RGI’s accomplished executives will strategize with your organization to develop a unique, winning plan for your team. Let us help coach your association into greatness!
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Association management is a specialized industry. It requires highly skilled and motivated staff and administrative expertise to help the association fulfill its mission. RGI is very successful in managing national and international trade associations. With our complete spectrum of management services, we can be of service to both large and small associations.
Administration
RGI and its employees are fully bonded and insured. We verify that all outside vendors (transportation services, etc.) are insured before we begin negotiations. Our account executives are responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations for the association, serving as the main contacts and resources for boards and general membership. This professional will attend all meetings where the board wants a staff person present.
Phone
Our hours of operation are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST. Each of our association clients has one or more dedicated telephone lines, answered with the name of the association. We have a top of the line telephone system that allows for any type of outgoing message and gives the caller the option of leaving a message. The follow-up to any incoming request can be handled in any manner the board might choose.
Technology
Servers and Backups: RGI office technology is based on the IBM platform using the latest Microsoft technologies. We have a dedicated server, which is backed up every night with backups stored off site. We use the latest MS Office software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, custom DB, using Access as a platform). We maintain websites for all our clients.
Email: RGI staff checks each association's e-mail account at a minimum of three times a day. And, since this is becoming the predominant method of communication, RGI maintains its own e-mail server. This allows us to customize the various functions of e-mail, plus ensures us better service.
Websites: RGI offers a full range of website management services. Currently, RGI maintains websites for all its associations and provides a variety of management reports on traffic and activity on these sites. RGI's association managers also use listservs and e-mail newsletters to target urgent messages to the association’s membership, committees, and other specific groups. RGI's team of web designers and managers keep the graphics and content fresh and functional in order to make an association's site the first place the members go for association and industry news. Some of our associations have an integrated calendar, membership directory, online meeting registration and online education course catalogs. The graphic design and navigation system makes a site interesting, easy and a pleasure to use.
U.S. Mail and Mail Services
RGI has a very effective mailroom operation in place. This includes U.S. mail, UPS, FedEX and other shipping companies.
Membership/Services Management
RGI has dedicated professional membership managers responsible for the membership and database management issues of each of its client associations. That includes everything involved in the membership process, including:
"Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it."Dwight D. EisenhowerLet RGI show you how effective, collaborative and fun an association management company can be. Partner with us.
RGI has a staff accountant, plus support bookkeeping staff. It is our standard procedure to provide to our associations complete financials on a monthly basis. This includes balance sheets, income/expense statements and AR/APs...plus we usually send the Treasurer a complete financial package, showing all of the details. We work with two outside firms to review our work to make sure that it is as accurate as possible. This is included in our monthly fee. However, we do not provide year-end audits or tax filings, this is done by our outside accounting firms and is charged to the association.
Frequency of Reports
As was mentioned above, RGI provides a monthly financial statement to all of its associations. Providing the annual report in the annual convention booklet would not be any problem. In fact, some of our associations have us print a separate annual report for their membership.
Income and Expense Responsibility
RGI is bonded and is responsible for all of the monies of its associations. We keep very detailed records on all expenses and revenues of each association. Also, no monies are ever co-mingled and each association has its own bank account(s). Checks are usually prepared and signed by the president of RGI on a bi-weekly basis, but RGI is willing to work within whatever system the association's board wants to establish.
Budget Preparation
RGI usually helps prepare the budgets, in conjunction with its associations' boards or budget committees.
Investments
RGI will abide by any directive the association's board may have in regard to the association's investments. As stated above, all of this will be reported on a monthly basis to the board.
Credit Card Processing
RGI is currently able to provide credit card processing for all of the major credit card brands (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, etc.).
Fiduciary Responsibility
For all of our clients, we manage all of the collection, disbursement and investment of the associations' monies. We use a local bank (Bank of Blue Valley - Mike Cooney, Senior Vice President - 913.338.1000) for our checking and money market accounts. We have found that when RGI is given the responsibility of handling all of the financial needs of the association (with proper oversight by the volunteers of the association) the operation of the association moves more smoothly. However, RGI will adapt its procedures to fit the wishes of the client.
Welcome to the RGI's education programs - where our association clients come to help themselves develop the practical skills, knowledge base and professionalism so critical to their success.
The following RGI education tools are currently available to help our associations' members gain greater knowledge of their industries and professions:
RGI's staff includes professional training and development managers with hands-on experience in curriculum development, adult learning programs, certification, career path management programs and state-of-the-art learning technologies. RGI helps its associations structure and design real-world programs for their members' professional growth and success.
RGI can help an association develop education programs that combine resources, goals, training efforts, experience and research to align the association through a common bond among its members. The association's education programs become a powerful tool to attract new members. And with RGI's expertise, we can help make education programs a profit-generating center for the association.
RGI's Education Programs and staff can:
Here's how your association will benefit:
RGI's Education Vision:
To provide world-class continuing professional education to its associations' members.
RGI's Education Mission Statement:
To provide continuous learning and knowledge management, promote active participation and involvement, encourage professionals to achieve their full potential, attain a higher level of customer satisfaction, and create success for our customers and the association's membership.
RGI opened its doors as an advertising and marketing firm, which made client and customer communications our cornerstone for success. We help our clients craft targeted communications plans that get results!
Without member support, an association's governing body can experience many difficulties in carrying out its job. That's why we use every possible communication method to build that support, including printed materials, website content and e-mail, voice mail and fax blast announcements, among others.
Most associations create newsletters or magazines to share information, provide member updates and showcase new ideas, products and services. We have a publications staff that specializes in writing, design/layout, pre-production and printing for all your periodicals and collateral materials.
Our team has more than 100 years of combined experience in creating the following:
RGI develops, markets and manages meetings in locations all over the United States and Canada each year. These meetings range from small committee meetings (4-8 people) to major trade expositions that attract hundreds of exhibitors and thousands of attendees.
Our negotiating power with hotels is a plus for our clients... our combined annual meeting budgets for our clients exceeds $3 million. This level of meeting planning business translates into savings for our clients... which makes their meetings much more efficient, effective and profitable. All of our association meetings have a trend of growing attendance and all have shown a profit.
Site Selection. By using national hotel representative contacts together with our knowledge of the hotel inventory, we find the best locations -- at the best prices -- for the associations we manage.
Budget Development and Financial Management. RGI does all of the budgeting and financial management of all our association's meetings. And, since meetings represent a large source of revenue, we are very good at making sure we come in on our budget so the association makes money. Conversely, when we plan such non-revenue generating meetings, as board meetings and committee meetings, we are very careful about the cost of the meetings so they will not have a negative impact on the association's bottomline.
Contract Negotiation. We put considerable effort into negotiating with hotels for our clients. We get the best value and protection possible. Once we have inked a deal with the hotel, we become "partners." The reason for this philosophy is straightforward: we want our members' stay at the property to be the best it can be, and we want the hotel to work with us, not against us!
Development of Conference Timetable. In our business, we live and die by timetables. We understand that a meeting is going to be held on a specific date and if we are not ready we cannot ask the meeting attendees if they could come back next week! All of our meetings have written time frames and assigned responsibilities.
Conference Resume Preparation. As with timetables, we prepare detailed resumes that we send to the hotels. We are very specific about what we put in our resumes because we have learned that the more information we can give to a hotel, the better prepared it will be for our meetings. It helps smooth the process.
Marketing and Promotion. With our extensive background, we have the expertise to develop programs that will effectively sell the meeting. Since meetings are one of the principle revenue sources for associations, this is a major benefit to using RGI.
Registration Processing and Onsite Staff. Most of our meeting registration is done online. However, we are equipped to handle any method of meeting registration that the association might want to use. Additionally, we have specific meeting equipment - computers, credit card machines, badge printers, etc. - that we take to meetings - not to mention an experienced RGI staff to make them run smoothly and professionally.
VIP Management. As with most professional meeting planners, we understand that some people deserve to be treated a little better than others. It is our policy that the presidents of all our associations get suites - complimentary, per our contract - at all major meetings. Additionally, we establish lists of people who will receive VIP treatment - airport pick-up, special rooms, amenities, etc.
Speaker Contracts and Management. We routinely secure speakers, negotiate their contracts and manage their participations through planning meetings.
Food and Beverage Selection. We establish all menus for our meetings, all within the budgets that have been established. We have very experienced meeting planners, plus we work hard to get to know our associations, so the food fits the group.
Exhibits Management. RGI does seven meetings per year that have an exposition element to them. At two of these meetings, we will have more than 120 exhibitors; another has between 75 and 90 booths and the rest will have 15 to 40 exhibitors. We handle everything from selling the exhibit space to coordinating all of the vendors necessary to stage a major exposition. We understand the importance of these expositions not only for the opportunity of our members to see what is new in their industry, but also as networking opportunities. We structure our expositions so they will provide maximum traffic for the exhibitors and comfort for the attendees.
Fundraising. RGI can assist with or develop fundraising opportunities whether for the association or for charitable purposes.
The Robstan Group has been producing trade publications, association newsletters, brochures and websites for associations and other business for more than 20 years.
Our in-house design team is ready to meet the needs of your project.
Print MediaInternet and Email Marketing
One of the best ways to reach your audience is by using a website and email marketing. The Robstan Group has onsite web developers who can maintain or develop a website for your business or organization, giving you a dynamic presence on the Web. In today's business world, having a presence on the internet is a must! Choose The Robstan Group for your next design project!