Many associations rely on volunteer leadership and outsourcing of specialized services to get their work done and their goals met. When AMR partners with a new client, we usually hear the issues associated with this model. Volunteers have very little time for an "extra job". In fact, many times it is the same three or four members who take on the majority of the work and become burned out all together. Associations may find that outsourcing meeting planning, graphic design, website design and hosting, strategic planning and other mission critical work is very costly. It can also be very time-consuming for volunteer leaders to manage and coordinate with many service providers.
Accredited Association Management Companies provide quality, professional and value-added association management services to associations and other organizations. An association management company offers a quality, effective solution and is organized to provide many advantages to associations including:
- Association Management Companies (AMC) are able to provide added value through economies of scale including combined buying and leveraging expertise among AMC staff. All of these provide value-added benefits to AMC-managed associations and allow client-partners to reinvest funds to grow new or expand existing programs.
- Association Management Companies have access to proven best practices and can leverage the expertise of all AMC staff and experience to provide solutions for effectively delivering the services that associations need.
- As one of almost 50 association management companies accredited by the AMC Institute, AMR must adhere to industry standards for service delivery to client partners. AMR is charter accredited by the AMC Institute, the trade association for the AMC industry. AMR is one of only 19 AMCs in the world to acheive this prestigious designation. Accreditation is based on the American National Standard Institute's (ANSI) standard for the AMC industry.
- Through the AMC Institute, accredited association management companies (like AMR) processes and procedures must be reevaluated by a third party accounting firm every four years to maintain accreditation status. Clients of accredited AMCs can be sure that they are receiving services based on quality and best practices in the industry.
- Accredited association management companies must pass a rigorous review and show that they have maintained best practices in: financial and records management, service delivery, comprehensive insurance coverage, effective contract processes, employee recruitment and selection, employee training and professional development, subcontracting, and purchasing requirements.
- AMC staff are professionals in their fields and come from a diverse range of professional backgrounds to meet the changing needs of client partners. Currently, over 30% of AMR staff hold masters level degrees or higher. AMR is in the top 10% in number of employees of the 527 AMCs identified by ASAE. Our team members are involved and members of the following organizations:
- AMC Institute
- American Society of Association Executives (ASAE)
- Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA)
- American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)
- American Marketing Association (AMA)
- Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)
- Meeting Professionals International (MPI)
- Accreditation provides an assurance to client partners that as an accredited association management company, AMR has made the investment in our company and is committed to providing the highest quality services.
- Professional development is a requirement for accreditation and AMR staff members are encouraged to seek opportunities to advance their skills and knowledge in their chosen fields of expertise. As a result, AMR staff members have achieved a variety of certifications including Certified Association Executive, Certified Meeting Professional, Certified Public Accountant, and Cisco Certified Network Associate. Client partners have options and in order to earn business AMR must take an aggressive approach to hire and retain professional employees with expertise in their fields.
- AMC's often participate in their client partner's strategic planning sessions to gain a clearer understanding of the client's goals and directions. By participating in each client partner strategic planning session, AMR can find effective solutions to meet client deliverables by utilizing resources in the most effective way.
Membership
- There are currently 676 Association Management Companies (AMCs).
- These AMCs are located in 48 states and 11 other countries.
- Since 1986 the AMC Industry has grown by 150%
Economic Impact
- Staff: 7,625
- Payroll: $349.4 million
- Industry Revenue: $506.4 million
- Clients: 4,664
- Client Budgets: $3.47 billion
- Average Client Budget: $744,559
- Members: 4.89 million
- Major Meetings: 3,766 annually
- Number of Major Meetings Managed by AMCs: 4,789
- All Meetings Managed by AMCs: 22,839 annually
Information provided by the AMC Institute www.amcinstitute.org
