In local component utopia, we leverage a positive, cooperative relationship with local volunteer leaders to serve up a highly compelling value proposition at a cost members are willing and able to pay. This ideal relationship produces complimentary programs supported by operational and data integrity while ensuring brand consistency and risk mitigation.
Sounds utopian, but how can we make it so?
The key lies in the “positive and cooperative relationship with local volunteer leaders.” This attribute is often the one around which we generate the most angst…especially when we try to convert our volunteer leaders into association management professionals.
They volunteered to move the mission, not to manage the organization and all too often lack the skills, knowledge and experience to run an association reasonably well. So we tend to rely on compliance checklists and limited training to provide guidance, but this rarely works to the satisfaction of the volunteers or the staff. The result – an increasingly antagonistic “us/them” relationship.
The solution? Professional association management…but by whom?
In this free webinar, we explore two models for your consideration. One relies on HQ staff to provide logistical support to local networking groups in a number of multi-state regions; the other on an association management company which manages multiple affiliates.
Listen to an in-depth conversation with Bill Schankel, CEO of NAFA, Peggy McElgunn, President & CEO of Global Professional Services, and Chuck Wilmarth, Vice President, Health Policy and State Affairs for AOTA, as they share the up and downs of their journeys in search of local component utopia so you can see how your association might build more collaborative relationships with your local volunteer leaders.
Check out these additional resources:
- Read a recap featuring the highlights
- Download the slide deck
- Visit the NAFA Regions and AOTA State OT Associations pages.
*Recorded 10/16/2025