Working as a PASS Compliance Manager is both challenging and rewarding. I started my career in donor relations at a large membership association and I joined PASS in 2023 as a Compliance Manager. I had no idea I was entering a world with its own language, rules, regulations, and peculiarities. This article details my five biggest takeaways that are key to delivering excellent service and becoming a successful Compliance Manager.
Communicate. In the PAC world, there are many unique terms and phrases. While a PAC Manager understands the terms, others in their organization may not. Our team must figure out the best way to break that information down in a simple and clear manner. We get to know each client contact and their communication style to foster effective communication, build relationships, and make sure all PAC contacts understand their responsibilities.
Build relationships. Our goal at PASS is to be an extension of our clients’ team and we strive to make our clients’ lives easier by streamlining the data and information flow processes. Our team often acts as a translator, helping people understand not just what the rules are, but why they matter. For policies and procedures to be effective, people must understand why we need payroll files by a certain date, why only certain individuals can contribute to the PAC, and why funds need to be deposited be a certain time. Building relationships within a client’s organization makes it easier to collaborate and get the data we need in a timely manner to deliver our services.
Be proactive. Waiting for a problem to happen and then fixing it is far more expensive and stressful than preventing the problem in the first place. Building proactive systems to make sure data is transmitted in a timely manner prevents late reports and fines, and keeps client reputations intact. Our team carefully monitors reporting deadlines and data delivery to make sure both sides have what they need. Our goal is always to be ahead of every deadline.
Change is constant. Reporting schedules change, internal reporting structures evolve, and technology moves fast. Staying on top of every change is key to keeping our clients compliant. At PASS, our team keeps everyone up to speed with their findings in real time. Knowing who to talk to within the client organization is important when deadlines are tight.
Challenging and rewarding. My biggest takeaway is that being a Compliance Manager is much more than providing compliance information and completing reports. PASS Compliance Managers work to reduce risk and allow our clients’ PACs to thrive while staying within the boundaries of the law. Taking the stress of PAC compliance work from our clients and allowing them to build their PAC program is our goal. We can deliver on that goal because the PASS team works together to deliver excellent service, and our comprehensive and intuitive PAC software gives clients access to the PAC information they need when they need it.
I recently transitioned to the Sales and Marketing side of PASS and thankfully am able to use everything I learned as a Compliance Manager to talk to organizations about our services. Want to find out how PASS will augment your PAC team to keep your PAC running smoothly? Connect with me, Megan Allen, at mallen@pass1.com or on LinkedIn.