The American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) has been around since the late 1940’s. This organization is a trade association of very talented and working freelance — mostly non-fiction — writers.
Until 2014 ASJA was essentially managed internally — with its own staff or direct contracts with vendors. In or about 2014 ASJA decided to abandon direct staff and hand association management over to Kellen, a professional association management company. As of this post, August 19, 2023, Kellen is still listed as the staff. See the image below captured on August 19, 2023.
ASJA’s phone number of 212-997-0947 has been with ASJA for many decades.
For any professional association — or business — it seems quite logical that callers to the organization’s phone number would be greeted with an announcement — either live or recorded — that says the organization’s name.
The phone number for ASJA is answered (August 19, 2023) with mild music — AND NOTHING ELSE. No message, no organizational identification, not even a message that says “You’ve reached 212-997-0947”. This is the conclusion any caller would have if the caller did not wait 50 seconds through the music to finally get an answering device (after business hours) saying the caller has reached ASJA and to leave a message.
What serious organization would operate like this? None. Being that ASJA is a serious organization, the only conclusion is that Kellen — the professional management association company — has down-graded, or de-graded AJSA as a serious, viable organization.
Does 50 seconds of music really support the following claim? “As Kellen employees, ASJA’s staff members bring years of expertise and an understanding of best practices to advance the ASJA mission and serve members.” The answer is rather obvious.