RELEVANT REVIEWS
Principles of Association Management,
Fourth Edition
(2001,
Ernstthal, Henry L., American Society of Association
Executives, 165 pages, Softcover, ISBN 0-88034-175-0)
www.asaenet.org
ASAE Order #216473
Price
$40.95 U.S. for members
$50.95 U.S. for non-members
Plus
shipping & handling and applicable taxes.
Note:
May also be available in Canada through
www.csae.com
Author Henry Ernstthal provides
readers with coverage of many aspects of association
management, including: the unique nature of
associations; governance structures; volunteer
management; finance; marketing; membership;
publishing; education and meetings; standards;
research; government relations; foundations;
strategic planning; and the association of the
future.
Non-American readers will need to
overlook those aspects and references that are
specific to the U.S. (and there are lots of them),
however if they can do so, they will find this
publication very useful.
For example, in the strategic
planning chapter, the author adds a few elements
that I really like. He focuses on planning (a
verb), rather than the plan (a noun). In
addition to providing practical information on the
planning process, he addresses various interesting
related issues, such as Mintzberg's central argument
in The Rise and Fall of Strategic Planning.
The promotional material suggests
that the book is "Ideal for the first-time
executive or those new to the field of association
management. Experienced executives will learn more
about unfamiliar areas. All readers will gain fresh
ideas for the future." I tend to agree
with this...all readers will find something of
interest, although they may not be interested in
sitting down and reading the whole book
cover-to-cover. If you are a solo executive,
this book would be good company given the many roles
to fill.
But it will also be useful as a
reference...each chapter touches on a specific
topic, it has a great index if you are looking for
something specific, and there is a good list of
further resources for every chapter.
Overall, this is a good addition to
your bookshelf. The price tag is a bit steep at
around $41 U.S. for ASAE members and $51 for
non-members, but it seems that
I complain about the price of most books I review.
With free content everywhere on the web, and bargain
book buying available on-line through Amazon and
other sources, I am finding the increasing cost of
association management books perplexing.
Table of Contents
About the Author
Acknowledgements
Preface
Chapters
-
The Unique Nature of Associations
-
Governance Structures and Volunteer Roles
-
Staff Structure and Roles
-
Volunteer Management
-
Budgeting and Finance
-
Marketing Basics
-
Membership
-
Publishing
-
Education and Meetings
-
Voluntary Standards
-
Research and Statistics
-
Suppliers as a Market
-
Government Relations
-
The Public
-
Foundations and Fund Raising
-
Strategic Planning
-
Trends Forecasting
Related Resources
Index
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Wayne
Amundson is president of Association Xpertise Inc.
and Publisher/Editor of The
Canadian Association e-zine.
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