Rebuilding a Committee

Losing committee members right and left? This is a pretty common problem found in associations. Volunteers burn out, run into new time commitments, or get frustrated with the position leaving your committee with empty seats. If you find yourself with a lacking committee, it is important to quickly fill those empty seats in order to keep everything on schedule.  

• Identify tasks. Understand what the committee was originally established for, their current tasks, and any future objectives. Make sure these issues and goals are clearly established before bringing on new committee members. 

• Determine a leader. If your committee leader has also left you high and dry, it is time to pick someone new to step into his or her shoes. Feel out the current committee members and see if anyone is willing to volunteer. If nobody is willing to take on this role, it is up to you to handle this in the meantime. This will also motivate you to continue the search for new committee members. 

• Fill the other positions. Make sure members are aware of the opportunity to join the committee. Include it in newsletters, emails, social media, and anywhere else you are communicating with your members. If this does not entice enough members, have the current committee members make a list of members they feel would be a good fit. Once the list is created, the recruiting can begin. 

• Check in. Once the new committee is established, be sure to check in regularly. Make sure the group is happy and understands their role in the organization.  

Moving forward, make sure to consistently remind members of committee opportunities. Remind them that they can get more involved by joining committees. This will keep it in the forefront of their minds and might lead to more people joining before it is crucial that they join. This will lead to easier turnover and a more positive experience. 

The AMC Checklist

Things can get a bit hectic for a volunteer in an association. When this overwhelming feeling gets to be too much, it is time to begin your search for an association management company. Beginning this search might lead to even more of a headache for the Board of Directors, but we have made it easy! Here is a checklist of what to look for in an AMC. 

• Size fit. If you are on the board of an extremely large association, make sure that the AMC you choose has the capacity to take you on. This applies to smaller associations as well. You want to make sure that you are at equal priority to the AMC’s other clients. This ensures that things do not slip through the cracks and the work is done. 

• Passion. Look for a group of Executive Administrators that has a true passion for what they do. Find an AMC that becomes a partner and cares about your goals and milestones. This will guarantee that they are just as dedicated as you are to the organization. 

• Culture Fit. You are going to be working with the Executive Administrator closely. It is important that you and that person get along, communicate well, and have a strong understanding of one another. If you prefer working with someone more laid back than intense, keep that in mind when conducting your AMC interviews. This relationship will be something you are maintaining for the length of the contract and should be a positive one. 

• Transparency. Find an AMC that holds themselves to high standards when it comes to ethical business practice. You are handing your AMC highly important information and access when you work with them. Make sure that the AMC you choose has an open and honest policy about how they are spending your time, what they do for you on a regular basis, and any information they might hold during their time with you. It is important to know that your money is being used properly and that if the partnership were to end, your information is readily available. 

• More than one dedicated Administrator. It is a smart move to look for an AMC that will provide you with at least two dedicated Executive Administrators. Two Executive Administrators allows you easier communication, more collaboration, and a back up plan. If you are working with one Executive Administrator and they have to take a day off or leave the company, you have someone who has already been working with your association to train a new staff member. This keeps things running smoothly and prevents a chaotic transition if your primary administrator is unavailable.  

• Experience. If you are lacking in marketing, financial support, or member communication, find an AMC that has that experience. Question them during the interview and look for examples that line up with what your organization is looking for. This guarantees a good administrative fit. 

  The hunt for the perfect AMC might be a stressful one, but once you find the right fit, the stress will quickly fade. The AMC will allow you to redirect your focus to the mission of your association and leave the administrative tasks to your new partner. 

What Makes Impact, Impact

2019 marks Impact’s 13th year of business. It has been an exciting ride full of changes and growth. This year, we decided it was important to define what is unique about Impact. Talking over everything that is unique to Impact, our team narrowed it down to 3 defining factors.

1.  We love what we do, and it shows. Our team is passionate about supporting Associations and becoming partners in order to surpass goals and achieve milestones. As partners, we find great value in developing relationships with our Clients. We are real people with different personalities, skill-sets and strengths. We celebrate this diversity and believe in having FUN while providing top level professional services to our Clients. 

2. We specialize in small-medium sized Associations. We understand the unique challenges and benefits that align with these Organizations. While each Client is unique, we believe in sharing the strategies and successes we’ve experienced in the past rather than reinventing the wheel. Regardless of how long our Clients have been established or what phase they are in as an Organization, we believe they deserve the best customer service, support and resources.
   

3. We believe in transparency. We hold ourselves to extremely high standards when it comes to ethical business practice. From day one we are working hard to establish trust with our Clients. We often pick up the pieces from previous broken partnerships and this has given us the knowledge of how to do things right, right from the start. From our contracts to our invoices and everything in between, we respect our Clients too much to keep anything in the dark. 

Although logos, employees, and clients may have changed over the last 13 years, these 3 unique selling points never will. Happy 13 years of Impact!

Setting Professional Development Requirements

Here at Impact Services, we believe it is important to continue learning and growing. Because learning and development are so important to Impact’s mission, it is required that each member participate in 6 professional developments a year. These development opportunities can include skills a team member would like to work on developing, networking events, or a chance to develop a goal or project a client needs or wants.  

This has lead to our team experiencing forums, webinars, and more that have developed them into the hard-working professionals they are. After participating, team members must share with the team what was learned, what challenges or skills they still need to learn more about, and ideas or lessons learned that they feel other staff members could benefit from. 

Setting these requirements sets a culture of continuous education. It reminds everyone on the team that there is always more to be informed about and more room for improvement. The requirements ensure that our team is always increasing their value to our clients. It also provides an opportunity for Impact to take on new responsibilities within our company, because although we may not have experience in a subject, it does not mean we are not willing to learn and conquer it. 

Setting standards for professional development could be a great way to improve your company or association. It will provide new perspectives and open the mind of your team. Seeing things in a new light or learning more about something can only grow your organizations.

Balancing Life as a Board Member

Associations and nonprofits are typically run by volunteers. This means that those volunteers have full lives outside of their duties within the association including their own career. Juggling both a full-time career and a position on an association’s board can be challenging. Here are a few things to remember when navigating this tricky balance. 

Membership is not all on you. The push for new members and member recruitment is a constant goal of associations. Taking on the task of recruiting new members and pushing for current members to stay is a part of being on the board. This job, however, does not fall solely on one person. It is each person’s responsibility as a part of the association to recruit and retain. Doing this, keeps the organization running and allows the organization to fulfill its mission. It is important, however, to be mindful of your interactions with current and potential members. Each interaction could be the deciding factor on whether that member joins or stays in the association. Maintaining a positive attitude and friendly demeanor could be your organization’s selling point.  

Build Relationships. Understanding your members, potential members, and community will set the groundwork for your association’s success. Building these relationships will ensure a sense of trust and will provide you with a set of resources. Connect with people on social media, reach out personally if you have built a strong enough relationship, and maintain the relationship even if it seems like it is no longer beneficial to you. 

Keep learning. As a board member, it is essential to keep learning everything you can about the industry as well as the role you are in. Learning more about the association is only going to make you more knowledgeable and successful. This allows you to run the association efficiently and the ability to teach others more about the industry as well. Keeping up on industry news or advice on how to better your association will better you as a leader.