Association management is a field of
management
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities o ...
which focuses on the management of
associations. There are more than 25,000 national associations and 65,000 local, state or regional associations in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. These organizations employ more than 500,000 professionals.
Association management is a distinct field of management because of the unique environment of associations. Associations are unique in that the "owners" are dues-paying members. Members also govern their association through an elected board or other governing body, along with association committees, commissions, task forces, councils and other units. Typically, the board selects, retains and evaluates a
chief executive officer
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
or an
executive director who is responsible for the day-to-day management of the association and paid staff.
Managers within the association environment are responsible for many of the same tasks that are found in other organizational contexts. These include human resource management, financial management, meeting management, IT management, and project management. Other aspects of management are unique for association managers. These include: membership recruitment and retention; tax-exempt accounting and financial management; development of non-dues revenue and fundraising. Association managers must also be familiar with laws and regulations that pertain only to associations. To attain the knowledge needed to effectively operate in association management, its practitioners may choose to pursue the Certified Association Executive designation. This qualification may be obtained via the American Society of Association Executives ASAE.
As in the US, in several other countries national societies of association managers exist. See the links below for the ones which exist in some nations belonging to the British Commonwealth. In Europe there also exists the European Society of Association Executives.
Association Management professionals typically use
Membership Software
Membership software (also known as an association management system) is a computer software which provides associations, clubs and other membership organizations with the functionality they require to provide their services to their members.
It n ...
to organize and manage the day-to-day operations of the association they are in charge of.
See also
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Academic conference
An academic conference or scientific conference (also congress, symposium, workshop, or meeting) is an event for researchers (not necessarily academics) to present and discuss their scholarly work. Together with academic or scientific journals an ...
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Association management company
An association management company, or AMC, provides management and specialized administrative services to non-profit trade associations and professional associations using a for-profit approach. Many AMCs serve as an organization's headquarters, m ...
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American Society of Association Executives
The American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) is the membership organization and voice of the association profession. Founded in 1920 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., ASAE has more than 42,000 association CEOs, staff professionals, ...
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Membership software
Membership software (also known as an association management system) is a computer software which provides associations, clubs and other membership organizations with the functionality they require to provide their services to their members.
It n ...
References
;Bibliography
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External links
American Society of Association Executives (ASAE)Association ForumUK Institute of Association ManagementAustralian Society of Association ExecutivesCanadian Society of Association ExecutivesEuropean Society of Association ExecutivesHOA , COA Management Company HOA Management Software
{{Management
Management by type
Non-profit organizations