PAA 2020 Annual Meeting online

Normally this morning, more than 3,000 of us would be gathering in meeting rooms for the start of the PAA 2020 Annual Meeting, sharing research findings, reaching out to new colleagues, and reconnecting with old friends. Sadly, the coronavirus pandemic has changed all that.

We are making the best of the situation with 30+ sessions taking place virtually in real time, an additional 50 sessions hosted asynchronously, as well as many posters being shared online. You can find information on the virtual 2020 meeting here, and we encourage you to participate and to share your experiences online (#PAA2020).

Beyond the loss of shared interaction, not hosting the annual meeting is a big loss for PAA’s budget. Annual meeting revenue comprises more than half of PAA’s total annual revenue and, as you can imagine, a loss of that scale hits hard. While good financial stewardship has given PAA the reserves to cover the immediate crisis, the future financial health of PAA depends on recovering this lost revenue to ensure the continued activities of the organization we know and love.

To be clear, the cancellation of our 2020 Annual Meeting has resulted in the projected loss of fully $450,000, which amounts to about $130 per current PAA member. It’s a big number, but the PAA Board and Development Committee are working hard to address the gap.

We’re writing now to ask you, as a valued member of PAA, to help ensure the financial future of PAA. Here are two ways you can help:

• Make a donation to PAA. You can support an Honor a Colleague campaign, specific activities, or the general operating fund.
• Renew your membership now! You can renew your membership early or extend the length of your current membership by up to three years.

The role of demography in helping the public to understand the effects of COVID-19 on populations cannot be overstated – let us rally during this critical time and help PAA to continue informing the public and scientific discourse.

Together, we will get through this, and we look forward to brighter times ahead!

Sincerely,
Eileen Crimmins, PAA President
Marcy Carlson, PAA Development Committee Chair

Note that PAA has applied for support from the COVID-19 federal assistance programs (Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loans).