04/03/2025

ASAE Survey Reveals Growing Financial Strain for Some Associations

Forty-nine percent of associations report no immediate impact from federal policy changes

The American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) recently released the results of its second pulse survey, offering fresh insights into how associations are adapting to ongoing shifts in federal funding and policy.

Part of the ASAE Insight Update series, this latest survey provides a clearer picture of the financial impacts, the strategic actions organizations are taking in response and the resulting effects on mission delivery.

While 49 percent of associations report no immediate impact from federal policy changes or only slight negative impacts (35 percent), professional societies and association management companies (AMCs) are more often reporting heightened challenges. Healthcare and education associations are experiencing particularly difficult conditions, with 52.8 percent and 45.5 percent respectively reporting worsening financial situations.

The impact across the wide range of industries and professions that associations represent is uneven. For example, finance, business and insurance associations report very mixed results, with nearly 29 percent reporting a slight worsening of conditions, but more than 14 percent reporting significant financial improvement and an additional 7 percent reporting slight improvement.

Among the associations experiencing negative impacts, sponsorship revenue has taken the hardest hit, with an average decline of 25.9 percent, followed by meetings revenue at 23.9 percent and membership revenue at 16.1 percent.

Gain deeper insights by downloading the full report — available free to ASAE members.

This article was provided to OSAP by ASAE's Power of Associations and Inroads.