On Tuesday, April 14, 2015, Dede Gish-Panjada, AMCI Past Chair, Tina Wehmeir, AMCI CEO and I presented an educational session on "The Art of Serving Boards Effectively" at the YourMembership User Conference in St. Pete Beach, Florida. YourMembership invited AMCI, the leader in association management best practices, to present, as we do daily to our clients.  So for 90 minutes, Dede, Tina and I had the opportunity to share on building strategic boards with approximately 25 standalone executives. 

As I prepared for the presentation, it was a refreshing to review some of the key elements of building a strategic board and how we are accomplishing this objective at AMCI.  The AMCI Board began this journey two years ago and we continue to refine the processes in order to keep our organization focused and on target.  We are all operating in a new environment; an environment in which the boards we manage:

• Have less volunteer time now than ever before
• Want tangible value from their AMC for a true return on investment 
  
• Are confronted with new generational values and diverse interests continually
• Have competition for their members and these members desire even more knowledge than ever
• Need cutting edge technology
  

Our session today reminded me that our clients need to reach further and work harder to be strategic boards. If we cannot do this for our clients, we are not meeting their needs and we are not providing the value that is expected of AMC superior management. If this is the case for our client expectations, it's even more important for our own association, AMC Institute, as we set the example we practice everyday in our own firms. We must help AMCI govern with knowledge, trust and nimbleness, always having a vision and a strategy focused on the future.

AMCI is making strides every day to become a more strategic board and organization. Is your company leading your client boards in that same direction?

Thanks,

 
Charles 

Stringfellow Management Group (SMG) just recently celebrated three years in business. In this short period of time, SMG has more than doubled in size, welcomed several new clients, and upgraded to a new headquarters office in Forest Hill, Maryland to better accommodate the needs of the growing company and its clients.

Congratulations to Conni Ingallina from SOS Association Management Solutions in Scottsdale, Arizona! She recently appeared on The Non Profit Journal's radio show with Dee Suomala. The show focused on the purpose of AMCs and how they can help non profits become and remain successful.  Being the Chair Elect of the AMCI Membership Task Force, Conni also promoted the AMC model and AMC Institute.  If you would like to hear the interview, visit: http://thenonprofitjournal.com/sos-association-management-solutions/.

The accreditation or re-accreditation process doesn't have to be a daunting task. Find out a few tips to make it easier....

Obtaining and maintaining the AMCI accreditation is a valuable investment with incredible returns. It's also a cause for celebration, so please join us in recognizing all of the AMCs that re-accredited during the first quarter of 2015:

• CM Services, Inc. - Glen Ellyn, Illinois
  
• Interactive Management, Inc. - Westminster, Colorado
  
• Organization Management Group - Chesapeake, Virginia
  
• Partners in Association Management - Tallahassee, Florida
  

Do you have a policy on Intellectual Property or Social Media?

With the release of the revised ANSI/AMC Standard of Good Practices for the Association Management Company Industry, AMC Institute is updating the sample policies on their website.

We are looking for sample policies regarding Intellectual Property, Social Media as well as other sample policies that relate to sections 3 through 12 of the ANSI/AMC Standards.

This is a great way to share your best practices and support AMCs who are just beginning the accreditation process and those already accredited who need to implement the new policies on Intellectual Property and Social Media.

Please submit your sample policies to Janine Oney-Schmitt at joney-schmitt@amcinstitute.org.

At the end of March, ASAE held a town hall meeting in Washington, D.C. featuring Marcus Owens, attorney at Caplin & Drysdale and the former head of the IRS Exempt Organizations Division. Mr. Owens painted a picture of IRS as an agency now trying to find its way following the dust up over 501(c)(4) organizations and their political activities. The tax-exempt division is a very small revenue generating sector for IRS, and thus gets little attention in the agency until Congress gets involved or a scandal occurs.

AMCs Engaged!
August 8, 2015
Cobo Center, Detroit Michigan

AMC's Engaged! is tailored to meet the unique challenges of the AMC community and help them prepare for (or adapt to) the changing business landscape. Whether you're part of the leadership team of a thriving association management company, an owner navigating the first few years of growth, or an entrepreneur investigating the strengths of the AMC model, you can expect to walk away with concrete and thought-provoking information.

Brought to you by AMC Institute and ASAE AMC Section Council, AMCs Engaged! is offered as a focused one-day Pre-Conference Program event.

This collaboration provides educational and networking opportunities that are not available through other sources, and allows AMC members to gain insightful knowledge and make contacts that provide value year round.

REGISTRATION

Registration for AMCs Engaged! is conducted through the ASAE Annual Meeting website. Please visit the Registration Information page for details. There are several different registration opportunities which include pre-conference registration just for AMCs Engaged! or register for both AMCs Engaged! and the ASAE Annual Meeting. Make sure to look for AMCs Engaged! on the program selection. If you have any questions about registration, you may contact ASAE Member Services directly by phone at 888.950.2723 or 202.371.0940  or by email: registration@asaecenter.org.

 LODGING

The host hotel for AMCs Engaged! attendees is the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center. Discounted room rates have been negotiated exclusively for attendees of AMCs Engaged! and the ASAE Meeting.  Room block information may be found on the AMCs Engaged webpage in the Meetings & Events and Upcoming Events section.

SCHEDULE AND AGENDA

The 2015 AMCs Engaged! program focuses on going from "Good to Great."  Individual sessions include:

• The Revenue Growth Habit: How to Grow Your Association By 15% in Just Minutes Per Day, led by The Marketing Evangelist, Alex Goldfayn
  
• Transforming Workplace Culture to Foster Business Growth "The Value of Becoming a "Best Company to Work For" panel discussion from industry best company to work for winners
• Concurrent Forum Sessions for AMCs By Size – Hitting the Key Topics that Challenge Each Demographic
• An Economic Forecast from Christopher Kuehl, a "Return Speaker" Back by Popular Demand
• And more . . .

For the full schedule and session descriptions, please visit the AMC Institute website and view the Program Agenda. 

We invite you to integrate the AMCs Engaged! meeting into your overall plans while attending the ASAE Annual Meeting in Detroit!