growth rate of 2. 1 percent from 2000 to
2010 and 1. 9 percent during the recession. For-profit jobs, by contrast, declined
an average of 0.6 percent per year from
2000 to 2010 and an average of 3. 7 percent per year during the recession.
“Nonprofit organizations have been
holding the fort for much of the rest
of the economy over the past decade,
creating jobs right through the recent
recession and jobs crisis while other
components of the economy have been
shedding jobs at accelerating rates,” says
study author Lester M. Salamon, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Civil
Society Studies.
Other key findings:
• The vast majority of nonprofit jobs are
in three service fields: health care ( 57
percent), education ( 15 percent) and
social assistance ( 13 percent).
• During the 2007-2009 recession, nonprofit employment grew in 45 of the
46 states on which state-specific data
were available, while for-profit employment declined in 45.
• In Illinois, nonprofits employ approximately 10. 6 percent of the private
workforce, which is comparable to the
national average of 10. 1 percent.
• In Illinois, nonprofit employment grew
by 1. 2 percent during the recession,
during the same period, for-profit
employment declined by 3.8 percent.
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20%
80%
Member
Benefits
ML
For most associations, “member benefits”
include things like discounted conference registrations, free publications and
industry advocacy. Increasingly, however,
many people also are joining associations to access workplace benefits like
life and health insurance. Organizations
that offer them have an edge, therefore,
when it comes to member recruitment
and retention, concludes insurance provider MetLife Inc.
“In the wake of health care reform,
the economic recession and a shift to
more employee responsibility, many
Americans may be looking for alternative
ways to secure the appropriate amount
of financial protection for their needs,”
says David Brennan, vice president,
Association and Affinity Group Business,
at MetLife. “The appetite of members of
association and affinity groups represents
a significant business opportunity for
delivering quality products and services.
Having customized tactics and a deep
understanding of the marketplace can
help convert those potential customers
into actual purchasers.”
MetLife recently studied the benefits
expectations of association and affinity
group members and found that more
than a third of them are receptive to
obtaining insurance through their
primary association.
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Career Center at Associationforum.
org> Careers>Find a Job.
Other key findings:
• Among members who joined an associ-
ation looking to purchase coverage, 28
percent are seeking life insurance and
25 percent health insurance. “With the
help of brokers and third-party admin-
istrators, associations can do more to
increase members’ perceived value of
their insurance offerings by ensuring
they offer products that members want
most,” MetLife says.
• Half of all members interested in
acquiring insurance through an asso-
ciation cite rate advantages as the
main reason. “Further, the comfort of
knowing that an insurance product
has been vetted by an organization’s
leadership can help generate members’
interest in particular offerings,” MetLife
says. “Communicating the advantages
of special rates available and the due
diligence of the group’s leaders in any
materials provided to members can
help pique members’ interest.”
• While many association members pre-
fer to learn about their association
insurance offerings through mail ( 39
percent) and email ( 27 percent), 40
percent prefer to work directly with an
agent, either in person or over the
phone, to access their insurance. “The
current consumer climate demands a
multi-channel approach to broker-cli-
ent communications,” MetLife con-
cludes.
