When the world shut down in March 2020, schools scrambled to reinvent learning and keep children fed. Hospitals braced for a crisis no one had trained for. Golf courses, airports, grocery stores, entire industries searched for answers nobody had.Quietly, behind nearly every profession and industry in America, associations stepped in to hold things together. What's an association? Associations bring people and organizations together to solve common problems, advance professions and industries, and strengthen the communities they serve.Joanna Pineda, CEO of Matrix Group International, Inc. and host of the podcast Associations Thrive, spent two years interviewing the association leaders who lived through the pandemic and served their members. Again and again, she heard the same thing: staff and volunteers advocated for their sector, offered guidance and emotional support, trained members to operate in the virtual world, and created safe environments for all. These associations acted heroically, then rarely spoke of their actions or impact.When It Mattered Most exists so their stories don't disappear.Inside, you'll meet:The School Nutrition Association, which helped ensure that schools could continue to serve breakfast and lunch, staving off mass hunger in our communities.FMI-The Food Industry Association, which provided health and safety guidance to grocery stores and advocated for pharmacists to be able to administer the COVID-19 vaccine.The National Golf Course Owners Association and the American Golf Industry Coalition, which worked state by state to convince governors to keep golf courses open or allow them to reopen.The Catholic Health Association, which helped hospitals navigate government mandates, nursing and PPE shortages, and the ethics crisis that arose because not everyone in America has health insurance.The American Association of Airport Executives, which advocated early for airports and airlines to get federal relief, keeping people employed and the entire industry flying.The American Society of Association Executives, which helped associations navigate the virtual and hybrid worlds, and successfully advocated for trade associations and professional societies to receive federal assistance, just like other businesses in America.And 18 more stories like these, spanning the everyday parts of life most of us take for granted, until they stop working: schools, healthcare, and everyday life.History recorded the pandemic. It almost overlooked the organizations that helped America through it. This book makes sure it doesn't.Read their stories. Then thank the association you never even existed.
