At the beginning of the year, I hired two new employees to staff a new client we were in the process of on-boarding. I was very excited to find someone local who had worked for many years in the membership services department of a stand-alone association (it’s rare that I find someone at the administrative level who has actual association management experience). The second employee had extensive customer service experience at a for-profit company. Unfortunately, it was a rocky start with both employees.

Later this year the AMC Institute Membership Task Force will be implementing a Membership Drive for the 2016 fiscal year. In order to reach new members, the task force will be implementing a membership drive for the 2016 membership year (January 1st - December 31st). 

This membership drive may be entered by AMC members and Associate members. Both have a chance to win!

AMC Members who recruit new AMC members will have a chance to win free conference registration for the 2016 Annual Meeting. For Associate members who refer a new AMC member, they will receive 25% off of their conference registration.

Each time you refer a new member who fills out an application, your company's name will be entered into the drawing for the free conference registration. If you refer three new members, you get to be entered into the drawing three times!

New AMC members who join are also rewarded! Those who join between September 1, 2015 and December 31, 2015 will receive all the benefits of membership during the current year plus benefits for the 2016 membership year. In essence, they have the chance to receive four free months of membership.

If you have any questions, contact Member Services at 571-527-3108 or at info@amcinstitute.org.   

2015 marks a milestone anniversary for Diversified Management Services (DMS) – 25 years of providing exceptional service. DMS, an AMCI Accredited AMC has accumulated a rich history of serving non-profits over that time.  In the early 1890s DMS’s parent organization, the Iowa Savings and Loan League, was founded. Fast forward 90 years to the early 1980s, a period of time which brought high inflation and extraordinarily high interest rates. The Iowa Savings and Loan League President and Board of Directors devised a plan to keep the association viable in the declining economy by turning it’s subsidiary, S&L Services, into an association management company. In 1990 Diversified Management Services, Inc. was born with a stand-alone staff of six with the goal of providing dedicated management services to non-profit trade associations and professional societies.

"Over the past 25 years, DMS has had the privilege to deliver exceptional service to nearly 50 associations," said Kate Banasiak, president & CEO of Diversified Management Services. "Today we serve 19 associations and foundations and we have represented over half of those entities for over 10 years."

AMR Management Services took home a top ten finish in the small company (15-149 employee) division at the 11th Annual Best Places to Work in Kentucky awards dinner recently. The program, sponsored by the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and the Kentucky Society for Human Resource Management (KYSHRM), seeks to honor Kentucky businesses who work to create top level workplace environments.

What does Intellectual Property encompass? This month's tip will begin to delve into the many areas of Intellectual Property that affect AMCs.

Is your company thinking about becoming Accredited and you want to find out more information? Or has your company already been through the accreditation process but you have questions about maintaining your accreditation?

Join us for an Accreditation Workshop prior to AMCs Engaged! on Friday, August 7th in Detroit, Michigan.  The workshop will be held  from 2:00 PM- 4:00 PM in the Cobo Center.    

The  latest revision of the Standard of Good Practices became effective January 1, 2015. This workshop will be informative for companies that are already accredited as well as those just beginning the process. Plan to attend and learn about the changes to the Standard and how to stay in compliance.

Brought to you by AMC Institute and ASAE, AMCs Engaged! is a focused one-day Pre-Conference Program event prior to the ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition.

The program is tailored to meet the unique challenges of the AMC community and to help you prepare for and 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.