AAAE’s Unique Model
By Chip Barclay
AAAE President
Some 30 years ago, AAAE began a process of change. The goal of the volunteer leaders at hat time was to increase AAAE’s resources o that the association could better serve and
represent the membership.
Back then, AAAE was one of the smallest
aviation associations, with a staff of five people,
So the association
leaders supported
the shift to a
business model for
AAAE that focused
on entrepreneurship,
marketplace
services and non-
dues revenues.
PHOTO BY BILL KRUMPELMAN
The philosophy
was to find services and products
where AAAE could add value, and
deliver them to airports at a reasonable
profit. But, unlike a traditional company that
rewards shareholders with its profits, AAAE
would reward the not-for-profit services that
couldn’t financially support themselves. These
are services like Washington representation for
airports of all sizes, accreditation, scholarships,
and member services that can’t be covered
through dues alone.
Those volunteer leaders of three decades
ago were prescient in their vision that a
transformation was possible for AAAE. Today,
AAAE is one of aviation’s largest associations,
and in fact our $35 million annual budget
ranks us in the top 1 percent of all non-profit
organizations in the world. We’ve earned well
more than $300 million in revenues in the past
10 years, and only 3 percent of that revenue
came from member dues.
PHOTO BY BILL KRUMPELMAN
Above, AAAE’s new demonstration room for the association’s training products. Above
right, a meeting in AAAE’s new conference center at the headquarters building in
Alexandria, Va.
service goal is AAAE’s scholarship program.
Today one of the largest scholarship programs in
the aviation industry, it has provided more than
$3.2 million in higher education scholarships
to more than 2,000 student recipients over the
past 23 years. Another example is in AAAE’s
legislative and regulatory affairs representation.
Our association is able to field one of the most
effective and experienced teams in Washington
– something that would not be possible without
the success and support of AAAE’s business
programs. One of the places where we are not a
