ASAE Launching American Associations Week To Push For Congressional Aid For Pandemic-Distressed Industry
June 5, 2020
ASAE has scheduled a virtual American Associations Week 2020 for June 15-18 to build support for much-needed legislative assistance for America’s trade and professional associations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
American Associations Week (AAW) will engage the association community in a collective response designed to educate legislators and Capitol Hill staff about the plight of America’s 501(c)(6) associations, the myriad ways they are assisting struggling industries and professions during the pandemic, and the urgent need for Congress to include them in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) in the next COVID relief package.
American Associations Week will serve as a free, virtual education and advocacy event for associations after ASAE’s American Associations Day had to be postponed during the initial spread of the coronavirus in the U.S. back in March.
Events are scheduled throughout the week for associations to learn the state of play for ASAE’s COVID-19 policy asks on Capitol Hill; hear how other associations are effectively communicating about their industries and professions during the pandemic; and examine how research and data are serving as critical tools for informing policymakers in digital advocacy campaigns. ASAE’s Public Policy team is providing a robust package of materials, social media messaging and other tools to help enhance our community’s voice during the week-long virtual fly-in. Participants can pick and choose which sessions they want to participate in throughout the week. A full AAW schedule can be found on The Power of A website.
“Like the industries and professions they represent, associations find themselves in financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said ASAE President and CEO Susan Robertson, CAE. “Associations need access to emergency federal assistance to continue to support the industries and professions that will put the U.S. and world economy back to work when this crisis abates. American Associations Week is about telling our community’s story and helping Congress understand that associations have been working without a safety net throughout this pandemic to help their members and the American workforce stay afloat, and we won’t be able to continue our efforts without access to some of the same COVID-19 relief programs that Congress has already approved for small businesses and other industries.”
Associations are essential to the U.S. economy, providing education and professional development for America’s workforce; creating product and safety standards for everything from food packaging to new building construction; defining and advancing standards for professional certification and codes of ethics in a wide range of professional fields; and organizing community assistance programs and responding in times of greatest need, including after natural disasters or catastrophic events such as the current pandemic.