What’s Normal for Association Reserves? Using Peer Benchmarking to Support Better Financial Decisions
Register below for a virtual discussion focused on practical ideas for strengthening policies, and greater confidence in guiding reserve and investment conversations.
📅 Friday, April 24, 2026 | 11:00am – 12:00pm ET
📍 Virtual
🌟 Registration Fees: Members – FREE | Non-Members – $35
This program may be applied for 1 credit toward your CAE application or renewal professional development requirements.
Finance committees and boards often wrestle with big questions: Are we holding the right amount in reserves? Are we being overly cautious or not cautious enough? As we grow, should our investment approach change?
Reserve and investment decisions are among the most important financial choices association leaders make, directly influencing stability, flexibility, and long-term sustainability. Peer benchmarking can offer valuable perspective by showing how similar organizations structure reserves and allocate investments, helping boards better understand what is typical, identify potential gaps, and inform strategic conversations. Meaningful decisions, however, are grounded in a broader view that considers mission priorities, financial risk, access to funds, growth plans, and governance practices.
This session is designed for association CEOs, Executive Directors, CFOs, Treasurers, and finance executives who want a practical way to think about reserves and investments without needing expert-level investment knowledge. We will explore how to use peer benchmarking to provide additional context, with a focus on insights from Raffa’s Study on Nonprofit Investing (SONI) Dashboard. Participants will leave with clearer questions to bring to their Treasurer and boards, practical ideas for strengthening policies, and greater confidence in guiding reserve and investment conversations.
Learning Objectives:
– Explain the different purposes reserves can serve, including day-to-day stability, strategic growth, and long-term “rainy day” protection.
– Understand how their organization’s revenue patterns and risk exposure affect how much reserve is appropriate.
– Organize reserves by time horizon and purpose, so funds are managed in ways that match when they may be needed.
– Recognize the core components of a strong reserve and investment policy, and how boards can provide effective oversight.
– Use peer data as helpful context, without feeling pressured to copy what other organizations are doing.
Speakers:
Ryan Frydenlund, CIMA®, CIPM | Director of Operations
Juliana Salamone, CFP | Senior Portfolio Manager
Dennis Gogarty, CFP®, AIF® | President
Metro NYSAE is a CAE Registered Provider. This program meets the requirements for fulfilling the professional development requirements to earn or maintain the Certified Association Executive credential. Every program that Metro NYSAE offers that has been approved for CAE credit will clearly identify the number of CAE credits granted for full participation. We will maintain records of your participation in accordance with CAE policies. For more information about the CAE credential or Registered Providers program, please visit www.asaecenter.org/cae.