Essential support for trade associations during COVID-19

One of the most important jobs of a trade association is to ensure its members are informed with accurate and relevant information.

Right at the beginning of the lockdown, all of our clients took the decision to use the most reliable information and to only publish facts rather than opinion.

Given the exceptional circumstances, sometimes there was too much information, sometimes there was too little information and sometimes there was conflicting information. Here at The Association Management Company we used our contacts within the government, trade associations, membership organisations and expert partners to seek clarity for our clients.

For one of our clients we typically produce and send one eshot to members every fortnight. From 23 March to the end of May, we’ve written 128 news stories with over 350 important links across 38 eshots. In total there have been more than 13,000 opens and 9,000 clicks to information.

We successfully broke down and explained sometimes extremely dense pieces of information for our clients and the feedback from these eshots has been overwhelmingly positive. One member said the information we provided saved their business two weeks of work.

But it’s not just member communications we’ve been working on.

We’ve organised and hosted several webinars and virtual annual general meetings via WebEx and Zoom. Our project management system and regular team meetings have ensured that notices and reminders are sent out on time. Find out more about our expertise with meetings here.

Prior to the release of the government’s COVID-19 secure guidance we prepared our own industry-specific guidance for one of our clients on how to safely return to work. The clear and concise format of our guidance helped members make decisions to prepare their businesses for a return to work. As with all of our documents, this was peer reviewed by industry experts before being published. Find out more about how we can help you and your members here.

For one of our clients we’re actively lobbying the government because the sector its members operate in has been largely excluded from financial support measures. This work is ongoing and we’ve been coming up with new ideas to ensure that the industry is recognised and receives the appropriate support.

We’ve prepared revised plans, forecasts, and budgets so that our clients can keep on top of the situation and make informed decisions. Find out more about our expertise with finances here.

And, despite the team at The Association Management Company working from different locations, our systems and procedures have ensured that our clients continue to receive an efficient and effective service.  

These are just some of the things we’ve been working on throughout this extraordinary period and we will continue to do what we can do support our clients.

To find out more about how we can help your association, visit our services page. Alternatively, please call us on 01379 788032 or email [email protected]. We would be delighted to hear from you.