Insights from the staff of one.

The Solitary CEO 

IN 1996, WHEN LINDA BOONE STEPPED IN AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV) in Washington, D.C., she estimated that it would take her two years to reorganize the faltering organization and get it back on track. After all, she'd spent more than 20 years with a Fortune 500 company, analyzing divisions within the company that were having problems. "I'd figure out what needed to be done in terms of realigning and restaffing," says Boone, "and then either rebuild divisions or put them out of business.

"Here at the National Coalition," says Boone, "that expertise was coupled with my passion for the mission; I've been working on veterans' issues since 1968 when I married a Vietnam veteran." Boone first served as a member of the board of directors for NCHV and then decided to apply her professional modus operandi to the organization, which was $250,000 in debt, suffering from bad publicity, and needing to rebuild some soured relationships.

The two-year plan to restore the organization has turned into five. And while Boone thought she'd have staff help, it's never quite worked out that way. "Apart from temporary administrative help and some periodic assistance from consultants," says Boone, "I've done most of the staff work alone."

Boone isn't the only one. A search among ASAE's membership revealed nearly 200 CEOs who are managing their organizations solo. While some are assigned by the association management companies that employ them (see sidebars, "Find Yourself Some Good Company" and "An All-for-One Association Management Model"), many are the sole paid staffers of their respective organizations.

To find out how these CEOs cover all of the management bases, ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT conducted a roundtable discussion with three association executives who go it alone. The group included

* Linda Boone, executive director, National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, Washington, D.C.;

* Aaron Cleaver, president, Central Texas LAN Association, Austin; and

* Betty Brock, CAE, executive director, Tennessee Society of Association Executives, Nashville.

ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT: Did you ever think that you would be managing an organization as a staff of one?

Boone: When I became the executive director of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, I knew that I would start as the only staff person, but I thought I'd be able to add at least some staff fairly quickly. What I did not anticipate was having to do all of the advocacy work alone.

I assumed that my expertise in organizational management would allow me to get the organization back on its feet, and then I could hire a government relations staff specialist. In reality, we couldn't grow the organization without new members--and to gain new members we needed to lobby for federal money to support the programs of our member organizations. I really thought that we'd recover a lot faster financially and be able to hire other staff, but during the past five years, I've had only periodic, temporary administrative help.

Cleaver: My commitment to the Central Texas LAN Association started out as group participation, but the one reality in this business is that you can't always count on people, particularly volunteers, to do what they've said they would do. Somewhere in that process, you make a decision about the value of your own commitment and how it supports your profession.

So, for me, a commitment to the nonprofit association as a resource for my profession--technology support-- is justified by its value for building relationships, marketing connections, and related advantages. Consequently, I've been the volunteer president [and acting executive director] of this group and have only been compensated by the association on the few occasions when I've had to commit 100 percent of my time to it. That has generally been during a time when we were doing large conferences. During the 10 years that I've been serving in this capacity, we have at times had staff, but generally we've used volunteers to assist with specific activities.

Brock: I can't honestly say that I had an aspiration to be a staff of one. I'd known for a long time, however, that I wanted to work for the Tennessee Society of Association Executives (TSAE)-- and I also knew that if I wanted to do that, I would be a staff of one. I had worked for TSAE part-time for several years and was an active member when I worked for another association. At the point at which the leadership decided it was time to hire the first paid full-time executive director, I was ready. I applied, knowing full well what the situation was. So, at that time, which was in May of 1990, I welcomed the opportunity.

ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT: What are your primary responsibilities in running your particular organization?

Boone: Our member organizations-- 250 members in 44 states and the District of Columbia--are direct service providers doing the front-line service to the homeless veterans throughout the United States. The majority of them are community-based 501(c)(3) organizations. When I first came to NCHV, we had no money and few members. So at that time, my primary responsibilities were lobbying for federal money and trying to convince existing and potential members that we could offer them valuable technical assistance. While the lobbying efforts for increased funding for homeless veterans paid off quickly, it took much longer to gain ground in getting funding for technical assistance (funding that would allow us to expand our staff).

Early on, I created a newsletter that provided organizations with resources: how to look for investors, leads on how to identify and apply for federal grants, and details on advocacy efforts that were in process. I compiled a mailing list of approximately 1,000 organizations, and once we proved to them that we could provide them with some assistance, we told them that they'd have to become members to continue receiving the information.

After those start-up activities, I began to add things like our annual conference and to build on the momentum that was being created. We also started to pay more attention to recruiting board members who might be seen as good leaders on the issue of homeless veterans. We continue that work today, but basically our members still look for two things: advocacy--for us to be their voices in Washington--and technical assistance and access to resources to build their capacity.

Cleaver: At its basic level, our organization can be called a user group. Our main technology support areas are centered around Novell, Microsoft, and Unix operating systems and related products. The value of the organization is in the quality of the information that we provide.

My role is to manage the organization's priorities, which sometimes vary. While we have monthly meetings and our newsletters come and go, probably the greatest draw to the organization is its study groups for certification. Our board focuses on getting volunteers to teach the courses that give less-seasoned members the hands-on experience that they need in order to get a good job.

I use company resources to keep the infrastructure of the organization in place, to maintain the membership list, and to send out the annual dues notices. We also provide a loosely organized help desk and operate a listserver of 600-800 participants. Obviously, I could spend 20 hours a week working on association management activities such as membership and accounting, but I have to pick and choose my priorities.

Brock: TSAE has 365 members and we re still growing. Our services include professional and personal development programs, an informational Web site, an awards program, listserver discussion groups, and other activities that support the profession. During my first years as executive director, T had a superwoman complex and felt that I needed to do everything. Over the years I've learned which functions I can outsource effectively and which ones are best handled by volunteers. Whereas I used to stuff every single envelope that came through here, I now concentrate on hoard development and financial management. Those are the most critical things that I do. Meeting planning is the other thing that I wouldn't feel comfortable outsourcing.

ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT: Which tasks have you found that you can effectively outsource or delegate to volunteers?

Boone: At the very beginning, I did need to hire government relations consultants because I knew nothing about that. I was quite lucky to find a couple of experts who needed to supplement their income between jobs: they could remain active during their job search, and they could also train me in what needed to be done. [As our organization has grown] I've been able to outsource the bookkeeping, the telemarketing, and some other administrative tasks.

It helps that we've been successful in getting more board members with bigger visions and higher visibility. I won't say that we didn't fumble along the way--and we still have major challenges. And often only a few board members really understand that they are primarily responsible for fundraising. There's always been frustration on both their part and mine about who is really going to go out and raise the money--when I'm trying to be the janitor, be the bookkeeper, be the membership development team, and still be ready to meet the president or a cabinet member at a moment's notice.

Cleaver: We have a volunteer board of 12 people. And, trust me, we have to find people and draft them to fill the positions of those who have moved on or lost interest. We seldom have more people than open positions--but we do have a couple of people per topic for our training sessions. They will attend meetings and communicate the business of the organization. And typically at least a few board members are willing to do the operational necessities related to getting our communication out.

If there's one major difference between our organization and the associations that are our members, it's that we don't do lobbying. We are extremely technically focused. And there are only so many people who need to become certified in a particular technology. That keeps our numbers in balance-approximately 200 members now and about 600 at our peak-and our operations at a manageable level.

Lately, our market became oversaturated with technology companies that decided they could provide better product support themselves, so we scaled back. Some companies are beginning to realize that it's too costly for them to have people in every geographic area to support the technical environment. They're coming back to us for assistance in maintaining their customer relationships. As soon as it becomes meaningful for us to expand again, we'll do that--and we might then put in a staff of three to five people to actively market the association.

Brock: I've finally learned to use outsourcing and volunteers quite efficiently. I outsource accounting functions, administrative support activities, and mailings on a regular basis. And, of course, volunteers are critically important. They handle the lion's share of membership recruiting, membership development, and trade show management.

We've developed a description of the trade show committee specifying that the committee "sells exhibit space and sponsorships, works the day of the trade show, helps with registration, and plans the education programs." A definition this specific allows volunteers to know what they are getting into, and, perhaps because they respect the fact that TSAE is run by one person, they are willing to step right in and be hands-on when I call on them. I plan our bimonthly meetings as well as the networking luncheons for the membership.

ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT: What ways have you been able to work more efficiently--and has technology played a part in that?

Boone: One of the most effective things that I've done is to reduce the time I spend on the phone answering questions. I developed a set of brochures--about 16 in all--that address the most typical questions that people ask when phoning in. Now I can say, "Let me send you a brochure or information packet." That not only saves me time but also has generated more members. I tell the callers that if they were members they could be receiving updated information like this all the time.

As far as technology, we're probably behind the curve simply because we haven't had money to invest in our Web site. We've done the standard things such as putting our membership database in a Microsoft Access file so that we can profile members, and we've put a lot of information on our site to educate members as well as the public. Online conference registration and an online donation function are things that we'd like to add as soon as possible.

Brock: One thing that we did early on was to coordinate the publication of our bimonthly newsletter with the schedule for our bimonthly meetings, making sure that the two did not overlap. It helps me with the workflow in that there are certain months when I know I have publication deadlines and other months when I have meeting planning responsibilities and deadlines. The end result is that membership hears from us every single month, whether it's through meetings or publications; it keeps consistent communication flowing.

Using volunteers helps me to be more efficient, too. One method I've used to retain volunteers is to make their tasks meaningful. I'd rather pay a temporary employee to do routine tasks and let volunteers have experiences that are meaningful and relevant to the organization. I like for them to be visible within the organization while they're fulfilling their volunteer assignments. I might ask them to help with registration or help on-site at a trade show. And I try to make sure that I give them in advance all the information they need to do the job-so that they feel prepared and empowered.

ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT: What are the most difficult aspects of being a solitary CEO?

Boone: When an organization has a solitary leader, he or she definitely pays a price. Up until a few months ago, I generally worked six days a week, 10-12 hours a day. It becomes tough to keep your eye on the mission when you're tired and burned out. I think that solitary leaders typically are driven by the mission, and so they sometimes put their personal health and other important things aside.

The person working alone has a tough time brainstorming for new ideas. I get so isolated that it's hard to think outside the box. I have tried to attend the local luncheon meetings of the Association for Fundraising Professionals, but every time I'm gone for two hours, it just means I have to work two hours longer to make up for it. These decisions force me to think about my priorities.

But I have found great value in networking. I've started meeting with national groups that deal with homelessness, and it's stimulating to talk with other people who have the same interest and to get new ideas from them.

Cleaver: I have a different situation than most in that I have my own company to run. But the challenges are the same ones that others in technology face. Our industry has overwhelmed us because of the rate of growth of technology. It makes it even more difficult to balance the time for work and family-and also to continue to fulfill my responsibilities to the association and to participate in its activities. I do have to set some boundaries.

Brock: It's hard to be out of the office for an extended period of time. There is simply no one to field phone calls, email, and routine requests. The backlog when I return to the office is a bit of a disincentive for wanting to be away very much. I also think that my creativity suffers sometimes because I don't regularly have someone to bounce ideas off. Members talk about staff meetings during which they develop a theme for a convention, come up with an idea for a new program or service, and so on. They really benefit from the exchange of ideas, and there is a synergy that isn't possible in a one-person office. While I can call people together, the spontaneity of the moment is lost.

I do gather ideas elsewhere. I've found useful information on ASAE listservers, and there are some Web sites I visit frequently: www.eventweb.com, www.presentersuniversity.com, and www.presentations.com. Reviewing trade magazines and publications of other allied societies of association executives is also valuable.

Another thing that helps is that I lease space from another association, so I'm in the same building with one of my members. I interact with their staff daily, and we typically ask each other's opinion on projects that we're working on. Basically it helps me not to feel so isolated. Another thing that has come together is a group of other executive women who work alone. It started as kind of a joke a few years ago when we decided to get together and create our own "office Christmas party," since none of us had any co-workers. It's evolved into our meeting for lunch three or four times each year, and that's been a good support group.

ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT: With all of your day-to-day responsibilities, how do you find time to do any strategic thinking?

Boone: Each year, we've done at least one strategic planning session during which the board meets face to face. We've usually conducted a two-day session to focus on looking at what we need to do to move forward. Typically we've been so focused on fundraising that some of the other strategic plans didn't get accomplished. But even though the board hasn't always met the goals it set for itself in fundraising, we have still managed to achieve some spectacular results in advocacy.

Cleaver: To do our planning, we meet over lunch and review a preplanned agenda and brainstorm for other ideas. The challenge in our situation is to try to find out what potential members' needs are. One success we've had in this organization is that if we can find a person who has a technology challenge and then provide a solution to that challenge, we've got them hooked. They understand us as a resource at that point. They become committed to paying their dues and becoming more involved in helping us do the things that we are trying to accomplish. In that way, they help us achieve our strategic goals.

Brock: I have to make the time for strategic planning; it doesn't occur naturally. I do tend to spend time on strategic thinking during preparation for our December planning meeting of the board and other strategic sessions that we might have during the year. Apart from that, I'm constantly jotting down notes of things to talk to our leadership about. I have to make time to do that, too.

ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT: At the end of the day, what keeps you in place?

Boone: It's clearly been my passion for the mission of this organization that has kept me going. I will say that I've been frustrated by not having enough funds--thinking that we either needed to get bigger or go away.

Fortunately, we've just received an appropriation from Congress, so we'll be able to significantly expand our services. We're also going to be able to hire a paid staff of about four full-time people. This may allow us to achieve our plan: to go out of business because we're so successful in giving resources to community-based providers that support homeless veterans.

The other thing that has kept me going is the calls that I receive every week from homeless veterans all over the United States. I'm often able to help them figure out what their next step should be and connect them with local resources. Sometimes they'll call back and thank me, but even if they don't, I know that I've been responsible for getting additional funding that has helped veterans get jobs and find homes. It makes me thankful that I've had the opportunity to live and work in our nation's capital to help change some people's lives.

Cleaver: My main motivator for doing this is that it creates a synergy with our business--allowing networking and business development. Since we have both seasoned people and those new to the industry, our organization allows roles--mentoring, training, and networking--for all of them. And everyone benefits from that.

Brock: While my role has some built-in responsibilities and pressures, I like being the go-to person--the one who everybody needs to call and who hopefully has the answers. I'm challenged by knowing that there are always better ways to do things, and I'm fulfilled by the fact that the more I learn, the more I have to offer to my members. I've learned to work smarter, and I'm motivated by all the new technology and other developments that are available.

I'd also say that the prospect of being a staff of one should not deter someone from accepting an opportunity to work for an organization that they think they will love. That's probably the bottom line: You have to love the group that you're working with and what they do. The rest of it will come pretty easily.

Carole Schweitzer is senior editor of ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT. E-mail [e-mail].

An All-for-One Association Management Model

While it's typical for association management companies in the United States to assign a specific executive director to manage one (or sometimes morel of their respective association clients (see sidebar, "Find Yourself Some Good Company"), their international counterparts operate on a range of different models. "I'm unaware of any European associations or societies of any significance with a solitary CEO," says Colin Grimes, chief executive of Association Enterprises, Thurmaston Leicester, United Kingdom. "Association management companies [AMCs] like mine, managing associations on a contract basis, would rarely, if ever, assign an individual to manage a client's organization solo."

Grimes, who is retained under contract as chief executive officer for the European Society of Association Executives (ESAE), says that a more typical European AMC model is to manage client associations through a series of project teams.

"In any event, the normal pattern in Europe," says Grimes, "is for captive staff (paid employees) to manage and operate associations. The concept of a multiclient AMC providing a comprehensive range of services is in its infancy, although some respected accountancy firms and legal practices have developed models arising from their audit or company secretarial functions.

"These larger operations generally appoint a team for a particular association (or perhaps a group of associations that are somehow linked or federated). They create independent teams within the organization that are dedicated to particular association clients."

Grimes's company currently manages 14 different associations with a permanent staff of eight. "While each of my staff is a professional specialist," explains Grimes, "we also each have our primary client responsibilities. Our staff specialist in meetings management, for example, is the first point of contact for the Association of European Trademark Owners. When a project that she is working on for that organization requires additional support outside her specialty, we'll then create an appropriately staffed project team to work under her direction and help her accomplish that. We form project teams based on the demands of our client list at any given time."

The primary client contact represents the association when there is a need for a spokesperson, a liaison to the board of directors, and so on. "For example, I am the public face of ESAE," says Grimes. "Each association benefits from clean and short lines of communication and a face and a personality to relate to directly--in the confident knowledge that one individual can call upon the support of a wide range of professionals in specific skill areas (Web site development, for example). In cases where we do not have in-house expertise in a particular area, we outsource on an ad hoc basis. One measure of our success is that, outside of the boards, councils, and management committees, many members of the associations for whom we act are totally unaware that they share headquarters services with other associations."

If an association is coming into this management scenario, cautions Grimes, it must be prepared to accept that the professionals have other commitments and are not always available immediately. Scheduling and programming are critically important. At the same time, says Grimes, "the association will have access to a greater range and higher quality of professional support than it could otherwise afford and expect. By coming into the AMC model, associations receive access to those specialties much more cost-effectively, and the professionals themselves work more consistently in their fields of expertise, leveling out the peaks and troughs of the normal cyclical activity year."

Find yourself Some Good Company

RICK GRIMES, CAE

While there are variations within each, there are fundamentally three types of models for managing associations: the volunteer-managed model, the self-managed model, and the association management company (AMC) model.

THREE MANAGEMENT OPTIONS

The preferred management model for a particular association often relates to issues of size, budget, and mission. Here are the typical models and the types of organizations that are likely to be attracted to each.

* Volunteer-managed associations. These are typically characterized as having no paid staff and no home--other than the kitchen tables of volunteers. (This organizational model may be the one that is even more challenging than that of the association managed by a paid staff of one.) Generally, these associations are quite small and run by a few volunteers who share a common goal--and may exist only until the goal is accomplished (or fails). Depending on their growth curves, these groups may eventually take a path to the self-managed model or to the AMC model. The Association to Erect a Statue of Elvis Presley on the Mall comes to mind when I think of a volunteer-managed association that failed. Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Hurst, Texas, on the other hand, represents a volunteer-managed association that evolved into a self-managed association that continues to make a significant difference to society.

* Self-managed associations. This model is characterized as having paid staff with a chief executive officer hired by the board of directors and office space or a whole building, either leased or owned by the association. The largest associations are generally self-managed. While they often have the capacity to serve all the needs of the association, work that cannot be done by staff or requires special expertise is sometimes outsourced to an AMC or another service company.

* Associations managed by AMCs. Certain associations--often those that can support only a minimal staff or wish to significantly reduce overhead costs--develop contracts with AMCs for services that could otherwise be provided by paid staff. The same AMC often provides services to several different associations at the same time.

This is, effectively, a management cooperative in which the association shares the staff and other resources of the AMC with other associations. The oversight of the association is entirely transparent to the particular association's members--whose interaction is with the association through dedicated phone lines, e-mail, and Web sites-not with the AMC. The AMC has an office and a full complement of staff employed by the AMC to serve the needs of the contracted associations.

While the AMC staff can be mobilized at any particular time behind one association or another for a project, conference, or other activity, it is also common for one person on the AMO staff to be assigned the role of executive director for one or more association clients.

LESSONS OF THE SIMULTANEOUS CEO

For example, as part of my role as senior vice president at an AMC, I serve as the executive director for four different international membership associations averaging 2,500 members each. I report to four different boards of directors representing four different disciplines, each of which has its own organizational culture, history, values, and traditional ways of operating. Each provides typical association services to its members: annual conferences, exhibits, Web site, newsletters, journals, and so on. And each wants to grow and succeed and make a difference in the world for the professions they represent. The expectations of each association for its CEO are no different than those for a CEO of a single organization--irrespective of its size and resources.

As a result of leading four associations concurrently, I may have a different set of pressures than that of the CEO who is the staff of one for his or her single organization. While I do have the resources of 75 association management specialists within our company that I can call upon, I have other pressures that make my work unique. I will say that I am required to muster an enormous amount of self-discipline--far more than in any time during my 20 years of working in associations. At the same time, I've learned some lessons that may be of value to others who take on multiple responsibilities.

E-MAIL IS AT THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE. I spend up to half of every day on managing my e-mail. This is because e-mail is, today, how most of our association work is done and where most of the day-to-day decisions are made. Happily, e-mail has some inherent organizing and self-disciplining qualities: the incoming e-mail is filtered into individual association mailboxes; outgoing e-mail goes to individuals, of course, but also to listservers used by boards, committees, chapters, and the entire association membership (the latter in the form of electronic newsletters). In addition, since e-mail is 24/7, I can respond at times convenient to me--for example, in a block of time I've set aside for a particular organization, I also have easy access at home, so I can do much of the routine responding at night or on the weekends.

STANDARDIZING PROCESSES SAVES TIME. Each association's being unique doesn't mean that everything related to it has to be different. For example, wherever possible I try to use the same common language (often provided initially by legal counsel) in bylaws and policies and I try to impose the best association management practices in the day-to-day operations. When someone asks the cost of the mailing list, for example, or the process for setting the board agenda, it is generally the same from association to association.

ACCOUNTING FOR MY TIME IS ESSENTIAL. A significant difference for the executive director managing multiple associations is the need to keep a record of time spent on each association. Our management contracts include executive time at an hourly rate, and in the interest of accountability and fairness, I use a time-management computer program to keep a detailed daily record of my time. The computer program is open all day and my time is entered in half-hour segments with enough detail for a third party to understand what I was doing in that time. Association executives serving one association, of course, are fully dedicated to on association and rarely have this imperative.

STAYING ORGANIZED IS KEY TO GETTING THE JOB DONE. With four associations to manage, there are differing demands from day to day--and sometimes from minute to minute. Shifting from topic to topic and from one association to another requires a good deal of mental agility, concentration, and the ability to focus entirely on that particular association until the next issue or problem arises in another association. To this end, I've created sets o appropriate files for each organization. I keep all my files, especially those related to the board of directors and financial matters, at my fingertips.

IT'S ALL ABOUT LEADERSHIP AND SERVICE. A goal that most AMCs undoubtedly share with other conscientious CEOs is to aspire to manage associations such that they receive the highest level of quality leadership and service. In my case I want each of the associations that I manage to feel that the entire company was founded just to serve their particular association.

If it is true that an active mind keeps one young and nimble, juggling four associations has made me a kid again. It is challenging, but I also receive four times the rewards as I watch each association grow and achieve the mission for which it was founded. As my solitary CEO colleagues would probably agree, there is great personal satisfaction in knowing that your leadership skills as an association executive have contributed to the association's success in making the world a better place. I wouldn't trade that for anything.

Rick Grimes, CAE, is senior vice president, Anthony J. Jannetti Inc., Pitman, New Jersey, an association management company serving speciality nursing associations and other health-related organizations. E-mail: [e-mail].