Few volunteers sign up to be association professionals; yet too often, that’s exactly what we expect of our component leaders. It doesn’t work. So how can we free volunteers from management tasks and let them focus on what really matters, i.e., advancing the mission?
The key is providing professional support to local groups while preserving the passion and mission-driven energy of volunteer leaders. But how do you actually make that happen?
That was the focus of our October 16 webinar, where we explored two real-world models—one supported by an AMC, the other by HQ staff—with each designed to shift volunteer energy from administration to governance. Both approaches are helping strengthen local relationships and boost engagement, retention, and recruitment. Below are a few highlights from the discussion, plus a link to the full webinar if you’d like to dive deeper.
Highlights
COLLABORATION STRATEGIES FOR AFFILIATE GROWTH
Model: Shared Management System via an Association Management Company (AMC): Chuck Willmarth of American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) and Peggy McElgunn of Global Professional Services (GPS) shared how they built a partnership that empowers AOTA state affiliates to take advantage of shared resources that make everyone stronger while remaining independent.
Call to Action: AOTA is a national association that works closely with state affiliates—separately incorporated associations with varying resources.
Over time, it became clear that collaboration between state associations and AOTA was weak: several states were lagging behind, and leadership was at a breaking point. Additionally, state leaders were overwhelmed with day-to-day operations, being asked to function as association management professionals. It was clearly time for a new approach.
AOTA Board of Directors tasked staff to assess the problem and develop a pilot for a model for collaboration. The directive came with requirements: any solution proposed needed to maintain each state’s autonomy while advancing national goals and creating opportunities for collaboration.
The goal here was to enhance the value proposition…to grow not only state membership, but also AOTA membership. We wanted to show AOTA members that we’re helping the states to grow. — Chuck Willmarth
Solution: The assessment led to an innovative pilot where selected states would pool resources to outsource association management to an AMC. The goal was to enable state association leaders to focus on leadership and advocacy rather than day-to-day management responsibilities. AOTA provided financial support to seed the pilot.
A design team of state leaders developed the framework, i.e., establishing criteria for selecting the pilot states and crafting the application process. State leaders conducted AMC search and selected Global Professional Services to initiate the pilot in four states. Giving the states control over this process gave it credibility and the buy-in needed to be successful.
The key was to provide tools for the members to actually do the ambassadorial work, the engagement work, while staff contributed most significantly to the administrative, logistics, and systems work. — Peggy McElgunn
Results: After 18 months of the pilot, the results have been positive, leading to increased engagement, reduced burnout among leaders, and improved financial stability for participating associations. This approach also enables volunteers to be more creative and innovative, sharing their ideas across chapters and implementing them with confidence—all without the extra burden of administrative worries.
FROM CHAOS TO COLLABORATION
Model: In-house Management Support System: Bill Schankel of Fleet Management Association (NAFA), shared how NAFA fundamentally reinvented its chapter structure with an overhaul that including introducing in-house operational support as a key component.
Call to Action: NAFA’s chapter model was “sputtering at best.” Volunteer engagement was low, membership was declining, and many chapters were more like social clubs than mission-driven groups. On top of that, volunteers were buried in administrative tasks, creating chaos rather than focusing on meaningful work.
The first step was to create a task force with members from different chapters and regions to talk about what worked and what didn’t. The goals were clear: the plan must 1) ensure that all local chapters are aligned with the national organization and NAFA’s mission, and 2) reduce the administrative burden on volunteers.
When we started looking at bringing people together, one of the first things that this task force mentioned is “we’d love to get out of the administrative work. We don’t want to do this; this isn’t what we do.” — Bill Schankel
Solution: To meet both goals, NAFA restructured its 34 individual chapters into eight regional councils, each overseeing several local networking groups (LNG), and supported by an in-house association management team. The new model strengthens alignment between local activities and the national mission while easing administrative burden on volunteers. LNGs still plan and host their own events, with NAFA staff providing logistical and marketing support.
Results: The results have been impressive. Annual events more than doubled going from 54 to 120. Membership has grown from 2,500 to 3,400. Critically, volunteer participation is up, even among initial skeptics. LNGs are collaborating across regions, and overall momentum is strong. By removing administrative burdens and creating a more connected, mission-driven structure, NAFA has breathed new life into its local groups.
YES, LOCAL COMPONENT UTOPIA IS POSSIBLE!
The common theme of both stories is the power of collaborative relationships to build trust. By shifting volunteer focus from administration to governance, we strengthen mission fulfillment and enhance member value. Remember, change can be challenging, but the rewards are worth it. So, the next time a volunteer says, “I am not an association management professional!” take a moment to listen and learn.