Alta Management Services

Alta Management Services runs the back office for nonprofit trade and professional associations, handling the financial, operational, and membership systems that keep these organizations functioning day to day. Based in Philadelphia and in the association management business since 1996, the firm is accredited by the AMC Institute and led by President Ed Grose.

Work spans creating and managing annual budgets, bookkeeping and accounting, and regular reporting that keeps transactions transparent to association boards. Alta develops investment strategies for association funds and prepares Form 990 tax returns, covering the compliance side of nonprofit finance. On the operations side, staff select and secure site locations and negotiate contracts for association events and meetings. Membership administration runs through online systems Alta maintains, including a membership directory, registration and renewal processing, and automatic renewal and billing. An online education portal extends this to hosting courses and webinars for association members.

Among its association clients, Alta worked on behalf of GPHA during the expansion of the Pennsylvania Convention Center, an example of the kind of large-scale project support the firm provides alongside its ongoing management duties. The combination of financial administration, site and contract negotiation, and member-facing online systems reflects the range of tasks a trade or professional association typically hands off to an outside management firm rather than staffing internally.