Administrative management can help your association succeed by providing the support you need to achieve your goals, grow your memberships, and maintain financial stability.
READ MORE: The importance of administrative management in associations
Having worked with some of the most significant associations in Europe, our association experts have identified several administrative management strategies to support our clients:
1. Communication strategy
The best associations are built on the foundations of good communication – between employees, members, and others in the industry.
Developing a detailed and robust communication strategy is a vital part of administrative management as it will influence every other activity within the association, including:
- Internal comms
- Customer service
- Member comms (e.g. newsletters)
- Marketing comms
- Information sharing
- Community engagement
- Crisis communication
Associations need to be clear on what, when, where and how they communicate (especially if this will differ based on the audience segment). Your association can follow clear guidelines for all communication types by developing a communication strategy.
One of the top reasons members join an association is for easy access to information, so you must communicate these updates appropriately and consistently.
A communication strategy will also support your brand in times of crisis (e.g. COVID-19, Ukraine invasion). Your employees can follow guidelines and protocols for communicating with members and what information to share.
RELATED: Crisis Communication Beyond Lockdown
2. Change management strategy
Change is inevitable in any professional organisation, whether it is a change across the industry, a change in crucial job positions, or a change in internal processes.
Having a strategy to manage these changes helps your association reduce the level of disruption that change causes to maintain productivity, growth, and profitability.
Administrative management teams, like those at Congrex, help associations to develop a change management strategy that considers the impacts of a transition across the whole organisation – from employees to members. The strategy will detail the process in which changes need to be communicated, implemented and, if necessary, adjusted.
3. Financial management strategy
Association finances and budgeting can be a complex and time-consuming task – especially for those juggling other responsibilities within the association. This is one of the primary reasons executives seek association management and administrative management support.
Experts in associations can help you develop a financial management strategy that considers all the nuances of associations that do not typically occur for corporate businesses, including annual conference expenses and membership renewals.
By developing a financial management strategy, your association can stay within your required budget, forecast financial requirements for the future, and maintain a solid financial position.
4. Benchmarking & performance management strategy
To continuously grow, associations need a strategy in place for setting goals, benchmarking against others in the industry, and analysing and managing performance.
Setting objectives and benchmarks for an association involves an immense level of data analysis and industry knowledge – which is why this is the perfect task for administrative management teams equipped with the skills and experience to gather and analyse all the data you need.
A documented and detailed performance management strategy can help you objectively analyse the performance of various departments, activities, and individuals within the association to improve with maximum effect.
5. Membership Strategy
Members are integral to the growth and success of an association, so you need to have a strategy in place for retaining existing and attracting new members.
Our membership management experts work closely with administrative management experts to develop membership strategies that align with the association’s capabilities, brand values, and communication strategy.
READ MORE: How To Combat Declining Membership In Professional Associations
6. Learning & Development Strategy
As well as developing your membership, it would be best to consider how you can develop those inside your association to contribute to the organisation’s long-term growth.
It would help if you had a learning and development strategy that outlines:
- How do you assess internal members (incl. method and frequency)
- What training the association will facilitate (incl. formal and informal training)
- How the development of employees links to the association’s goals and values
Learning and development opportunities are also among the top reasons members join associations. By demonstrating your commitment to development internally, you can also improve your messaging reputation around member learning opportunities.
Associations and non-profits often need to implement administration management methods markedly different from those used by corporate firms. In most cases, associations need to develop customised administration strategies that require an exceptional understanding of their sector and member base’s past, present, and future.
Congrex is an expert in medical associations, providing association management services and professional conference organisation. We want to help you achieve effective long-term management through our administrative management services.
Get in touch to find out more.
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Congrex Switzerland is an international operating event agency delivering customised solutions for medical and scientific associations. This encompasses the overall organisation of conferences and meetings as well as the management of associations to help them grow and prosper. Annually Congrex Switzerland organises approximately 45 events with over 70’000 delegates and manages the secretariat of several Swiss and European associations.
