Managing an association or non-profit organisation is a complex task, much more so in a sector that must adapt to a changing environment.
Administrative management is a critical part of a successful association and can include a variety of elements such as:
- Conference & event planning
- Benchmarking & progress monitoring
- Sending newsletters
- Providing support for committee members
- Organising Executive Committee and other meetings
- Meeting Participation Logistics
- The organisation of workshops and teaching courses
- Communication with lawyers, chambers of commerce and tax authorities regarding NPO status and tax exemption
- And many more
Having worked with some of the most significant associations in Europe, we have seen first-hand the difference administrative management makes.
Why do associations need administrative management?
Maintain a solid financial position
Financial management is a core part of any administrative management strategy. Associations that use administrative management are more organised and data-driven in their financial decisions, reducing waste, maintaining visibility, and leading to long-term financial security.
Administrative management will also help an association maintain a scheduled and structured review of its finances to ensure they are managed appropriately according to the goals and priorities for that term.
Grow membership
Declining membership is a problem facing many professional associations. While membership management is a full service of its’ own, administrative management services complement these by helping associations to communicate more clearly, build relationships with existing members, and develop a community for engagement that adds value to the membership proposition.
For example, as part of our administration management services, we help associations achieve a robust digital presence crucial for membership engagement and reaching younger generations.
Read more: How to combat declining membership in professional associations
Improve productivity
By utilising administrative management services, staff within your association can reduce how long they spend on administrative tasks and instead focus on the tasks that require their specialist knowledge and experience. Overall, your association will become more productive and efficient, leading to a better experience for your members and event attendees.
Read more: How associations can implement innovation
Make data-driven decisions
Administrative management teams have vast experience gathering, monitoring, and analysing all the data your association will need to make decisions about the organisation’s direction, strategy, and activity. Data collection and analysis is a time- and resource-heavy task which can often make it difficult for associations to truly get the insights they need to make the right decisions for the future. However, benchmarking, progress monitoring, and data collection are core parts of administrative management.
Achieve goals
Making decisions based on reliable and organised data makes your association more likely to succeed and grow. Goals made with the support of administrative management will be based on data (e.g. competitor landscape, performance history, membership retention). Therefore, they will be supported by evidence and reasoning – making them much more attainable than goals based on individual opinions or created ‘off the top of your head’.
Administrative management will also help you keep those goals front of mind throughout all your activities to ensure everything your association does is working to support the overall objective.
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.
—
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.
