Below are several key benefits that associations gain when partnering with a professional, nonprofit association management company. These are not only the roots of a fruitful partnership, but, in most cases, these benefits lead to successful, long-term relationships whether an association becomes a full-service client or has an ongoing relationship with an association management company for specific projects.
Association Management Companies Understand Associations
Association management companies are in business to help professional organizations and nonprofit associations succeed in their missions and visions that serve their members. Association management companies specialize in and understand the challenges associations encounter and have developed and perfected best practices to solve many problems that are commonly encountered by associations and their members. Active planning and participation in core association activities such as strategic planning, board and committee management, government relations and others, allow association management companies to develop best practices that work for small, medium and large associations, including professional associations, trade societies, and nonprofit associations.Association Management Companies Invest for Success
Association management companies are structured to deliver services in cost effective ways. Because association management companies manage multiple clients with varying service needs, established firms over time have implemented business practices that provide repeatedly successful results for their client partners. Association management companies also invest in resources that can be shared by multiple clients, creating economies of scale that generate tangible value-added benefits. Association management companies leverage buying power on behalf of their client partners. Nowhere is this more visible than when an association management company is negotiating contracts with properties for client conferences and meetings.The AMC Institute, the research and communications arm of the professional association management industry, reports association management companies plan over 18,000 meetings a year and account for up to $400 million in room nights. These numbers get the attention of major hotel chains and allow for negotiations on room rates, meeting space, and other association meeting needs. An association management company will hire professionals who have made association management a career and not just a job. Look to any professional, nonprofit association management company and you will find staff members that are credentialed to deliver specialized services. At AMR Management Services, professionals in graphic design, law, marketing, conference management, human resources, nonprofit association management, finance, information technology, and other key areas provide client services as well as contribute to the knowledge pool that we draw on to solve problems and develop best practices for our client partners.
Outsourcing Services to Association Management Companies
Stand-alone associations turn to professional association management companies to alleviate stress on existing resources, provide new insights and ideas, and offer new solutions. Knowledge sharing provided by an association management company may be the most beneficial aspect to this type of partnership. Instead of being competitors, stand-alone associations and association management companies become partners and many executive directors find that association management companies deliver quality service on projects that tax resources including staff and free them up to focus on key association issues.Standards are Important; Accreditation Matters
Not all association management companies are the same. Accredited association management companies must adhere to quality standards that guide their business processes and procedures. Under the guidance of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the AMC Institute, a trade organization founded in 1963, has developed a Standard of Good Practices for the Association Management Industry.AMR is particularly proud of its charter accreditation status by the AMC Institute. Members include over 175 association management companies (AMC’s) that represent over 2,000 associations with annual budgets exceeding $1 billion (US) and that cumulatively serve nearly 3 million association members. AMR is one of less than 40 AMC’s in the world to have been accorded this accreditation.
In June 2006, AMR underwent an independent audit in order to successfully achieve re-accreditation, which assures you that our operations have been thoroughly reviewed by an independent third party accounting firm and have met our industry’s highest standards regarding measurable performance practices. These standards have been adopted by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and include the following areas of processes, practices and controls:
- Contracts
- Service Delivery
- Performance Reviews and Evaluations
- Financial Management and Internal Controls
- Comprehensive Insurance Coverage
- Employee Recruitment and Selection
- Employee Training and Professional Development
- Subcontracting and Purchasing Requirements
- Record Keeping
- Internal Audit
Are you ready to take a closer look at the benefits of partnering with an accredited association management company? If so, click here to get answers to your association management questions.
