Based on recommendations from the Brand Transition Council, the APMP Board of Directors unanimously voted Monday to immediately cease association rename efforts and continue operating as the Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP).
“As the president of the largest APMP chapter in the United States and the second largest in the world, I am proud to have been a part of the council,” said Rebecca Link, president of the APMP National Capital Area (NCA) chapter. “We’ve listened to all sides and considered everyone’s opinions. I am glad we’re staying with APMP, and I’m looking forward to getting back to the association’s real business — which is doing what it takes to grow this great industry.”
The council was comprised of 15 APMP-member volunteers with varying experience levels, job descriptions, geographies, association tenures and opinions about the proposed name change. The group met July 28 during a session moderated by an independent facilitator, Seth Kahan. The council’s goals were to provide input about APMP’s rebrand and recommend to the Board the appropriate path forward for the association and its members. (The full meeting transcript is available for members to download below.)
The need for the member council arose after APMP’s June 21 announcement regarding changing the association’s name. The Board initially proceeded with rebranding efforts at the start of this year after conducting seven focus groups with a total of 56 members and analyzing results from a December 2020 survey, in which 84% of nearly 1,600 participants (about 15% of APMP membership) responded favorably to a newly branded association that also represented professionals in adjacent roles. Based on this data, the Board forecasted that a rebrand could lead to an increase in membership; enhanced interdepartmental collaboration at work; expanded career training and professional development, including additional certifications, as well as more networking and mentorship opportunities.
Following the June announcement, though, many APMP members and other industry professionals called for the immediate end of the association rename effort. Because of this, the Board released a one-question survey to members in July, asking whether they believed APMP should consider changing its name. There were 2,245 survey respondents (or 21% of the membership); 74% of these respondents voted against renaming the association.
This information, along with the aforementioned data gathered by APMP, was reviewed by the Brand Transition Council, who made the following recommendation to the Board:
- Cease the name change.
Other items the council asked the Board to consider include:
- Establish a taskforce from a broad range of membership, including intergenerational, to explore how to communicate the value of membership to those in the profession who are not yet APMP members, as well as those in any aspect of the proposal lifecycle who would benefit.
- Develop a plan to improve Board communication with members.
- The Board and all new directors participate in formal board training.
Effective immediately, the name-change efforts will cease. Moving forward, the Board will work together to address the additional recommendations.
“As the Board chair, I understand the proposed brand change was a misstep. My goal for the rest of my term as a volunteer leader is to gather information and better understand how we can continue to drive consistent value for our members. I especially appreciate the opportunity to lead this organization in an unprecedented time in our industry,” APMP Board Chair Krystn Macomber said.
To ensure transparency, APMP members can access all materials that were reviewed by the council, in addition to the transcript of the council meeting.
“An association learns a lot of things when it experiences something like this,” said Rick Harris, CEO of APMP. “We learned that the APMP brand has a deep and significant meaning to our membership. That’s a positive takeaway, and this association and its members can build on that moving forward.”
APMP thanks the Brand Transition Council for their time and dedication:
- Kathryn Bennett
- Gabe Cabrera
- Chris Colquitt
- Nigel Dennis
- Charlie Divine
- Dick Eassom
- David Gray
- Chris Kälin
- Rebecca Link
- Anatalia Macik
- Timothy Sisk
- Ashley Teatum
- Jeannette Waldie
- Jon Williams
- Kristy Zagorski
Frances Moffett is the managing editor at APMP.
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