Next Page: Going Bankrupt

Re-Emergence
Between now and then, NCSEA is not allowed to pay off any debts to creditors. What it can pay are normal operating expenses, like rent and payroll. Any major expenses or any new contracts have to be approved by the court. But NCSEA isn’t waiting to make some changes now to save money and generate revenues.

One change is deciding to hire an association management company. “The plan [to pay off creditors] obviously incorporates the association management company, so it is our intent to file the plan with the court no later than July,” says Eubanks. The staff at NCSEA will be retained and incorporated into the AMC, with Eubanks staying on as executive director. The move to an AMC is expected to save the association a considerable amount of money by using the AMC’s space, resources, staff, and infrastructure. “It will significantly reduce our overhead costs and make us a stronger organization,” she says.

NCSEA is also developing some new ways to generate revenues. The association ramped up an online training program, hosting two training webinars a month for people in the field. It is also looking to partner with another large human-services association in an effort to leverage resources and create more revenue opportunities.

NCSEA is also still meeting. In February, it held its Policy Forum and Training Conference in Washington as planned. About 100 people attended the seminar, which was down from last year, but it met the room block and actually made money, says Eubanks. And the organization plans to hold the forum again next January.

Membership numbers have held steady through the downturn, but to avoid slippage, the association is planning a big advocacy push on Capitol Hill this fall. “It’s going to be very important for our members’ voices to be heard on the Hill,” she says.

NCSEA is also hoping to form strategic partnerships with organizations with similar interests to broaden the community beyond state employees. “We think there are some potential synergies with other groups, so we are going to reach out to see if we can work with them to build our conference attendance and our membership,” says Eubanks.

Next Page: Lesson Learned