Community Engagement and Development: Building AMCI as Your Professional Home 

Mike Dwyer, CAE Chief Client Officer & Partner, Association Headquarters, AMCI Board Director

The main objective of AMCI’s Strategic Plan is to ensure that AMC owners and staff view AMCI as their professional home – a central hub for community engagement and professional development related to the operations of their AMC. The Community Engagement and Development domain focuses on creating impactful opportunities for members to connect, learn, contribute, and grow within a strong, credible, and supportive community.

Our Goal
We are working to make AMCI the top destination for AMC professionals seeking industry connections, shared learning, and business-oriented professional growth. Our goal is to create a stronger sense of community while offering more opportunities for members to connect with each other and with AMCI in meaningful ways.

This includes fostering an environment where members feel supported, informed, and empowered—whether they are looking for peer relationships, leadership roles, or practical resources to enhance their organizations.

The Professional Advancement committee is actively integrating AMCI’s learning opportunities, including certificates, specialist programs, and the AMCP credential launching later this year, into a structured career pathway framework that helps members understand how each offering builds toward the next step in their professional growth. This work will make it easier for members to navigate AMCI’s educational resources and reinforce how these programs contribute to long‑term career advancement, leadership readiness, and the strengthening of the AMC talent pipeline.

What We’ve Accomplished So Far
To advance this goal, AMCI has focused on strengthening the foundation for member engagement and development. Recent progress includes:

Enhancing Member Programs & Communication

• Launching and refining programs that support professional growth
• Improving communication channels to help members stay informed and connected
• Advancing quality benchmarks that reinforce excellence across the AMC model

Expanding Professional Development Opportunities

AMCI’s learning programs now offer a clear continuum of growth:

• AMCI Certificate Program – Foundational knowledge for those entering or advancing in the AMC field
• Specialist Badges – Targeted expertise in key functional areas
• AMCP Credential – A top‑tier designation recognizing advanced professional achievement and leadership in the AMC sector, launching soon

Together, these offerings create a structured pathway for continual learning and advancement.

Strengthening Member Input & Engagement

We are taking a more intentional approach to gathering member insights through surveys, feedback opportunities, and volunteer engagement. These efforts ensure our work remains aligned with the evolving needs of the AMC community. Progress will be tracked over time to ensure these initiatives deliver meaningful value.

Why This Matters to You
This work is designed to make your AMCI membership more relevant, responsive, and beneficial in your day‑to‑day professional life, and to support the growth of your AMC.

A stronger, more connected community means:

• More opportunities to exchange ideas
• Greater access to peer learning
• Clearer pathways for professional and organizational development

AMCI’s Certificate, Specialist Badges, and the upcoming AMCP Credential provide tangible ways for you and your team to build skills, demonstrate expertise, and strengthen your value to clients.

At the same time, this work elevates the credibility and visibility of the AMC model by showcasing our collective commitment to leadership, quality, and continuous improvement.

The AMCI Board remains committed to monitoring progress and providing regular updates to ensure transparency and maintain trust as we move forward together.

Mike Dwyer, CAE Chief Client Officer & Partner Association Headquarters

To keep our momentum strong, the Chair, Board, CEO, and will continue highlighting the Strategic Plan each month. These updates ensure members can see our progress toward 50 by 50, understand how each committee and task force is moving the work forward, and identify meaningful ways to engage. By grounding our communications in a shared vision and clear direction, we’re creating a consistent throughline that will guide our collective efforts throughout 2026.