Business & Professional Associations NAICS 813910, 813920

May 5, 2026 - Associations Face Changing Environment

• Associations face a legal landscape defined by heightened scrutiny, uneven funding conditions, rapid technological change, and continued uncertainty in policy direction, according to the Arent Fox Schiff law firm. Fundraising remains mission-critical and heavily regulated. State charity officials continue active enforcement of registration, disclosure, and reporting obligations, reaching beyond organizations to professional fundraisers, crowdfunding intermediaries, and cause-marketing partners. Some fundraising platforms are increasingly using automated compliance checks by suspending organizations delinquent with their state filings and cutting off access to online giving until filings are current. Organizations relying on federal grants or contracts continue to face evolving directives and restrictions that can disrupt funding, program design, or compliance obligations. Trade and professional associations remain in the crosshairs of antitrust regulators and plaintiffs. Information exchanges, surveys, joint ventures, certification programs, and standard-setting demand tailored antitrust guardrails. Withdrawn federal “safety zone” guidance means associations must rely on current enforcement positions and case law. Organizations should update their antitrust policies, train staff and volunteer leaders, and implement pre-clearance for sensitive collaborations.
• Professional associations are offering less professional development than members desire, according to a Momentive Software survey. While nearly half of members say that job opportunities and career development are "very important", fewer than 1 in 4 associations recognize this priority, according to Momentive's Bridging the Gap survey. There’s a 35-point gap between members who desire short videos and associations that provide them, and a 41-point gap between those who want recommended learning paths and those that provide them.

• President Donald Trump signed an executive order stating that federal agencies must ensure that political appointees sign off on all grants and that such awards comply with administration policy. Some business and professional associations apply for government grants to fund community outreach activities or educational programs. The Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking EO requires all agencies to designate a senior political appointee to be responsible for reviewing grants, at both the announcement and award stages, to ensure they are “consistent with agency priorities and the national interest.” The appointee can include subject matter experts in their reviews when warranted. President Trump called on agencies to improve coordination in awarding grants to “promote consistency and eliminate redundancy.” Grants are often written in an overly complicated way, President Trump said, and he instructed agencies to use plain language that minimizes the need for legal and technical expertise from applicants.
• Business and professional association industry employment and average wages for nonsupervisory employees increased slightly during the first two months of 2026, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Business and professional association industry sales are forecast to grow at a 6.42% compounded annual rate from 2026 to 2030, faster than the growth of the overall economy, according to Inforum and the Interindustry Economic Research Fund, Inc. Business and professional associations generate revenue primarily through membership fees and dues.