What is association management?
There are more than 138,000 groups in the United State that are organized as associations. Most of these are trade and professional organizations. As these groups originate and grow in size and activities, they often develop needs that cannot be accomplished by volunteer leaders alone. In these cases, a firm or person(s) is hired to oversee the day-to-day running of the organization. Typically, this includes organizing the group's annual convention, educational sessions, finances, board meetings, membership recruitment, government relations, publications, and strategic planning. Some well-known national associations include the American Medical Association (AMA), the American Automobile Association (AAA) and the American Association for Retired Persons (AARP). The people hired to manage the association's operations, with direction from the volunteer board, are called the association managers.

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How can associations share an office?
Twelve nonprofit organizations and associations now share space at MCA. This is accomplished by having professional and support staff, along with the facilities and equipment (fax machines, copiers, internet access, computer software, storage space, etc...) "shared" by the associations that contract with the company. Economical shared phone lines are answered with "Association Offices" and then transferred to the appropriate staff person (a dedicated phone line can be installed for associations that have strong daily contact, which will be answered with the association's name). Clients benefit from the volume buying power of the group--giving each association lower copying rates, printing and equipment costs, and personnel costs than they would experience on their own. Office supplies such as postage, copies, etc... are tracked internally and billed to clients based on their actual usage, thus saving each association a considerable amount each year.

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How will our association maintain its separate identity?
Each MCA client is unique. Care is taken to give all MCA staff members (even those not directly working on the account) an overview of each client--its industry, needs and goals. Policies and procedures for each client are developed based on the association's standards and take into account idiosyncrasies like certification requirements, continuing education needs, political action regulations, reimbursement mandates and board structures. Each client has a designated storage area and separate computer files, databases and brochures. In addition, a dedicated phone line can be installed for associations that have heavy daily contact, which will be answered with the association's name.

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Can association members access the office?
The office is staffed from 8:30 a.m.- 5 p.m., Monday through Friday (PST). MCA encourages clients to feel free to stop by and meet the staff or use its facilities during these hours. Our office is conveniently located 3 minutes off of Interstate 5 and 15 minutes north of downtown Seattle. The office building has free and ample parking. The office includes a conference room (with a service kitchen) so we can economically run committee and board meetings on-site.

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Who will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the association?
Each association will be assigned a management team, led by an executive director, who will work closely with the board of directors, to meet the specific needs of the association. Care is taken to assure a good "fit" with the client and to place staff members on the team based on their level of expertise, interests and the level of service required. All associations managed by MCA also have shared access to the firm's graphic designer, bookkeeper and receptionist.

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What training is needed for managing associations?
Our staff has a keen knowledge of the association and nonprofit fields. Principals have achieved the "Certified Association Executive" status and have been honored by their peers in the industry. MCA also actively encourages staff education and sponsors affiliations with professional groups like the American Society of Association Executives and the Institute for Organization Management. Courses and training opportunities are selected that will keep our staff on the cutting-edge of knowledge in the association management field. Staff members also learn from one another--a monthly in-house educational session on topics specific to the field, such as strategic planning, member recruitment, and sponsorship promotions, allow staff to share success stories and new ideas.

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