FASS

What FASS does

FASS Inc. is a not-for-profit shared management services organization headquartered in Champaign, Illinois, that provides back-office and program support to professional scientific societies in animal agriculture and related disciplines. Founded in 1998 and operating from the University of Illinois Research Park, the company serves more than 20 client organizations representing over 10,000 professionals, including the American Dairy Science Association (ADSA), International Embryo Technology Society (IETS), Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), and the International Society for Animal Genetics (ISAG). The organization also maintains a Science Policy Committee that produces policy statements and advocates for science-based decision-making.

FASS operates through five integrated service lines: Accounting (financial statements, AP/AR, banking reconciliation, audit support), Conference Planning and Event Management (site selection, speaker coordination, registration, exhibit management, onsite support), Membership and Administration (member communications, renewals, invoicing, database management, awards and elections), Publication Services (editorial, design, and production of peer-reviewed journals producing 14,000+ pages annually, with five BELS-certified editors), and Information Technology Services (website development, secure e-commerce, online abstract systems, webinar/webcasting, mobile-optimized conference apps). All technology infrastructure is hosted at the Champaign headquarters.

The business model is fee-for-service with customized plans priced via time-tracking and billed based on actual usage, supplemented by transactional revenue from a Job Resource Center ($150 member / $250 non-member job postings) and a recurring membership administration layer. Go-to-market is direct enterprise sales conducted through the fass.org website and a quote request form with disclosed budget tiers ranging from $1,000 to $250,000+. Marketing relies on the website, conference booth presence at events such as the ADSA Annual Meeting, and word-of-mouth within the professional scientific community. The customer base is concentrated in non-profit scientific associations, with one documented client (IEEE Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation Society) outside the animal agriculture vertical.

Name

FASS

Legal name

FASS Inc.

Website

https://fass.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

FASS Inc. is a not-for-profit shared management services organization in Champaign, Illinois, providing accounting, conference planning, membership administration, publication, and IT services to 20+ professional scientific societies in animal agriculture and related fields, serving over 10,000 professionals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Association Management Services

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

General Ledger & Close (Journal Entries, Month-End Close, Reconciliations) (BPAAAGAC)

Keywords

• Association management services
• Scientific publication services
• Conference event management
• Membership administration
• Nonprofit accounting services

Headquarters

HQ city

Champaign

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Services: FASS provides membership and administration services to professional societies, handling member communications, renewals, invoicing, and database maintenance
2. Conference and Event Management: Full-service conference planning, meeting management, speaker coordination, exhibit management, and onsite meeting support
3. Job Resource Center: Job posting services for members ($150) and non-members ($250) to promote open positions to the scientific community
4. Publication Services: Editorial, design, production, and management services for peer-reviewed journals, periodicals, books, abstract books and proceedings, and promotional materials. Their journals are highly ranked by Thomson Reuters Impact Factor.
5. Accounting Services: Financial statement preparation, accounts payable/receivable, audit support, and budget preparation assistance
6. IT Services: Website development, e-commerce solutions, database setup, scripting services, and audio-visual coordination

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

FASS delivers shared management services to not-for-profit professional scientific societies in animal science and related agricultural disciplines. Its five service lines—Accounting, Conference and Event Management, Membership and Administration, Publication Services, and Information Technology—operate as a unified back-office, allowing client associations to access accounting, conference planning, membership databases, peer-reviewed journal production, and web/e-commerce infrastructure without hiring individual full-time staff.

Product overview

FASS provides shared management services to animal science and related scientific organizations. The company offers five integrated service lines: (1) Accounting Services for financial management, (2) Conference Planning and Event Management for conventions and meetings, (3) Membership and Administration Services for member management, (4) Publication Services for journals and scientific materials, and (5) Information Technology Services for websites and digital solutions. These services work together to allow client organizations to function efficiently as a collective group rather than maintaining individual full-time staff.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Accounting Services Comprehensive financial management services for not-for-profit professional scientific societies, including monthly financial statements, accounts payable/receivable, banking reconciliation, audit support, and budget preparation assistance. Intended for association boards, treasurers, and executive directors that lack in-house finance staff.
• Conference Planning and Event Management Full-service convention and meeting planning for professional scientific societies, including budget creation, RFP development, site selection, speaker management, registration, housing coordination, exhibit management, and onsite meeting support. Intended for scientific associations hosting annual meetings and specialty conferences.
• Membership and Administration Services Administrative support for professional scientific societies, including board and committee facilitation, member communications, renewals processing, invoicing, membership database management, awards programs, and officer elections. Intended for society executive directors and volunteer leadership that need ongoing member operations support.
• Publication Services Editorial, design, production, and management services for peer-reviewed journals, periodicals, books, abstract books, conference proceedings, and promotional materials, including logos and meeting themes. Backed by 80+ years of combined editorial experience, 40+ years of composition experience, and five BELS-certified editors. Intended for scientific societies publishing journals and proceedings.
• Information Technology Services Technology services for professional scientific societies, including website development, secure e-commerce solutions, online abstract submission systems, conference website development with online registration, webinar casting, session recording, database setup, scripting, and audio-visual coordination. All internet services and infrastructure are based at FASS headquarters. Intended for associations needing online infrastructure for conferences, abstract submission, and member transactions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80+ years combined editorial experience and 40+ years composition experience in publications department
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Wiley: Global scientific, technical, and medical publisher with extensive society journal partnerships. Comparable to FASS in peer-reviewed society publishing, but at substantially larger scale and with broader subject coverage.
• Elsevier: Major scientific publisher with deep presence in agriculture, dairy, and animal science journals. Comparable as a broader incumbent in FASS's peer-reviewed publications business, though Elsevier is far larger and commercially focused rather than society-managed.
• MCI Group: Global events and association management firm offering meetings, conferences, and association services at scale. Comparable as a broader incumbent in FASS's conference/event management space, but operates globally and across many verticals.

Direct peers

• Kellen Company: Association management firm serving scientific, medical, and industry associations with shared management, meetings, and publications services. Directly comparable to FASS in the AMC-for-scientific-societies space.
• Virtual, Inc. AMC specializing in technology and scientific standards organizations, offering management, conference, and membership services. Comparable to FASS in serving mission-driven technical/scientific associations with integrated back-office support.
• ConferenceDirect: Meeting and conference management provider serving associations and corporations with site selection, housing, registration, and event logistics. Directly comparable to FASS's conference planning and event management service line.
• Association Headquarters, Inc. (AHI): Full-service AMC serving professional and trade associations with accounting, conference, publications, and member services. Directly comparable to FASS in service mix and nonprofit society customer base.
• Management Solutions Plus: AMC focused on scientific and professional associations, providing management, conference, and member services. Closely parallels FASS in serving mission-driven member-based scientific organizations.
• SmithBucklin: Largest association management company in the US, providing shared management, conference, publishing, and member services to hundreds of professional and scientific societies. Directly comparable to FASS across all five service lines and customer profile (nonprofit scientific/professional associations).
• Association Management Center (AMC): AMC provides full-service association management to scientific, medical, and professional societies including accounting, conference, membership, publications, and IT. Closely mirrors FASS's integrated shared-services model and customer vertical.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about FASS