Professional: MEI provides professional advice and guidance to the elected and appointed officers of an association as well as its subgroups. MEI consults with them on problems, concerns, policies, and activities.

Leadership is guiding without ever taking over. To this end we work with association leaders to focus on the strategy of the association rather than on logistics; to identify emerging problems or issues and offer program solutions; to identify new opportunities that support the strategic mission of the association; and to act as liaison with committees so that their information, programs, and activities can be shared and coordinated.

Management is doing. It follows guiding. It is insuring the steps decided on in strategy sessions are carried out efficiently and effectively, translating policy into programs. It is preparing written reports for meetings as well as by planning the agenda with the President or committee chair to identify items for inclusion. It is staffing" meetings and handling all aspects of minutes, from taking and preparing them to distribution and submission for review by legal counsel. It is executing decisions by organizing the administrative work needed and making appropriate staff assignments.

Legal Counsel: MEI's corporate attorney, knowledgeable in matters of general legal concern to membership organizations, is available to our clients.

MEI also has continuing relationships with several firms specializing in association law -- both general association law, and anti-trust law as it pertains to associations.

The most important component of successful management is the development of a strategic plan based on the purposes and needs of an association and its members. Such a plan:

• Defines the mission of the association in clear language
• States its short and long-range goals and strategies
• Solicits input from the association's leaders, committees, and members
• Uses bottom-up and top-down input
• Used in all decisions made by the association and its managers, rather than gathering dust

From this overall plan come the unique and more immediate action plans we use to manage an association's affairs. These plans are tailored to support the individual organization, not just clones of ideas that have worked well for other clients.

We don't necessarily expect an association to come to us with a strategic plan in hand. However, if an association doesn't yet have one, or doesn't have an up-to-date one, we will assist the association in framing or updating it.

MEI is not at all like the shoemaker's children who had no shoes. MEI has and adheres to its own strategic plan. This allows us, on a daily basis, to determine the tactics and logistics needed to achieve our goals; the profile of our ideal client and portfolio of clients; the models for corporate and staff growth that will be needed as we succeed.

Is your association looking for a new Association Management Company (AMC)?    MEI provides in-depth consulting for associations looking for the best AMC to help them move to the next level.    Our process is structured to identify the current pains the association is encountering and then providing a defensible step-by-step action plan

New AMC Selection Consulting Process Steps

• Assist with the identification of the Management Search Task Force (MSTF) to ensure that all key membership segments are represented
• Prepare your association's Request for Proposal (RFP) document that accurately reflects the areas your association wants to improve, the components that need to be maintained and the products/services currently offered that require AMC management
• Ensure that key leadership agree with how the RFP represents your association
• Identify  AMCs that have experience with similar associations and that are actively interested in submitting a proposal for consideration
• Consult with AMC candidates to answer their questions and ensure that all have the same information to complete their proposal
• Review proposals to ensure they provide all the information requested prior to distribution to the MSTF members
• Create an objective evaluation tool for individual MSTF members to complete for each proposal received
• Facilitate the MSTF evaluation meeting that addresses both the objective results of the evaluation tool and the subjective reaction to the tone of the proposals.  This meeting will end with the selection of AMC finalists for a virtual interview
• Design the finalist virtual interview process so that each AMC has a level playing field for its presentation - and the evaluation tool for the MSTF members to complete contemporaneously during the interview to capture their input 
• Conduct the final MSTF evaluation meeting to select the finalist to be presented to the Board of Directors
• Organize the board interview with the AMC finalist to ensure that key questions are addressed prior to the board selection of the new AMC
• If requested, consult on the AMC agreement for services.  There are times that we will recommend an attorney at this stage.
• Assist with transition issues as requested.