News for CMAA Leaders: August 2025

CMAA News

1. The Club Foundation Names Thirteen Joe Perdue Scholars
2. Check out CMAA’s Newest Community for Human Resources Professionals
3. Listen to Let’s Talk Club Management Episode 139: Essential Policies for Your Club and Ep. 140: Exploring the Club Leaders’ Perspective.

To Do

1. August 25: Register & Book Your Hotel for the 2025 Leadership/Legislative Conference
2. September 10: Nominations Due for 2025 Club Executive of the Year
3. October 31: 2025 CMAA Membership Year Ends—Renew Today!
4. Ongoing: Submit Your #CMAARally Chapter Photos and Announcements to goodnews@cmaa.org

All Officers

The initial 2026 membership renewal notice has been sent to all current CMAA members. Memberships expire on October 31, so chapter officers are encouraged to remind members to renew promptly to avoid potential late fees.

Managing Directors

This is a reminder that the Chapter Transfer process is all online! Please provide members who need to transfer with the following link: cmaa.org/membership/members/chapter-transfer

Club Foundation Liaison

Give Back When You Renew to Empower Others

It’s CMAA membership renewal season. Each year there is an option to add a contribution to your membership renewal to support The Foundation, and we hope you will encourage your Chapter members to commit to one simple but powerful action: adding a contribution to The Club Foundation with their renewal payment. It is exactly what we do in this incredibly generous field, we focus on the people around us and help those who need support. It isn’t just a donation; it’s an investment in the lives of others and an investment in our industry’s future.

You are a vital connector whose voice and leadership not only inspires others to give during membership renewal season and can also share the joy of Giving Tuesday (December 2, 2025). Each year, Managing Directors play a critical role in this online giving campaign by mobilizing and motivating their members, generating excitement, and having a little fun in the process. The friendly competition for bragging rights for the chapters that raise the most for The Club Foundation adds exciting energy and momentum to the effort, all in support of a cause that directly benefits our colleagues and friends in the club industry.

How does CF fund all those scholarships? The Club Foundation would not be able to fulfill our mission of providing grants and scholarships, if not for your generosity and that of so many others in our industry. You make a difference every time you contribute. If you have any questions about making contributions to The Foundation, please visit our website or call us at 703-299-4284.

Communications/Public Relations Chair

2025 Club Executive of the Year Nominations Due September 10

Annually, Club Management magazine honors a high-performing club management professional who exemplifies excellence in leadership with the Club Executive of the Year Award. Created 40 years ago as the Club Manager of the Year Award, today the distinction specifically recognizes top-level executives whose sustained contributions have had a significant impact on their clubs, communities, and the broader profession.

Help us honor an extraordinary club management professional who raises the bar in club management and within the CMAA community by sharing this information with your Chapter.

The full criteria, nomination packet requirements, judging process, and notification information are available online. All nomination materials must be received by September 10.

Legislative/Advocacy Chair

Tips, Overtime, and Taxes

On July 4, HR 1, the 2025 tax legislation was signed into law. The measure features the extension of several expiring tax cuts passed in 2017 and new tax reductions including new federal tax exemptions for qualifying tip and overtime income. There’s a lot to unpack here for clubs. In the latest episode of Let’s Talk Club Management, Brad Steele, J.D., joins Melissa Low, CAE, and Kyle Jennings, CAE, to talk more about what this means for the club industry. Explore what we know about these two impactful changes and learn what details remain to be released with further regulatory guidance. Listen now.

Membership Chair

New Members Joining in August Receive Education-Only Badge for World Conference

All members who join CMAA during the month of August receive a complimentary Education-Only registration for the upcoming World Conference & Club Business Expo. Please let prospective members know about this great incentive!

Professional Development Chair

Encourage Your Members to Check Out CMAA Webinars

A great way to earn Association Activity (AA) credits is by registering and attending CMAA Webinars. These are hosted throughout the year, and you can earn 1 AA credit when you attend a live session. Mark your calendar for upcoming webinars.

Research Chair

Get the Financial and Operational Data You Need

Data gathering for the 2024 Finance & Operations Report is now underway, and we encourage you to support this important research through your club’s participation and get the data you need for informed decision making.

Club Benchmarking, a CMAA Executive Partner, powers CMAA’s annual surveys.

All CMAA members submitting complete 2024 fiscal-year-end data (year ending between July 1, 2024-June 30, 2025) prior to the September 5 deadline will receive:

• A complimentary copy of the 2024 Finance & Operations Report for their club
• A Universal Key Club Performance Indicators Report specific to your club
• An activation of a free Club Benchmarking Starter Account (for clubs not already subscribed to Club Benchmarking)
• An invitation to schedule a Benchmark Review session with a Club Benchmarking analyst to review your club’s individual results.

Confidentiality of all data is guaranteed. Data will only be presented in an aggregated format.

This invitation is being distributed to all CMAA members who are GM/CEO/COOs and CFO/Controllers. Please note: Only one submission is needed per club.

In addition to overseeing data gathering and analysis, the Club Benchmarking Data Management Team is committed to providing full support to assist you with your data submissions.

Submit Your Data by September 5.

If you have any questions, please contact Amilcar Davy, CMAA's Director of Research, or Bryan LaBlue, Club Benchmarking’s Data Management Specialist.

Student Chapter Liaison

Help Our Student Chapters Succeed This Semester

The beginning of the new school year is just around the corner. Our student members are getting ready to jump back into CMAA with their student chapters and it’s crucial that they have the support of our managers to help them succeed and learn more about the club industry.

As you begin to think about how you can help develop the next generation of club management professionals, here are a few things for that our student chapter presidents and faculty advisors have asked for assistance with:

• Help the Student Chapter schedule in-person and virtual club tours;
• Invite the Student Chapter to any in-person events the local chapter or surrounding clubs may be having;
• Help make introductions for students with other club managers;
• Invite the Student Chapter to local chapter meetings;
• Hold regular calls with the Student Chapter to get updates and see if there is anything with which they could use your help;
• Attend or offer to be a guest speaker in any club class the university may have and help make introductions with other managers who may be interested in speaking;
• Share new updates with faculty that they could incorporate into their lessons so their content is current and accurate; and
• Share any internship, job, or volunteer opportunities with the Student Chapter.

If you have questions about CMAA’s Student Program or the role that you play, please click the link and navigate to the “Student Chapter Liaison” part of the page. Thank you for helping to shape the future of the industry!

Wine Society Chapter Representative

Wine Program Awards Due September 15

Reminder, Wine Program Award entries are due Monday, September 15. The Wine Society Wine Program Awards are open to all CMAA member-managed clubs. The objective of the Wine Program Awards is to annually recognize the best club wine programs and laud clubs that establish and maintain fine wine programs for their membership. The awards are meant to be a hallmark of quality and assurance of an eminent wine program. A club that receives recognition should leverage its accomplishment when marketing the club’s food and beverage program to its membership.