Letter from the President

Dear ARNOVAns,

It was wonderful to see many of you at the annual conference in Indianapolis last month. We were thrilled to return to Indianapolis for our annual conference this year, which has proven to be an important year in the evolution of our organization.

In a year marked by substantial challenges, including reorganization and an executive transition without paid staff, the volunteer spirit demonstrated across our entire organization—from the Board and Committees to Task Forces, Executive Transition Team, Section and CIG leaders, and general members—has been a constant source of inspiration. It is a true testament to the value of ARNOVA that we have had such an outpouring of effort to ensure ARNOVA’s resilience through these challenging times. As the all-volunteer Executive Transition Team, which consists of Alan Abramson, Will Brown, Chao Guo, Jennifer Madden, and Elizabeth Searing, concludes its work, I want to express appreciation for all they did to help maintain ARNOVA’s day-to-day operations.

Over the last eight months, we have made some significant changes to our operations, including a transition from an in-house staff model to an Association Management Company (AMC) model. In October, following a comprehensive search and selection process, ARNOVA’s Board of Directors selected Momentum Association Management as its new AMC partner. Momentum, headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, provides agile, data-driven management services to mission-driven associations across the U.S. We chose Momentum for its proven expertise in helping associations achieve stability, innovation, and sustainable growth. Momentum’s deep experience in association management and their collaborative philosophy stood out immediately. We’re confident this partnership will position ARNOVA to continue leading the field while enhancing member value and organizational capacity. The Momentum team will officially come on board on January 1, 2026, and we are on track to have this happen.

We continue to strengthen our partnerships with other peer organizations that support the nonprofit sector, such as the International Society for Third-Sector Research, Independent Sector, the American Society of Public Administration, Nonprofit Policy Forum, and the National Center on Nonprofit Enterprise (NCNE), among others.

ARNOVA is our intellectual home, and it cannot grow and prosper without your strong support. As announced at the membership meeting at the ARNOVA Conference, we have launched the "ARNOVA Forward" fundraising initiative.  Our goal is to raise money for conference scholarships, IT support, and general reserve funds. A Steering Committee, chaired by Alan Abramson, has been formed to lead the initiative, in which we hope to meet - and even exceed - the $10,000 match that a generous donor has offered. Our communications team will follow up with further information.

Thank you! Have a wonderful Holiday season!

Sincerely,

Chao Guo

President, Board of Directors

ARNOVA