Join
AES
Join
AES
Contact
Us
Contact
Us
Running an association or not-for-profit (NFP) is no small feat. Whether you're leading a professional body, a community group, or a national peak organisation, one question always lingers:
“How do we know we’re doing well?”
It’s a fair question—and an important one.
Today’s funding landscape is more competitive than ever. Government agencies, philanthropic foundations, and corporate sponsors are not just looking for good intentions—they want evidence that your organisation is strategically sound, financially viable, and operationally effective.
In her 2023 webinar “How to Win the Next Grant for Your Association,” the Association Executive Services Angela Krepcik highlighted a key requirement for successful grant applications, the need to provide up-to-date financials. "But that’s just the beginning" said Angela.
When Association Executive Services (AES) supports clients with grant submissions, we’re often asked to provide:
In short, funders want to know: Are you running a high-performing organisation?
For over a decade, AES has worked with hundreds of associations and NFPs across Australia to answer that very question. Through this experience, we’ve developed a comprehensive self-assessment tool that helps leaders evaluate their organisation’s performance across 10 critical areas:
This tool doesn’t just give you a snapshot—it benchmarks your organisation against over 700 associations across Australia.
Whether you're preparing for a funding application, planning your next strategy day, or simply want to improve how your organisation operates, this short self-assessment is a decisive first step.
AES members can assess the complete self-assessment by logging in to their member portal and receive a more comprehensive report.
Your members, your board, and your funders will thank you.
Ready to grow and change your organisation. The team at Association Executive Services are some of the most skilled and experienced Association Professionals in Australia. They are prepared to guide you to the next stage of your journey. Contact us at www.associationexecutiveservices.com.au today.
.jpg)
Risk management is one of those areas that every association and not-for-profit Board knows is important - but it can sometimes become
little more than a risk register reviewed once or twice a year.
Insurance can be treated in much the same way.
The organisation receives its annual insurance renewal, the premium is approved, the policy is renewed and everyone assumes the organisation
is covered.
A practical look at volunteer governance, operational decision-making and what the events industry needs to understand about associations.
Nick Koerbin has spent many years working with professional and industry associations, and he has developed a simple habit: whenever he
meets a professional, he often asks whether they belong to their association — and whether they believe the membership is worth it.
A recent conversation with a young allied health professional raised some important questions about membership value, relevance and the
expectations of the next generation.
In this article, Nick shares that conversation and challenges association leaders to consider a simple but confronting question:
Would the next generation of professionals in your sector believe your association is worth joining?
How we help membership based, not-for-profit associations now and into the future.
