Survey Reports

Associations Forum regularly undertakes practical surveys which are used by the associations and charities sector as standard reference points and are free to members that participate. Our surveys include Associations Salary Survey, Board Survey, Membership and Services Survey, and Association Events Survey.

For more information or to purchase a copy of any of our survey reports please call 02 9904 8200 or email info@associations.net.au

Association Membership and Services Survey 2025

Associations Forum expresses its gratitude to the 191 organisations that took part in the 2025 Association Membership and Services Survey. The survey explores trends in the association sector and how associations have adapted to meet the changing needs of their members. Associations Forum has been conducting the Association Membership and Services Survey for 16 years to develop an understanding of the services offered by a wide range of associations and charities and establish a benchmark for the sector. Participation in this year's survey has closed.

Key Findings From 2025:

Budget restraints continue to be the most common reason given as to why members do not renew their membership. The next most common reasons are lack of perceived value and retirement.
66.0% of survey participants are now offering face-to-face conferences only, while 20.9% are offering hybrid conferences that allow attendees to participate either in-person or online.
Average number of full-time equivalent staff employed are 14.9 – this is a 21% decrease on the previous year (18.8). The median number of full time staff is 5, consistent with the previous year. The largest decrease is for professional associations, reducing from 19.6 to 13.3.

We would like to thank Higher Logic for sponsoring the Association Membership and Services Survey 2025.

The survey is FREE for members or can be purchased for $200 (NFP organisations only). Contact our team for more information.

Associations Salary Survey 2024

Associations Forum is proud to produce the Associations Salary Survey, a dedicated salary resource for professionals and board members in the associations sector. This survey is designed to examine salary and employment trends within the associations sector, identifying emerging market trends and business changes to inform associations around remuneration for their staff.

Participation for the 2025 survey is now closed. The 16th edition of the survey will be released in late May.

Key Findings From 2024:

Remuneration rose across all positions by an average of 12.1% with the largest increase being Marketing Managers and Membership Managers with an increase of 18.5% and 18.1% respectively.
The ongoing pressure to attract and retain staff saw 92% of respondents offering flexibility with hours and location for staff, and 75% stating their organisation’s purpose and reputation as being a reason why they can attract and retain.
When analysing the data collected for the 2024 Associations Salary Survey, we noticed part time roles are prevalent and working from home also continues to be the trend post- Covid in associations and other NFP organisations.

Association Events Survey 2024

Associations Forum extends its appreciation to the 172 associations that participated in the 2024 Association Events Survey. The Association Events Survey examines a number of areas including event types, attendance, factors influencing the decision-making process and where events are being run. As a major provider of practical association events training and advice, Associations Forum makes the following observations on the 2024 Association Events Survey results:

Key Findings From 2024:

The major event for most associations is their conference, with the majority of conferences attracting between 100–600 delegates.
Around 60% of respondents hold their major event in August to November.
41% of respondents have seen an increase in event attendance from pre-COVID levels.
Emails, word of mouth and websites are considered to be the most effective marketing channels for events. This trend has remained consistent over the years.
Around half of respondents utilise AI in their events including for content creation, reporting, event planning and marketing communications.

We would like to thank Cvent for sponsoring the 2024 Association Events Survey.

The Association Events Survey 2024 is now available and is FREE for members or can be purchased for $200 (NFP organisations only). Contact our team for more information.

Association Board Survey 2024

Associations Forum and Governology would like to thank the 247 associations and charities that contributed to the 2024 Association Board Survey, enabling us to produce this annual report. This is the first year in which we have surveyed the UK. This report now provides the similarities and differences between Associations in both countries. As the leading providers of governance training and advice, we are pleased to share the following key findings from this year’s survey:

Key Findings From 2024:

The average number of directors is 9, with 16% of organisations in Australia having this number of directors.
Australia’s boards have an average female representation of 44%, indicating significant progress toward gender balance.
The number of associations where the President/Chair is elected by the Board continues to increase to 75% compared to 74% in 2023.
The average number of Board meetings held over the year has remained relatively stable in Australia at 6.6.

The Association Board Survey 2024 is now available and is FREE for members or can be purchased for $200 (NFP organisations only). Contact our team for more information.