Best Association Management Companies for Trade Associations

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When you’re in charge of running an association, it might feel like there are not enough hours in the day to get everything done. Between planning events, researching software, and communicating with members, you have a wide range of responsibilities to cover.

To reduce stress, save costs, and ensure they can focus on the parts of their organizations that require unique expertise, many associations turn to association management companies.

Association management companies provide the management, engagement, and organizational services your association needs to run smoothly. To help you assess if hiring an association management company is the right choice, this guide will answer a few common questions about these businesses before exploring our top recommended agencies.

Association Management Companies FAQs

What is an association management company?

An association management company (AMC) is a business that handles key aspects of running an association, such as event planning, board governance, marketing, and government relations.
Essentially, if you need help managing a specific part of your association, chances are good that there’s an AMC with expertise in that aspect of association management.

What are the benefits of hiring an association management company?

Partnering with an AMC does mean taking on an additional cost. However, many trade and professional associations have weighed this concern and found the benefits are more than worth their initial investment.
For your association, assess your budget, organizational needs, and if you would like any of the following benefits:

  • Increased help. AMCs can take on a wide range of tasks, freeing up your team’s time. An AMC might act as a consultant, outsourced service, or even additional staff depending on your needs and the AMC’s work model.
  • Professional expertise. AMCs can bring skills and knowledge that your association’s team may not have. For example, your association might have great member relations but lack knowledge when it comes to managing your finances or filling out the right forms to maintain legal compliance.
  • Cost-effectiveness. Your trade or professional association might not have the budget to hire additional permanent staff members, but you may be able to afford an AMC’s services. Also, while you should get your AMC up to speed on how your association operates, your AMC should provide experienced professionals, meaning you won’t need to go through the same training and onboarding processes you would with a brand new team member.

When you need help developing new member acquisition strategies, want guidance on developing your educational programming, or are looking to build a new association from the ground up, an AMC can help every step of the way.

What should my association look for in an association management company?

Every AMC has its own work model and specialized range of services. Keep your association’s needs top of mind when evaluating leading candidates. Assess AMCs by looking at their:

  • Accreditations. Accredited associations have been independently reviewed and verified for having professional, reliable, and high-quality services. The primary association accrediting body is the Association Management Company Institute, which assesses associations on their ability to “deliver the highest level of customer service” in a number of areas, such as serving clients, financial management, insurance coverage, and employee training. To ensure your association finds a trusted AMC, our list of top providers exclusively includes AMC Institute-accredited organizations.
  • Expertise and specialization. AMCs provide a range of services, from event planning to technology services to organizational structure development. When evaluating associations, explore their services and case studies to see what kind of work they usually do. Some AMCs are full-service organizations that can help almost any part of your association, whereas others have a few focus areas.
  • Values. This includes both the AMC’s organizational values as well as its work model. Your employees and members will interact with your AMC’s staff on a fairly regular basis, so ensure that your teams can work well together and that your community will be receptive to these external agents.

If you’ve decided working with an AMC is the right choice for your trade or professional association, these criteria can help you find top candidates. To start your search for your AMC partner, let’s get started with our top recommendations.

10+ Best Association Management Companies for Trade and Professional Associations

1. WJ Weiser & Associates, Inc.

WJ Weiser & Associates, Inc. (Weiser) has been a leading association management company for almost 40 years, helping associations of all sizes, ranging from international to locally-based organizations. Weiser is a full-service association management company, and with its team’s years of experience, it has a wide network of connections it can leverage on your association’s behalf.
Services:

  • Full-service association management
  • Custom projects
  • Government relations and advocacy
  • Start-up services
  • Transitional staff and executive services

2. Association and Society Management International, Inc.

Association and Society Management International, Inc. (ASMII) provides management services for trade and professional associations, political action committees, advocacy groups, and nonprofit organizations. ASMII is a full-service AMC, but it’s also ready to provide partial support as needed.
Services:

  • Association management
  • Trade shows and exhibits support
  • Grant proposal writing
  • Certification management
  • Fundraising

3. Partners in Association Management

Partners in Association Management (Partners) is a full-service AMC with a separate dedicated consulting wing known as Partners Strategic Solutions, which provides consulting and training services for nonprofits and businesses. Partners takes a business-minded approach to its consulting with a philosophy that associations should “be run like a business with the expectation of a return on investment, strength of the balance sheet and adherence to the budget as the guiding forces.”
Services:

  • Marketing and communications
  • Technology
  • Conventions
  • Strategic leadership
  • Member care

4. Association Management Solutions

Association Management Solutions (AMS) is a 100% women-owned, boutique, full-service AMC. Additionally, AMS focuses on sustainability, both in terms of associations building sustainable funding plans and in using recycled and low-waste equipment. This means that when working with AMS, you can create a positive impact on your association and the environment.
Services:

  • Operational management
  • Meetings and event planning
  • Public relations and social media
  • Membership services
  • In-house association management software

5. IMN Solutions

IMN Solutions is a full-service AMC that serves trade and professional associations, corporations, faith-based groups, and more. With their strategic insights, they promise to spot hidden opportunities and protect clients from risks they may not have even known they had. They work with associations to tackle the time-consuming and technical work needed to bring their clients’ ideas to life.
Services:

  • Leadership and governance
  • Strategic sourcing and contracting
  • Succession planning
  • Revenue diversification
  • Membership growth and engagement

6. Association Resource Center

The Association Resource Center provides comprehensive association management services to trade and professional associations, as well as membership-based nonprofit organizations. Their approach to association management is tailored to each client and involves assigning a dedicated staff contact who provides ongoing services.
Services:

  • Organizational management
  • Membership services
  • Meetings and events
  • Marketing and communications
  • Operations management

7. Bostrom

Bostrom is a full-service AMC but understands that associations often need just a few select services. As such, they provide a “Build Your Own Customized Support Solution” offering where associations can pick and choose what services they need. This provides customers with a flexible experience designed to meet their exact needs.
Services:

  • Human resources
  • Membership services
  • Financial management
  • Technology
  • Meetings and marketing

8. Strauss

Primarily serving associations in Vancouver, Toronto, and Winnipeg, Strauss declares itself as Canada’s most well-connected AMC. Strauss provides a range of association management services but specializes in event management. Specifically, Strauss helps associations plan signature events that energize members and inspire stakeholders.
Services:

  • Specialized event management
  • Professional development
  • Strategic partnerships
  • Transition plans
  • Sponsorship management

9. Smithbucklin

Smithbucklin aims to create long-term partnerships with its clients, delivering tailored solutions that evolve along with your association’s needs. For instance, their business model provides comprehensive association management services, event support, and specific additional solutions. This means that if you need dedicated help for one part of your association this year and another the next, Smithbucklin is ready to adapt.
Services:

  • Board development and education
  • Industry partnership development
  • Governance and committee management
  • Visual design and multimedia production
  • Advisory services

10. Raybourn Group International

Raybourn Group International is, as its name implies, an international AMC that serves clients in more than 100 countries. Despite this wide scope, Raybourn takes a personalized approach to each client by becoming a part of their team, sharing their passions, and forging a stake in their success.
Services:

  • Strategic, long-term planning
  • Public relations
  • Marketing and graphic design
  • Membership management
  • Capital campaign planning

11. Capitol Hill Management Services, Inc.

Capitol Hill Management Services, Inc. (CHMS) is guided by three core principles: integrity, excellence, and commitment. In practice, this means that all CHMS staff strive to conduct themselves in a principled and honest manner while working diligently to provide associations with the highest quality services possible. With its professional staff, CHMS works as an extension of or even as stand-ins for your team.
Services:

  • Executive director services
  • Association headquarters management
  • Board of directors management
  • Committee support
  • Publication support

12. Harrington Company

The Harrington Company provides association management services for associations of all sizes, including international, national, and regional organizations. Harrington prides itself on its transparency and flexibility, down to providing an hourly billing model so associations know exactly what they’re paying for and how their Harrington consultants are spending their time.
Services:

  • Office and administrative assistance
  • Website maintenance and management
  • Board and committee coordination
  • Member recruitment
  • Marketing and public relations

More Association Management Resources

The best association management companies for trade and professional associations have verifiable expertise and experience that they’ll bring to your association. When assessing AMCs, consider your association’s specific needs. Do you need a full-scale service, temporary staff, or help with a specific problem?

Once you know what you need, you can begin your research and create a list of top candidates to reach out to. Introduce your association and ask potential AMCs any lingering questions you have about their services.

While an AMC can do much to improve your operations, they are just one part of your association’s management strategy. For more resources, check out these guides related to association management and technology:

 

Why Driving Renewals Will Be More Difficult Going Forward

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Members will expect more from their associations after this year. Understand how to meet their needs and lock in renewals in our latest article. Read now.

2020 was a challenging year for associations. That’s hardly news, but what may surprise you is the pandemic’s long-term impact on your association’s ability to drive membership renewals.

While the worst is, hopefully, behind us, the last year has cast a bright and unflattering light on the cracks in the foundations of organizations everywhere. Nowhere has this been more visible than when it comes to benefits and the member experience.

You might think this doesn’t apply to you. Maybe you managed to transition to Zoom just in time for that big event, or perhaps you think post-COVID everything will return to normal, but the story here isn’t about how you and your members dealt with, and survived, these inconveniences in 2020, it’s about why these inconveniences arose in the first place, and what that says about being a member of your association.

What’s the Point of Association Membership in 2021?

Unless association membership is a requirement in your industry, you understand how critical it is for members to understand the value they’re receiving from your organization when it’s time to renew. If they’re not getting much out of it, why should they share their hard-won dollars with you?

This year’s renewal conversation is about to get a lot more challenging.

 

How you navigated 2020 will make or break how members answer the question above, but there’s more to it. For many of your members, this is more than just a question of if they want to stick with you this year, but if you’re even still relevant.

Let’s look at a few common areas most associations struggled with this year, and how those struggles could translate into a decline in renewals.

Challenges Faced by Associations in 2020 

Events – This is the big one, any association that relied on in-person events and meetings to facilitate member networking and provide other benefits (like training), faced a major crisis this year. Some successfully moved events online while others cut events all together.

Yet, even those that managed to get everyone together on Zoom noticed the shortcomings of this response. Many virtual events platforms, especially the free ones, aren’t built to support the unique needs and services associations require to serve their members. Breakout sessions, training workshops, hallway conversations, and even expo halls fell short of expectations for almost everybody. These lackluster experiences really pushed members to ask, were these events even worth it to begin with?

In-person events will never be the same. Are you ready?

 

Collaboration – Cross-member collaborative efforts also took a hit. Networking opportunities were few and far between, and for many associations, the online tools provided to members to connect started to show their age.

Listservs and ancient forum software were barely hanging on before, but they should be dead and buried after this year. Unfortunately, many associations learned the hard way how ill-prepared they were when these avenues became the only real lifeline for their members in the midst of the pandemic. Difficult to navigate interfaces that lacked the capabilities necessary to foster meaningful and effective communication between members had users throwing up their hands and walking away. Even worse, some associations saw their members leave and start their own industry-focused LinkedIn and Facebook groups.

The Sponsor Experience – Got sponsors? Maybe not anymore. The loss of events has highlighted for many sponsors just how little they’re getting out of their associations beyond a booth or signage at the yearly conference.

While this won’t impact member renewals, sponsor renewals can be just as critical, and are just as at risk after this year. Not only have sponsors likely had to pull back on their own promotional budgets due to COVID, but a lack of events or other meaningful sponsorship avenues in 2020 saw sponsors committing their advertising dollars elsewhere, and it could prove a challenge to coax that investment back – especially if the results of those new investments look promising.

 

Locking In Renewals for 2021 and Beyond

Obviously 2020 was bad, but what can we do about it?

The answer is a lot, and you’ve likely already made moves to address the challenges above and other deficiencies that came to light last year. Still, here are three things you should give some thought to right now that will not only help you patch the holes made by COVID, but give your members a stronger incentive to renew now and in the future.

Three tips for driving membership renewals this year.

 

  1. Evaluate Your Collaboration Tools – Your membership experience is only going to become more virtual, 2020 only sped up the timetable. Ask yourself, are you ready? Can a virtual member get as much value as a member that can engage with others regularly face to face? If not, why? If you’re still working with just a website or a listserv, it’s time for a change. Start thinking about ways you can expand your digital resources. For some, a LinkedIn group or regular virtual happy hours might be a good first step, but ultimately you’ll want something more scalable and tailored to your association’s specific member needs.
  2. Expand Your Sponsor Benefits – If you think events, website banners, and newsletter links are the only tools at your disposal for rewarding your sponsors, think again! New technologies abound when it comes to tools that allow you to provide sponsors closer access to your members in a controlled way. Your membership platforms may already have these capabilities, and if not, it’s time to look for solutions that do.
  3. Modernize Your Event Strategy – Like it or not, virtual events are here to stay. Even if you plan to move back to in-person events, there are many folks who may now prefer the flexibility and cost-effectiveness of attending virtually. Consider a hybrid event plan, and understand what resources you might be missing to create a seamless experience for both in-person and virtual attendees.

 

2020 was a tough year, but 2021 doesn’t have to be. Associations are in a great position to revitalize their industries and provide critical and immediate value to their members. COVID was a wakeup call to everybody; use this moment to help your members and sponsors understand that one of the best investments in their future is membership with your association.