05/06/2022

ASA, ASAE Forge New Partnership Agreement to Benefit Association Community

The agreement better aligns both groups' interests in serving nonprofits

On May 5, 2022, the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) and the Association Societies Alliance (ASA) jointly announced a formal partnership agreement that will benefit association professionals nationally and at the state and local level.

The agreement centers on three opportunities for collaboration: leadership; the ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition; and advocacy on behalf of the association profession. Among the opportunities formalized in the agreement, leaders from ASA and ASAE and will meet regularly to liaise on various initiatives to advance the interests of the association community. ASAE will also work more collaboratively with local SAEs on volunteer engagement and in-market activation of unique opportunities in the host city for its annual meeting & Exposition. The organizations will also collaborate as appropriate to strengthen the association community through one advocacy voice at local, state and national levels, and to amplify Power of Associations messaging for key audiences.

"In today's rapidly changing environment, association leaders are prioritizing collaboration and knowledge sharing to meet the evolving needs of our stakeholders," said ASAE President and CEO Michelle Mason, FASAE, CAE. "ASAE has always had good relationships with local SAEs and ASA, but to formalize a very defined partnership of this nature is historic and can only benefit association professionals across the country. Having an SAE background myself, it's tremendously gratifying to see this partnership finalized, and I want to thank all parties involved for their willingness to work together to better the profession."

"ASA is truly thrilled to be taking the relationship between ASAE and the local SAE community to an incredible new level through the continuous collaboration outlined in this agreement," said Steven J. Stout, FASAE, CAE, ASA board chair and executive director of the Texas Society of Association Executives. "We are grateful to ASAE leadership for not only recognizing the value of local SAEs but also for their willingness to create a more definitive and robust partnership based on mutual respect between our two organizations as well as the SAE community."

In recognition of the evolving nature of association management, the ASA-ASAE agreement will be reviewed annually at the ASA meeting held during ASAE's Annual Meeting & Exposition to ensure the partnership is directionally focused on the right mix of opportunities that will create the most value for all parties.

In addition to Mason, the agreement was crafted by Stout; OSAP President & CEO Jarrod A. Clabaugh, CAE; ASAE's SVP, Public Policy Mary Kate Cunningham, and members of ASA's executive committee and senior leaders.