This study update finds that organizations managed by association management companies (AMCs) emerged from the Great Recession in 2009 after suffering through the economic crisis for only two years. These organizations returned to pre-recession levels in 2010, with three out of four AMC-managed organizations reporting net surpluses from their 2010 operations.

By contrast, we found that organizations employing their own staff and resources (standalone organizations) performed less well as a group during the Great Recession
 

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Are AMC-Managed Organizations Recession Resistant

Michael T. LoBue, CAE
July 2010

The current economic climate is having an impact on associations, just as it is on virtually all business sectors. This report on a recent study shows that standalone organizations employing their own staff, leasing their own office space and incurring their own capital expenses were nearly twice as likely to have ended 2008 with deficits than organizations managed by Association Management Companies (AMCs). Therefore, the answer to the question posed in the title would seem to be a resounding "yes."

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