The effect of the recession on associations has been more significant in 2009 than 2008, with budget cuts and hiring freezes broader in the current year, according to findings released this month. Membership retention and annual meeting attendance were also down in the first six months of 2009, according to a midyear economic impact report on associations conducted by McKinley Marketing. The survey shows that the full financial force of the recession, which the National Bureau of Economic Research says started at the end of 2007, took some time to play out. For example, 86 percent of associations surveyed were experiencing budget cuts as of June 2009, compared with only… Read More