Washington -- Association staff members in charge of meetings earn a median annual income of $73,515, according to the latest compensation survey of association employees conducted by ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership.
The median income, which includes wages and other paid compensation but not benefits, represents an $8,515, or 13 percent, increase over the last time the survey was conducted, in 2004.
Based on responses from 925 associations, the survey measures the compensation of 78 positions.
Surveyed for the first time this year were three other meetings positions: meeting planner, $50,883; conference-meeting coordinator, $41,856; and exhibit sales representative, $53,614.
The median compensation for association chief executives with staffs of more than 100 employees is $362,000 while CEOs with staffs of 10 or fewer employees earn a median of $103,000.
Other than CEO, the 10 most frequently reported positions and their median compensation in the 2006 survey were the following: administrative assistant, $36,000; senior executive assistant, $49,000; member-customer services manager, $46,000; bookkeeper-accounting clerk, $38,000; receptionist, $30,000; deputy CEO, $105,000; chief financial officer, $104,000; accountant, $51,000; membership development chief, $69,000; and information technology chief, $84,000.
Since the last compensation survey, there have been declines in the percentage of organizations offering selected benefits, including retirement programs.
In 2002, 90 percent of responding organizations offered a retirement program in which all employees were eligible, declining to 88 percent in 2004, and to 84 percent this year.
There has also been a significant drop in the percentage of organizations offering long-term disability to employees, down from 74 percent in 2004 to 60 percent this year.