Careers in Associations

Are you looking for a career with great long-term growth potential, excellent compensation, and a wide-open job market? 

• One that has room for recent graduates as well as chief executive officers?
• One that can accommodate both generalists and specialists and offer ample opportunity for professional development and advancement?

Consider a future in association management.  In the Chicagoland area alone, associations are part of a $3.1 billion industry that employs more than 33,000 people with a gross annual payroll of $1.1 billion.

Best of all, the association management career is still largely unknown to many of those who are not already part of it, so there's plenty of room to land that first association job or to advance to the next career level.  And the association management field is supported by a well-established professional "association for associations" that offers exceptional education, employment, and networking support.

So, how do you find out more about the unparalleled opportunities in association management?  You start here, learning what an association is, how associations operate and what they can offer you.

What Is An Association?

Associations touch the lives of most people on a daily basis—whether it be through the American Dental Association's seal of approval on the morning's toothpaste, a monthly donation to the United Way, or an evening's attendance at a local PTA meeting. Associations are everywhere, serving a multitude of industries, professions, and causes.

Associations are created to establish strength and unity in working toward a common goal.  They are non-profit organizations formed to promote the economic, scientific, or social well-being of their members.  Different types of associations cater to the diverse industries professions and causes which they serve.  Generally, they include trade associations; professional societies; scientific, technical, or learned societies; and charitable organizations.

Trade Associations

A trade association is an organization of business competitors structured to assist its members and the industry in such areas as standardization, lobbying, research, product promotion, business ethics, personnel, and public relations.  Examples include: Illinois Restaurant Association; Chicago Software Association; and the American Egg Board.

Professional Societies

Individuals with common subject knowledge—medicine, economics, law—who seek to use their knowledge for professional or monetary gain may form a professional society.  The society's goals usually include the exchange of ideas, discussion of common professional problems, professional development and education, lobbying and networking.  The American Academy of Dermatology, Chicago Institute of Architects, and the Illinois CPA Society are three of the many professional societies in operation today.

Scientific, Technical, or Learned Societies

The scientific, technical, or learned society differs from the professional society when its goals are primarily concerned with the expansion of a discipline's knowledge.  The Healthcare Strategy Institute, National Association for Women's Health and Foundation for Independent Higher Education focus on increasing and disseminating knowledge of their respective areas of interest.

Charitable Organizations

Associations also can be charitable organizations involved in fund-raising and public information campaigns.  Examples include:  National Easter Seal Society, Zonta International, and AIDS Foundation of Chicago.

Association Management Companies

A variation is the association management company.  Association management companies employ administrative and staff specialists who provide services to associations that have grown too large to handle their administrative affairs with members on a volunteer basis, but that are not large enough, or prefer not, to maintain a separate staff or offices.

The Chicagoland area is home to more than 1,500 associations, second only to Washington, D.C., and is the number one headquarters choice for healthcare associations.

For more than 80 years, the Association Forum of Chicagoland (the Forum), a professional society, has represented association professionals in the Chicagoland area.  The Forum represents more than 2,500 members from the area's 1,600+ national, state and local not-for-profit organizations and the service providers to these organizations.

Looking For A Career: What Kinds of Jobs Do Associations Have?

All kinds.  There's room in associations for anyone from beginners with no experience to seasoned professionals with decades in the business.  And because associations provide such a variety of benefits and services to their members, they need people seeking a specialized track such as communications or financial management as well generalists who can handle administrative functions or special projects.  In addition, associations usually offer similar benefits and services, so the skills and experiences learned at one association can be transferred to another, even if the two organizations serve dramatically different kinds of industries.  The expertise learned at an association also can be transferred to for-profit organizations.   Setting a budget, planning an event, and editing a publication are a few of the kinds of skills learned in an association that can be transferred to for-profit companies.

Associations offer careers in the following areas:

• Administration
• Communications
• Education and Professional Development
• Governmental Relations
• Human Resources
• Finance
• Marketing
• Meeting Planning
• Membership
• Public Relations
• Technology

Education and Preparation

Although there is room in associations for beginners or recent graduates with little or no experience in association work, as well as for those who are transferring from other types of administrative or specialized jobs, there also are formal education programs for those who prefer a more standardized approach.  In Chicago, local universities and colleges offer degreed and certificate programs in association management.  In addition, there is a voluntary Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential-the most prestigious professional designation for individuals in the association management profession-that provides expanded knowledge and national professional recognition.

Association Forum of Chicagoland

One of the things that makes a job in associations so rewarding is that there is a strong association community with exceptional support services. It's not surprising that the number two headquarters city for associations in the country has a strong "association for associations."

Association Forum of Chicagoland was formed in 1916 by a handful of association "secretaries" who wanted what all members who form associations want-to exchange ideas, promote their industry, and unite for a common goal.

Today, the Forum, the oldest organization of its kind in the United States has more than 3,000 members and a staff of 12.  Its focus is education, information exchange, career development, and representation.  It serves as a model for the associations represented by its members, and offers a balanced mix of benefits services, and resources.

• FORUM Magazine—Published 11 times a year, Forum is an award-winning magazine for Chicagoland association professionals.
• Information Resource Center—An extensive collection of book and reference materials on general management topics, board and volunteer management, budgeting, and personnel issues, to name a few.  Housed in Forum's downtown office, it is available for use to members.
• Membership Directory—The names of all Forum members, as well as an "Ask the Experts" directory, with members cross-referenced by areas of expertise, and a buyers guide.
• Professional Policy Statements—Guideposts for association policymaking. 
• Compensation and Benefits Survey—An extensive survey that zeros in on compensation, benefits, and office policy trends in the Chicagoland area.
• www.AssociationForum.org—A place to go to keep current on Forum events, access valuable information and resources, register for events, and order products.
• Advocacy—The Forum's work behind the scenes on issues facing associations locally, regionally, and nationally.
• CEO Services —Educational events and other activities designed exclusively for association CEOs.
• Networking Opportunities—The opportunity to meet and interact one-on-one with other association professionals.  One of the primary reasons members join and keep renewing their membership.
• Annual Meeting—Held in late spring, it's the place for first-rate education, Forum's annual awards ceremony, outstanding audio-visual presentations, and great networking opportunities.
• Association 101 and Association 201—Offered throughout the year, these one-day programs can help you understand the inner workings of associations.
• Holiday Showcase—Chicagoland's premier business services and meeting sites exposition for the association field.
• Internet Audio Conferences—Held several times each year, one of the most affordable ways to stay current in association issues. 
• Shared Interest Group Meetings—groups of Forum members with similar interests who meet regularly to discuss common concerns, ideas, and issues.  There are currently more than 20 Forum SIGs.

American Society of Association Executives

There is also a national association for association professionals located in Washington, D.C.  ASAE also offers a wide range of benefits and services.  Among them are "Ask ASAE," books and research reports, career support, educational programs, member discounts and service products, a monthly magazine and newsletters, and networking Listserv.  The organization has more than 25,000 members worldwide and can be reached at

American Society of Association Executives
The ASAE Building
1575 I Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C.  20005-1103
(202) 626-2723
(202) 371-8825 (Fax)
www.asaenet.org