By Denman Wall
From left: Benjamin Geyerhahn, JD, CEO/Founder, BeneStream; Vijay Dandapani, President and CEO, Hotel Association of New York City, Inc.; Gerard M. Thiers, CAE, Executive Director, ASAH; Charles M. Riotto, President, International Licensing Industry; Peter Rush, Chairman & CEO, Kellen; John H. Graham, IV, CAE, CEO/Founder, ASAE the Center for Association Leadership; Joel A. Dolci, CAE, President, New York Society of Assn. Executives, Inc.;
Bobby Blumenfeld, ACG New York; Holly J. Koenig, Vice President, Kellen; and Michael L. Weamer, President & COO The Marfan Foundation.
On January 26, three dozen association and nonprofit leaders gathered in Manhattan at the Steelcase WorkLife Center for CEO Connect, a panel discussion about how the New Administration’s policies might impact the association and nonprofit sector in New York.
The panel included Vijay Dandapani, President and CEO of the Hotel Association of NYC, Greg David, Columnist for Crain’s New York Business, Benjamin Geyrhahn, JD, CEO and Founder of BeneStream, John H. Graham IV, FASAE, CAE, President and CEO, ASAE, and Karin Kunstler Goldman, Deputy Bureau Chief, New York State Attorney General’s Charities Bureau. The panel was moderated by Peter Rush, CEO of Kellen.
The panel opened with thoughts on how the new administration is going to be able to handle the realities of running a government. The panel generally conveyed that there is plenty of uncertainty with any new administration. According to some of the panelists, there are many unknowns that may push associations to uncomfortable places. But that’s not altogether a bad thing.
Many of the issues raised deal with finance and taxation, such as concerns with policy around charitable deductions and the impact on donor participation, Unrelated Business Income Tax, and mortgage deductions. Additionally, there was considerable discussion on how healthcare and trade would be impacted and what it means for associations. How will new financial constraints impact grants? Will discretionary funding wipe away programs or will state/city government make it up elsewhere? Will they need to combine resources or merge with other organizations to be able to provide services? Will they need to pool resources to stay afloat?
Immigration was also a central topic with concerns about how immigration policy might impact New York associations. It was noted that immigrants are a large part of the fabric of the New York economy and integral to the workforce. According to Greg David, “Historically, immigrants made New York great again.”
According to at least one panelist, with all of the “chilling” prospects revolving around the new administration’s policies, it is worrisome in some respects for how associations might operate and how they might be regulated.
Well, the good news according to some of the panelists is that associations remain healthy in crisis and will become even more valuable. John Graham of ASAE stated that “Associations thrive in crisis because that’s where members go and that’s why we’re here.”
Another potential positive is that it looks like the new administration wants to invest in infrastructure. The question is, given that outlook, “Will Congress align with the new direction?”
While there was no overall conclusion, there were certainly many questions raised, enough so that the association leaders in attendance will have much to think about during the next four…or potentially eight…years.