What Makes Us Tick?

Well, we’re not going to try and candy-coat it: It can be difficult no matter what management firm you decide on.  Much like moving to a new town, buying a new car or getting married, there’s some adjustment.  There are always personalities to assess, learning curves for new technology and time spent figuring out how to work with new processes.  That’s all obvious right?  Well here’s the good news: We’ve been there,  and as we say here in the Midwest, “This ain’t out first rodeo!”

There are many things to think about when it comes to switching association management firms: How do we switch our phone system? How much will it cost to change the addresses on our training manuals? How will we figure out the hotel contract for next year’s meeting? How often will our financials be delivered to us?  Questions like these have been asked and answered many times at the Robstan Group.  Your association can rest assured that the Robstan Group is an association management firm that you can trust to guide you through the process.

Whether you’re currently using a management firm or you have a captive staff and are looking to outsource your association’s management, the Robstan Group has the experience it takes to make the transition as smooth as possible while reducing transition costs and minimizing member turnover.

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1. Choosing an association management company is a serious decision. The volunteer leadership must find a firm that not only has the experience and expertise that the association needs but matches the culture of the association. Having the right ‘fit’ between staff and volunteers is very important because the association business is a personal business…and it is our view that associations don’t hire association management companies but become partners with them. To that end, all aspects of the association management firm need to be evaluated to ensure the best decision is made for your association. The following is a suggested outline of steps to take when selecting an association management firm:

1. Evauate the needs of the association and prioritize those items in terms of importance
   
   
2. Establish a time line that will list all of the activities in the process of choosing an association management company especially the date of when a new association management firm is to be in place.
   
   
3. Prepare a Request for Proposal (RFP): The Transition Committee is responsible for developing the RFP that will outline the mission and goals of the association plus provide a specific list of the experience and services needed. The Robstan Group can provide a sample RFP or you can visit the ASAE (American Society of Association Executives) website (www.ASAEnet.org) or the AMCInstitute (www.amcinstitute.org) as resources in finding qualified association management firms.) Remember, the more information that you can provide about your association, its needs, governance, finances, membership, goals, issues and so on, the better response you should get.


4. Send the RFP to a compiled list of qualified AMCs.  (Of course, we feel we are the most qualified and you don’t have to go any further than here! But, you can use the above mentioned associations as resources in finding qualified association management firms.)
   
   
5. What to look for in the responses to your RFP. Here are a few suggestions based upon our 29 years of being in the business:


• Experience: How long has the AMC been in business. Look at the type of associations that are being managed. Are they professional societies, trade organizations, local, national or international? How many associations have they transitioned into their firm? How did they handle the process?
• Size: Is the AMC large enough to handle the needs of your association? Remember, your association will be new business for the AMC and you need to be sure they can handle the influx of new work without disruption of the work of your association.
• Did they answer your RFP as you asked? Did they give examples of how they manage associations? Did they give a good explanation on how they would manage your association? Did the response feel like it was mostly ‘bolierplate’ or that they put some thought into is?
• Don’t go immediately to the fee section! Fees and costs are important but not the most important. Finding an AMC that will work and grow with your association is much more important. If the AMC is good, they will pay for themselves anyway!
  
  
6. Contacting the finalists: Once the Transition Committee has reviewed the RFP’s and culled them to a manageable number, we recommend to set-up conference calls with the prospective AMC’s. By doing this, everyone is able to question the AMC and hear the answers. After this process is done, the committee should narrow the field to no more than three AMCs and determine a time and place to have face-to-face meetings with them. It is always best if the committee can go to the AMC’s offices but usually it is the AMCs coming to a location where all of the committee can be present.
   
   
7. Picking the right AMC: All of the finalists will have the experience and services needed by your association so we feel the following are the most important in selecting the right AMC for your association:
   
   
• What did their AMC’s association clients say about them? Did they like them? Did they do good work? What did they say about how the AMC solved problems? Were they timely in getting tasks done?
• In your interviews with the AMC, did they give good answers? Did they seem excited? Did they give you the impression that they were good leaders? Did they offer ideas? Could they motivate your members? Did you like them?
• Did the AMC seem to understand your association’s needs and did it seem that they were going to be willing to get to know your association?
  
  

The evaluation of these questions will go a long way in choosing the correct AMC for your association. Remember, ultimately it is not about the fee, structure or processes, it is whether there is a ‘fit’ with your association and the AMC. It’s a people business and the most successful AMC/association partnerships are built around that fact.

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An AMC has a vested interest in making sure the association is successful. Our success depends on your success. After one conversation with the Robstan Group, you’ll understand that we’re passionate about associations. And, we are committed to your assocaition’sassociation’s vision, your mission and your membership. We will take time to make sure your organization runs with maximum efficiency and growth. Our success depends on your success!

AMCs can be a smart choice for many associations, because of the wide array of benefits and advantages they offer.

Operational & Staffing Benefits

• Staffing and services customized to meet each individual organization’s needs
• A staff that has many years of combined experience in many different industries
• Day-to-day and ongoing membership management
• What you need, when you need it; the ability to scale and shift team members
• Proven best practices and best-of-class resources and technologies

Business & Back Office Benefits

• With an AMC, your association can dramatically reduce the cost of facilities and communications infrastructure.
• You benefit from improved buying power, especially for hotels and meeting space, printing, office supplies and other commonly used products and services.
• Your association business risks are reduced because an AMC is more aware of the insurance and legal liabilities associated with operating an association.

Long-Term Benefits

• Greater member satisfaction resulting from the professionalism and responsiveness of staff who understand the importance of placing members first
• Freedom from daily operations, which allows board members to maintain their focus on mission and strategy
• Integration of innovative strategies and ideas, stemming from the input and experience AMCs gain from working with multiple industry and professional organizations.

Want to work with a different AMC?Contact Us

We don’t have an "out of the box" answer to this question because there are a lot of variables that influence the timeline. Most of the factors that influence the transition are described above in the "What’s the process" FAQ. It has been our experience however, the actual transition time is not long (30 to 90 days) but getting completely in tune with the association with all its variables takes a minimum of time to transition 9 months. The Robstan Group will help develop your transition plan and make the switch as painless and seamless as possible.

Things that will make the process go smoothly and help streamline the transition:

• A complete and comprehensive transition plan that outlines both the physical move but establishing those priorities that will assure that the business of the association does not suffer or lag.
• Effective and timely communication between your transition committee/point person and the Robstan Group. We’ll be here to help every step of the way
• Disclosure and Discovery. Using our experience, we will analyze those areas to discover what could become issues so no hiccups develop down the road
• We understand the importance of technology and security, collection of logins, social media accounts, bank accounts, change of address, moving phone lines and so on.

This is a question that every association faces. It has been our experience that growth of an association is based not only on getting new members but strong retention of current members. To succeed in building a stronger association we always recommend:

• Explicitly defining the goals of member acquisition and retention.  Just saying we want growth is not an answer.
• Making recruiting new members an ‘always’ priority.
• Determining the marketing budget that will be needed to meet the goals of member acquisition or retention with a clearly defined return on that budget.
• Obtaining “opt-ins” through website, related trade association events, PR and other activities that will ‘leverage’ the entire membership process.
• Ensuring optimal renewal rates through a holistic communication process that is continual and utilizes all media avenues possible: mail, phone mobile and email.
• Tracking and measuring all membership activity/campaigns.  And, keeping the volunteer leadership apprised of this activity

Ready to get growing?Contact Us

Over 30 Years and Going Strong!

The Robstan Group was created by owner Ken Bowman. Typical of Ken's sense of humor, he announced his intention to leave the mother ship of Hallmark Cards/Crown Center and embark on his own way on April Fool's Day, 1977. On that day, Projects Unlimited was born, and the journey began. A warehouse space at 18th & McGee became the hub of that first entrepreneurial incarnation's business activities. Many of those first jobs were designed and built as props for advertising promotions and theatre productions. One of the first big jobs was the design/build of a 9' by 9' wooden shipping crate for an "invisible" dragon for a "Walt Disney promotion for the movie, "Pete, the Dragon." Another memorable project was an authentic, wooden gypsy wagon for a local car dealership's advertising program. The business began to morph into more theatre related projects.. .including painting backdrops, expanding into lighting and equipment rental. These were also the days when on at least one occasion payroll was covered on Ken's personal credit card.

Several years later Ken saw the potential in the association management business, even though it was something he had never done before. Seizing that opportunity proved to be the turning point for his entrepreneurial journey. With SWRI (still a client today) on board, Ken began to think of moving the company in a new direction away from advertising and marketing and toward association management.

At The Robstan Group we believe that what we did yesterday isn’t good enough, there are always ways to do things better, work smarter, make it look better and work more efficiently. 

With the Robstan Group your trade association will see a noticeable difference, whether it’s consulting in the development of your next strategic plan, using social media to share the concepts and ideas of the association or seamlessly communicating with your membership with great customer support and Midwestern hospitality, you’re going to notice a difference.

The relationship between the association and the AMC is a deep one, and one can that lasts for a long time.  As in any long-term relationship, there are bound to be bumps in the road. The longer a relationship lasts, the better the two sides understand one another… warts (bumps) and all.   Because switching management companies is not as simple as, say, switching cars or grocery stores, it is not advisable to make a change for change's sake, or because someone is having a bad day.  Don’t get us wrong… we want you try The Robstan Group, we just want you to know that once your choose The Robstan Group, we’re in it for the long haul.

Things you can expect from the Robstan Group

• High energy, creative leadership
• Attention to detail
• Complacency awareness
• 99% uptime on software and systems
• Flexibility
• An outstanding relationship with major hoteliers

See the difference.Contact Us

We work with trade associations and professional organizations who need consulting, management and leadership services to help evolve, grow and sustain their membership for many years to come.  We’ve had a great deal of experience in the following industries:

• Construction and Construction Products
• Accounting Marketing
• Automotive
• Franchising
• Insurance
• Logistics/Delivery

Ideally we enjoy working with clients that answer yes to any or the questions below:

• Are you interested in creating a partnership with an AMC that will generate a more valuable trade association for your members and the industry your association represents?
• Are you looking for marketing ideas and technology solutions to help your association be more effective and efficient?
• Do you want an AMC that understands that communication is key to the success of the volunteers and the association? 
• Are you looking for an AMC that embraces and knows how to implement change?
• Are you looking for an AMC that loves the association business? 

Need help with your association?Contact Us

RGI's backoffice runs on Microsoft Small Buisness Server. We have servers, which are backed up every night with data stored off site. We use the current MS Office software: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Access. We also maintain and host websites for all our clients in an IIS environment. All of our servers are kept up to date with the latest updates and service packs to maintain a 99% uptime as well as maintain security standards.

The Robstan Group uses the following software and hardware: