WASHINGTON, D.C.
Associations have a profound, measurable economic and social impact on the nation, according to ASAE’s updated Associations Matter study, released today in support of The Power of A Week and American Associations Day, ASAE’s annual legislative fly-in event.
Associations Matter relies primarily on U.S. government statistics and tax-exempt returns (Form 990s) to measure the economic and social benefits derived from association activities. These statistics focus primarily on employment, wages, revenues, and assets. The report also documents the many contributions associations make to improve social conditions and Americans’ collective quality of life.
Among the report’s highlights were these facts: The meetings industry supports 1.7 million jobs and accounts for $263 billion in spending. The number of trade and professional associations and charitable organizations has increased 3.4 percent since 2001. Membership organizations employed more than 1.2 million people in 2009. Membership organizations generated a payroll of nearly $47 billion in 2010. Associations represent a major piece of the meetings and conventions industry in the United States. Of the 63 million people who volunteered in the United States between September 2009 and September 2010, more than 18 million volunteered through a membership organization.
“This report does a wonderful job in providing a bigger picture about the impact associations have in keeping America competitive, improving the economy, providing opportunities for people to volunteer, and preparing our future leaders,” said ASAE President and CEO John H. Graham IV, CAE.
