The Power of Associations
Associations can join ASAE and show how they create positive change in America and the world through the Power of A campaign.
“Congress and the Administration are spending the summer debating issues that will impact the way you manage your associations and work for your members’ interests,” from the Power of A’s website. “American Associations Day prepares association professionals to visit Capitol Hill and educate their Congressional delegation on policy issues important to all associations, like health care implementation, tax reform, and nonprofit governance.”
The Power of A (Associations) is the platform for the association industry to tell its story to external audiences, including Capitol Hill, the media and other stakeholders. The annual visit to the Capitol is another opportunity to show how, “The Power of A was created to bring to life the many ways that associations help create a better America and world. It demonstrates how we enrich lives through volunteerism, fuel the economy through global commerce, impact our future through research and development, and keep the virtually every sector competitive through education and job training.”
Here’s just a glimpse of the power of associations by the numbers:
- Trade and professional associations generated $142 billion in revenue in 2013.
- While the economy has rebounded, the association industry rose 13.8% over the last five years.
- Per the IRS, in 2013 there were 66,985 trade and professional associations and 1,052,495 charitable and philanthropic groups in the U.S
- During the 2013 fiscal year, there were 1, 524 new applications for 501(c)(6) status and 45,289 for 501(c)(3) status filed with the IRS. The vast majority were approved.
- Trade and professional associations employed more than 1.3 million people in 2013, with total annual wages of nearly $51 billion.
- States with the highest membership employment were California, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Florida.
- If Washington, DC, was a state, the metropolitan area would rank third with more than 89,000 employees in associations
- Associations hold an estimated $306 billion in assets.
- Nearly 63 million Americans volunteered through a membership organization in 2013, totaling 7.7 billion hours of service with a value of ~$173 billion
- Associations represent a major piece of the meetings and convention industry in the U.S., supporting 1.8 million jobs and $280 in direct spending by attendees.
- 57 million adults take formal work-related courses or training each year, and more than 69% receive their training from a private business or professional association