Blog
Hip Hip Hooray for National Bow Tie Day!
If we’re being honest, at TMG we celebrate our love for bow ties every day of the year. Lucky for us, August 28th is National Bow Tie Day, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to have an opportunity to share how the bow tie has shaped our brand. If you’ve ever met our founder Ben…
Read MoreOur New Online Digs!
We are thrilled to introduce our new website! The site has truly been a labor of love, from the broad strokes to the tiniest details. We meticulously honed the design, accessibility, and layout of content – all to ensure it reflects who we are as people and as an organization. Here are some of the…
Read MoreHow I Invented the Association Management Company (AMC) Model
By Ben Markens, President and CEO It was my 50th birthday. I was at the Greenbriar Resort in West Virginia, and my friend, Steve, asked me to meet him for a drink. I was attending an association meeting for the industry that I had worked and consulted in for almost 30 years. The association was…
Read MoreTime to Embrace the Unconventional
By Kate Smith, Vice President of Operations Throughout my professional career, I’ve always enjoyed the unconventional. From theme parks and roller coasters to sharks and the Caribbean, my background has positively shaped my approach to association management. You may wonder, how does lifeguarding or running a theme park apply to membership development? How does tagging…
Read MoreRemote Work Was Horribly Isolating. Then I Did This.
By Beth Reed, Office Administrator We are living in a time of isolation. While I’m thankful that TMG works with associations and nonprofits, allowing us to operate virtually, it only took a few days of remote work to realize how alone I was feeling. Yes, I had plenty of work to keep me busy: plenty…
Read More6 Tips for a Killer Association Virtual Engagement Strategy
By Irene Costello, Marketing Manager Hello COVID-19, goodbye annual conference in Florida. The shift from in-person to digital engagement in the association world has been sudden, ubiquitous, and, for some organizations, difficult. Despite challenges at the start, online programs have the potential to reach even more members than before by removing physical limitations and costs.…
Read MoreHow to End a Remote Workday – the Markens Way!
Associations and businesses fortunate enough to be working from home are facing new challenges: finding ways to communicate virtually, keeping active in an increasingly sedentary lifestyle, and getting their minds to stop focusing on work once the day is done. This can be particularly tricky if your home office is steps away from your living…
Read MoreThe Ultimate Guide for Operating Your Organization Remotely
COVID-19 has forced associations, membership organizations, and businesses to quickly shift to remote work. For some, this is an unprecedented shift. Luckily many of us are going through the same transition together. Wherever you are in the process, from getting started to making the most of your team’s resources during this new time, we’ve compiled…
Read MorePlanning and Tracking Your Association’s Success
“If your association is as successful as you’d like it to be…then don’t change anything.” – Ben Markens Odds are, your association doesn’t fall into this category. Even the most successful companies and organizations across the globe consistently strive to improve. After all, what’s the worst enemy of progress? Complacency! Whether you want to grow…
Read MoreDoes Your Association Need a New Management Model?
If your association is struggling, you might be thinking about changing the program offering or dues structure. But what if the issue goes deeper, to the very way you run and operate the organization? There are four main models of association management, from volunteer-run all the way to full-service management from an association management company…
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