Now that the dust has settled on a very challenging year, we thought we’d take a look back at some of the highlights of 2020 (and yes, there were highlights!) and look forward to what 2021 has in store for AMS.
Back in March, AMS transitioned quickly to work from home, thanks to equipment, systems, and redundancies already in place pre-pandemic. We had to pivot to doing business in a virtual environment, learning and adapting as our company’s and clients’ plans were changed course or were re-tooled. We created a Virtual Meetings Task Force to guide our team as they re-invented client meetings and conferences from in-person to virtual events (and got to grips with a plethora of new platforms in the process).
We welcomed the Association of Dental Support Organizations (ADSO) as an interim client and transitioned that business to a full year contract for 2021. We celebrated the results of our annual client satisfaction survey where we received high marks in Association Management, Executive Management, Finance, Membership and Program Services. We increased our presence in the industry with a feature story in CEO Update; acceptance of sessions for 2021 AMCI meetings and ASAE Marketing, Membership & Communications Conference; and featured emerging leader stories in AMCI.
We were delighted to welcome three new members to the team during 2020 – John Gay, Ryan Smith, and Christina McGrath. We celebrated a number of exciting professional achievements: Jen McCadden earned her CAE, Felicia Sliver, Kassidy Davis and Matt Pina were promoted to Senior Associate; and Lily Davidson received her Notary Public Certification. Staff more than doubled the collective amount of professional development hours from 2019, with over 500 hours logged in 2020. And on a personal level, two AMS babies were born (and two more were announced!). We also had one engagement, two weddings and four graduations!
To help our staff feel more connected and engaged while working from home, we launched a Social Remote Task Force to help us have some fun with our AMS team. We also initiated a Caregivers’ Support Group for parents handling daycare issues and virtual school to meet, share resources and connect. In September, we held a Mental Health Awareness Week, shared resources, enjoyed a long weekend and introduced monthly virtual yoga.
A key development for AMS in 2020 was beginning phase one of our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiative with discovery and research, with 96% of the team participating in the survey facilitated by our DEI partner NonprofitHR. We look forward to continuing with phase two of this initiative in 2021, focusing on strategy and integration.
Looking ahead, AMS will continue to build upon the momentum we gained throughout 2020 and be thoughtful as we plan for 2021. We will continue providing outstanding support for each and every one of our clients, adding additional staff and services as needed. We will be working closely with client leadership to evaluate the impact 2020 and 2021 on their finances and programs and help them budget and forecast into 2022.
Building genuine, strong partnerships has always been at the center AMS’s corporate culture, and 2020 certainly reinforced the importance of this! We are grateful for the trust placed in us by our clients and partners during a very tumultuous year, and we look forward to discovering what we will achieve together in 2021.