Planning for a Recession

Preparing for a recession should be something associations are thinking about during their strategic planning each year. This is something that, now, is coming into play more than ever. You might be wondering, how can Impact Association Management help our clients to successfully plan for an economic downturn?

Impact AMC can help!

Facilitate strategic planning and create a strategic plan, which considers and accounts for the possibility of an economic downturn. The organization will be much better off if this is done in advance rather than scrambling at the time.

Assess the historical impact recessions have had on membership, conference attendance, grant and partner funding, other key revenue sources and make recommendations based on this data.

o   Should special membership pricing or discounts be in place for renewal?

o   Should dues forgiveness be used for unemployed members?

o   Are renewals automatic?

o   Automate messaging leading up to conferences and renewals – why should they attend the conference or renew their membership? What benefits will they reap or haven’t they used yet?

Confirm their reserve model is prepared for risk.

Adapt content and messaging of member programming to reflect a near-term recession where appropriate.

o   Marketing should still be happening! It just needs to be efficiently targeted.

o   Reinforce the value of the association.

o   Offer more networking and career assistance.

o   What is the business case for attending the conference during an economic downturn?

o   Is their a collaborative forum for members to proactively engage with one another? If not, now might be the time to roll this out. It’s a low cost/low staff time engagement tool for members. This can be done via Association Management Software (Wild Apricot) and LinkedIn or Facebook groups

Using data, identify which programs meet the members’ needs the most and ensure they’re recession-proof and can sustain future economic trends. These programs should reflect the association’s core purpose. Conversely, identify which programs should be cycled out and retired.

o   These might be tough conversations, but they should be happening. Develop a way to assess program value and returns as well as when programs should be cycled out and retired.

Identify how your association can become a source of things your members cannot get anywhere else.

o   What is the association’s niche? Is the board of director’s view of this the same as the association’s members?

o   Hone into this and use it as a differentiator as to why people should join your association versus another one.

This might seem like a scary thing to deal with and something you only prepare for when the time comes. Being prepared, however, is what will help your association to thrive at a time that might seem unlikely.

How to get your Board to Hire an AMC

Life can be pretty hectic for a volunteer in an association. Balancing a full-time job, feeding kids or fitting in a run, and being a volunteer is not always easy. When this overwhelming feeling gets to be too much, it might be time to start your search for an association management company. The obstacle that many volunteers come across with this decision is getting the whole board on the same page about the potential switch. If you are having trouble swaying some stubborn board members, set a plan in place to ease their worries and streamline the process.

1.     Introduce the idea of an AMC to your board. Some boards have never considered an AMC before. It is your job to define what an AMC is and make sure they understand how this would work in comparison to the current system. Give a full overview of what type of work could be passed off to the AMC and what decisions and tasks could be left with the board.

2.     Discuss the current division of tasks. Have a conversation with fellow board members about how they are feeling with their current workload for the association. Do they still have time to commit? As a group, do you all often discuss bigger picture items or are the majority of meetings centered around administrative duties? This is a great way to get the board thinking about how their experience as a board member could be different with someone else in charge of the details, allowing them to focus more on their passion for the organization.

3.     Evaluate the financial pros and cons. If all tasks are currently managed by the board, hiring an AMC will take some hits to the budget. These hits, however, should be worth it. Once the AMC gets moving and fully takes over management, they will be able to look for efficiencies and ways to grow revenue. They are the experts when it comes to membership, event planning, marketing and communications, operations, and financial management and can ensure that things are being done successfully . This will also allow for the board to spend more of their time thinking of ways to market membership and events which will in turn, grow revenue. After explaining the benefit of this to the board, set a budget for how much you are willing to spend on an AMC.

4.     Define what you need. Once your board is on the same page, make sure that everyone feels comfortable and confident about the AMC that you choose. Discuss what is important to you all as a board and organization. Some things to consider when starting your search would be a size and culture fit, passion, transparency, multiple dedicated administrators to your account, and experience.

5.     Assign someone to lead the search. It is important to ensure there are not too many cooks in the kitchen when it comes to the actual search. Although it is important to keep the board involved in the decision of making the switch, not everyone needs to be a part of the final decision of which AMC to go with. Many organizations going through this process assign the task of interviewing and hiring an AMC to the current President and President-Elect. Find what works for your organization but try to keep the process simple. This will keep things moving quicker and smoother.

By providing a clear outline of how to go about making the decision to move to an AMC and how to begin that search, your board will be more open to the idea. It is a lot easier to accept something when someone has done the leg work and preparation for the task at hand.

The Pros and Cons of Term Limits

Each organization is unique and has their own reasoning for setting things up the way they are set up. This doesn’t mean that the board should not always be evaluating whether or not that original set up still works for the association. One thing that should be set in the bylaws is whether or not the board has term limits. Term limits are most commonly 2-3 years and are set in place to keep order to the board and prevent one group of people from holding both the power and responsibility for too long. If you are unsure if term limits are for your organization or not, check out the pros and cons our clients have experienced below!

Pros:

• Term limits encourage other members of the organization to become further involved.

•  Ideas and systems are kept fresh with new mindsets.

• The board is able to keep a more diverse group of people rotating through it. Having limits allows for younger generations to get involved.

• Power and responsibility shift helping to avoid a monopoly by one group.

• Term limits allow for a more structured system. Without term limits, a large group of board members could leave at once, leaving the board at a loss. Term limits are usually set up to phase people in and out without an enormous loss on the team.

• There is a peaceful and easy way to get the troublemakers off the board. If someone has something negative to say about everyone’s ideas or is not pulling their weight on the team, there is an end date. This avoids an uncomfortable situation and lets things play out naturally.

Cons:

• The history of the organization might start to dwindle. Sometimes having someone that has been on the board for years, adds an immense amount of value. They have seen how things have been done and what has worked and what has not worked. They also have a core understanding of what the organization’s purpose is and typically work to preserve that.

• Term limits can cause the board to lose high performing and dedicated board members. This can take a hit to the productivity of the organization and can often be seen by members.

• Succession planning is not always a quick and painless process. The more something is passed on to someone else, the more information that can be lost in the process. It is important to set up a clear process for succession if you choose to have term limits.

• Relationships with board members are hard to hold on to. If your board member’s company sponsored the annual conference every year, they might be less likely to jump in with support if their employee is no longer on the board.

• There are not always many volunteers willing to join a board. Being that involved in an organization is a huge time commitment that not everyone is willing to take on. This can leave a board seat empty for longer than you might like.

No matter how your organization is set up, there will be positives and negatives. Understanding the needs of your organization is the most important part of making this decision. There are also other alternatives like making board terms longer and shorter that could make term limits a better fit for your organization. Learn more about Impact can help your organization: https://www.impactamc.com/nonprofit-association-management/support-for-your-association

4 Way to Increase Board Productivity

Boards are typically governed by the bylaws of the association. This allows for clear guidelines when it comes to decision making and levels of authority. Many bylaws, however, are often outdated or not followed closely. If this is the case, it is time to make some updates. Consider the following suggestions to improve your bylaws making the roles and governance of your board clear.

1.     Accurate job descriptions.

If you don’t have job descriptions for the officer roles, start there. Include anything that is a regular part of the job. If you do have descriptions, have each officer read over them and think of anything that is not currently listed. Duties might have shifted over the years and that is fine as long as it is reflected in the bylaws.

2.     On-boarding process.

New officers should review their position before committing to it. They should be completely aware of what they are getting themselves into.

3.     Continuous review.

If the task of reviewing the bylaws is daunting because there are so many changes that need to be made, it might be smart to include that review annually as one of the officer roles. This will ensure that any changes to the role are remembered and included from the previous year.

4.     Include clear guidelines for decision making.

The bylaws should clearly state who reports to whom, who has the authority to make financial decisions, and who can hire or fire contracted employees. This keeps things from getting sticky down the line and allows everyone to know their place.

Once all of your changes have been made and descriptions clarified, you simply need to follow the guidelines that you laid out for yourselves. Sticking to the bylaws ensures that everything is run as it should be eliminating confusion and mistakes

What to Look for in Your Next Board Member

A board can make or break the direction and success of the organization. This makes it crucial to find the right people for the job. Your current board members should spend some time creating a list of traits that the person should possess before making any rash decisions. We have listed a few traits that we think make for great board members below!

1.     Passion. If someone is volunteering to do something in their free time, they need to have a passion for it. If they don’t, it will show and they will be less likely to remain involved. They need to see their volunteer position as something they cannot let people down on.

2.     Communication.  As a board member, you will be communicating with members and other board members. The new member needs to be someone who can express themselves clearly and knows when to speak up during board meetings to voice their opinions. This person might also find themselves in the position of recruiting new members and needs to have their communication skills down pat.

3.     Responsible. The new board member needs to be someone that the whole group can depend on. You do not want to assign something to someone at a board meeting and find out a month later that no work has been done on this project.

4.     Fundraising Skills. Whether or not your nonprofit takes donations, it is not bad to have someone in the group with a fundraising background. This type of person can really sell your organization to potential members or increase your event attendance helping to grow the association.

5.     Respectful. Although your group wants someone who speaks their mind, it is important to look for someone who does so respectfully. If a board member is always interrupting others, shooting down every idea, or has a negative mindset about the organization as a whole, they are not the right person for the job. This kind of negativity can distract the whole board and lead to less productive meetings.

6.     Financial Background. Having a financial background is not a necessary skill for a board member but it sure does help to have! There should always be 1-2 people on the board that could manage financials if necessary. This keeps things running smoothly and ensures everything concerning money is done accurately.

7.     Ready to Learn. Look for someone who asks a lot of questions about the potential position. This is a good sign that they are willing to learn and catch up on the past work of the organization.

Sitting down to really plan out what your board needs before bringing someone new in to the mix can help to ensure a long lasting board member. Making sure you find the right fit is more important than just filling the spot as quickly as possible.