very nature rely heavily on membership and event revenues. Many, if not most, associations suffered significant financial loss through cancelled events and unrenewed memberships during the pandemic. For some, this resulted in staff being furloughed or laid off while remaining staff and/or volunteers worked to keep their association functioning. Others kept operations the same knowing it wouldn’t be a sustainable option. Reserves dwindled and leased office space sat virtually empty, as staff worked from home.

Considerations for Future Change

It is logical then, that many not-for-profit Boards are now strategizing to determine how to best move forward in the new normal. I think that a few critical considerations will likely include the following:

• Can the association afford to bring back staff?
• If so, will staff want to return to an ‘in person’ working environment?
• Can the association thrive in the long term within a virtual working environment?
• Does the association have leased office space and overhead that is no longer needed, or could be scaled back?
• What is the plan to gain back members, bring back events (whether virtual, hybrid or in person) and generally to recoup lost revenue?

The answers to these questions will vary from association to association depending on their size, existing structure and even on the industries they represent. Some may opt to try to gradually bring operations back to the way they used to be. Others may opt to make this a time of great change as they lead their organizations in new directions.

The Association Management Company (AMC) Solution

Underlying any decisions will be cost and operations considerations. I have already heard that many associations are starting to look more closely at the Association Management Company model of operating. And with good reason – this model offers efficiencies, economies of scale, flexibility, experience and cost savings.

When moving to a full-service AMC model, office space is no longer needed as the AMC offers a central headquarters and mailing address. Other related overhead costs are also greatly reduced through shared services and resources. Frankly, these savings are not insignificant.

AMCs offer full-service options which include experienced and knowledgeable staffing at all levels from Executive to Administrative. AMC staff become the face of your organization. This removes the burden of hiring, training, providing benefits and vacation coverage from the shoulders of the association. The expertise, guidance and skills that association professionals bring to the table cannot be underestimated, especially during times of transition. AMCs also offer flexibility for those associations that don’t need or want full service. Within an outsourced AMC model, associations have flexibility in retaining key staff such as an Executive Director, while AMC staff fill operations and administrative functions. AMCs can also be contracted for only specific duties such as event planning and execution. The AMC you select can be ‘parachuted’ in, so to speak, because the core skills are already present.

The road to recovery may be long and difficult. I encourage Boards to really dig deep to consider which road is best for their association. Diligent Boards who are willing to consider new options and bring forth new perspectives will be best poised to set their organizations up for future long term success.

An association is often built on the shoulders of its volunteers. That can be a heavy burden to bear, and depending on the volunteer, it may be tough to maintain.  And making it even tougher, most associations likely have a policy against volunteers receiving any payment for their roles. So you might need to get creative when it comes to volunteer recognition.

Here are just a few things to consider when you are looking at ways to implement your association recognition program:

Why A Person Volunteers

If you are thinking of starting a volunteer recognition program, start small. Big sweeping gestures are not always necessary. Understanding why people are there in the first place will help lead you down the right path. Not everyone volunteers for the same reason. Some might be volunteering for altruistic intentions of giving back, which is lovely. Others might volunteer to obtain more business for their company or as a job requirement.  And there is nothing wrong with that either, but how they look to be acknowledged might be completely different as a result. When you are onboarding a new volunteer, take a quick moment to find out their reasons for offering their time. Therefore, when it comes time to recognize them, you are not at a loss as to how to say thank you.

What Is the Culture of the Association?

If you are creating a volunteer recognition program from scratch, take a moment to reflect on the culture your association represents. Offering a recognition program should reflect your association positively, and not work against that.  Your association’s brand is elevated by the time and treasure given by your volunteers. Make sure you take that into account when looking at ways to recognize them.  This is not a time for inside jokes if you plan to make it a public event.  If you plan on adding volunteer announcements to your social media channels, this is a perfect opportunity to embrace your brand and reinforce it with your public recognition media.

What About the Volunteers Themselves?

Nothing negates the message you are trying to send by not considering the personality of the recipient.  Do not present a plaque when you have volunteers who do not have an office in which to showcase it.  Similarly, do not offer an honorarium to someone who works for the government or any other company with a gift policy. You are expressing gratitude on behalf of your membership, so make it meaningful to them. That thought will go much further than the gift itself.

And Finally…

Never, and I mean NEVER, underestimate the value of a simple Thank You! We just don’t say it enough.  It could be a shout out to your volunteers on social media. It could be a card mailed out (how old school of me), or it could be…gasp…saying it out loud at a meeting! People just want to be recognized for their efforts. So, even if your association does not have budget to throw huge recognition a volunteer’s way, just say thank you out loud or publicly. 

Seriously, it can be that simple.

Marketing experts tell us that every company should have a two-minute ‘elevator pitch’ to explain what they do and why. I find that explaining what the concept of an Association Management Company (AMC) is in that short of a time frame is a difficult thing to do. Heck, I’ve been in this business for over 20 years, and I still don’t think that half of my friends or family really know what I do. “So, you do event planning, right” they say. Well, yes that’s right – but so much more too. Let’s see if I can explain what an AMC does, in the space of this blog.

What Do Association Management Companies Offer?

In simple terms, an AMC is a company that provides management, consulting and/or event planning services to not-for-profit associations or charities. AMC’s will contract their services to multiple associations and are thereby able to offer cost savings through combined efficiencies. AMCs have come a long way since they first came into existence decades ago. In the early days, an AMC only handled membership, finances and general secretarial duties. Today, AMCs are far more versatile and can also provide strategic and consulting services in all areas of association operations. Some service areas include: marketing, communications and social media. AMCs also provide full event planning services and oversight of education, certification and training. They will also guide their clients on proper governance and will plan Board, Committee and Annual General meetings.

AMCs can offer full service, one-stop shopping for all of an association’s day to day needs or they can be contracted for only specific outsourced services such as event planning. In a full-service scenario, the AMC staff become the face of the organization from Administrative to the Executive level.  They are experts in association operations and management and will learn about the industries they serve. This specialization helps lead the association toward success.

Why Hire an AMC?

So why would an association hire an AMC? To be honest, a small grassroots level association would probably not outsource these services as the cost would be high compared to the budget of that type of association. Similarly, a really large association may have likely grown past the point of any real combined savings. That often leaves the mid-sized association as the best fit for the AMC model. Hiring an AMC allows the Board and volunteers in an association to focus on the goals of the organization, on networking with members and making all-important connections with stakeholders.  The AMC handles the day-to-day operations necessary to keep the association running smoothly while also providing consulting and strategic guidance.

Cost Savings Through an AMC

An AMC offers substantial savings to an association in that they can offer shared office space and staffing. Boards of Directors don’t need to worry about leases and overhead. Nor do they need to worry about hiring, training, staff benefits, vacation schedules, etc. Those are all covered by the AMC. AMCs also reduce costs through their purchasing power and strategic partnerships. Finally, AMCs carry a wide range of insurance coverage (property, cyber, E&O etc.) which may complement the associations’ own policies to add value and peace of mind.

In summary, AMCs offer the flexibility, support and expertise that make the model an increasingly attractive solution for many associations. If you have questions or feel that it may be time for your organization to consider this model, we are happy to chat!

We have all heard the news: if you are not doing a digital event, you are behind the times. But with live events coming back across many parts of the world (we’re looking at our friends south of the border), the question remains if the future will be digital, hybrid or live. This leaves you wondering what the future holds for your association’s events.

There is no doubt that the future of events is still in a state of limbo. That would lead you to take your association down a similar middle of the road path towards a hybrid event. One quick Google Search of the term “Hybrid Events” will provide you lists upon lists of companies who want to sell you their platform promising your online conference will be the best of both the live and digital world.  Can it really be that simple?  In one word: no.

The truth is that both live and digital events have a place in an association’s plan, and here are some considerations before making the leap:

The Budget

Events can be expensive. There is no getting around that.  When looking at whether to plan an in-person event vs a digital one, you really have to look at the hard costs. Some costs of being in-person will disappear when you decide to pull the trigger and go digital. These include: travel, lodging, staging, printing, shipping, and of course the biggest of all, food and beverage.  But some costs remain and likely will increase in making this move: A/V, technology investments, promotion and labour are all items that require extra attention and funds to make a digital event successful.

But (and this is a big but), your income will be reduced at a much larger ratio than the decrease in expenses.  Associations lean heavily on sponsorship and exhibitor participation to ensure that the member cost for an event or conference remains at an attractive level.  And after 18 months of online events, I think it is fair to say that most of your association’s partners will not have seen a matched ROI in the digital world. Therefore, while you can count on support from them in some way, it will likely be in a highly reduced capacity.

This suggests that a middle ground of a hybrid event might be attractive.  In doing this you need to budget for BOTH the costs of a live and digital event.  That simply is out of reach for most not-for-profits.  So that leaves us back at square one: choosing one or the other. Therefore, I highly recommend doing some events in each format. Before making that decision though, you need to consider…

The Purpose/Goals of the Event

Is this primarily an education event or is it for networking? Is it meant to be attractive to just a segment of your membership or open to all members and guests alike? Will it be a member benefit or a revenue-generator for your association? Doing an assessment on the goals of the event can tell you which platform is best for that particular event.

The benefits of digital are the almost barrier-free nature of the virtual world. Almost anyone can attend as long as they have an internet connection (although that should be considered as well for those with high rural or remote memberships). After living through over a year of Zoom, Teams, Google Meets, and other video meeting options, most attendees are now familiar with the technology. So, those that can’t or don’t want to travel can attend en masse. This could drive your attendance up. Great…more participation!  Goal reached.

However, if the purpose is to drive member interaction, there is no substitute for in-person. There are some amazing options out there, like Remo and Hubilo, amongst others, that offer good virtual options for small-group meetings and work. But they just don’t replace the networking achieved when sitting down in a hallway or at a table (AKA…at the bar) to really get to know your colleagues and turn them into customers and friends.   I will maintain that this remains the cornerstone of association life: the human connection. 

I firmly believe that both types of events play an important role in an association’s member offerings. But they may not need to be combined to be most effective and achieve your goals. So, determine which event should executed in which manner. This will also allow you to ensure that you have…

The Work Force

Associations often don’t have an endless pool of event staff. Producing a hybrid event will require people to manage the in-person AND the online portions. That’s at least twice the amount of work at once.  There is just no way that is feasible or affordable in the non-profit orbit. Tack on to that the extra time needed to troubleshoot your attendees on the digital platform and to liaise with your A/V suppliers to ensure high quality production. You will soon see that your budget will be eaten up by labour, even if you had those staff at your disposal. 

So make sure that you aren’t over-promising an event by overworking your staff. They all will appreciate you setting expectations and respecting their abilities to deliver at a level that your members, attendees and sponsors deserve.

In summary, I believe that both kinds of events have a place for an association. After our initial mad rush to hug our friends again and eat some exhibit floor sandwiches, we will settle in and find the right balance of live and digital events. The solution will be one that falls within our budgets, respects our member’s time, values our partner’s contributions, and most importantly meets the individual goals and purpose of the event. Then, we can start not just replacing one event style with another but expand the association’s offerings by creating a strong membership proposition that considers inclusion and value.

But I will leave that to the next blog…