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I recently received a call from someone interested in starting a new association related to the industry in which he works. Although there are a couple of associations related to his field, they do not offer great member benefits so he would like to fill the void and offer substantial benefits and offerings to its members.

If you are currently serving on the Board for an association, or are simply a member, you are most likely aware of what all goes into managing an organization.

When it comes to Association Management, the success or failure of an organization can often be judged based simply on membership trends from year to year. Is your association losing members each year?

Depending on the size of your organization, you might find a smaller association management company may fit your needs better than one with a staff of thirty.

As an association executive, my full-time job is to manage associations so that the minds of the Board members are put at ease knowing the day-to-day administration of the association is constantly moving forward.

When you work with a variety of associations, you will work with a variety of venues as well. Because each association has different needs and types of events, each will have different requirements.

Every association goes through periods of fluctuation with their membership depending on the year and what else is going on in the world. During this current recessionary climate, I have seen associations from very different industries lose significant amounts of members.

If you are like many other associations, you may have noticed attendance and exhibitor participation in your trade shows decreasing over the past few years. One reason for this current trend is simply that people seem to be busier now than in years past with their professional and personal lives.

As the president of an association or simply a member of one, you may be thinking that a change is needed for your association. Maybe you are not ready to completely reinvent the wheel by hiring a completely new staff of people or even switching from one association management company to another. Instead, a small change might just do the trick.

I attended the American Bar Association’s Bar Leadership Institute in Chicago on behalf of a client where Presidents and Executive Directors of bar associations throughout the country came together as a way to prepare for their upcoming membership year.