Breaking Old Habits: Keep your Association Evolving

Once a habit forms, it is often hard to break. This can be found true for associations as well. If something was done in the past, it might seem like something that should go on forever. This belief, however, could not be further from the truth.  

It is important to evaluate your strategies, monthly activities and member benefits regularly. When evaluating these components of the association, see which ones are actually making a difference in member engagement and growth. Just because something made an impact at one point in time, does not mean it always will. Times change and what members are looking for will always be evolving.

With this in mind, it is important to consider organizing your board’s thoughts by making a list of everything you are currently doing and then sorting it into piles. Include a pile for “keep doing” and “stop doing.” After stopping several of the items, revaluate what your members need and want. Now that you have taken some things off your plate, you will have time to start new initiatives and keep your association evolving.

Mid-Year Check In

At the start of a new year, we are always ambitious with ideas and goals. We assure ourselves we will have time and dedication to work towards those goals. Life, however, typically has other plans. There is always something more pressing especially when you are a volunteer!  This is something volunteer boards run into all the time. Whether it is a job or family life that comes in the way, something inevitably does and that’s okay.

At the start of your fiscal year, it is important to set those realistic but ambitious goals. They will motivate your work and give others something to strive for. When it comes to midway through the year, however, it is time to check back in with those goals and re-energize the group.

Plan to review your goals at the halfway point board meeting. Assess how the organization has achieved or fallen short on each goal. If your group is falling short on all of the goals, it may be time to revise and make a more realistic plan. If you are still determined to reach those goals, make a game plan. Determine steps that will be made in order to achieve the goal.

One method that many organizations use to achieve goals, is to implement a little competition. Whether it is among members or the board, competition can drive people in a different way. Give something away to those bring in the most members or to the board member that brings in the most sponsors. The money you pay for a reward will be worth it.

At the end of the day, you set the goals for a reason. Sometimes it just takes a reminder of the “why” to light a fire under people again. Having this mid-year check in and encouraging the board to become involved is the best way to assure goals are not swept under the rug.

Who is Managing your Association?

Associations are typically managed in one of three ways, volunteers, an in-house administrator, or an Association Management Company. With volunteers and in-house administrators, you can run into several issues. Volunteers are treasured in associations and appreciated for the work they put in, however, they do not always have the capacity to put in the type of hours that most associations need to run properly and efficiently. They also might lack the knowledge and skills that can help the association grow rather than just staying afloat. In-house administrators can cost you a pretty penny to keep everything in order. They also have a limit to their skills. One person can only do so much and only has so many skills that can be applied to the association's management. 

Association Management Companies, on the other hand, can provide an assortment of benefits to the association while saving you money. Association Management Companies have a group of talented people whose primary focus is to grow and manage nonprofits. By working with a group or small team, you are provided the skill set of multiple people and professionals. In our office, if someone has a financial question, they turn to Heather. If they have an event planning question, they go to Tammy. This team dynamic is beneficial to clients because it allows them to have someone who is an expert on any association related topic at their fingertips. 

AMCs also allow the volunteers to focus on strategy rather than details. Whether it is newsletters, managing financials, or sorting through the admin inbox, your AMC can handle it! This gives volunteers more time to think about the mission of the organization and ensure the group is staying on track. 

Another benefit of working with an AMC is the buying power they have in the industry. Hotels, for example, know that if they provide excellent service and a good deal for a conference, the AMC will be more likely to consider them for future conferences with other clients. Because of this, your association can get room deals and discounts on other event related services. This benefit can expand past hotels; AMCs have connections with insurance providers, nonprofit attorneys, printing companies, and more! 

Step back and look at how your association is currently running. Do you have volunteers up to their ears in work? Are you paying an in-house administrator for a job a team could do more efficiently? Is your current AMC a good fit? Evaluating how your association is being managed is the first step in improving your association, making members and the board happier. 

The Importance of a Mission Statement

All associations have a mission they are working towards whether they put it in writing or not. The putting it in writing part, however, is more important than you might think. One, having your mission in writing will hold your board accountable to making decisions that directly follow that mission. They will have something to refer back to when guiding the group and determining plans. Two, having a mission, allows potential members to have a better understanding of your association’s purpose. They will be more likely to join if they have a full understanding of the group and stand behind the mission. 

When writing your mission statement, there are a few things you want to keep in mind. Your mission statement should: 

• Be clear and simple. The statement should be easily understood by both those in the organization and those who are not. 

• A full explanation of your association’s purpose. Make sure to cover your basis and explain the entire purpose of the organization in the short statement. 

• Avoid fluff. Do the previous two together without adding fluff words and unnecessary jargon. This will only complicate the statement cause some people to skip over reading it all together. 

• Separate from a vision statement. Understand the difference between a mission statement and a vision statement. A vision statement is a declaration of an organization’s objectives rather than an explanation of what the association already does. 

If your board does not already have a mission statement in the books, get together to create a cohesive idea of what your association’s mission truly is. After that, get to writing!  

The Essentials of a Board Orientation

Joining a Board of Directors can be a tricky decision. You are committing your free time to running an organization for the next year or two. You may also be hesitant as to what you are actually jumping into as a volunteer. As the current, Board of Directors, it is important to train your new members and provide background on the association. At Impact, we have a Board Orientation Outline that we provide for our clients. It ensures that the proper information is shared with new board members and nothing is left out. Here are a few essentials you should include on your Board Orientation Checklist! 

An introduction. Take the time at the beginning of your orientation to thank the volunteers for their time and commitment to the organization. This will make them feel appreciated and needed and encourage them to jump right in! 

History: Briefly go over how the organization came to be as well as any policies and procedures that are set in place. 

Expectations. Share the association’s mission, vision, and core values. Explain how their new role falls in line with those values. It is also important to lay out a relatively accurate expectation for the time commitment involved with their role. Hopefully this was already discussed prior to their joining, but should be reemphasized. Lay out when meetings are, how many they should be attending, and more! 

Membership. Include a breakdown of how many member types you have and how many members fall into each type. Discuss the ways in which you would like to grow each type and any discussions that have been made about potentially changing these memberships. 

Strategic Plan. Now that you have covered the basics, it is time to get into the nitty gritty or what the group will be working towards. Communicate your strategic plan and allow for questions from your new board member. 

Your new board member may be a little overwhelmed at first but the orientation is there to help them catch up to speed with the rest of the group. This could be presented as a document or a one on one between a current and new board member. It is important to be available for questions and encourage any suggestions of change from the new set of eyes. If the new board member has questions about something that was left out, add it to the outline for the next newbie!  

If you are interested in seeing Impact’s Board Orientation Outline, email kristen@ImpactAMC.com!