executive vice president perspective Exceeding Expectations
Mark A. Male IIARI Executive Vice President
It never ceases to amaze me how Associations work. You try to manage those things in your control and expect the unexpected. Contingency planning is as much a part of your daily routine as getting a cup of coffee. Just when you think you have a handle on how and what defines success something completely unexpected happens. If you adopt and embrace a view that there is limited control on how plans play out, then you’re probably in a better position to accept whatever comes your way. As I reflect on the past fiscal year (which ends August 31), I am surprised by many things – some because they met expectations and others that exceeded. Each year the IIARI Board approves a budget that tends to be income conservative and expense aggressive in hopes of delivering a balanced budget. Being a not-for-profit organization does not mean we should aim to lose money each year, rather maintain a balanced budget that will deliver breakeven results, or in a good year, deliver a small profit. While the membership numbers in Rhode Island reflect the trending of mergers and acquisitions – it is offset by startup agencies by agents who are coming from the dark side of insurance distribution and into the light of ownership of expirations. While there remains a downward trend in membership overall we have never experienced a precipitous one year drop, ever. In fact, over the last five years we have been fortunate to see approximately a 10% membership decline in all the years combined. Incidentally, I’m told by my counterparts in other states, we
are doing well. Let’s call this “exceeding expectations.” Let’s look at education, the cornerstone for many Associations. In creating this year’s budget the Board looked at last year’s performance and projected what we might expect this year to create a budget target. As a matter of practice (and solid common sense), we typically select a target based on past performance and expected trends for the coming year. A wild card for IIARI this year was service provided to external customers, something we did not anticipate. This is an important development as it means a revenue source that is both friendly/supportive to independent agents and helps lift the organization financially without putting additional burden on our rank and file members. The external customer finds value in the relationship and helps IIARI in its mission. This is another “exceeding expectations” scenario that benefits us all. The rescheduled convention prompted anxiety and concern by many given the distance between the original and the actual rescheduled date. Despite the change – over six months – we not only met but exceeded expectations for attendance and participation. We actually added additional exhibitors and secured new sponsors as well. The reception event at the International Tennis Hall of Fame was incredibly successful, too. Having been affiliated with IIABA for over 28 years this had to be one of the first times that we received so many compliments on an event from start to finish. This was yet another “exceeding expectations” result.
The Anchor 8 Second Quarter, 2013