Often when association budgets get slashed, one of the first expenditures to get the ax is staff training. While the association may save a few bucks, the long-term ramifications of such a cut can be dire. Instead, staff training and education should be viewed as an investment in improved productivity and efficiency. Education and training demonstrates the value to an association's staff of their duties and contributions. In addition, such investment plays a vital role in keeping the organization current, especially with the latest trends in association management. In most cases, well-funded staff training and education programs will ensure the best possible succession when staffers and executives move on. This article's author is Barbara Morrison, executive director of the Air Movement and Control Association International. She writes: "Develop some clear goals and consider how your educational strategies could help your bottom line. Then, develop a budget to support this effort." In conclusion, Morrison implores her colleagues to put together realistic training budgets, "but to also keep in mind that your educational costs will likely be offset by cost savings and improved revenues."

(10/08) Vol. 92, No. 9, P. 18; Morrison, Barbara