Civic Association Lab
Association Peer MovesNo. 7 · October 2026
Association Peer Moves · Professional societies · Q3 2026Data to 30 September 2026
Eleven peers raise dues for 2027 as bundling spreads
Dues season brought the busiest quarter we have recorded for the 24 society peer set. The median announced increase is 4.5 percent, well above the inflation members saw this year
1Moves observed in the quarter
The third quarter is when most peers publish dues for the coming membership year, so dues moves always lead it. This year the count of category, bundling and meeting changes also rose, and two peers froze dues for 2027.1
| Move | Q3 2026 | Q2 2026 | Q3 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dues increase for next year | 11 | 3 | 9 |
| New or restructured category | 6 | 4 | 3 |
| Education or credential bundled | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| Meeting format change | 5 | 2 | 4 |
| Dues freeze or cut | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| All moves | 28 | 11 | 21 |
Source: published dues and membership pages, board and annual meeting notices, program announcements, Civic Association Lab
2Dues for 2027
Announced increases run from 2.0 to 6.8 percent. The five largest dues lines in the set are below; the other six increases sit between 2.0 and 5.0 percent. The median of 4.5 percent is the second highest in the series after 2024.2
| Association | Field | 2026 dues | 2027 dues | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering society | Engineering | $295 | $315 | +6.8% |
| Nursing specialty association | Health | $189 | $199 | +5.3% |
| Planning association | Public sector | $240 | $250 | +4.2% |
| Physician specialty society | Health | $625 | $650 | +4.0% |
| Accounting professional body | Finance | $410 | $425 | +3.7% |
Source: published dues pages and member notices, July to September 2026
Source: published dues pages, Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index, Civic Association Lab
3Filed dues revenue
Twenty one of the 24 peers have now filed Form 990 for fiscal 2025. Dues revenue grew in every field, but public sector societies grew least, as two of them lost members after merging categories in 2024.
Source: IRS Form 990 filings for 21 of 24 peers, Civic Association Lab
4Against our Futures Index
5What to watch in the fourth quarter
Renewal results at the peers that raised dues most, the remaining three Form 990 filings due by 15 November, and board votes at two peers that have proposed retiring their student category.
How this tracker is built
- The peer set is 24 individual membership professional societies with dues revenue between $5 million and $40 million
- A move is counted when it is published by the association, not when it is proposed or reported second hand
- Every move and revenue figure traces to a published page, notice or Form 990 held on file for subscribers who ask
Approved for subscribersLillian MarshResearch Director · 8 October 2026
1 An association can make several moves in a quarter. The 28 moves this quarter came from 17 of the 24 peers.
2 Prior year CPI is the change in the consumer price index over the twelve months to August of the year before the dues year.