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Day-to-Day Administration

We offer all of the services that one would come to expect in a professional association office, including: bilingual telephone and email support, equipment, internet and fax, conference call, webinar and video conferencing, online payment processing and secure paper and digital storage backed-up daily both on and off-site.

We represent the first-line problem resolution level of member service and we have experience in direct customer relations, with our staff trained to respond to enquiries of any nature within a day of receipt.

We are adept in issue resolution – all professional association members have many similar issues and questions . . . membership status, professional designations, payment amounts, receipts, event information, incorrected database records and access to restricted websiteareas.

Membership Management

We understand how member-based associations work and the management processes and procedures required to retain members and bring new ones into the organization.

Members need membership support (and credentialing information when applicable), and a client- service-based company to provide it.

Membership management includes member database maintenance, renewals, retention, communications and growth through new services and benefits.

Member services (what’s-in-it-for-me?), flow from boards and committees.  Existing programs must be operationally implemented, and managed and new member services brought to the boards’ attention in accordance with strategic and other plans they have approved.

Governance Support

The responsibility for governing an association rests with a volunteer board of directors, operating according to bylaws, working to set strategic direction, providing necessary resources, and making key decisions that Megram staff implement.

Volunteer leadership is often distributed among committees, sections, task forces, and other groups, making volunteer management an important operational function for Megram staff.  It may also involve management of regional or local chapters.

We provide the management support and administrative skills required to help associations run smoothly and efficiently, removing volunteers from time-consuming administrative tasks.

We advise boards and volunteers on processes, procedures, and best practices and we focus on risk avoidance and strategic advice.

Financial Support

We mitigate financial risk by managing day-to-day finances, monitoring cash-flows and budgets and by managing supplier contracts.  We prepare monthly financial statements for our clients.

We manage special budgets for specific operations within the scope of client activity such as conferences, professional development education, awards and scholarships, workshops and similar revenue stream functions. Monitoring revenue streams as individual profit centers allows boards to determine real profitability and identify areas where program changes would improve income and services or both.

Staff oversee monthly bank reconciliations, maintain and monitor bank accounts, issue membership and other invoices, collect fees and payments, make deposits, prepare checks, manage third-party contractors, and prepare relevant documentation for audit.

Professional Accreditation

Program accreditation is the external content review process of assessing training programs against specific standards. Certification recognizes competence and promotes continuous learning. Megram currently manage certification and educational credit programs for four national organizations and we manage the professional program accreditation process for another.

We understand continuing education and the management of CE programs, professional accreditation required for licensure and the certification designation processes and procedures.

We run education webinars, manage an online educational training program, conduct retreats and workshops and manage conferences.

Professional Certification

Certification recognizes competence and promotes continuous learning following certification. Megram currently manage certification and educational credit programs for three national non-profits.

Scholarship Management

Megram has managed the scholarship program for the Canadian Engineering Memorial Foundation for over 20 years.  This has included expanding the number of scholarships to 13 by soliciting funding from industry and individual Canadians and ensuring continuity of that support. We developed and continue to manage their fundraising programs.

We promote annual scholarships through print and on the website and we are responsible for application handling, arranging judging panels, advising winners, and organizing the awards ceremony.

We are conversant with CRA receipting requirements and reports and we oversee an investment portfolio managed by a third-part investment firm in accordance with investment policies which we developed.

Meeting Planning

We arrange meetings by telephone, Skype and other SaaS providers as well as retreats, face-to-face and annual general meetings and conferences both in Canada and abroad.

This includes negotiating with service providers at venues reviewed by staff.  We develop agendas and schedules, determine attendance, make meeting room and travel arrangements, issue advances and reviewing expense claims to paying venue and supplier invoices.

We help with registration and exhibits and provide onsite staff support when required including attendance and voting at Annual General Meetings.

Our meeting planner is helped by experienced association managers to ensure that client events are successful, profitable when applicable and results oriented.

Support Services

With our graphic design and writing expertise, we produce both print and on-line magazines, newsletters and flyers avoiding the need to use third-party professionals. Our custom conference logos and posters help promote events and increase attendance.

We design, develop and maintain WordPress and Drupal websites and we provide mail and site hosting services on our servers in Montreal.

Our social media manager is active daily on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, announcing client events, promoting various professions and sharing information and announcements specific to them.

Publications

Megram produces magazines, newsletters and flyers in both hard-copy and online.  These tools are the life-blood of many associations, providing a tangible member-benefit that helps growth and retention.


Our Vision Statement

Reduce volunteer burn-out so not-for-profit associations can become what they were meant to be

Our Mission Statement

To help not-for-profit associations achieve objectives

We are well versed in the day-to-day administrative tasks required in every association. We provide
leadership and governance support to our boards and support their member service programs.  Our
membership, financial, and meeting management skills are extensive and we:

  • Address and respond to issues quickly and competently
  • Deliver results on time and on budget
  • Provide high levels of personal member service, and
  • Always go the extra mile!

We provide bilingual association management services to both provincial, national, and international non-profits. We are website developers and newsletter and magazine publishers.

In business for over 20 years, the Megram has 15 full and part-time staff in Renfrew, Ontario, only 45 minutes from Ottawa.  We offer complete office support with equipment, dedicated telephone, internet, and fax; conference call, webinar, and video conferencing services, online payment processing, and secure paper, and digital storage.

We take full ownership of the client’s affairs with which we have been entrusted. We analyze processes and programs and we recommend changes that will improve services, reduce costs, mitigate risk, and make our clients stronger.


Managing a small national association of professionals

  • Less than 50 members
  • Membership fees of $350
  • Annual conference and AGM
  • Annual directors retreat
  • Six directors’ telephone conferences
  • Operating budget of $22,000

Management Fee: $7,000

Managing a national association with a professional credentialing program

  • 1,800 members in eight national chapters
  • Full professional development program and credentialing
  • Full professional development program and credentialing
  • Annual meeting, webinars, continuing education
  • 12 board meetings
  • Operating budget of $500,000

Management Fee: $61,000

Managing a national professional accreditation program

  • Twelve Masters level professional programs
  • Bilingual accreditation standards and reviews
  • Seven-year accreditation cycle
  • Operating budget of $31,000

Management Fee: $13,000

Managing a provincial association

  • Membership base of 400
  • Needed re-branding (logo, website, newsletter)
  • Ten regional chapters
  • Production of quarterly newsletter
  • Annual conference plus an annual symposium
  • Fifteen board and executive committee meetings
  • Operating budget of $90,000

Management Fee: $30,000


International Organization for Cooperation in Evaluation (IOCE)

A world-wide organization promoting program evaluation

When we assumed management of IOCE in 2013, only the inaugural meeting had been held in 2011 and the organization had a budget of less than $5,000.

Since that time, Megram staff have worked with the board of directors who have applied for grants
from the United Nations, the Government of Finland, DFID, UNICEF and various US funding agencies to develop initiatives, fund meetings and to grow the organization.

We have organized and been on-site to manage IOCE annual meetings in Dublin, Cairo, Kathmandu and Bishkek
where attendance exceeded 150 delegates and Parliamentarians.  As well as on-site management, arrangements included delegate advances and travel arrangements, accommodation, special dietary requirements for international attendees, on-site third-party contractor supervision, final reporting and all financial accounting.

Megram is currently managing annual budgets for IOCE in excess of $1 million US.

We also manage EvalPartners, a joint IOCE-United Nations initiative to help worldwide civil society organizations enhance their capacities in program evaluation. This includes management of their website and e-learning program.

Ontario Society of Nutritional Management (OSNM)

The Ontario association of those in the nutritional management field

Megram assumed responsibility for OSNM in March of 2017 and by May, they had approved a new logo that we had designed, a new website and a new layout for their Trillium Newsletter.

In early 2019, we took over responsibility for their financial management and accounting, previously being done by a volunteer.

Canadian Evaluation Society (CES)

Canada’s national professional certification body for evaluators

When we took over management of CES, membership management was essentially a hands-on process using spreadsheets and flat databases leading to errors, member frustration and excessive work.

Since the Society wished to develop their online application process for their professional designation program, our Programmer built a new custom utility, expanded the functionality and integrated it into a new relational member database.  Reviews, approvals and renewals are now online and members have one portal for membership renewal, profile changes, and annual conference registration. A second portal allows members to apply for their credentials, renew their designation and up-date their documentation with reviewers having password access.  All payments are online with automatic receipting and deposit to the CES bank account.

Chartered Institute of Housing CANADA (CIH)

CIH Canada, a constituent member of the influential international Chartered Institute of Housing, is a relatively new arrival on the housing scene in Canada, offering two internationally recognized designation programs in Canada for professionals working in the affordable and social housing sector. Because of our experience and expertise working with clients offering professional designation and accreditation programs and our history of managing international ones, Megram was hand-picked from a pool of other association management firms in 2019 to assume responsibility for this fledgling association and charged with expanding its membership nationally.

With our senior management, bilingual staff, and our expertise in membership management, board support, and strategic planning, Megram is in the unique position to make CIH Canada the national voice of social housing professionals in the country.

Vocational Rehabilitation Association of Canada (VRAC)

A national association of vocational rehabilitation professionals

On two days’ notice in 2015, Megram took over the 1,700-member Association, their professional designation program and membership renewal process, all accounting functions, conference planning and board support.  We immediately made recommendations to the board for changes to their designation approval system by applying proper processes and new procedures to ensure that the process was accurate and met higher standards. We transferred 100 boxes of paper records into digital format for ease of retrieval and reference.

Two months later, we took over managing and producing REHAB MATTERS, the quarterly professional publication of VRA Canada, their monthly newsletter and their weekly eBulletin.

Megram also manages the British Columbia Society of VRA Canada.

CANADIAN ENGINEERING MEMORIAL FOUNDATION (CEMF)

Canada’s national charity offering scholarships to women in engineering

Hired in 2002 to wind-down the Foundation as it was losing support, operating costs were excessive, and the scholarship selection process was in disarray, Megram took the initiate to make an effort to save the organization given its national importance.

After reviewing all of the issues, we recommended that CEMF continue to operate.  We started by securing new scholarships, initiating new projects and implementing new funding initiatives.  Over the course of the next five years, we were successful in:

  • Implementing the first-ever budget for CEMF in 2002/3 and designing their first website
  • Establishing proper receipting and accounting processes in accordance with CRA rules
  • Initiating an annual national donor campaign
  • Revamping the annual scholarship awards event
  • Tripling the number of annual scholarships
  • Starting a Partner Program, financially supported by Faculties and corporations
  • Streamlining the scholarship application, review and selection process.
  • Promoting the program from coast to coast.

ARMED FORCES PENSIONERS’/ANNUITANTS’ ASSOCIATION OF CANADA (AFP/AAC)

A 4000-member strong association of Veterans

AFP/AAC hired Megram in 2008 to resuscitate the then 2,100-member organization by updating membership records and developing a membership retention and recruitment plan.  We increased member benefits such as a newsletter and website and we provide personal client services in both official languages.

In 2018, we built a new flat database to manage a membership, which now exceeds 4,000.