An association management company, or AMC, provides management and specialized

administrative Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal ** Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an administrative officer, administ ...

services to non-profit trade associations and

professional associations A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) usually seeks to further a particular profession, the interests of individuals and organisations engaged in that profession, and th ...

using a for-profit approach. Many AMCs serve as an organization's headquarters, managing day-to-day operations and becoming the public face of the organization. Services may include executive, administrative and

financial management Financial management is the business function concerned with profitability, expenses, cash and credit, so that the "organization may have the means to carry out its objective as satisfactorily as possible;" the latter often defined as maximizin ...

; strategic planning; membership development; public affairs and

lobbying In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, whic ...

; education and professional development; statistical research; meetings management; and

marketing Marketing is the process of exploring, creating, and delivering value to meet the needs of a target market in terms of goods and services; potentially including selection of a target audience; selection of certain attributes or themes to emph ...

and communication services. Orienting board members is common; AMCs lay out expectations for fiduciary oversight and point out conflicts of interest. Fernley & Fernley, Inc., based in Philadelphia and founded in 1886, was the first association management company in the United States. More than 600 AMCs worldwide now collectively manage associations ranging in budget size from $50,000 to $16 million and representing more than 3 million members. AMCs can be found in most major U.S. cities. The Alexandria, Va.-based

AMC Institute The AMC Institute (AMCI) is the global membership organization of the association management company, or AMC, industry. It was founded in 1963 and is headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, U.S. Nearly 200 AMCs are members. These members employ 3, ...

accredits AMCs under the guidance of the

American National Standards Institute The American National Standards Institute (ANSI ) is a private non-profit organization that oversees the development of voluntary consensus standards for products, services, processes, systems, and personnel in the United States. The orga ...

. Current employees of AMCs are eligible to apply to become a Certified Association Executive. Chicago-based

SmithBucklin Smithbucklin, based in Chicago, is an association management company, founded in 1949 with secondary offices in Washington, D.C.; Old Lyme, Connecticut; St. Louis, Missouri; and San Ramon, California. William E. Smith started the company with ni ...

is the world's largest AMC, although Geneva, Switzerland-based

MCI Group MCI Group, based in Geneva, Switzerland, is the world's largest professional conference organiser employing 1,800 people in 31 countries as of April 2016. The company also operates as an association management company, or AMC. MCI operates mark ...

, a professional conference organiser that offers AMC services, has more employees: 1,900 as of 2016.

References

{{Reflist

External links

The Center for Association Leadership

AMC Institute
Management Non-profit organizations

See also

References

External links