Abacus | What Does Full-Service Management Mean?

At its very core, full-service management (FSM) means that your organization outsources the entirety of its operations to an association management company (“AMC”), like Abacus.

The AMC is responsible for ensuring that your organization has enough resources – including people – to execute the Board of Director’s vision of the organization. But FSM can be so much more than that. When treated as a strategic partnership between the organization and the AMC, FSM can be the vehicle in which an organization sees greater growth and impact.

Dedicated Resources

Dedicated Resources are team members, software, equipment and any other materials / items that are used exclusively for your organization.

Examples include:

Your Executive Director
Team Members who work exclusively for your organization (e.g. event planners, membership coordinators, development and donor relations, etc.)
Email platform
Membership Management Tools

These team members are usually externally facing – i.e. your members and organization interacts with them as a representative of your organization. To the outside world, they comprise your leadership team and are able to make decisions on your behalf.

Shared Services

Shared Services are those team members, software, equipment and any other materials / items that are shared among multiple organizations.

Examples include:

Accounting Team
Communications Team (including graphic design)
Office Space
Some software and technology, i.e. Zoom accounts, that allow your organization to have access to the best technology from a shared platform (i.e. cost savings!)

Governance Support and Guidance

Included in FSM with Abacus, your Board of Directors has access to support and guidance from our governance experts. We help you ensure that your governance documents are up-to-date and relevant, that your Board meetings run smoothly, that your Board is focused on the big picture and future of the organization, and that you’re thinking strategically.

The Abacus Difference

We view all our client relationships as a partnership. Strong organizations require engaged Board of Directors focused on the future of the organization partnering with a strong operational team executing on the shared vision. If one piece of the equation faces challenges, the entire organization is impacted.

From the way we structure our teams, to our all-inclusive fees, to the strategy and governance support built into every partnership, Abacus works tirelessly to ensure that our client’s best interests are at the heart of everything we do. And while we use a variety of technology across all of our clients, we don’t believe in a “one size fits all” approach to how each client is managed. Your uniqueness is one of your many strengths, and we want to ensure that you keep what makes your organization special at the heart of all that we do.