ASAE Power of Associations Sign On

March 27, 2023

Members and Senators of the U.S. Congress

RE: The Power of Associations Supports Policymaking and Champions Each Industry, Profession and Worker. Please Utilize Associations and Their Staff as Resources to Inform and Assist Your Critical Policymaking Efforts.

Dear Member of Congress:

The association community supports every facet of America’s economy and society. Trade and professional associations exemplify The Power of Associations every day as they pursue essential missions in public service that champion every industry, every profession and every worker through specialized education and training, research, technical guidance, best-practices, standard-setting, advocacy, diversity, equity and inclusion. All of which bolster jobs and cultivate robust economic activity for municipalities, states and the federal government.

Associations began prior to America’s inception ¹ Carpenters' Company of the City and County of Philadelphia. Founded 1724. . The association community established The Power of Associations program to broaden and solidify awareness of associations’ beneficial purpose and impact.

The undersigned associations, businesses and nonprofits—employers—write to share The Power of Associations with each policymaker in America and to demonstrate its deep-rooted and wide-ranging benefits to our nation.

More than 60,000 associations ² U.S. Census Bureau. IRS Data Book. North American Industry Classification System. 2020.  exist nationally and pay at least $18 billion each year in wages ³ U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, Annual Averages. 2020. . (These figures account solely for associations as employers, and not their economy-boosting stewardship on behalf of members, such as companies and professionals.)

Associations Help Create and Protect Jobs
The association community employs at least 205,000 people ⁴ U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, Annual Averages. 2020. . These professionals’ collective efforts directly or indirectly support every employer, employee and job function in the economy. Each association exists to advance a stakeholder community, and at least one association exists within each job sector.

Associations are considered tax-exempt but still contribute to governmental revenue through federal payroll taxes, state and local unemployment taxes, real estate taxes, personal property taxes, sales and use taxes, franchise taxes, taxes on unrelated business income and taxes on lobbying activities.

Associations Educate, Train and Certify the Workforce
Associations lift our economy through education, training and professional certification. The latter is especially vital to strengthen industry excellence, create professional pathways, increase workers’ earning power, foster marketplace competition and supply consumers with the best products, services and expertise.

Associations are America’s leading certification providers, and, as a community, constitute the largest source of post-college education and skills training ⁵ U.S. Census Bureau. IRS Data Book. North American Industry Classification System. 2018. . Data also show that certification builds equity and reduces gender and racial wage gaps by as much as 43 percent ⁶ University of Chicago Human Capital and Economic Opportunity Global Working Group. 2017. .

Associations Conduct Events that Produce Significant Economic Activity
Major events, such as conferences, conventions and trade shows, fuel the hospitality sector and help provide associations the means to pay staff, promote stakeholders, lead communities, administer technical education and invest in essential tools and resources.

The following data demonstrate a small portion of events’ broad economic impact:

• The events industry generates $330 billion each year in the U.S. ⁷ Events Industry Council. Global Economic Significance of Business Events. November 2018.  
• At least one-fifth of associations conduct 50 or more revenue-generating events each year ⁸ ASAE Research Foundation Financial Impact Study. December 2020. .
• Associations dedicate 35 percent of their budgets to conducting events, on average ⁹ Professional Convention Management Association. 28th Annual Meetings Markey Survey. 2019. .
• The hospitality sector employs almost 16 million workers ¹⁰ U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Leisure and Hospitality Reporting. 2022. .
   
• Individual association events contribute tens—often hundreds—of millions of dollars to state and local economies. (The American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) four-day Annual Meeting hosts 5,000 professionals and injects $16 million into local economies, on average; ASAE’s 2018 Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL delivered $150 million in downstream economic activity nine months after the event ¹¹ Choose Chicago (Chicago, Illinois Convention & Visitors Bureau) Economic Reporting. 2019. .)

Associations Set Product, Service and Safety Standards
Product, service and safety standards protect and empower consumers, and associations establish critical standards for everything from children’s toys to building construction—from mattresses we sleep on to food we eat. Standard-setting in the U.S. is a process historically driven by the private sector, with the government in a supporting and guiding role.

Associations Provide Essential Technical and Subject-Matter Expertise
Associations help ensure their industries and professions carry a collective voice and that all stakeholders understand the complex issues and dynamic communities with which they interact. Associations are repositories of industry- and profession-specific expertise and serve as a resource to anyone who wishes to build knowledge.

Associations Promote Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
People, companies and other employers join associations because they want to work together toward a common cause and achieve mission excellence, which is possible only through prioritizing strong diversity, equity and inclusion amid and atop the workforce. Associations confront inequities in hiring, advancement, compensation and organizational culture as part of a community-wide endeavor toward excellence ¹² ASAE Announces Diversity Executive Leadership Program Class of 2022.  .

Our community stands ready to share The Power of Associations with your team and provide support as you consider important public policies. Associations and their dedicated teams champion every American industry, profession and worker—The Power of Associations champions America.

Thank you for your service to our country and for taking time to read about The Power of Associations. If you wish to learn more, we encourage you to visit The Power of Associations website and connect with associations near you. Please email ASAE with questions.

Sincerely,

The Association Community and Allied Organizations

(Signatory list begins on the following page.)