Association Services

Associations sit at the intersection of work, expertise, community, and shared purpose. At their best, they bring people together to solve real problems, elevate professional standards, and create stability for individuals and industries alike.

At A Fairer Society, we believe associations are not just membership organizations. They are civic infrastructure. They shape norms, distribute opportunity, and determine whose voices are heard in decisions that affect real lives.

That makes how associations are governed, managed, and sustained deeply important.

Most associations were not designed to operate in the complexity they face today. Volunteer leaders are stretched thin. Staff are asked to do more with fewer resources. Governance structures often slow decision-making rather than support it. And too often, the people closest to the work have the least influence over how it is organized.

We exist to help associations operate differently.

As an association management company, A Fairer Society collaborates with long-time partner Governance Alive to work with boards and members to create organizations that are clearer, steadier, and more humane. We believe strong associations are built on trust, shared responsibility, and systems that respect people’s time, talent, and judgment.

Our approach is rooted in the same philosophy that guides our broader work in business ownership. We believe organizations work best when decision-making is pushed closer to the people doing the work, when agreements are clear and kept, and when governance is treated as a living system rather than a compliance exercise.

In practice, that means helping associations:

• Clarify roles, authority, and accountability

• Design governance systems that support action rather than delay it

• Create operational structures people can rely on, especially in moments of change

• Make better use of the skills and insight already present in their communities

• Reduce burnout among volunteer leaders and staff

This is not about imposing ideology or chasing trends. It is about building organizations that actually function.

Associations shape access. They influence who gets credentialed, who gets educated, who gets represented, and who gets left out. When they work well, they create opportunity, dignity, and stability for the people and professions they serve.

When they do not, the cost is real. Burned-out volunteers. Disengaged members. Missed opportunities to lead and serve.

We believe associations can be a powerful force for fairness, not through slogans, but through structure. Through governance that reflects shared responsibility. Through management that treats people as partners rather than problems. Through systems designed to endure rather than extract.

When A Fairer Society serves as an association management partner, our role is not simply to keep the lights on. It is to help build an organization that members trust, leaders can steward with confidence, and staff can sustain without burning out.

We see our work as promise-making and promise-keeping. To boards, members, and communities alike.

A fairer society is not built all at once. It is built organization by organization, decision by decision, agreement by agreement.

Associations have always been part of that work. We are here to help them do it well.

Interested in working together? Contact A Fairer Society's Director of Association Services, Jack McKissen today!