AMG currently provides full service management to a diverse group of 16 national and international organizations including associations, certification groups, educational and charitable foundations     During the past 25 years AMG has had over 40 full-service clients whose contracts with AMG ranged from two to 20 years, and has provided consulting, public relations or meetings management to 1,700 more     AMG clients serve more than 185,000 individuals and industry members     AMG clients book over 150,000 sleeping rooms each year at more than 250 meetings per year AMG has one of the most progressive employee training programs of any association management company with eight monthly targeted “Quality Training Circles” that include 100% staff participation, in addition to numerous staff retreats and educational sessions     AMG has the highest level of Web-based technology currently in use of any association management company, and includes online membership, registration, and e-commerce and e-marketing capabilities AMG’s Information Technology department hosts 18 Web sites on its servers that enjoy more than 36 million hits annually, and manages over 80,000 electronic membership records.     AMG’s in-house award-winning creative design department currently produces 7 newsletters and has designed over 50 web sites for AMG client organizations, in addition to hundreds of innovative brochures, marketing pieces, and conference books each year

What Is Association Management Group (AMG)?
AMG is one of the leading association management companies in the business.  Founded in 1982 and dedicated exclusively to staffing and managing tax-exempt organizations, AMG is strategically based in metropolitan Washington, D.C. (Tysons Corner, VA) where its 80+ employees serve a special group of full-service association, certification, meetings and marketing/communication clients with their extensive association expertise.

Owned and led by Bruce Wardle, CAE, who joined the firm in 1993 and purchased the company from its founder Chuck Rumbarger, CAE, in 1999.  Mr. Wardle is joined by a team of credentialed key executives, account executives and association professionals who collectively possess decades of business and management experience much appreciated by AMG’s clients.

  
Why Do Organizations Elect AMG Over Other Staff Options?
Many of today's enlightened boards of directors are selecting the shared management and staffing approach, to achieve a measurable savings compared to what it takes for an association to fund its own office and dedicated staff.  In addition to this financial impact, organizations select the AMG option to: (1) eliminate all employer headaches and liabilities, (2) increase access to highly skilled and stable professional staff, (3) reduce general and administrative expense and redirect more resources to members  (4) completely eliminate capital expenses and long term leases and (5) receive accurate and timely monthly financial reports in a format that allows leaders to make appropriate decisions for their organizations.

Additional Reasons:

• Growth – Many organizations partner with AMG in order to grow their member base, develop new programs.  Freeing the board of operational hassles and allowing leaders to focus more energy and resources on achieving the goals and objectives of their organization.
• Technology - Unprecedented technology capabilities provided by AMG’s web-based technology infrastructure.  Few association management companies have the in-house ability to design, host and manage the content of client websites, while providing “live” in the database web based services such as membership join/renew, event registration, membership directories/locator programs, profile updates, Webinar and web boards, event calendaring and list serves.
• Reduced G&A expense – By contracting with AMG, officer and director liability insurance can be substantially reduced and other G&A expenses will be reduced due to AMG’s aggregated buying power for such services as telephones, shipping and printing.
• No more staffing liability - Complete elimination of all staffing and headquarters issues, including the costs and disruptions associated with staff changes, staff searches and all other staff management/compensation issues.
• Flexibility with office leases and equipment - Complete elimination of all issues, which limit and/or eliminate organizational flexibility such as office and equipment leases and employment contracts.

  
How does AMG set Fees and Price its Services?
Unlike many association management companies (AMC’s), AMG offers its clients a “fixed fee” versus a “time and materials” fee. Like stand alone headquarters, AMG’s fee is based upon the costs of the people, facilities, equipment and insurances allocated to each client. Translating this into staff hours, if a client is assigned a full-time staff they can expect a minimum of 40 hours per week, if part-time they can expect a minimum of 20 hours per week.

In addition to full-service clients, AMG serve numerous clients with outsource project work, especially in the meetings management area, the communications marketing area and consulting to other associations.

  
What are AMG's expenses and business costs?
Due to AMG’s comprehensive accounting capabilities, we create and maintain client’s own independent credit record/reputation while at the same time set clients to benefit from highly leveraged buying scenarios.

In every instance and category, AMG costs and expense ratios remain significantly below the results achieved by stand alone offices as reflected in the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) “Operating Ratio Report.”

  
How is Confidentiality and Security Maintained?
No client finances, records or other assets are ever co-mingled or put at risk. Individual accounts and databases are established and maintained for each client and state of the art security codes and encryptions are maintained to protect the confidentiality and security of all client data. AMG contracts specify that intellectual property and data created by AMG for clients always remain their property.

  
What if client organizations elect to change, add, or reduce the services they receive from AMG?
No organization can change programs, priorities or activities easier than an AMG client.  Any change of any magnitude can be achieved simply by notifying AMG’s President in writing. If the change is significant enough to require staff changes, it may be necessary to observe the 90-day no fault notice specification in the AMG agreement to allow for reallocation of people, but in most cases such changes can be made immediately.

  
What if client organizations wish to change, reduce or add staff?
Unlike stand-alone staff situations where employment agreements, new employee search activities and costs, new employee training, loss of service and related issues disrupt the smooth functioning of an organization, AMG undertakes and/or eliminates these concerns. Not only does AMG take care of these matters, it provides temporary staff to continue services.  The Board also retains its right to select its chief staff executive and this applies to the first and all subsequent executives necessary to serve AMG clients.

Just like stand-alone headquarters, AMG’s Executives, with the support of AMG’s VP of Operations and HR, select and dismiss staff assigned/authorized for the client they manage. AMG then holds chief staff executives accountable because they are empowered to select and manage their staff teams.  AMG’s HR department also assists chief staff executives with staff searches, training and management. All AMG employees must meet AMG qualifications and performance requirements.

  
How are AMG staff assigned to client organizations?
AMG’s President, the assigned Executive Director and each organization’s elected leaders meet initially and then, at a minimum, annually to discuss and agree upon the services and staff required to support the organizations objectives.

Most AMG Executive Directors are selected jointly by client organization’s and AMG’s President. Usually, the client Board and AMG’s President agree upon selection criteria, including a range of compensation. AMG then presents two to four candidates meeting that criteria and the client selects the final individual to be hired by AMG as that client’s chief staff executive.

All staff assigned to a client organization is detailed in AMG agreements. All staff changes are appropriately discussed with client leadership but client leadership remains sufficiently uninvolved so as not to confuse the employer-employee relationship or become exposed to the liabilities related to that relationship.

  
What if a client organization wishes to reward AMG assigned staff beyond AMG's compensation?
Compensation and other forms of reward can become very complex and problematic.  While AMG never wishes or intends to limit compensation or other rewards we must, by necessity as the “employer”, insist that all financial compensation of AMG employees be done with the full knowledge, approval and accounting required by law.

AMG will do all in its power to optimize every employee’s compensation while fulfilling its higher responsibilities to its clients, and other employees.

  
What if a client organization wishes to modify or terminate its agreement with AMG?
One of the most compelling reasons for doing business with AMG is the simplicity and flexibility of changing priorities and directions it affords organizations. AMG has been very successful at encouraging, facilitating and enabling client organizations to change programs, direction, staff and every other dimension. Usually, clients are able to make such changes and remain AMG clients but now and then, AMG and its clients decide to take different directions and that is when the no fault termination option included in all AMG agreements becomes most valued. There is absolutely nothing inappropriate, from AMG’s point of view, with clients and/or AMG opting to end relationships. Of course, the longer the notice given, the better and the more appropriate the transition will be.

  
What should an organization do to consider becoming an AMG client?
Contact AMG President Bruce Wardle, CAE or any other AMG team member at:

Association Management Group, Inc.
8201 Greensboro Drive, Ste:300
McLean, VA 22102
Phone: 703 610-9000
Fax: 703 610-9005
e-mail

We promise that any organization truly interested in the AMG option and able to invest some time with us will come away with data, perspective and other facts to ensure their making a good, informed and defendable staffing decision.

AMG's highest priority has always been and will remain, connecting organizations with the staffing and headquarters options most appropriate for that organization.