The Game Changer Your Association Needs: The “Bring Your Own Executive” or BYOE Model

For decades, associations and nonprofits have faced a challenging dilemma. Hire an executive director and build your own infrastructure, or partner with an Association Management Company (AMC) and align with its leadership and management structure. Both models have presented significant trade-offs until now.

A Personal Journey: From Competition to Collaboration

I've worked in the association space for over 20 years, both with AMCs and as direct-hire staff. And where things get even more murky, I was raised in a family that owned an AMC that fully managed multiple associations, as well as events and business development for others. Throughout my career —and really, my life —these have felt like two worlds fundamentally at odds. AMCs had their executives. Direct-hire organizations had theirs. The two approaches operated in separate lanes, occasionally eyeing each other warily.

But lately, I've been asking myself a different question. What if it didn't have to be this way?

What if association executives could leverage the resources, improved efficiency, and buying power of an AMC model to make their organizations stronger? What if the choice between independence and infrastructure was something we'd all just accepted without questioning it?

That question led to Momentum's new offering.

What Is BYOE?

BYOE stands for "Bring Your Own Executive." This model allows association boards to hire their own executive director who aligns perfectly with their organization's culture and vision, or bring an existing executive they already trust, while leveraging the full infrastructure of Momentum's established AMC platform.

You get the executive leader you want, with immediate access to a comprehensive support ecosystem that would otherwise take years and significant capital to build.

It gives boards what they've always wanted: the leadership flexibility to choose their own executive with the operational support of a proven shared services model. It also provides sitting executives with the opportunity to improve their organization’s operational effectiveness and efficiencies without putting themselves out of a job.

Why This Changes Everything -Bridging Two Worlds

Having worked on both sides of this divide, I've seen the strengths and limitations of each model up close. Direct-hire executives have autonomy and deep organizational knowledge, but they often spend more than half their time on operational tasks that pull them away from strategic leadership. AMC-managed associations have incredible infrastructure and efficiency, but sometimes struggle with the personal touch that comes from having dedicated leadership.

I've watched talented executives burn out over time from the constant grind of doing too much, with too little. As any executive managing an association knows, it’s not for the faint of heart. Day in and day out, you are in the thick of it, managing technology vendors, negotiating insurance rates, troubleshooting accounting software, and coordinating with multiple service providers, all while trying to grow membership and serve their boards effectively. From the volunteer leadership side, I've watched boards struggle to justify the overhead costs of building professional infrastructure for organizations that weren't quite large enough to need full-time specialists in every area.

The competitive mindset I once held gave way to a realization: these models aren't enemies. They're complementary strengths waiting to be combined.

Control Over Your Leadership

Board members understand the specific skills, experience, and personality traits needed to serve their specific industry. With BYOE, boards maintain complete control over this critical hiring decision. You're not limited to a pool of AMC executives. In fact, this also frees the board up to select an individual with highly specified industry knowledge to serve as the leader, even if they lack association expertise. The board chooses the leader and then provides the tools and resources needed for success.

Freedom for Executives to Actually Lead

Now, from the sitting association executives’ perspective, it’s a slightly different story. Regardless of their passion for the cause or industry, talented executives often hesitate to join smaller associations with fewer resources because they know they'll spend more time managing vendors and handling administrative details than actually leading. With BYOE, the president or executive director can focus on strategic thinking, member engagement, advocacy, and organizational growth while Momentum's shared services team handles operations.

The Shared Services Advantage

When you bring your executive into Momentum's ecosystem, you gain immediate access to professional infrastructure that would otherwise require multiple full-time staff positions and significant capital investment.

The finance and accounting team manages budgets, financial reporting, audits, and compliance. Technology systems include enterprise-level AMS platforms, websites, and databases. Event management professionals can execute everything from board meetings to national conferences. Marketing and communications specialists create compelling content and drive member engagement.

On the operational side, you get HR support for policies and benefits administration, legal and compliance expertise in association governance, vendor management with established relationships and negotiated rates, and proven processes refined across dozens of successful associations.

As your association grows, your support team grows with you. Need more event support during conference season? It's available. Launching a new membership drive requiring extra marketing resources? It's there. No hiring, training, or managing additional staff.

The Financial Reality

Building the infrastructure that comes standard with BYOE would require multiple full-time staff positions: a finance manager, an IT specialist, an event coordinator, and a communications manager at minimum. Add in technology investments for an AMS, CRM, accounting software, and website platform. Then factor in office space, equipment, benefits packages, HR administration, and ongoing training.

Most small to mid-sized associations are looking at hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. BYOE delivers all of this at a fraction of the cost through the efficiencies of a shared services model.

Real-World Scenarios

Your membership has doubled in three years, but your executive director is drowning in operational tasks. With BYOE, your ED refocuses on strategic growth while Momentum's team scales operations seamlessly.

Or maybe you're moving away from an all-volunteer model but aren't ready for full AMC management. BYOE lets you hire the perfect executive while immediately establishing professional operations.

Perhaps your talented executive director is considering leaving because they're burned out managing vendors and administrative details. BYOE removes that burden and keeps your leader engaged and effective.

Making the Transition

Momentum's implementation team makes the transition straightforward. We start with an assessment of your current operations and identify priorities. Your chosen leader works directly with Momentum teams to establish workflows and communication protocols. We smoothly transition your data, technology, and vendor relationships. Your executive gains a dedicated account manager and instant access to all shared services.

Most organizations are fully operational within 60 to 90 days, with minimal disruption to members or stakeholders.

Looking Forward

After two decades in this industry, I can honestly say that BYOE represents the evolution I wish had existed years ago. It dissolves the artificial barrier between two management philosophies that were never really in opposition. They were just waiting for someone to build the bridge between them.

You shouldn't have to choose between leadership autonomy and operational excellence. Momentum's BYOE model recognizes that boards know what leadership their organization needs and provides the infrastructure to make that leadership successful.

Your executive gets to be a true executive director, not an administrative manager juggling vendors. Your board focuses on governance and strategy, not operational troubleshooting. Your members get better service, better programs, and better value.

I've worked in organizations where executives felt isolated, managing everything alone. I've worked with AMCs where associations wanted more customized leadership. BYOE eliminates both problems. It's the model I wish had been available throughout my entire career.