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ABSTRACT

MANAGING THE COMMUNICATION-PUBLIC RELATIONS FUNCTION
FOR NATIONAL BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS:
A JOB ANALYSIS STUDY

BY

Robert Joseph Truscello

This thesis was specifically designed to investigate
the nature of the association communication-public rela-
tions job and how it operates. The central purpose was to
examine the communication-public relations function and its
increasing importance to the management of business and
professional associations. The study examines the job;
how it developed, and, to some degree, what role it will
play in association management in the future.

The study covers the entire spectrum of the com-
municator's work, his responsibilities and his authority.

The major research tool used in this study was a
questionnaire mailed to 245 national associations belonging
to the American Society of Association Executives. The
questionnaire was designed to investigate (l) the
communication-public relations manager profile; (2) how
he handles his workload; (3) his responsibilities and

authority for handling communication functions and budget;

Robert Joseph Truscello

and, (4) how he makes decisions. Results are based on
replies from 133 participating associations, representing
54 per cent of the questionnaires mailed out.

Findings of the job analysis survey show that,
theoretically, the association communication-public rela-
tions function is not being properly executed. Too often
the association is understaffed and does not adequately
research, plan, and evaluate the communication programs
that it undertakes.

According to the survey, the typical association
communicator is male, between forty and fifty-four years
old, has a bachelor's degree and is called public rela-
tions director or manager. He manages a staff of two to
five employees and reports directly to the head of the
association, the chief paid executive. But whether he is
running a one-man office, or a staff of eleven or more, he
works long hours.

Fifty per cent of the respondents are planning to
increase staff size within the next few years. Only one
in four employs the services of a public relations con-
sultant or consulting firm. Of those who use public rela-
tions or communication committees, only half are satisfied
with volunteer contributions to the public relations effort.

With minimal full and part-time staff, and with

only a fair chance of relief from volunteer committees,

the association public relations function has suffered.

Robert Joseph Truscello

Some association executives, therefore, are predicting a
shift to quality services and an increasingly important

role for the public relations function in the future.

Accepted by the faculty of the School of Journalism,
College of Communication Arts, Michigan State University,
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master

of Arts degree.

 

 

Director of Thesis

MANAGING THE COMMUNICATION-PUBLIC RELATIONS FUNCTION
FOR NATIONAL BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS:

A JOB ANALYSIS STUDY

BY

Robert Joseph Truscello

A THESIS

Submitted to
Michigan State University
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of

MASTER OF ARTS

School of Journalism

1973

DEDICATION

This study is dedicated to my grandfather,
Hugo Truscello, an eighty-three-year-old, self-taught
Italian immigrant who years ago became a master trades-

man against the greatest of odds.

ii

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I wish to thank several persons who helped me to
complete this study and encouraged me in this-endeavor.

First, I would like to express my appreciation
to those members of the American Society of Association
Executives (ASAE) who participated in the mail survey.
Without their generous, voluntary contribution of time
and knowledge this study would have proved fruitless.
Also, I am indebted to the ASAE staff for granting per—
mission to use their membership roster. I am grateful,
too, for their financial support and encouragement.
Particularly, I am thankful that Mr. Kenneth W. Medley
saw value in the project proposal and contributed his
ideas and time to the study.

Secondly, my sincere thanks is given to
Dr. Robert V. Hudson for aiding me in the development of
this project. Dr. Hudson is gifted with the ability to
balance constant friendship, authority, and expertise
through the trials of rigorous, disciplined scholarly
pursuit. I also wish to thank Dr. Hal W. Hepler and
Dr. Walter Clay Hamner for donating time to help a stu-

dent alien to their home in the College of Business

iii

Administration. Drs. Hepler and Hamner were invaluable
sources in the design and analysis of the survey.

Third, and above all, I wish to thank my family
whose support and faith was an added incentive, encouraging
me to complete this undertaking. These persons include my
parents, Samuel and Barbara Truscello; my brother, David;

and my wife, Susan.

iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER Page
I 0 INTRODUCTION I O O O C O O C O O O O O C O O O 1

Purpose, Scope, Significance

Review of Literature

Associations: Business and Professional
The Communication-Public Relations Function

II. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Introduction

The "Knowledge Society"
History of Associations

The Role of Public Relations

III. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY . . . . . . . . 38

Introduction
The Sample
Major Research Tool

IV. FINDINGS OF THE STUDY . . . . . . . . .'. . . . 46

Introduction

Communicator's Profile

Staffing--How the Communicator Handles His
Workload

Responsibilities and Authority for Handling
Communication Functions and Budget

Decision-making--The Association Communi-
cator's Problems and How He Solves Them

V. ANALYSIS OF FINDINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Generalizations
Portents
Conclusion
BIBLIOGRAPHY O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 0 75
APPENDIX A-_COVER LETTER 0 O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 79

APPENDIX B--QUESTIONNAIRE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

14.
15.
16,

17.

LIST OF TABLES

Type of association . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Number of membership accounts . . . . . . . .
Total association income--all sources . . . .

Executive responsible for communication-public
relations function--by title . . . . . . . .

Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1. . .
Sex . . . . . . . . -.- . . . . . . . . . . .
Highest level of education . . . . . . . . . .
Years with the association . . . . . . . . . .
Years of association experience . . . . . . .
Salary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Size of staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Workload of association communicator . . . . .

Association communicator's major areas of
responsibility .V. . . . . . . . . .'. . . .

Communicator's prime responsibilities . . . .

News releases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Communication budget--by association income .

Size of communication budget . . . . . . . . .

vi

Page
47
47

48

49
50
50
51
51
51
52
53
56

61
62
63
64

64

CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
Purpose, Scope, and Significance

The central purpose of the study is to examine the
communication-public relations function and its increasing
importance to business and professional association manage-
ment. To do this, the study will discuss what the associa-
tion communication-public relations job entails, how the
job developed, and to some degree, what role it will play
in association management in the future.

The study is designed to investigate (l) the
communication-public relations manager's profile--age, sex,
education, salary; (2) staffing--how the communicator
handles his workload; (3) responsibilities and authority
for handling communication functions and budget; and (4)
decision-making--the association communicator's problems
and how he solves them.

To do this, the study (1) examines the existing
programs and policies relative to internal and external
communication programs; (2) identifies the programs of a

representative sample of associations; (3) reviews the

function and role of the public relations program of these

associations; and (4) derives generalizations and points
out some portents in the field.

Specifically, the study investigates what the
association communication-public relations job is and how
it is done. The study covers the entire spectrum of the
communicator's work, his responsibilities and his authority.
To probe further into his duties, the study shows to what
extent the communicator (1) makes decisions; (2) controls
his own budget; and (3) develops and administers creative
communication policies for his organization.

Two methodological approaches are used to determine
what the communication-public relations job involves.
First, for background, the historical method is utilized
to study both the growth and development of associations,
and the emergence of their communication-public relations
function. Secondly, and primarily, empirical analysis is
employed to describe the current role of communication-
public relations in association management. This is not
a how-to-do-it study and no attempt will be made to outline
a step-by-step program for sound association public rela-
tions management. As a job analysis, this study is more
concerned with how the communication-public relations job
is currently being done.

According to Marvin D. Dunnette, a personnel

management authority, a job may be defined as "a relatively

homogenous cluster of work tasks carried out to achieve
some essential and enduring purpose in an organization."1
Dunnette said:

Job analysis consists of defining the job and
discovering what the job calls for in employee
behaviors.

The best way to do this is to sample many employees
doing the same job and to enumerate the several methods
used to accomplish the broad goals required by the job.

Therefore, in doing a job analysis of the manage-

ment of the association communication-public relations
function, the writer considers:

1. What are the broad communication-public rela-

tions goals of associations?

2. How are the organizations structured to

accomplish these goals?

3. What work tasks lead to accomplishing the

organization's activities?

Review of Literature

 

The study is exploratory. In a review of associa-
tion literature the writer found that while some research
has been done, the current state of theoretical knowledge
about association communication is undeveloped. Although

the body of knowledge in this area is developing, most of

 

1Marvin D. Dunnette, Personnel Selection and Place-
ment (Belmont, Calif.: Brooks-Cole Publishing Co., 1966),
p. 69.

21bid., p. 71.

it is concerned with association management in general
rather than with communication-public relations in parti-
cular. The current study, then, is an attempt to fill in
some gaps of knowledge that are revealed in the review of
publications about association communications and public
relations.

For example, two recent United States Chamber of

Commerce publications, Forward By Plan3 and Association

 

Public Relations and Communications Guide,4 would be
excellent resource books for the association executive who
wishes to institute a communication-public relations pro—
gram. Both books provide basic guidelines for the develop-
ment and operation of the association public relations
program. Neither book, however, indicates to what degree
association communicators follow these guidelines. How
closely do association public relations communicators
practice the theory that books offer? The final chapter
of this paper discusses in part how the results of the job
analysis compare with theory.

The writer found only one study which could provide

some answers to this question. A 1973 survey of members of

 

3William Dalton, ed., Forward By Plan (Washington,
D.C.: Association Department, Chamber of Commerce of the
United States, 1969).

 

4Chamber of Commerce of the United States, Associa-
tion Public Relations and Communications Guide (Wasfiington,
D.C.: Association DepartmenE,CHamber of Commerce of the

United States, 1968).

the New York Society of Association Executives revealed
that 65 per cent of 118 respondents did not have clearly
defined long-range public relations goals and that 57 per
cent had not established short-range goals. The survey,
designed by Carl Byoir and Associates, showed that 63 per
cent of the respondents said that they issued less than
fifteen news releases a year.

Although the New York survey was limited both
geographically and topically, it showed how some phases
of the-job were performed by association communicators.

In summary, the need for a broad job analysis was
evident in a review of association communication-public
relations literature. The current study, then, will pro»
vide new information in the area-~information of a
practical benefit and application for association managers.
The job analysis will enable association managers to com-
pare their operations to other associations doing similar
work.

The remainder of this chapter defines and dis-
cusses some of the important terms used in the job analysis
study. It is concerned with associations in general,
business and professional associations in particular, and

the communication-public relations function.

 

5"New York Members Surveyed on Public Relations,"
Association Management, XXV (July, 1973), 82.

 

Associations: Business and Professional

An association may be described simply as an
organized special interest group of individuals or corpo-
rate entities which collectively furthers that special
interest. The American Society of Association Executives
defines an association as:

. . . a voluntary, non-profit organization that draws
its members-~firms or individuals--from a specific
field of business, and undertakes activities especially
designed to assist its members by the interchange of
information, the improvement of products, the conduct
of research, the setting of technical and ethical
standards and the establishment of a united voice. . . .
As a force that can do collectively what its members
cannot do individually, associations speak for their
industries with a mighty voice--one that gives the
smallest member the same opportunities as the largest.

The current study is concerned with two major
types of associations--business and professional associa-
tions.

A business or trade association usually restricts
its membership to firms and individuals in a particular
phase of business within a single industry.7 Reuel W.
Elton, a former general manager of the American Trade
Association Executives (now the American Society of

Association Executives), once defined the business asso—

ciation as:

 

6American Society of Association Executives, Report
of the Association, Facts on U.S. Associations (Washington,
D.C.: American Society of Associatibn Executives, n.d.),

p. l.
7Delbert J. Duncan, ed., Trade Association Manage-
ment (Chicago: R. R. Donnelley & Sons Co., 1948), p. 18.

. . . a non-profit, voluntarily joined organization of
business competitors (usually in one branch of the
manufacturing, distributing or service fields) which
has been formed to serve its membership--its indgstry--
and the public--1n dealing With mutual problems.

A professional association or professional society,
on the other hand, is an organization of individuals with
a common background in a subject--such as medicine, law,
engineering--whose chief purpose is to apply their knowl-
edge for professional or monetary gain.

While the goal of a business association is
ultimately increased income from its product or service,
the goals of professional societies tend more towards the
expansion of knowledge or the establishment of professional
standards.9

In short, business and professional associations
represent the special interests of an industry or profes-
sion and try to get that group's story across to special
audiences, such as government, consumers, employers or
the general public.

To help members maximize potential achievement,

associations offer a wide range of services, including

accounting, advertising, education, research, lobbying,

 

8Philip Lesly, ed., Public Relations Handbook (3rd
ed.; Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1969),
p. 291.

9Craig Colgate, Jr., ed., 1972 Directory of
National Trade and Professional Associations of the United
States (Washington, D.C.: COlumbia B06ks, Inc., 1972),

p. 5.

and public relations. The American Society of Association
Executives (ASAE), for example, offers a number of these
services to its members. As the professional society of
executives who manage business and professional associa-
tions, ASAE is a model organization which exists "to help

the association executive improve his management skills

and grow in his profession."10

A review of ASAE's services and activities as
recently published in its journal, Association Management,
illustrates the benefits of belonging to an association.

ASAE claims to show association executives "new
ways to solve management problems, how to motivate people
to get things done through cooperative action, and how to

become more effective in public relations and government

11

relations." To do this, ASAE offers the following

services and activities to members:

Association Management--Monthly magazine. A
stimulating, usefulihow-to-do-it professional work-
book. New ideas, new concepts, new ways to make an
association more successful.

Information Central--C1earinghouse of management.
Case histories of new and successful association
activities--and examples of association publications,
budgets, projects--are available for review.

Personal Counseling by experts on problems facing
individual managers and on matters affecting associa-
tions.

Ideas for Conventions and Exhibits--New techniques
for pianning and conducting conventions, meetings,
exhibits, workshops, rap sessions.

 

 

 

 

l°"ASAE Information," Association Management: XXV
(July, 1973), 112.

llIbid.

 

Executive Employment Services--Solid help to
membersiin finding career opportunities, and to asso-
ciations in finding qualified staff personnel.
Recruiting and Search Service offers objective search,
investigation, screening and evaluation of candidates
for association executive positions.

Educational Meetings for ASAE members and asso-
ciation staff personneI are held throughout the year.
Seminar subjects include: executive planning, publi-
cation editing and production, convention planning,
office management, membership promotion. Programs are
revised to keep them abreast of changing needs. Among
recent new programs are a seminar for volunteer leaders
and an orientation seminar for new association staff
members.

Government Relations Program keeps members informed
on important legislative proposals, administrative
agency activities, court cases, and tax rulings affect-
ing associations. ASAE takes positive action with both
the legislative and executive branches on issues affect-
ing association management. Conferences between high
government officials and association executives are
conducted by ASAE.

Meeting Information Service--Members file their
own evaIuatIEn reports with ASAE on convention halls,
hotels, and speakers. These reports are available to
other members planning conventions.

Membership Directory--Who's Who in Association
Management, listing names, titles, and addresses of
more than 4,300 association executives, is published
annually.

Public Relations Program relates important contri-
butions of associations and association executives to
the press, government leaders, the business community,
and academic circles.

Special Studies and Reports based on extensive
research are issued from time to time on such subjects
as executive compensation and benefits, association
operating ratios, nondues income of associations,
performance evaluation, association activities, and
legal matters. These reports enable a member to com-
pare the performance of his association with that of
other associations of similar size and character.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ASAE also offers the following services and
activities:

Certified Association Executive Program recognizes
professional competence and achievementIBy association

 

10

executives. Members qualify through testing and on
the basis of actual performance.

Insurance Programs include supplemental life
(individual policies), group life for total staff,
accidental death and dismemberment, income continua-
tion, and in-hospital indemnity. These programs are
available to regular members and, in most cases, to
other classes of members, their staff personnel and
dependents.

Retirement Program provides a master trust under
which an association may install an IRS-qualified
retirement program for its staff.

Awards recognize members for leadership and
achievement in areas of association management.12

 

 

As the model association, ASAE's objectives as
listed in the Society's bylaws, provides further insight
into why associations exist. The objectives of ASAE are:

1. To provide opportunity for the exchange of
experiences and opinions through discussion, study, and
publications.

2. To promote the arts and sciences of associa-
tion management and educate members and the public in
the advancement, improvement and uses of voluntary
associations.

3. To conduct competitions and make awards for
outstanding management ability and for association
services to business, government and the public.

4. To develop and encourage the practice of high
standards of personal and professional conduct among
executives serving trade, technical, business, and
professional associations.

5. To conduct and cooperate in courses of study
for the benefits of persons desiring to fit themselves
for executive and administrative functions in the
association management field; to hold meetings and
conferences for the mutual improvement and education
of members.

6. To acquire, preserve and disseminate data and
valuable information relative to the functions and
accomplishments of voluntary associations.

7. To cooperate with local or regional groups of
association executives in the common endeavor to
advance organization management as a profession.

 

12Ibid.

 

11

8. To promote the purpose and effectiveness of
voluntary trade, technical, business, and professional
associations by any and all means consistent with the
public interest.13

The associations that belong to ASAE differ in size
from a few accounts to several hundred thousand. Staffs
vary from one-man operations to those employing several
hundred people. Total operating revenue, in most cases,
is derived mainly from dues levied members, advertising
space in association journals, surplus from conferences
and workshops, and special publications.

Though size, goals, services, and membership types
may vary from organization to organization, all associa—
tions are similar in that their overall effectiveness
depends upon their ability to communicate to their various
audiences and their ability to justify their existence to

these various publics. The communication-public relations

function is important for this reason.

The Communication-Public Relations Function

A review of literature shows that there are
numerous definitions of public relations (PR), many of
which are so general that they do not give a clear or com-

prehensive description of the nature of PR.

 

13American Society of Association Executives, Who's
Who in Association Management (Washington, D. C.: American
Soc1ety of Association Executives, 1972), p. 37.

12

According to the Public Relations Society of
America, public relations is.a management function which:

1. Evaluates "public" attitudes (those audiences
upon whose understanding and support the association
depends).

2. Identifies the policies and procedures of an
organization with those audiences, attitudes and
interests, and then

3. Executes a program of action to earn public
understanding and acceptance.14

More succinctly, the public relations function has
been defined as "the planned effort to influence opinion
through acceptable performance based on two-way communica-
tion."15

The definition of public relations according to
Bertrand R. Canfield, noted public relations authority, is
as follows:

Public relations is a philosophy of management
expressed in policies and practices which serve the
public interest. It is also a function of management
which appraises public opinion and devises and executes
communications which interpret an institution's
policies and actions to the public to secure its
understanding and goodwill.1

Canfield's definition is particularly useful to

this study because it is sensitive to the importance of

 

14Public Relations Society of America, Report of
the Society, Update: What Is the State Association PR Job?
(New York: Public Relations Society of America,‘1969),;n 4.

15Allen H. Center and Scott M. Cutlip, Effective
Public Relations (3rd ed.; Englewood Cliffs, N.3.:
Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1964), p. l.

16Bertrand R. Canfield, Public Relations Prin-
ciples, Cases, and Problems (Homewood, III.: Richard D.

Irwin, Inc., 1960), p. 18.

 

 

 

l3

planning and executing communications which promote
understanding and goodwill. Because associations char-
acteristically work with limited staffs and limited
budgets, each communication must be carefully planned and
executed to maximize effectiveness. Every time an associa-
tion communicates, it represents its members and subjects
its image to their critical review. If an association
performs poorly in the eyes of its members it cannot
expect to maintain their financial support. In essence,
then, every communication should conform to the associa-
tion's public relations policies. Indeed, association
communication and public relations is a single function.
Hereafter, either term may be used to refer to the
communication-public relations function. Theoretically,
message flow should consist of a four-step process:
research, planning, communication and evaluation. A
brief review of each phase of the public relations process
follows.

1. Research--If the association is to be con-
sidered credible, its communications must be based in facts.
Therefore, one of the initial steps in developing a sound
public relations program is the accumulation of facts about
the members, the business, and the profession. Research,
then, is fundamental. An attempt should be made to measure
the various public attitudes to determine what needs to be

done.

l4

Concerning opinion measurement, Charles Steinberg,
author of The Mass Communicators: Public Relations,
Public Opinion, and Mass Media, said:

The association contributes importantly to the
members by acting as a clearing house for information
and, particularly, by engaging in frequent studies in
opinion measurement. In addition to providing valu-
able information to each company, the results of
surveys offer a directional signal for public rela-
tions objectives and needs on the part of the associa-
tion. On the basis of survey information, the
association is in a position to orient the members
toward an understanding of industry-wide problems and
to reveal not only how individual companies may con-
tribute to the total effort, but also how they can
avoid acts which will reflect negatively on the
industry as a whole.17

In addition to providing guidance in establishing
and developing a public relations program, opinion measure-
ment may be utilized to determine the results of public
relations efforts and progress toward stated goals.18
Research results also can be used to sell the public
relations program to the members once a strategy has been
planned.

2. Planning--The second step, planning the PR
program, involves (1) formulating objectives; (2) deciding

what has to be said to whom; (3) deciding how it can best

be said; and (4) choosing the medium.

 

17Char1es S. Steinberg, The Mass Communicators:
Public Relations, Public Opinion, and'Mass Media (New York:
Harper & Bros., 1958), p. 292.

l8Lesly, Public Relations Handbook, p. 304.

15

Dennis C. Dix, now executive director for the
Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, prepared a thesis on
public relations in the nursing home profession when he
was working for the American Nursing Home Association.
Dix said that in addition to the above steps, one of the
first tasks in planning the PR effort is to meet with
management personnel and to acquaint them with the program
proposal. The success of the plan may depend on their
support and participation, Dix maintained. He said:

At this initial meeting, the administrator should
acquaint these people with the goals he has established
and sketch for this group, the framework of the program
he has in mind. In addition, the discussion should
include a description of the various publics to be
reached. The last point to be covered is to invite
their comments and ideas for the program as well as
welcoming suggestions on how the program might be
improved.

The point here is that PR should not be a haphazardly
executed program which may or may not promote goodwill.
Ideally, it involves a great amount of input, support and
concerted effort by association managers and staff.

William Dalton, author of Forward By Plan, referred

to planned communications as "targeted communications" and

asked:

Flooded with millions of messages, Americans are
becoming more selective in their reception and

 

19Dennis C. Dix, "A Survey of Volunteer and Public
Relations Activities in the Nursing Home Profession"
(unpublished M.A. thesis, American University, 1967), p. 78.

16
retention. Shouldn't we, as association managers, also
become more selective in the messages we transmit?20

Dalton explained that the "targeted communications"
concept is an attempt to develop a "listening climate" and
to inform people "for a definite purpose."21

Further, a properly planned public relations
strategy affords two major advantages: ’it spells out the
objectives and duties for the staff, and it helps to direct
the group effort.

3. Communication--Once the research and planning
has been done, the third step in the public relations
process is to communicate--to implement the program.

The Business and Professional Section of the
Public Relations Society of America lists the following
communication activities common to most associations:

1. The production of various types of publications,

newsletters and bulletins, as information channels to
members or particular publics.

2. The preparation and distribution of informa-
tion, news and publicity to newspapers, magazines,
radio and television and other information media.

3. The sponsorship or production of educational

films for the memberships, or for schools and other
publics.22

 

20Dalton, Forward By Plan, p. 80.

21Ibid., p. 81.

22Public Relations Society of America, Report of
the Society, Association Public Relations (New York:
Business and Professional Association Section of the
Public Relations Society of America, 1965), p. 5.

17

To a lesser degree, the following services also
frequently are provided: (1) the staging of competitions
and the presentation of awards; (2) the conducting of
public service campaigns; (3) the sponsoring of trade
exhibits and special shows; and (4) advertising on behalf
of the industry, business or profession.23

Some associations--more often the business associa-
tions than the professional societies--place considerable
emphasis upon keeping members aware of legislative and
governmental actions affecting their operations. They
will often provide such services as: (l) the publication
of bulletins concerning pending or enacted legislation and
(2) representation before legislative and administrative
agencies of government.24

To communicate, associations employ a number of
common media. Print media include: newsletters, maga-
zines, press releases, letters, memos, reports, and
promotional material such as fliers and brochures. Non-
print media include: personal contacts, staff meetings,
telephone, speeches, press conferences, radio and tele-
vision, tape recordings, slides, overhead projectuals,

and motion pictures.25

 

23Ibid.

 

24Ibid., pp. 5-6.

25Chamber of Commerce, Association Public Rela-

tions, p. 3.

18

4. Evaluation--Communication is more than simply

 

conveying a message from an association to its many
publics. If the communication is to be complete, there
must be feedback--some indication of results in terms of
public reaction. Because management should be continuously
aware of the results of programs which it has executed,
the fourth major step in the public relations function
involves evaluation. Evaluation, though highly important
as a means of measuring communication effectiveness, is
perhaps the most often disregarded public relations step.
If the association is to maintain an impressible, credible
image, however, each step--research, planning, communica-
tion, and evaluation--is of utmost importance.

J. Carroll Batemen, president of Insurance Infor-
mation Institute, offered a more detailed description of
public relations programming. He suggested that seven
basic steps are:

1. Analysis of the public relations situation.
Definition of problem areas.

Identification of pertinent publics.
Establishment of specific obstacles.
Planning of program.

Implementation of program. 26
. Periodic evaluation of the progress.

\lO‘U1Jt-UJN
O.

Batemen said that evaluation is not only necessary

to help suggest improvements or changes in the effort, but

 

26Les1y, Public Relations Handbook, p. 295.

 

19

results are also "vital at the time when approval is sought
for the succeeding year's public relations budget."27

Although larger associations with research staffs
continually evaluate and improve the association's com-
munication skill, no research has been done industry-wide
to analyze the communication—public relations job--to
study staffing, decision-making, level of responsibility,
and authority for establishing communication policy. A
broad job analysis study is needed to provide insight
into effective association communication operations, to
enable the communicator to compare his operation to
others, and to help the communicator guard against some
of the common pitfalls of association communications and
public relations.

The next chapter shows that as associations con-
tinue to play an increasingly prominent role in business,
the importance of understanding the public relations
function becomes more evident. The historical method was
employed to provide a background of association growth

and development and to describe the emergence of the

public relations function.

 

271bid., p. 300.

CHAPTER II

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Introduction

 

In this century there has been a surge toward
professionalism--a striving to master various areas of
knowledge through Specialization. One indication is the
increasing number of business and professional associa-
tions that have developed world-wide as a result of the
banning together of special interest groups.

George D. Webster, general counsel for the American
Society of Association Executives, estimates that there
are approximately 30,000 local, state, regional, and
national associations in the United States alone. These
associations represent hundreds of thousands of business
and professional men28 and keep them informed of the latest
developments in their fields and industries, thus helping
members to cope with change. As a prime function, associa-

tions will continue to sift through the bombardment of

information for fragments that affect members and member

 

8George D. Webster, The Law of Associations
(Washington, D.C.: American Society of Association Execu-
tives, 1971), p. 4.

 

20

21

companies. Increasingly, their role as a representative
screening device-~a clearing house of information--will

assist business and professional men living in what has

become a "knowledge society."29

The "Knowledge Society"

Alvin Toffler, author of Future Shock, has said
that the rate of knowledge acquisition is dumbfounding.
"Knowledge is change--and accelerating knowledge-

acquisition, fueling the great engine of technology, means

accelerating change," he said.30

To illustrate, Toffler wrote:

. . . It has been observed . . . that if the last
50,000 years of man's existence were divided into
lifetimes of approximately sixty-two years each,
there have been about 800 such lifetimes. Of these
800, fully 650 were spent in caves.

Only during the last seventy lifetimes has it
been possible to communicate effectively from one
lifetime to another--as writing made it possible to
do. Only during the last six lifetimes did masses
of men even see a printed word. Only during the last
four has it been possible to measure time with any
precision. Only in the last two has anyone anywhere
used an electric motor. And the overwhelming majority
of all the material goods we use in daily life today
have been developed within the present, the 800th,
lifetime.3l

 

29Peter F. Drucker, The Age of Discontinuity (New
York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1969), p. 261.

30Alvin Toffler, Future Shock (New York: Random
House, 1970), p0 31.

311bid., p. 15.

22

Peter Drucker, author and management consultant,

has described man's 800th generation as a "knowledge

32

society." Drucker said that specialization and organi-

zation will help society cope with the future. He said:

In 1900 the largest single group, indeed still the
majority, of the American people, were rural and made
a living on the farm. By 1940, the largest single
group, by far, were industrial workers, especially
semiskilled (in fact, essentially unskilled) machine
operators. By 1960, the largest single group were
what the census called "professional, managerial, and
technical people," that is, knowledge workers. By
1975, or, at the latest by 1980, this group will
embrace the majority of Americans at work in the
civilian labor force.

Drucker said that as these groups assemble to collectively
cope with the future, modern man may be witnessing the
"twilight of central government" because of the emergence
of a society of organizations--a "society of institutional
diversity and diffusion of power."34
Dr. Herbert Gerjuoy, a psychologist on the staff
of the Human Resources Research Organization, explained
how groups organize to help the individual cope with
change. He wrote:
A man required to adapt to a new life situation
loses some of his basis for self-esteem. He begins to
doubt his own abilities. If we bring him together

with others who are moving through the same experience,
people he can identify with and respect, we strengthen

 

32Drucker, Age of Discontinuity, p. 261.

 

331bid., p. 264.

34Ibid., p. 171.

23

him. The members of the group come to share, even if
briefly, some sense of identity. They see their prob-
1ems more objectively. They trade useful ideas and
insights.35

Idea-sharing is a main product of associations,

and change is a main concern. Indeed, the four primary
responsibilities of an association as listed by the Public
Relations Society of America reveal this preoccupation
with change. The primary reSponsibilities of an associa-
tion include:

1. To evaluate changes in public opinion that
may affect the welfare and interests of the associa-
tion's membership.

2. To keep its members apprised of the character
and significance of such changes.

3. To acquaint its members with governmental
actions and with social and economic developments
affecting the environment in which they operate.,

4. To plan and execute programs aimed at helping
its members to meet or adjust to such changes, so that
they may better serve the publics with which they deal,
and maintain their confidence and respect.36

The next section begins a brief review of the

history of associations and their role in a changing

society.

History of Associations

Though the exact birthdate of associations is not
known, they have been traced to the days of Venetian mer-

chants. The guild merchants and guild crafts of sixteenth

 

35Toffler, Future Shock, p. 341.

 

36Public Relations Society of America, Association
Public Relations, p. 4.

 

 

24

century England, from which present day associations are
directly descended, played an important role in their
development. Such merchant-traders, though business
rivals, had mutual financial and political problems
relating to their shipping and merchandising operations.
Their early contacts were generally informal. Gradually,
their relationship became formalized. Headquarters were
established. Offices were staffed. And, most important,
codes of business ethics were formulated.37
The oldest association in the United States is
the Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York estab-
lished by Royal Charter in 1768. The next oldest extant
association is the New York Stock Exchange, founded in
1792.38
Prior to the Civil War, associations of this
early period were local or regional. National associa-
tions began to emerge immediately after the war. By 1910,
an estimated 800 associations were in existence, 250 of
them national.39
The late nineteenth century and early twentieth

century were characterized by many trade agreements

among America's growing industries. Some of these

 

37American Society of Association Executives,
Facts, p. 2.
38

Ibid., p. 3.

39Ibid.

 

25

agreements were judged harmful to the national interest,
and the government outlawed agreements "in restraint of
trade" under the Sherman Anti-Trust Act of 1890. According
to the Sherman Act, "undue and unreasonable" business
agreements were banned. In 1914, the Federal Trade Com—
mission Act made "unfair methods of competition in
commerce" illegal.40
Cooperation among competitors which tended to
restrict domestic trade acted to expand foreign trade.
This was rec0gnized in the passage of the Webb-Pomerone
Export Trade Act of 1918, subtitled "An Act to Promote
Trade," which enumerated qualified exemptions from the
provisions of the Sherman-Anti Trust Act of 1890 and the
Federal Trade Commission Act of 1914. It resulted in the
formation of "Webb-Pomerone" associations to serve as
agents for members' goods intended for foreign commerce.
They undertook joint marketing research, advertising, and
shipping, as well as the establishment of uniform contracts,
quotas, production standards, and prices. Smaller com-
panies which had lacked facilities for ventures abroad
could now pool their resources to that end.41

By 1920 the number of associations had risen to

2,000 and an organization of association executives was

 

40Colgate, Directory of National Trade and Profes—
sional Associations, p. 7.

41Ibid., p. 8.

26

formed. It was called the American Trade Association

Executives. The name was changed in 1956 to the American

Society of Association Executives.42

The First World War triggered a boom in the busi-
ness and professional association movement. The chairman
of the War Industries Board, Bernard Baruch, requested
business to organize into "logical industrial and trade
groupings" so that government could work effectively
through these groups.43 From 1920 to 1930 the number of
associations doubled from 2,000 to 4,000 and the scope of

their activities increased.44

Between 1933 and 1935 the National Recovery Act
and its "Code of Fair Competition" stimulated the forma-
tion of many new national associations. According to an
association historian, Joseph F. Bradley:

. . . trade associations had a unique and Spectacular
development--they were used as a tool to combat the
depression. The National Recovery Act (NIRA) was
passed in 1933; its purpose was to encourage "codes
of fair competition." The Act was administered by an
agency known as the National Recovery Administration
(NRA). The essence of the law was that industries
were to be banded into trade associations and that
each association would establish a code of fair com—
petition. These codes contained provisions for the
establishment of minimum wages to be paid to workers;

 

42American Society of Association Executives,
Facts, p. 3.
43

Howard Stephenson, ed., Handbook of Public
Relations (New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1960), p. 101.

44American Society of Association Executives,
Facts, p. 4.

 

 

27

the establishment of minimum prices to be charged to
the public; and numerous other regulations concerning
what a firm could and could not do. Participating
trade associations and their members were thought to
be exempt from the anti—trust laws. . . . It insti-
gated the formation of approximately 800 new trade
associations. . . . The NRA came to a sudden end in
1935 when it was declared unconstitutional.45
By the time the Second World War began the number
of associations had doubled again to 8,000.46 Once more
they were called upon to organize a collective industrial
effort, and their numbers continued to climb.
Associations, particularly during World Wars and
Depression, have characteristically been born with a
purpose. Barriers that retarded industrial and profes-
sional progress before the twentieth century have been
broken down, making possible a vast network of communica-
tion. One writer said that within the framework of
capitalism, competition, and free enterprise, Americans
have evolved a "successful and superior alternative to
cartels on the one hand or socialism on the other."47
Another wrote that voluntary associations are

the "essence of Americanism"; that Americans have always

been suspicious of assigning to a government bureau any

 

45Joseph F. Bradley, Trade Associations and Pro-
fessional Business Societies (University Park, Pa.:
Pennsylvania State University Press, 1965), p. 25.

 

 

46American Society of Association Executives,
Facts, p. 4.
47

Erwin D. Canham, "Maybe Creamed Chicken Helped,"
The Rotarian, LIII (June, 1952), 12.

 

28

function which can be handled by a non-governmental
organization.48 Concerned that the rest of the world may
have had the impression that Americans are competitive,

cold, selfish individuals, he said:

There is no more important job ahead of us then
to let the world see that in America it is voluntarism-—
a free, dignified, unregimented working together
toward social goals--that dominates our behavior.
Perhaps we already have a phrase for it, "team
work!"49

Alexis de Tocqueville, a French writer, after
visiting the United States in the mid-nineteenth century

wrote:

The Americans of all ages, all conditions, and
all dispositions constantly form associations. . . .
Religious, moral, serious, futile, restricted, enor-
mous, or diminutive, they exist in thousands of
different varieties for every sort of purpose from

giving entertainments to sending missionaries to the
antipodes.50
Today, association membership has come to be a
necessity for many persons. Medical specialists, for
example, may desire society membership because it implies
a certification of their credentials to practice. In the
1965 case involving a Long Beach dentist, Dr. Leon Pinsker,

and the Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontics, Pinsker

pleaded his qualifications with the California State

 

48Bradford Smith, "We're Selling America Short,"
The American Scholar, XXI (Summer, 1952), 317.

49Ibid., p. 318.

50Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America
(New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1966), p. 106.

29

Supreme Court after he was denied membership in the
society. A lower court had said that Pinsker could be
denied membership even though he was qualified.

The upper court sent the case back to the lower
court to be decided on the grounds of whether membership
would be a substantial benefit to Dr. Pinsker. Member-
ship, said the upper court, "would appear to be a practical
necessity for a dentist who wishes not only to make a good
living as an orthodonist but also to realize maximum
potential achievement and recognition in such a spe-
cialty."51

Today, association management is still a growing
field. ASAE reports that there are more than 50,000 men
and women on the staffs of national and local associations,
and that this number is rising steadily as associations
assume an increasingly important role in society.52

The average salary of the chief paid executive
of a national association is $28,000, according to a 1970
survey by ASAE. The survey showed that in associations
with budgets over one-million dollars, the average total

compensation (salary and benefits) is $50,063. In fifty-

eight associations in the study, the top salary, plus

 

51”Society Membership," Science News, XCVI
(December 6, 1969), 525.

52American Society of Association Executives,
Facts, p. 2.

 

30

other benefits, totaled $100,000.53 These figures indicate

that associations, once manned by part-time volunteers,
are now investing huge sums of money to maintain a skilled
staff.

"Today diplomacy is important in the makeup of an
association executive," Otto Manz of Consolidated Edison
said.

But his skills as an administrator are vital,
too. He must run a staff that provides a real
service. The good association manager stays alert
and calls attentégn to the problems of the industry.
He's a watchdog.

As early as 1948, L. E. Paramenter, writing in

Trade Association Management, said that associations have
never adequately told their story. Before 1948 they

existed strictly for business--only to serve members and
member companies. At long last, according to Paramenter,
they had become conscious of the publics which they serve

and were entering a new "Public Relations Era."55

The Role of Public Relations

It is estimated that national associations started

hiring specific staff persons to handle public relations

 

53 . . .
"More Muscle 1n Bu51ness' Corner," Nation's

Business, LVIII (October, 1970), 56.
54"New Help in the Race to Stay Ahead,“ Nation's
Business, LIV (February, 1966), 104.

55Duncan,‘Trade Association, p. 100.

 

31

56

in the 19403, when the job was considered not much more

57 Today the public

than "getting things in the paper."
relations executive must possess the professional skills
necessary to supervise a continuing process of opinion
gathering and analysis, program planning and execution,
and re-evaluation.

Plagued by the early, narrow "publicist" image,
many top managers have a difficult time understanding the
public relations function and justifying the hiring of a
public relations specialist.

Frank Fitzgerald, executive vice president of
the Architectural Aluminum Manufacturers Association,
aware of the value of employing someone with PR skills,
explained to the writer his relationship with his public
relations specialist. Fitzgerald considers his associa-
tion's director of communications to be his most valuable
staff member. Fitderald, an engineer, said that even
though he has the technical knowledge, he needs the public
relations man to help him convey that knowledge to various

audiences.

 

56Corinne Lathrop Gilb, Hidden Hierarchies: The

Professions and Government (New York: Harper & Row,
PfibliShers, 1966), p. 70.

57H. P. Newson, "In Public Relations, It's Char-
acter that Counts," Association Management, XXIV (March,
1972), 53.

 

 

32

Fitzgerald said:

We prefer to say that we have a communications
program rather than a public relations program.
That's why our man is called Director of Communica-
tions.

Public relations has done no better job for
itself than business in general has. Most people
think that when they go to a public relations man
they're going to get manufactured news. And when
you talk about the public relations program the
first thing that goes at the top of the list is
press relations and news releases--which many times
is manufactured news. I think the term tends to
turn off the person you need most to communicate
with.58

Fitzgerald's point was supported by a round-table
discussion on public relations involving the writer and
seven association executives attending the Institute for
Organization Management at Michigan State University.

The writer felt that the executives were not clear as to
what the PR function entails. Much of the time was spent
discussing publicity and promotion, further proof that
the managerial mind has a difficult time distinguishing
between "publicity" and "public relations."

At the institute, Dennis Dix, former public rela-
tions director for the Association Division of the United
States Chamber of Commerce, explained the problem as
follows: "Public relations is the least tangible item

the top manager deals with. He can't put a handle on it.

 

58Frank Fitderald, private interview held during
Institute for Organization Management, East Lansing, Mich.,
June, 1973.

33

He's seen too many want ads that say, 'PR man wanted-—
motorcycle furnished.”59
The confusion that Dix describes is an excellent
example of why it is better to employ a full-time, skilled
staff member or a public relations counselor as contrasted
with handling the function through a committee of volun-
teer members. Whereas management usually operates in an
atmosphere of certainty where such functions as produc-
tivity, accounting, and sales are concerned, it frequently
finds itself uncertain where public relations matters are
concerned.60
Stephenson explained the problem as follows:
Public relations and communications deal with
intangibles which are frequently difficult for people
who manufacture or distribute tangible goods to under-
stand. Developing a program for intangibles is vastly
different than one for tangibles.61
As an alternative to the public relations com-
mittee, outside counsel may be employed. Lesly lists the
following benefits of contracting with a consultant:
1. Objective outside vieWpoint.
2. Is in a position to aid the staff executive

in winning board approval for worthwhile special
projects that might otherwise be lost.

 

59Dennis C. Dix, private interview held during
Institute for Organization Management, East Lansing, Mich.,

60Henry S. Evans and Theon Wright, Public Relations

 

and the Line Manager (New York: American Management
Association, 1964), p. 35.

61

 

Stephenson, Handbook, p. 111.

34

3. May provide important contacts with media
peOple located outside the normal contact range of
the association staff.

4. Can provide expertise in areas where the
staff is weak.62

According to Henry Schramm, a communications
consultant, four steps are mandatory for counsel to "lay
the groundwork for the healthy development of any associa-
tion public relations program:

1. A thorough study of the association in its

many aspects prior to working up a program.

2. Development of specific, achievable goals.

3. Sale of the concept and the program to the
association.

4. Establishment of a strong, cooperative core
organization.

Schramm also said:

Public relations is everybody's job, from the
association officer to the newest member. And the PR
counsel who fails to do his utmost to encourage total
membership participation and understanding in any PR
effort is being remiss in his duties.53

Whether associations operate most often with a
skilled staff, a consultant, or a committee will be dis-
cussed in Chapter IV. Whatever the arrangement, the
businesses or professions that the various associations

represent can profit from an effective public relations

program.

 

62Lesly, Public Relations Handbook, p. 292.

 

63Henry W. Schramm, "Why Association Programming
Needs Planned Direction," Public Relations Journal, XX
(May, 1964), 33. Y

 

35

Canfield, for example, points out the benefits of
a member company working through its association's PR
program:

Budget is usually larger and an association
program can make a greater impact on public opinion
than the PR activities of a single company--it enjoys
more prestige with the public. . . . A national
association with a Washington office staffed with
Specialists experienced in federal government rela-
tions and supported by the entire industry can exert
greater influence on federal legislation and agencies
than most individual companies. 4

The very existence of an industry voice is, of

itself, a benefit to members, too, since the association
serves as a relatively impartial source of information

for the press and other media. Some members have achieved
marked increase in sales because of the demand associa-
tions can create for a product or service.

For example, the Linen Supply Association of

America (LSAA), a voluntary non-profit association of
linen supply and allied companies, has this objective:
"To help the linen supply industry grow in size, profit,

"65

and public respect. LSAA works toward this objective

by:

l. Pooling and transmitting industry knowledge
to members, and by informing them of useful manage—
ment policies and techniques deve10ped outside the
linen supply industry.

 

64Canfield, Public Relations Principles, pp. 332-3.

 

65Institutes for Organization Management,
Orienting and Educating the Volunteer (N.p.: Institutes

for Organization Management, n.d.), p. 10.

36

2. Assisting owners and managers to develop a
broader perspective of their responsibilities and
duties, and by helping to train other personnel.

3. Extending through technical and market
research--discovering and improving markets, machines,
textiles, chemicals, systems--the boundaries of linen
supply.

4. Acting as the industry's voice in relation to
government agencies.

5. Promoting public understanding of the nature
of linen service.6

Another example is the National Automatic Mer-
chandising Association. It aided its members when it
discovered that the federal government's proposed metal
formula in new coins would not work in vending machines.

The association helped to persuade the Treasury Department

to change the formula.67

The late Senator Everett M. Dirksen once described
how an association's PR effort successfully influenced
legislation, as follows:

In May, 1964, with interest growing in the need for
health and recreation, the Bicycle Institute of America
arranged a Congressional Congress on Bicycling in
America. At a breakfast attended by sixty-four sena-
tors and representatives, . . . Secretary of Interior
[Stewart L.] Udall urged the inclusion of bicycle
paths in proposed legislation on outdoor recreation
programs.

After breakfast, . . . Secretary Udall led the
congressmen in a bicycle ride to the Capitol, producing

 

661bid.

 

67Arthur H. Motley, "The Business Environment:
Modern Problems, Modern Solutions," Nation's Business, LVI
(June, 1968), 57.

 

37

pictures that appeared on the front pages of forty-
seven major metropolitan newspapers. 3

Finally, the Milk Industry Foundation's experi-
ence with a nationwide consumer survey indicates the need
for carefully researched, planned and executed association

public relations. According to Lesly:

. . . There had been considerable pressure from
industry representatives for a communications effort
to convince people that the price of milk is low.
"Actionable" questions in the survey showed that
fifty-five per cent of the public thought that the
price was "reasonable"--and only thirty-three per-
cent thought it was too high. Of the thirty-three
per cent, only eight per cent said they had reduced
their consumption of milk because of the price.
Another question showed that milk ranked above six
other important foods, in the public's opinion, as
giving the consumer "most value for his money." In
View of these reSponses, it was decided not to give
great emphasis to price in the public relations com-
munications for fear of creating a major problem
where only a minor one existed. 9

Public relations years ago ceased to be merely
"getting things into the paper." Today, in a competitive,
changing society, public relations requires planning,
objectives, management talent, and technological skills.

The next chapter explains the research design and
methodology used to determine to what degree associations
plan public relations programs and set objectives. It
describes how the current job analysis study of association

public relations management was performed.

 

68Everett M. Dirksen, "The Governmental Environ-
ment: Don't Just Oppose . . . PrOpose," Nation's Business,
LVI (June, 1968), 58. I

69Lesly, Public Relations Handbook, p. 305

 

CHAPTER III

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY

Introduction

 

The job analysis method provided for the collection
of descriptive data concerning the management of the
association public relations function. The writer sur-
veyed a randomly selected sample of association managers
responsible for communications and public relations. The
data gathered in a mail survey of these association man-
agers is presented in Chapter IV. The mail survey method
was used largely because it is an economical way to obtain
data from persons located in all parts of the United States.
Chapter V is an analysis of the findings, comparing the
survey results to the public relations theory mentioned
in Chapter I.

The following pages, then, begin the discussion of
methodology and the analysis of results. The primary
source used as a guide to proper research technique was

Survey Research by Charles H. Backstrom and Gerald D.
70

 

Hursh.

 

70Charles H. Backstrom and Gerald D. Hursh, Survey
Research (Evanston, Ill.: Northwestern University Press,

1963), passim.
38

39

The Sample

 

Since there is no single all-inclusive list of
business and professional associations, there is no way to
determine the exact number of these associations in the
United States. Ideally, the sample used for purposes of
this study would represent all business and professional
associations that conform to the definitions in Chapter I.
The source used in compiling the sample was the 1972 mem-
bership directory of the American Society of Association
Executives, Who's Who in Association Management. While
there is no way to tell whether or not this is the best
source, the ASAE roster was selected because of its avail-
ability and because the ASAE staff was interested and
willing to cooperate in the study.

The roster, published annually, represents a wide
assortment of associations of various membership and staff
sizes. The 1972 volume lists more than 4,000 associations.
Some are local operations. Some are state associations.

A small percentage are regional. But the largest group,
approximately forty-eight per cent (1,964), are national
associations. For financial reasons, and to limit dis-
cussion, the writer decided to focus on national business
and professional associations listed in the roster. These
associations comprised the current study's population.

The writer narrowed the population to a sample of

12.5 per cent of the population, by employing a skip

40

interval and selecting every eighth national association
listed on the roster. To assure random selection the
writer determined the starting point from a table of

71 Once this procedure was carefully per-

random numbers.
formed, a list of 245 associations emerged that were
representative of national associations belonging to the

American Society of Association Executives.

Major Research Tool

 

The basic tool used in the survey was a question-
naire mailed to the sample of 245 member associations.

In preparing a valid questionnaire, the first step
was to formulate questions designed to discover descriptive
information about association communications. Such data
as income, membership size, and number of full-time staff
members were regarded as of primary importance to a suc-
cessful study if the results were to be categorized. The
second step was to conduct a series of interviews with
association executives as a pre-test measure of the ques-
tionnaire's design.

A pre-test is a try-out of the questionnaire to
see how it works and whether improvements are necessary

before the start of the full-scale study. Because the

 

71Ibido I pp. 38-410

41

pre-test should be in the form of personal interviews,72

the writer interviewed twenty-two association executives
who attended the Institute for Organization Management

at Michigan State University, June 25—29, 1973. The
institute is co-sponsored by ASAE and many of the partic-
ipants are ASAE members.

The pre-test revealed several confusing phrases
and questions on the original questionnaire. The form,
eight pages, was criticized as being too long. Because
of other pre-test suggestions information about the
respondent was minimized and more attention was devoted
to the communication-public relations process on the
final questionnaire.

The questionnaire that appears as Appendix B of
this paper represents the combined efforts of the writer
and those persons involved in the pre-test.

Appendix A is a sample of the cover letter mailed
with the final questionnaire. The letter, also pre-
tested at the institute, asks that the executive respon-
sible for the association's communication-public relations
function complete the form. Primarily, the letter mentions
that the recipient was randomly selected; that his partici-

pation is needed and appreciated; that the results of the

 

72Stuart W. Cook, Morton Deutsch, Marie Jahoda and
Claire Selltiz, Research Methods in Social Relations
(New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1963), pp. 550-1.

 

42

survey will be tabulated and submitted for publication in

ASAE's journal, Association Management; and that the survey

 

will not take much time to complete.

To facilitate response and coding, structured
questions were used throughout the questionnaire with the
exception of five open questions. The structured ques-
tions required the respondent merely to select his answer
from a list of choices. The open questions asked him to
write an answer in his own words.73 Because of the wide
assortment of answers to open questions, they were not
coded. The writer inserted open questions in the survey
to gain insight into selected areas. Specifically, the
writer wanted to know what some of the respondents thought
about PR consultants, PR committees, changing staff size,
degree of authority and decision-making. Samples of
these responses are printed verbatim in Chapter IV.

Some of the types of structured questions that
were used to accomplish the basic objectives of the study
are discussed in the following paragraphs. The question-
naire was prepared in four parts, one focusing on the
communicator and the other three on his job.

Part I examines the manager's profile. Responses

to these questions should determine age, title, sex, and

 

73Ralph O. Nafziger and David M. White, eds.,
Introduction to Mass Communications Research (Baton Rouge,
La.: Louisiana State University Press, 1963), p. 99.

 

43

education of the respondent, as well as years with the
organization and years of experience. This section also
was designed to determine his salary bracket, what type
of association he works for and how large its membership
is. Data in this section allow the writer to make descrip-
tive generalizations about business and professional
associations and association communication managers.

Part II of the questionnaire examines staffing.
How does the manager handle his workload? How many staff
members does he manage? Is the size of the communication
staff increasing or decreasing? Does the staff have
clearly defined long and short range objectives? How
many associations employ the services of a consultant or
work with a communication committee comprised of volunteer
members? This section of the job analysis questionnaire
is primarily concerned with how responding organizations
are structured to accomplish goals.

Part III explores responsibilities and authority
for handling communication functions and budget. What
is the percentage of communication managers who exercise
direct control over--or personally handle--the various
communication functions discussed in Chapter I? The
writer attempts to establish a priority list of these
functions. This section is also designed to determine who

exercises veto power over the communicator. To whom is

he responsible? Does he manage his own department with a

44

definite budget? What kinds of expenditures need higher
approval? Do the association public relations managers
feel that they have the authority to match their respon-
sibility?. How much time is spent on public relations or
communication research? How often does the association
conduct a formal feedback program? These questions are
primarily aimed at determining what work tasks lead to
accomplishing organization activities.

Part IV of the questionnaire examines the decision-
making process-~the communication manager's problems and
how he solves them. When there is an important problem or
decision to be made does the communicator handle it him—
self? Does he consult a committee, seek a face-to-face
discussion with the top man or review staff reports? As
in Part I, this section is concerned with how the organi-
zation is structured to accomplish goals.

The questionnaire, the cover letter and a stamped,
pre-addressed envelope were mailed September 28, 1973, to
each of the 245 associations in the sample. By October 19,
1973, associations representing 54 per cent (133) of the
sample responded. Responses to mail questionnaires are
generally poor, and returns of less than 40 per cent are

common.74 A return of more than 50 per cent is rare.

 

74Fred N. Kerlinger, Foundations of Behavioral
Research (New York: New York University, 1964), p. 397.

45

Because the response was high in the current study, and
for financial and scheduling reasons--because of the time
and costs that would be involved in sending out additional
mailings--no follow—up of the original questionnaire was
performed.

Responses were coded and tabulated for data
analysis at the Michigan State University computer center.
Use of the computing facilities was made possible through
support, in part, from the National Science Foundation.

Chapter IV presents the results of the job analysis.
It reports on how the organizations surveyed are structured
to accomplish public relations goals, what the association

public relations job entails, and how it is done.

CHAPTER IV

FINDINGS OF THE STUDY

Introduction

 

Questionnaires were mailed to 245 association
executives, members of the American Society of Associa-
tion Executives. Results are based on replies from 133
participating managers, or 54 per cent of the sample.

Business associations accounted for nearly two-
thirds of the responding associations (65.4 per cent).
Professional associations represented nearly one-fourth
of the associations (24.8 per cent). Table 1 shows the
number and percentage of each association type represented
in the study. Business associations, or trade associa-
tions, were sub-divided according to type.

A description of the size of responding associa-
tions according to number of membership accounts is
presented in Table 2. While business association member-
ship usually is by company, and each account may represent
several persons in a company, professional association
membership is usually on an individual basis. Professional

associations are more apt to have one person for each

membership account listed. The wide variation in account

46

47

Table 1. Type of association.

._f "—r

 

 

 

Percentage of
Number Responses
Professional 33 24.8%
Business--

Manufacturing 20 15.0
Distributive 4 3.0
Technical 4 3.0
Service 20 15.0
Other trade associations. 39 29.4
Association type not indicated 13 9.8

Total 133 100.0%

 

 

 

Table 2. Number of membership accounts.*

 

 

 

 

Percentage of Responses
Business Professional

1-24 5.7% . .
25-49 4.6 . .
50-99 9.2 . .
100-249 20.7 3.0%
250-499 14.9 6.1
500-999 13.8 9.1
1,000-2,499 11.5 9.1
2,500-4,999 5.7 6.1
5,000-9,999 4.6 21.2
10,000 or over 9.2 45.5

 

 

 

*Percentages based on 133 responses.

48

size listed in Table 2 is not to be interpreted that
professional associations have more individual members
than business associations.

Perhaps a more equitable basis for comparing the
business and professional associations represented in the
study is size according to total association income.
Based on the findings of the survey, most professional
associations have a total income of between $500,000 and
$999,999. Business associations are usually smaller,
with most of the respondents represented in the $100,000-

to-$249,999 range. See Table 3.

Table 3. Total association income--all sources.*

 

 

 

 

Percentage of Responses
Business Professional

Under $25,000 1.2% ' . .
$25,000-$49,999 1.2 . .
$50,000-$99,999 11.6 9.1%
$100,000-$249,999 27.9 21.2
$250,000-$499,999 22.1 9.1
$500,000-$999,999 15.1 24.2
$1,000,000-$l,999,999 8.1 18.2
$2,000,000 or over 12.8 18.2

 

 

 

*Percentages based on 132 responses.

In addition to categorization of respondents

according to association type, it is pertinent to describe

the type of individual who completed the survey.

The next

49

section generalizes a description of the association
communicator according to age, sex, education, salary, and
experience of respondents. But first, because the ques-
tionaire was directed to the executive responsible for the
association communication-public relations function,

respondents are classified according to title. See Table 4.

Table 4. Executive responsible for communication-public
relations function--by title.

 

 

 

Number Percentage
Chief paid executive 66 49.6%
Public relations director or manager 25 18.8
Communications director or manager 18 13.5
Editor 4 3.0
Other 20 15.0

 

 

 

Because the chief paid executive is responsible
for the entire association operation--and the communication
function is but one responsibility--these persons were
excluded from the data presented in the next section deter-
mining the communicator's profile. The data that follow
represent respondents who are specifically employed to
manage the communication-public relations function. Sixty-

seven persons representing 50.4 per cent of the respondents

are so represented.

50

Communicator's Profile

Based on the findings of the survey, the following
profile on the association communicator emerges:

He is male, between forty and fifty-four years
old, has a bachelor's degree and is called public rela-
tions director or manager. He manages a staff of between
two and five employees and reports directly to the head
of the association, the chief paid executive.

The communicator has been with his association

for between five and nine years, but has ten or more total

years of association experience.

Table 5. Age.*

 

 

Percentage of Responses

 

Under 25 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.1%
25 to 39 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29.7
40 to 54 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59.4

55 years and older . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.8

 

*Percentages based on sixty-four responses,
excluding chief paid executives.

Table 6. Sex.*

 

 

Percentage of Responses

 

Male 0 o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o 89.1%
Female 0 o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o 10.9

 

*Percentages based on sixty-four responses,
excluding chief paid executives.

51

Table 7. Highest level of education.*

 

 

 

Percentage of Responses

High school degree . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.6%
Attended college . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.4
Bachelor's degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48.4
Graduate study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23.4
Graduate degree(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . 17.2

 

*Percentages based on sixty-four responses,
excluding chief paid executives.

Table 8. Years with association.*

 

 

Percentage of Responses

 

Under one year . . . . . . . . . . . i . . 14.9%
One to four years . . . .’. . . . . . . . . 29.9
Five to nine years . . . . . . . . . . . . 35.8

Ten years and more . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.4

 

*Percentages based on sixty-seven responses,
excluding chief paid executives.

Table 9. Years of association experience.*

 

 

Percentage of Responses

 

Under one year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.0%
One to four years . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22.4
Five to nine years . . . . . . . . . . . . 31.3

Ten years and more . . . . . . . . . . . . 37.3

 

*Percentages based on sixty-seven responses,
excluding chief paid executives.

52

Nearly 44 per cent of the communicators in the
survey earn under $20,000 annually; four-fifths earn
$15,000 or more; and 15.2 per cent are in the $30,000-and-

over bracket. See Table 10.

Table 10. Salary.*

 

 

Percentage of Responses

fif

 

Under $10,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.0%
$10,000-$14,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.7
$15,000-$19,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24.2
$20,000-$24,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25.8
$25,000-$29,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.2
$30,000 or over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.2

 

*Percentages based on sixty-six responses,
exclud1ng chief paid executives.

Comparisons of the salaries for men and women
communicators show a wide differential. For example, while
87.9 per cent of the men earn $15,000 or more, only 28.4
per cent of the women do. And women are not represented
in the $25,000-and-over brackets. While 14.5 per cent of
the men earn between $10,000 and $14,999, 71.6 per cent of

the women fall in this category.

53

Staffing--How the Communicator
Handies His Workload

 

According to the findings of the survey, many
association communication managers seem to be quite busy.
Whether they are running a one-man communication office
or a staff of eleven or more employees, they are working

long hours.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 11. Size of staff.
Percentage of Responses
Profes- A11
Businessa sional Associationsc
Full-time staff size:
One man 5.7% 6.3% 5.3%
2-5 41.4 40.6 40.9
6-20 35.6 28.1 34.8
21 or over 17.2 25.0 18.9
Full-time communication:
One man 34.5 24.2 30.8
2-5 26.4 39.4 33.1
6-10 8.0 6.1 6.8
11 or over 3.4 3.0 3.0
Part-time communication:
One man 29.9 24.2 29.3
2-5 16.1 21.2 16.5
6-10 1.1 . . 0.8
11 or over . . . . . .

 

aPercentages based on eighty-seven responses.

b

CPercentages based on 132 re3ponses.

Percentages based on thirty-two responses.

54

More than one-half of the associations indicated
that they will add at least one person to their communica-
tion staff within the next five years. Why the need for
more staff members? Respondents cited a variety of
reasons, including the following:

Management changes--expanding membership--
increasing office staff.

We are adding one person right away so we can do
a better job of PR at the local and state level.

Too many priority projects not yet undertaken.

Current objectives are growing; additional
responsibilities are foreseen.

Need to present industry image to public and
customers.

Projected increase has been tentatively authorized,
in recognition of need to tell the industry's story
more effectively and across a broader spectrum.

Increasing sophistication requires electronic media
Specialists in addition to print-oriented people.

Increased emphasis on telling what we do for
members.

More secretarial and filing help needed--
particularly with respect to our growing monthly maga-
zine.

For wider scope of material for publication in
newsletter.

The increasing urgency and complexity of the issues
facing the industry will require additional manpower to
allow the association to continue to disseminate reli-
able information to the public, and to maintain its
leadership and initiative in coordinating industry
position on policies and laws affecting the industry.

Basically due to growth in membership, available
funds to finance our objectives, and better goal-
setting techniques.

55

Our association is expanding--as are most--and

with it will come an expanding PR role.'

The primary reason that respondents projected
increases in staff size was growth of association member-
ships. Many respondents are currently understaffed and
nearly 85 per cent are working more than forty hours a
week. Results show that the typical association public
relations manager works between forty-six and fifty hours
in a typical week, including time in office, outside
meetings and work taken home. More than one-fourth of
the respondents indicated that they work fifty or more
hours each week.

Does the manager's workload vary with the type of
association with which he is affiliated? Table 12 illus-
trates that for the most part, workload does not vary a
great deal, but managers working for service associations
indicated that, as a group, they work longer hours than

other managers.

To share some of the responsibilities, some associ-

ations employ the services of a PR consultant or consulting

firm, or work with a public relations or communication com-

mittee comprised in part or entirely of volunteers. While

only 26.5 per cent of the reSpondents indicated that they

use a conslutant, 68.9 per cent said that their association

has a volunteer PR or communication committee. Of those

associations using a consultant, 64.9 per cent said they

56

 

 

 

 

 

Table 12. Workload of association communicator.
Average Hours Association
Communicator Works Each Week--
Type of Percentage of Responses
Association Number
40 or
less 41-45 46-50 51-60 Over 60
Professional 33 12.1% 39.4% 27.3% 12.1% 9.1%
Business-- 87 14.9 24.1 34.5 14.9 11.5
Manufacturing 19 15.8 31.6 21.1 21.1 10.4
Service 20 15.0 15.0 45.0 5.0 20.0
Distributive 4 50.0 50.0 . . . . . .
Technical 4 . . 25.0 50.0 25.0 . .
Others 39 12.8 20.5 38.4 17.9 10.4
Total 133 12.8% 27.1% 33.1% 16.5% 10.5%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

feel that they get their "money's worth" from the con-
sultant. Nearly one in ten was displeased with their
consultant, and 24.3 per cent said they did not know if

they were getting their money's worth. Favorable comments

 

concerning the use of a PR consultant included the

following:

 

We have used the same firm for twenty-five years
although we have considered using other firms during
that period. They have the know-how and facilities to
do a good job of publicity and product promotion for us.

Helps provide outside vieWpoint (objectively) and
suggests approaches that are new and refreshing.

We feel that we get a great deal of mileage out of
a very small PR budget. Our agency works very closely
with us in the formulation of our yearly PR objectives
and does an excellent job.

Serves as professional "reactor" to in-house plans
and actions.

57

Use primarily for ideas and national publicity
placement.

Allows for better utilization of manpower to
enable the staff to follow through on its regular
responsibilities.

We are getting a tremendous amount of public
interest time and space that we could not afford to
buy from the various media.

We get fresh outside ideas. We are able to pay
for outstanding public relations talent only when we
need it. Can't imagine any forward-looking associa-
tion not having outside PR counsel.

Unfavorable comments included the following:

 

We gave inadequate direction, so we've received
inadequate performance.

Past experience with professional PR was found to
be expensive and ineffective. PR consultants "never
got the point" so far as our profession was concerned.

It's an unnecessary luxury we can't afford. We've
got enough expertise--just not enough time!

In-house professional staff does a far superior
job.

Inadequate counsel background on critical issues
requires excessive time and effort by in-house com-
munications staff to brief counsel personnel before
they get in gear--then it's usually too late.

Of those respondents who indicated that their
association works with a public relations or communication
Committee, 56.5 per cent said that they were satisfied with
the committee's contribution to the organization, 28.3 per
cent said they were not satisfied, and 15.2 per cent held
no opinion. Favorable comments concerning the use of a

volunteer PR or communication committee included the

following:

 

58

Performance varies. In the last two years the
committee has been active and the results have been
good.

Our communications committee is made up of past
presidents and representatives of the largest contrib-
utors to the association. Because communications is
our largest budget item they take a real interest in
it.

Everyone is assigned a task on the committee and
it functions very smoothly.

Volunteer committeemen are most effective because
they are well aware of (l) the work of our membership
and (2) the problems confronting our profession. Also
because of their contacts day by day with the "influ-
entials."

We are continually surprised by the good things
that come out of our committee meetings. Our members--
salesmen--really do come up with some interesting PR
insights and ideas when pressed by the staff.

Do a conscientious job in reviewing policies and
making recommendations.

Committee does not attempt to specify actions or
to review copy, layouts, or other tools. Provides
valuable policy guidance and coordinating assistance
nationwide.

Volunteers do a good job.

They are PR directors from member companies, and
their perspective on association plans and programs
is helpful.

They help to convince the members that PR counsel
is earning his pay.

Unfavorable comments included the following:

 

Most committee members do not have practical knowl-
edge of PR, nor the time to activate or energize PR
activities beyond the area in which they are domiciled.

Contributions of committee usually limited to
advice concerning programs of value to individual
members--not to industry or association as a whole.

59

Appointments are on a yearly basis. Most of them
are political in nature, meaning we don't have real
contributions to the effort.

Only contribute when they are at a committee
meeting.

Usually suggest grandiose schemes requiring more
money than is available. Give little attention to
the less spectacular things which we can do and which
are not missed until they are neglected.

Little interest in working on industry-wide PR
program.

Members have little appreciation for the role of

public relations in the development of communication
mechanisms within the association.

Responsibilities and Authority for Handling
Communication Funéfions and Budget

In the survey, a little more than nine out of ten
association executives said that public relations is impor-
tant to their organizations.

Asked who designs the PR and communication policy
for the association, 30.8 per cent of the respondents said
that top management, alone, is responsible. Other answers
ranked as follows: PR/communications staff, 10.5 per cent;
PR committee, 9.0 per cent; and PR counsel, 3.0 per cent.
Some 46.6 per cent of the questionnaires showed that a
combination of the above were reSponsible for designing
the PR or communication policy.

While all reSpondents said that they have some
system of policy setting, only 52.8 per cent indicated that

their associations have clearly defined, long-range public

60

relations goals. Of the 75.9 per cent indicating that they
have established short-range public relations objectives,
only 51.5 per cent said that they have a written plan for
meeting those objectives. Nearly 70 per cent of the
respondents indicated that the formulation of communication
policy is one of their major areas of responsibility.

Table 13 shows the percentage of respondents responsible
for the various communication tasks. Results are cate-
gorized according to association type.

Asked to indicate three prime areas of responsi-
bility, respondents replied that publications to members,
news and publicity about the association, and promOtional
materials on conventions and meetings were the most common
prime responsibilities. Table 14 shows that business and
professional associations have almost the same priority
lists of prime responsibilities. The numbers in the table
indicate how the various functions ranked.

Concerning press relations, 80.6 per cent of the
respondents indicated that their association regularly
submits information to news media. But, only two-thirds
of the associations issue more than fifteen news releases
annually, as Table 15 shows. A quarter of the respondents
said that they issue over sixty news releases each year,
or better than one per week. Overall, business and pro-
fessional associations showed no substantial differences

in press relations.

61

 

 

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Table 14. Communicators' prime responsibilities.
Order of Priority
Area
All
Business Professional Associations

Publications to members 1 l 1
News and publicity about

the association 2 2 2
Promotional materials on

conventions, meetings,

etc. 3 4 3
Educational films,

slides, etc. 9 8 ll
Staging of competitions . . 9 12
Sponsoring of trade

exhibits or displays 7 . . 9
Advertising on behalf

of industry, business

or profession 7 8 8
Interpretation of

pertinent legislation 8 6 7
Represent association

before legislative

bodies 6 7 6
Speeches 9 9 10
Internal communications 5 5 5
Formulation of communi-

cation policy 4 3 4

 

 

 

 

63

Table 15. News releases.

 

 

 

Number of Releases Percentage of Responses
Per Year Business Professional All Associations
Under 15 31.8% 38.7% 33.3%
15 to 30 25.9 12.9 24.8
31 to 45 9.4 19.4 11.6
46 to 60 8.2 3.2 7.0
Over 60 24.7 25.8 23.3

 

 

 

 

How much time do associations spend on public rela-
tions or communication research? The respondents described
the time spent on research with the following frequency:
very little, 28.7 per cent; little, 30.2 per cent; enough,
26.4 per cent; much, 10.1 per cent; and very much, 4.7 per
cent. Nearly 60 per cent indicated that their association
does not spend enough time researching.

How often does the association conduct a formal
"feedback" program (readership survey, evaluation form,
opinion poll)? How often does it evaluate its performance?
The respondents answered as follows: never, 26.6 per cent;
once a year, 43.0 per cent; two to five times a year, 24.2
per cent; and more than five times a year, 6.3 per cent.

Is the communication department managed with a

definite budget? Despite the broad policy-making responsi-

bilities outlined above, the typical communication manager

64

has only a fair chance (60.3 per cent) of managing his own

department with a definite budget.

As Table 16 indicates, in almost every instance,

the greater the total association income, the more likely

is the association to have a definite communication budget.

Size of communication budget and corresponding association

type and percentages are depicted in Table 17.

 

 

Table 16. Communication budget--by association income.
Percentage With
Total Percentage Definite

Association Income

of Associations

Communication Budget

 

Under $25,000
$25,000-$49,999
$50,000-$99,999
$100,000-$249,999
$250,000-$499,999
$500,000-$999,999
$1,000,000-$l,999,999
$2,000,000 or over

 

.8%

1.5
10.6
25.0
18.9
17.4
12.1
13.6

 

50.0%
44.4
35.4
66.7
81.8
80.0
88.9

 

 

 

 

 

Table 17. Size of communication budget.

Size of Percentage of Responses

Communication

Budget Business Professional All Associations
Under $25,000 24.1% 28.6% 26.8%
$25,000-$49,999 11.1 9.5 12.2
$50,000-$74,999 18.5 23.8 18.3
$75,000-$99,999 11.1 9.5 11.0
$100,000-$249,999 18.5 19.0 18.3
$250,000-$499,999 14.8 4.8 11.0
$500,000 or over 1.9 4.8 2.4

 

 

 

 

65

What kinds of expenditures need higher approval?
The limits mentioned were represented with the following
frequency: under $25, 1.5 per cent; $26-$100, 9.2 per
cent; $101-$500, 23.1 per cent; and most of the respond-
ents, 66.2 per cent, said that they have complete authority
for expenditures less than $500.

Most respondents said that their bosses give them
enough authority to match their responsibilities. Nearly
80 per cent perform their jobs without undue interference
from top management. On the other hand, nearly 20 per
cent are not satisfied with their level of authority.
Explanations included the following reasons:

Not yet fully trusted. New to organization and
industry.

Responsible for projects which really require
more staff and money to perform well. I would prefer
not to do some of them because pay-off does not justify
effort.

This is a small office and everything must be
cleared with the executive director.

Decision-making--The Association Communicator's
Problems and How He Solves Them

When there is an important problem to be solved or
a decision to be made, the association communicator may
handle it himself. But he usually seeks advice or consent
from the top man. Is this effective? Here is how communi-

cation problems are resolved in ASAE members' associations:

handle prOblem themselves, 43.3 per cent; consult a

66

committee, 22.4 per cent; seek a face-to-face discussion~
with top man, 76.1 per cent; review staff reports, 9.0 per
cent.

Do these methods work? Most respondents thought
their methods should be changed or improved.

How could decision-making be improved? The fol-
lowing answers were offered:

By granting more authority to public relations
director.

More staff time is needed to research possible
options.

More money in publications budget will ease
"nickel and dime" decisions.

Finally, to whom is the communicator responsible?
Most (92.5 per cent) are responsible to the chief paid
executive. Respondents also indicated that they are
responsible to the board of directors (23.9 per cent), a
committee (7.5 per cent) and/or some higher authority
(1.5 per cent).

Who could exercise veto power over them? Respond-
ents answered as follows: chief paid executive, 90.8 per
cent; board of directors, 35.4 per cent; committee, 12.3
per cent; and some higher authority, 1.5 per cent. A
small percentage, 1.5 per cent, indicated that they are
not responsible to anyone.

The data offered in this chapter may be generalized
so that a description of the association public relations

manager and some idea of how he manages his job results.

67

The next chapter, a conclusion to this paper,
presents these generalizations and suggests portents as

part of an analysis of findings.

CHAPTER V

ANALYSIS OF FINDINGS

Generalizations

 

While more than nine out of ten association
executives said that public relations is important to
their organizations, it is clear from the results of the
survey that, for whatever reasons, many do not adhere to
the public relations process mentioned in Chapter I. The
first chapter discussed the four-step communication func-
tion: research, planning, communication and evaluation.

While 58.9 per cent of the respondents indicated
that their associations do not spend enough time research-
ing, a total of 52.8 per cent said that their associations
have clearly defined, long-range public relations goals.
Of 75.9 per cent indicating that they have established
short-range public relations objectives, 51.5 per cent
said that they have a written plan for meeting those
objectives..

These results indicate that while planning is one
of the steps to which associations devote a good deal of

attention, it is usually speculative planning and is not

based on sound research methods. Fewer than half of the

68

69

associations in the survey fulfill their research needs
adequately.

The evaluation of existing communication programs
is not only the most often ignored public relations step,
but also the most ignored step in the association opera-
tion. According to survey results, associations seldom
evaluate their performance. While 43 per cent conduct
formal feedback programs once a year, 26.6 per cent of
the respondents indicated that they never formally evalu-
ate performance.

Perhaps the most obvious reason that some associ-
ations do not truly know whether or not they are doing a
good job for their members is limited staff size.- Accord-
ing to the survey, the typical association communicator,
while not often involved in research, planning, or evalu-
ation, is understaffed and works between forty-six and
fifty hours a week. Ten per cent said that they work more
than sixty hours a week.

Many associations plan to increase staff size
within the next few years. Evidence that research,
planning and evaluation efforts are minimal indicates that
most associations should increase their staffs immediately.
If they are not properly researching and evaluating, they
cannot be certain what their membership's needs are. If

they are not conscious of member needs, they risk the

chance of dissatisfying and losing members.

70

The next section shows that while there is strength
in numbers, forward-thinking associations will need to
shift emphasis from quantity and growth to quality of

services.

Portents

Association communication-public relations, main-
tained in part to determine and satisfy member needs, is
perhaps association management's most important function.
In 1960, Stephenson predicted the rapid growth of business
and professional public relations programs based on three
factors:

1. The economy is expanding, providing greater

opportunities for successful programs.

2. The pressures upon business and professions

are increasing, making public relations programs
more essential.

3. The level of competency of both association

management and professional public relations is
rising rapidly, producing public relations-minded
association executives and association-minded public
relations practitioners.75

The current study indicated that 90 per cent of
the respondents may be public relations-minded. But to be
conscious of the importance of public relations is not
enough. Budgets must be allotted and staffs must be

maintained to perform the function.

A recent article in Dun's Review suggested that

 

after years of boom, professional societies will begin to

 

75Stephenson, Handbook, p. 126.

71

decline. The article implied that societies are not aware
of changing member needs. It said:

Some society journals . . . are accused of repre-
senting special interests within a group. To be sure,
a number of professional society magazines, which
usually combine society news with technical features
and departments, have built impressive followings.

But compared with other management and technical pub-
lications, most society journals are considered boring
and too "clubby"--largely made up of contributions, as
a former staff member puts it, "by professional types
who are self-serving and don't know what good journal-
ism is or what the reader needs or wants. 5

In the future, those associations which do not
identify and satisfy specific member needs, may succumb to
a consolidation trend. Particularly, those associations
that offer duplicate programs to the same publics may be
merged.77

John L. Spafford, president of the Associated
Credit Bureaus, said that he thinks there will be more and

more mergers in the future. Spafford said that he prefers

the "umbrella" organization to mergers. He described the

unbrella concept as follows:

. . . the formulation of an umbrella has a lot of
spokes. I would like to think of this future organi-
zation with a lot of spokes, each with an individual
identity, as a business association.78

 

76George J. Berkwitt, "Are Professional Societies
Dead?," Dun's Review, IC (March, 1972), 48.

77

 

"New Help," Nation's Business, 104.

78" .
More Muscle," Nat1on's Business: 55-

72

According to Spafford, the umbrella concept will be
born out of the need for economy, elimination of duplica-
tion, and better communications.79 Based on the results
of the survey, the need for better communications should
induce some change in current operating procedures. If
budgets are not available to increase staff sizes, it may
be that the umbrella organization, or some system similar

to it, is inevitable.

Conclusion

 

A job description, the end product of a job
analysis, is a written record of the job and its require-
ments.80 If an association wished to use this study as a
guide to preparing a job description for the association
communication-public relations function, the following

results might be considered:

1. Job Title--Most of the respondents who are

 

Specifically employed to manage the communication-public
relations function indicated that their title is "public
relations director or manager."

2. Superior--Most (92.5 per cent) indicated they

 

are responsible to the chief paid executive.

 

791bid.

 

80
Dunnette, Personnel Selection, p. 68.

 

73

3. Function--Managers evaluate public attitudes,
identify communication policies and procedures for their
associations, and execute programs of action to earn
public understanding and acceptance.

4. Duties--Respondents indicated that they are
responsible for the following tasks in this order:

(1) publications to members; (2) news and publicity about
the association; (3) promotional materials on conventions
and meetings; (4) formulation of communication policy;

(5) internal communications; (6) representation of associ-
ation before legislative bodies; (7) interpretation of
pertinent legislation; (8) advertising on behalf of
industry, business or profession; (9) sponsoring of trade
exhibits or displays; (10) speeches, (11) educational
films and slides; and (12) the staging of competitions.

5. Education--Respondents most often indicated

 

that their highest level of education is a bachelor's
degree (48.4 per cent).

6. Experience—-Respondents most often indicated

 

that they have ten years and more of association experi-
ence (37.3 per cent).

7. Salary--Most respondents, 25.8 per cent, earn
between $20,000 and $24,999.

Drafting a job description based on the results of

this study could be an important step for associations

which need to define the communication-public relations

74

function and objectives. Results of the job analysis survey
show that, theoretically, the association communication-
public relations function is not being properly executed.
But the lack of clearly-defined PR objectives does not
appear to be the major problem. Too often the association
is so busy and understaffed that it would not have time to
research, plan, and evaluate the communication programs

that it undertakes even if it wanted to.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Books

Backstrom, Charles H., and Hursh, Gerlad D. Surve
Research. Evanston, Ill.: Northwestern University

Press, I963.

Bradley, Joseph F. Trade Associations and Professional
Business Societies. University Park, Pa.:
Pennsylvania State University Press, 1965.

Canfield, Bertrand R. Public Relations Princi les, Cases,
and Problems. Homewood, III.: Richarg D. Irw1n,

Inc.,41960.

 

 

Center, Allen H., and Cutlip, Scott M. Effective Public
Relations. 3rd. ed. Englewood CIiffs, N.J.:
Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1964.

 

Chamber of Commerce of the United States. Association
Public Relations and Communications Guide.
Washington, D.C.: Association Department, Chamber
of Commerce of the United States, 1968.

Cook, Stuart W.; Deutsch, Morton; Jahoda, Marie; and
Selltiz, Claire. Research Methods in Social Rela-
tions. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1963.

Dalton, William, ed. Forward By Plan. Washington, D.C.:
Association Department, Chamber of Commerce of the
United States, 1969.

de Tocqueville, Alexis. Democracy in America. New York:
Alfred A. Knopf, I966.

Drucker, Peter F. The Age of Discontinuity. New York:
Harper & Row, Publishers, 1969.

Duncan, Delbert J., ed. Trade Association Mana ement.
Chicago, 111.: R. R. Donnelley &iSons Go., I948.

Dunnette, Marvin D. Personnel Selection and Placement.

Belmont, Calif.: Brooks-CoIe Publishing Co., 1966.

75

76

Evans, Henry S., and Wright, Theon. Public Relations and
the Line Manager. New York: American Management
Association, 1964.

 

 

Gilb, Corinne Lathrop. Hidden Hierarchies: The Profes-
gions and Government. New York: Harper &’Row,
Publishers, 1966.

 

Kerlinger, Fred N. Foundations of Behavioral Research.
New York: New Yofk University, 1964.

 

Lesly, Philip, ed. Public Relations Handbook. 3rd. ed.
Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1964.

 

 

Nafziger, Ralph O., and White, David M., eds. Introduc-
tion to Mass Communications Research. Bann Rouge,
La.: Louisiana State University Press, 1963.

 

Steinberg, Charles S. The Mass Communicators: Public
Relations, PubligOpinionLand Mass Media. New
York: Harper & Bros., 1968.

Stephenson, Howard, ed. Handbook of Public Relations.
New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1960.

Toffler, Alvin. Future Shock. New York: Random House,
1970.

 

Webster, George D. The Law of Associations. Washington,
D.C.: American Society of AssociaEion Executives,

 

 

 

1971.
Periodicals
"ASAE Information." Association Management, XXV (July,
1973), 112.
Berkwitt, George J. "Are Professional Societies Dead?"

Dun's Review, IC (March, 1972), 46-8.

 

Canham, Erwin D. "Maybe Creamed Chicken Helped." The
Rotarian, LIII (June, 1952), 12-14.

Dirksen, Everett M. "The Governmental Environment: Don't
Just Oppose . . . Propose." Nation's Business,
LVI (June, 1968), 58-59.

"More Muscle in Business' Corner." Nation's Business,
LVIII (October, 1970), 54-58.

77

Motley, Arthur H. "The Business Environment: Modern
Solutions." Nation's Business, LVI (June, 1968),
56-570

"New Help in the Race to Stay Ahead." Nation's Business,
LIV (February, 1966), 100-4.

 

"New York Members Surveyed on Public Relations." Associa—
tion Management, XXV (July, 1973), 82.

Newson, H. P. "In Public Relations, It's Character that
Counts." Association Management, XXIV (March,
1972), 53-57.

Schramm, Henry W. "Why Association Programming Needs
Planned Direction." Public Relations Journal, XX
(May, 1964), 33-35.

Smith, Bradford. "We're Selling America Short." The
American Scholar, XXI (Summer, 1952), 309-I8.

"Society Membership." Science News, (December 6, 1969),

Other Sources

American Society of Association Executives. Report of the
Association. Facts on U.S. Associations.
Washington, D.C.: American Society of Association
Executives, n.d.

. Who's Who in Association Management. Washington,
D.C.: American Society of Association Executives,

Colgate, Craig, Jr., ed. 1972 Directory of National Trade
and Professional Associations of the United Stafes.
Washington, D.C.: Columbia Books, Inc., 1972.

 

Dix, Dennis C. "A Survey of Volunteer and Public Relations
Activities in the Nursing Home Profession." Unpub-
lished M.A. thesis, American University, 1967.

. Private interview held during Institute for

Organization Management, East Lansing, Mich., June,
1973.

Fitzgerald, Frank. Private interview held during Institute
for Organization Management, East Lansing, Mich.,
June, 1973.

78

Institutes for Organization Management. Qrienting and
Educating the Volunteer. N.p.: Institutes for
Organization Management, n.d.

 

Public Relations Society of America. Report of the
Society. Association Public Relations. New York:
Business afid Professional Association Section of
the Public Relations Society of America, 1965.

 

. Report of the Society. Update: What Is the
State Association Job? New York: Public Relations
Society of America, 1969. ‘

 

APPENDIX A

COVER LETTER

MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY EAST LANSING - MICHIGAN 48823

 

SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM - JOURNALISM BUILDING

Dear Sir:

In the future, your profession will continue to demand more practical
information--more knowledge of how other associations operate. The
enclosed survey seeks such knowledge and focuses on one of your prime
responsibilities--the communication and public relations function.
The information will be tabulated and submitted for publication in
Association Management.

Your name was one of a select sample of executives chosen randomly
to participate. If you are responsible for your association's
communication-pr function, please take ten minutes to fill out and
return the form today, or ask the appropriate staff manager to do $0.
With your support we can begin to define association management.
describing the job and the people who do it.

Deadline for receipt of your questionnaire is October 12, 1973.
Thank you in advance for your help.

Sincerely, -

Robert J. Truscello
Graduate Fellow
Michigan State University

79

APPENDIX B

QUESTIONNAIRE

ASSOCIATION COMMUNICATIONS SURVEY

RESEARCH DEPARTMENT
Michigan State University
Fall 1973 Survey

PLEASE RETURN IMMEDIATELY TO:

Michigan State University

School of Journalism
113 Linton Hall
East Lansing, Michigan 48823

 

To be filled out by the
executive responsible for

the association's communication-
pubiic relations function

and returned by October 12, 1973

 

 

 

C1.

C3.

C5.

C6.

C8.

C9.

C10.

Title: [1] ____Chief Paid Executive
[2] ____Public Relations
Director/Manager
[3] ___ Communications
Director/Manager
[4] _ Editor
[5] ____0ther
Sex: [1] ____Male .
[2] _ Female

Years of association experience:

[1] Under one year [3}:

[2]: One to four years [4

Years with the association: C7.

[1] Under one year

[2]_ _One to four years

E3 ] _Five to nine years

4]: Ten years and more

Number of membership accounts:
.[1] 1-24

[2]_ 25- 49

[3]: 50- 99

[4]: 100- 249

[5]: 250- 499

[I] Under $25, 000

E2 1 —$25, 000- $49. 999
____$50, 000- $99. 999

[4] ____$106.ooo-$249.999

Your salary:

[1] ___ Under $10,000
[2] ____$Io.ooo-$I4,999
[3] ____$15,ooo-$I9,999

C4.

Total association income--a11 sources:

C2. Age: E1]_ Under 25 years
2]” 25 to 39
[3]_ 40 to 54
[4]: 55 years and
—01der

Education: [1] _High School Degree
] —Attended College
i: Bachelors Degree
]: Graduate Study

3
4
5 Graduate Degree(s)

Five to nine years
Ten years and more

Tyfie_ of association:

E1 ' Manufacturing [4} Technical
2] Professional 5 ____Service
[3]: Distributive [6] ____Trade
[6] ____500-999

[8] ____2.500-4.999

[9] ____5.ooo-9.999

[0 ____10,000 or over

[5] ____$250,ooo-$499.999
[6].___,$500.000-$999.999

[7] ____$I,ooo,ooo-$I,999,999

[8] ___ $2,000,000 or over

[4] ____$20.ooo-$24,999

[5] ____$25,000-$29,999

[6] ____$30,000 or over

80

C11.

C12.

C13.

C14.

C15.

C16.

C17.

C18.

C19.

C20.

C21.

81
-2-

How many hours do you work each week, including time in office, outside
meetings and work taken home?
[1] 40 hours or less [3] ____46-50
[2]: 41- 45 4 ____51-60
[5] __ Over 60

PART II: Staffing

Number of full-time employees:

[1] One man E3]_ 6 to 20
[2]: 2 to 5 4]: 21 or over
Number of full- time communication employees:
[1] One man [3 ] ____6-1O
[21:4 ____11 or over
Number of part-time communication employees:
El]: One man 3] 6-10
2]— 4]: 11 or over
Is public relations important to your organization?
[1]_ Yes [2] ___ No
Does your organization have clearly defined, long-range public relations goals?
[l] __ Yes [2] __ No
Who designs your public relations or communications policy?
[1] _Top management [4}: PR Committee
[2] PR/Communications Staff [5 Combination of above

[3]: PR Counsel

Has your organization established short-ran e public relations objectives?
[1] __ Yes [2] __ No

If YES, do you have a written plan for meetin those objectives?
[1] ___Yes [2] ____No

Does your association employ the services of a pr consultant or consulting
firm?

[I] _ Yes [2] __ No

If YES, do you feel that you get your "money's worth" from the pr consultant

or consulting firm?.
[1] Yes [3] ____Don't know

[2] : No

 

 

 

If YES or NO, please explain:

 

 

 

 

 

C22.

023.

C24.

025.

C27.

, 2 '___ No
or NO, please explainz|

82

-3-
Does your association have a public relations or communication committee
comprised in part or entirely of volunteers?
[1] __ Yes [2] __ No
If YES, are you satisfied with the committee's contribution to your
organization?
[1 Yes [2] ____No opinion

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In your opinion, will the size of the communication staff change in next
five years?
[l] ____Yes, it will increase E3] ____will not change
[2] ___ Yes, it will decrease 4 ____Don't know
If it will increase or decrease, why?
PART III: Responsibilities and Authority for
Handling Communications Functions and Budget
Is it your responsibility 626. What is your prime
to manage (Check both columns) : responsibility (Check 3)
[l]____ Publications to members [1 ____
[2] ____News and publicity about the Association [2] ____
[3] ___ Promotional material on convention, meetings, etc. [3] ___
[4] ____Educational film, slides, etc. [4] ___
[5] ____Staging of competitions [5] ___
[6] ____Sponsoring of trade exhibits or displays [6] ____
[7] ___ Advertising on behalf of industry, business or profes- E7] ___
sion 8
[8] ___ Interpretation of pertinent legislation [9] :::
:9] ___‘Represent Association before legislative bodies [0] ____
:0] ____Speeches [X] ____
;X] ____Internal Communications [R]
_R] ____Formulation of communication policy
To whom are you responsible C28. Who exercises veto power over you?
[1] ____No one [1] ____No one
[2] ____Chief paid executive [2] ____Chief paid executive
[3] ____Board of Directors [3] ___ Board of Directors
E4] ____Committee [4] ____Committee
5] ____0ther [5] ____0ther

C29.

C30.

C31.

C32.

C33.

C34.

C35.

C36.

C37.

C38.

83

-4-
Is the communications department managed with a definite budget?
[l]_ Yes [2] ____No
If YES, what is the size of the communication budget?
[1] Under $25, 000 [5] ____$100,000-$249,999
[2]_ $25, ODD-$49, 999 [6] $250,000-$499,999
[3]: $50, ODD-$74, 999 [7]— $500,000-$l,000,000
[4 _$75, DOD-$99, 999 [8]— _Over $1,000,000
What kinds of expenditures need higher approval?
[l] Over $25 [3] ____$lOl-$500
[2]_ _$26-$l00 [4] ____$Over $500

00 you feel that your authority matches your responsibility?
[l] ____Yes [2] ____No

 

[Ika0, please explainf]

 

 

 

Do you regularly volunteer information to the news media?

[1] _ Yes [2] _ No
How many news releases would you say your association sends out each year?
[1] Under l5 4] ___.46 to 60
E2]: 16 to 30 5] ____0ver 60
3]_ 31 to 45

How would you describe the amount of time your association spends on public
relations or communications research?

[1] Very little [4] Much
[2]_ Little [5]“ _Very Much
[3]— _Enough

How often does your association conduct a formal "feedback" program (Reader-
ship survey, evaluation form, opinion poll, etc. )?

[l%_ Never [3] 2 to 5 times a year

[2 _Once a year [4]* _0ver 5 times a year

PART IV: Decision Making

When there is a problem to be solved or decision to be made that is important
to you, do you:
[l] Handle it yourself [3] ____Seek a face-to-face discus-
[2]: Consult a committee sion with top man

[4] ____Review staff reports

 

Does this decision-making prbcess work? [l] ____Yes [2] No

 

 

If N0, how could you improve decision-making?]

 

 

 

 

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