The Trade Association Forum (TAF) is pleased to announce the launch of its highly anticipated 2024 Annual Salary and Benefits Benchmarking Survey. The survey is now live and invites UK trade associations to take part. The survey is supported by TAF partner Ellwood Atfield, who have been long-standing supporters of this important piece of sector research, and is being delivered by TAF partner Research Concierge, the insights agency for associations.  

This is the most comprehensive survey specifically designed for UK trade associations and enables participating associations and the sector at large to discover trends across, support planning and budgeting for the future and facilitate sharing of best practice within the sector.  

Key Dates 

The survey has been streamlined to make it easier to complete it. You will also be able to collate your information in a fillable PDF and Excel document, making it easier to collaborate across teams to complete your submission. 

  • Section 1 About your organisation – 3 questions 
  • Section 2 Financials (revenue and expense) – 4 questions 
  • Section 3 Membership numbers and benefits – 3 questions 
  • Section 4 Recruitment and working practices – 10 questions  
  • Section 5 Staff size – 3 questions 
  • Section 6 Salaries (including new questions on salary by gender) – 5 questions 
  • Section 7 Pay awards – 2 questions 
  • Section 8 Bonus arrangements – 3 questions 
  • Section 9 Staff benefits and holiday entitlements – 5 questions 
  • Section 10 Pensions – 5 questions 

Key highlights from 2023: 

  • The 2023 survey had 128 quality responses (an increase of 22% on 2022) from all sectors, sizes and locations, providing us with a unique picture of the UK trade association sector. 
  • The respondents collectively employ 2,224 people with a combined salary bill of £110m per annum. 
  • The results show that IT spending on average accounts for 7% of turnover spend.
  • The vast majority of respondents (69%) reported operating profits of under 10%, with just 9% reporting profits of 25% or more. 

“We are excited to conduct this annual benchmarking research once again. The insights produced remain a definitive resource for UK trade associations seeking to evaluate their operations and plan for the future. We invite all associations to take part – both TAF members and non-members, and to benefit from the invaluable data and trends this survey offers. Your participation not only helps your own organisation but strengthens our entire sector by fostering shared knowledge,” says TAF CEO Emily Wallace. 

About TAF: 

The Trade Association Forum (TAF) is the leading representative body for UK trade associations. TAF’s mission is to support and promote the UK’s trade associations, providing them with the resources and networking opportunities to enhance their contribution to their members and the wider economy. 

www.taforum.org 

About Ellwood Atfield: 

Since 2003 Ellwood Atfield have been successfully recruiting for UK and EU trade associations. They are communications and advocacy headhunters appointing the people responsible for an association’s reputation and influence: its leadership, communications, public affairs and policy experts for permanent and interim roles. No other recruitment supplier to the association sector has assembled as large a team of dedicated headhunters, conducted more in-depth research into the association market, or successfully recruited for as many representative organisations as Ellwood Atfield.  

www.ellwoodatfield.com 

About Research Concierge: 

The Research Concierge is the insights agency for associations. Our mission is to empower every community of practice with evidence-based decision making. We do this by applying our proprietary ‘insights capital’ model into practice and by offering ‘insights-as-a-service’ to deliver internal and external research to increase membership value. 

www.theresearchconcierge.com 


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