American Society of Association Executives

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
530026940
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Washington, DC, USA
Phone
2026262723
Rating confidence
Limited

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$28,581,404
Expenses
$28,655,850
Assets
$57,662,958
Liabilities
$11,510,671

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

28 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Michelle Mason FASAE CAE (CEO, Ex-Officio Board Member)
  • Elizabeth PiperBach (President, ASAE Business Services, Inc)
  • Amy Hissrich (VICE PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL AFFAIR)
  • John Bacon (Vice President, Enterprise Sales)
  • Lida Khodabakhshi (Vice President, Finance)

Highest reported compensation

  • Michelle Mason FASAE CAE (CEO, Ex-Officio Board Member): $1,109,619 total reported compensation
  • Reginald Henry (CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER): $381,088 total reported compensation
  • Elizabeth PiperBach (President, ASAE Business Services, Inc): $368,327 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Asae's mission is to help associations and association professionals transform society through the power of collaboration. We accomplish this by fostering a learning community of association professionals, industry partners, outside thought leaders, and other stakeholders who embrace this vision. In fulfilling its mission, asae has created hundreds of products, services, programs and publications that encourage the professional growth and development of association executives.

What it reported doing in 2024

Certified association executive - the certified association executive (cae) program, the only certification program for association executives, is designed to elevate professional standards, enhance individual performance, and designate association professionals who demonstrate the knowledge essential to the practice of association management. Founded in 1960, the cae program stands as a mark of excellence and has evolved to reflect what it takes to manage an association in today's challenging climate. Earning and maintaining the cae is a three-part process. Candidates must first meet eligibility requirements and submit an application. The next step is to sit for and pass the cae exam. Once candidates have earned the credential, they must maintain it by fulfilling certification renewal requirements every three years. Asae's certified association executive (cae) program has been granted accreditation by the national commission for certifying agencies (ncca). Ncca accreditation provides independent validation that the cae program meets or exceeds twenty-one standards concerning various aspects of the certification program including its purpose, structure, governance, psychometric foundation, policies, and procedures. Accreditation validates the integrity of the program, and is a mark of quality. Earning accreditation is a public demonstration of asae and the cae commission's commitment to the cae credential as a true professional certification.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 93% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
Distribution model
Cannot be determined from the filing. The filing does not provide enough consistent spending detail to tell whether the nonprofit works directly or through others.

The verdict

- The available evidence is not sufficient to produce an overall rating for this filing. This is not a warning sign.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: NotEnoughData
  • Transparency & Controls: 69
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 41
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: Limited
  • Program expense ratio: Limited
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Grant itemization coverage: 45.2%; rating input score 45; 11th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -0.3%; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.01; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.2; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 11.4%; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: Limited
  • Revenue growth: -1.2% per year; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 3% per year; rating input score 100; 23rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: Financial trends and filed revenue, expense, asset, and liability detail
  • Governance: 19 of 19 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 11 filed program accomplishments
  • Leadership: top reported pay $1.1M · 28 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $1.6M reported
  • Consistency: 17 of 18 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, executive pay, and related organizations
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 10 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 4 filed related-organization links
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 45/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 30/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 16/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 59/100.