ASAE spent a year pulse-polling its members and rolled it all into one report: finances, meetings, workforce, advocacy, AI. Dan sat down with Amy Hissrich, ASAE’s VP of International Affairs, to dig into what’s behind the numbers.
Some of it stings. About 40% of associations say their financial picture is getting worse, and retention beat out revenue as the sector’s number one challenge. But Amy sees that ranking as a good sign. Members come first, revenue follows. And the report is full of associations trying things: fewer, bigger meetings. More, smaller regional ones. New revenue streams. New programs everywhere you look.
Which leads to her most surprising piece of advice. After a year and a half of launching, iterating, and meeting the moment, almost nobody is sunsetting anything. Her hope for what comes next? Pause. Breathe. Look at the whole portfolio and ask the member value question before adding one more thing to the pile.
Along the way: why sponsors are done being a check and want a seat at the table, what AI does well (crunching 500 pieces of member feedback in minutes) and what it can’t touch (convening people, being the trusted source), and how associations can show up as the answer when members ask AI first.
Worth remembering from this one:
- The pendulum on revenue diversification is swinging back. Associations knew after the pandemic that one big event carried too much risk, drifted back to business as usual anyway, and are now rethinking the portfolio again.
- Retention topping revenue isn’t a crisis. As Amy put it, revenue is downstream. Value creates engagement, engagement creates revenue.
- Sponsors want long-term relationships built on candor and trust. They see themselves as problem-solvers co-creating for the same audience you serve.
- Amy’s line of the night, on why nobody sunsets programs: it’s harder to stop doing than to start doing.
- On AI: don’t compete with it, feed it. Make your expertise discoverable and attributable so the trusted answer traces back to your association.
- One data point that surprised her, in a good way: entry-level association jobs aren’t being displaced by AI so far. Good news for the next generation of talent.
About Amy:
Amy Hissrich is Vice President of International Affairs at ASAE and leads the State of Associations initiative. She’s spent close to 30 years in the association world, starting on the industry partner side with 20 years in technology before earning her master’s in international relations.
The State of Associations Report is a free download from ASAE, you can download your own copy here.
