The Association Manager
A Newsletter for Organization Leaders
Published Courtesy of Wisconsin Association Management, LLC
Volume II , Issue II

Download Formatted Version (.PDF)

Inside This Issue:
Ask WAM: Leader's Forum
"The Numbers Speak for Themselves"...WAM Increases Its Associations' Members Since Assuming Management
US Federal Government Passes CAN-SPAM Act of 2003
Need a Projector for your Next Event?
Update: Small Business Health Fairness Act (S. 545)
IRS Issues Guidance on Nonprofit Advocacy
Leadership Quote
WAM, LLC Welcomes Its Newest Client
About WAM, LLC

ASK WAM: Leader's Forum

Questions by association leaders, Responses by WAM, LLC staff

If you have a question for the next newsletter, e-mail it to info@wamllc.net

Question:

Dear WAM- Our association mailed out dues invoices in December 2003. A good portion of our members still have yet to renew their membership. Do you have any tips for getting these members to re-join?

Answer:

First, we recommend that you mail a “Second Notice” immediately ; accompanied by a friendly letter that highlights the positive direction your association is heading in the near future. Often times, people simply delay paying their dues because they are busy. As a result, you may get a decent response from the “Second Notice” because the former member wants to continue receiving your services. Also, it may be beneficial to have your Membership Committee make a round of personal phone calls to the members. Showing that you care about them as a member goes a long way when he or she is debating about writing a dues check to your association. Of course there are many other ways to handle this situation, this is an area where creativity can be very effective.

Question:

Dear WAM- Our association has been in existence for over 50 years, and has always relied on regular mail through the Post Office to communicate with our members. However, with the increasing popularity of e-mail, we were wondering how effective it has proven to be for the associations you manage.

Answer:

Thank you for asking this question. Unfortunately, there really isn't a clear-cut answer. Use of e-mail depends on a variety of factors. Most importantly, does a large percentage of your membership use e-mail? If you are not sure, it may be good idea to do a survey, or include an option on your annual dues invoice whether the member would like to receive association communications via e-mail or regular mail.

Also, be sure to consider the result. If a member receives a newsletter via e-mail, will he or she read it? If not, then your association's message is not getting out to the membership. As a result, this could affect your attendance at events, or create disconnect among the membership to your association's services and activities.

At the very least, your association should consider using e-mail as another tool at your disposal for promoting events and services. If registrations for an upcoming conference are coming in slowly, e-mail is the perfect, affordable way to do some last minute marketing. We have found this to be true for each association that we manage. However, many of our members still prefer hard-copy, and we are happy to continue providing that service for them. An overview of e-mail spam legislation is included in this edition of The Association Manager .

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"The Numbers Speak for Themselves"... WAM Increases Its Associations' Members Since Assuming Management!

In a short period of time, Wisconsin Association Management, LLC has produced significant membership growth results for the associations it manages. By working closely with the membership committees of each of its associations in a true “team effort,” WAM, LLC has implemented aggressive membership recruitment campaigns that have proven to be very successful.

WAM, LLC is available to have a private and confidential meeting with you and/or your Board of Directors to discuss administrative options available to your association. For a confidential meeting or other questions, please do not hesitate to call (414) 271-9456.

Graph Notes:

• WAM, LLC played an instrumental role in launching CAI (Community Associations Institute) December 2003. We expect additional positive numbers in the very near future!
• Each of the associations in the graph demonstrates the results we have produced in 9 months or less .
• WSSA recently retained WAM, LLC's professional services. Since that time, we have seen dramatic membership growth as a direct result of the more professional newsletter produced by our Communications Department and our dedicated efforts to ensure a smooth transition into management with the members.

US Federal Government Passes CAN-SPAM Act of 2003

Brad Bauer, Meandaur Internet - Chicago

Many associations have adopted email as a primary communication method for alerting their memberships to upcoming events, meetings and in general, disseminating information to key constituencies. Using email saves time, money on postage and is an environmentally responsible alternative to paper publications. However, with this new law being put into place, it is important that you know how to comply with it. Note the use of the word "being" as of today, the broad strokes of the legislation are all that have been decided. The Federal Trade Commission is still in the process of defining the specific rules by which enforcement will take place. Four general guidelines will keep your emails compliant until the FTC finishes its work on the CAN SPAM Legislation:

1. The use of false or deceptive subject or routing information is prohibited. Simply put, this means that you should avoid using "teaser" copy in the subject line and make certain that the email address used, is a working return address. If it is not a working return address, it's essential that you indicate that the message is a "post only" message and provide a working email address at which you can be contacted.

2. Provide a clear manner for recipients to opt out from receiving future messages, and honor the request.

3. If the email message is commercial in nature, clearly indicate this. For example, if you are sending mail to your association members with an offer to purchase something that is not tied to the association, you may choose to preface the subject of the message with a bit of copy to warn the recipient. Many companies use "ADV:" prior to the subject.

4. Always provide a physical address to which mail can be delivered. This requirement is in place so that a recipient may notify you of a request to be unsubscribed via postal mail.

Many users of email as a communication medium have been doing these things for many years now; the legislation is designed to stem the tide of unsolicited emails shilling things such as Viagra and adult web sites. However, this legislation applies to everyone and taking these four simple steps will keep your organization from running afoul of the Federal Trade Commission.

Brad Bauer is Director of Business Development at Meandaur Internet, a Wisconsin company providing consulting services in the area of marketing, design and development for the internet. If you have further questions about the CAN SPAM Act, please contact Brad at +1 888 632 6328 or by email at bbauer@meandaur.com

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WAM's easy-operation state-of-the-art projector can be rented for your next event.  At $150 per day, your association can rent our projector at a fraction of the cost of other venues that also rent projectors.  Please call (414) 271-9456 for more info.

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Update: Small Business Health Fairness Act (S. 545)

The Senate Majority leader says this pending legislation would allow workers employed in small businesses and the self-employed to gain access to Fortune 500-style health benefits now enjoyed by workers in corporate and labor union health plans.

According to National Journal's Congress Daily, Assistant Labor Secretary Ann Combs testified before the Senate Finance Committee that enacting the AHP bill, which has also been endorsed by the Bush Administration, would help combat insurance fraud by giving small businesses "an alternative source of secure health insurance coverage." The AHP bill, which has passed the House on multiple occasions, continues to face opposition from governors and state insurance commissioners. However, chances of the legislation getting to the Senate vote seem to be improving.

Stay tuned for more information on this important legislation in the next issue of The Association Manager .

Source: American Society of Association Executives

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IRS Issues Guidance on Nonprofit Advocacy

When do lobbying activities of tax-exempt organizations cross the line and become attempts to influence elections? According to revenue ruling 2004-6, tax-exempt organizations may engage in lobbying or advocacy efforts related to their exempt purposes, but may only engage in limited, if any, political campaign activity.

The guidance provides examples and sets factors that would be taken into account in determining whether expenditures for issue advertising are taxable and whether such advertising jeopardizes the organization's exempt status. In addition, the guidance calls for tax-exempt organizations to adhere not only to the tax rules but also to campaign finance laws. For more information, visit http://www.irs.gov .

Source: ASAE, Association Management , March 2004

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Leadership Quote

"Success is a journey, not a destination. It requires constant effort, vigilance and reevaluation."

- Mark Twain 

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WAM, LLC Welcomes Its Newest Client

Wisconsin Association Management, LLC welcomes the Wisconsin Self Storage Association. Established in 2002, WSSA has grown to over 140 members and provides a great set of comprehensive benefits to its membership. Over the next year, WAM, LLC will focus on member recruitment, greater definition and implementation of services, as well as providing a more professional image to its members. As of March 2004, WAM, LLC has already increased WSSA's membership by 40%.

WAM, LLC is proud to be WSSA's first professional management service provider. We look forward to a long term partnership with the association and its members, as we work together to raise the bar for the Wisconsin self storage industry.

The Association Manager is published bi-monthly by Wisconsin Association Management, LLC to educate association leaders about running an effective non profit association. WAM, LLC offers its organizations significant cost-savings and efficiencies due to the economies of scale it is able to achieve for its clients. Currently, Wisconsin Association Management, LLC administers the Wisconsin Chapter of the Appraisal Institute (WCAI), Wisconsin Commercial Real Estate Women (WCREW), Wisconsin Sign Association (WSA), Wisconsin Self Storage Association and Chapter 12 of the Association for Facilities Engineering (AFE). For more information about the comprehensive set of administrative services we provide to our non profit associations, please call us at (414) 271-9456.

As our satisfied associations say, “Put the administrative work in the hands of the experts and do what you do best.”

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