Biennial Compensation & Benefits Survey

The Association for Accounting Marketing (rebranded as the Association for Accounting Growth) engaged Ingenuity Marketing Group for the third time to develop the survey methodology, analysis and reporting for its 2026 Biennial Compensation & Benefits Report.

Ingenuity has been an affiliate member of this association for more than two decades, and we appreciate the partnership with the survey committee to develop questions that align with accounting growth trends, career opportunities and compensation data that you can’t get anywhere else.

2022 AAM Compensation Survey cover.
2024 AAM Compensation Survey cover.
2026 AAM Compensation Survey cover.

The association first engaged our team in 2021, and we have helped them develop and promote the survey every two years and publish three compensation and benefits reports since then.

Data Collection & Cross-Referencing

One of the major themes of the 2026 survey was to identify impacts of M&A on the industry and the careers/compensation of growth professionals within firms. We asked specific questions about those impacts, and then cross-referenced impacts by trends in team structuring, new hires, promotions and attrition.

Through our analysis, we discovered that team sizes primarily got larger due to M&A transactions. However, promotions and new hires had decreased compared to two years ago. This was an important insight gleaned from several questions in the survey.

Slide from compensation survey Power point regarding M&A.

Cross-referencing potential is part of our methodology when determining the structure and number of survey questions. When developing our surveys, we keep the end in mind to ensure that our clients’ goals align with the survey data we collect.

Survey Monitoring & Promotion

Ingenuity’s value proposition goes beyond survey development and deeper analysis. We also use our marketing and public relations skills to promote survey participation and visibility. For this survey, we developed:

  • Social posts
  • Promotional emails
  • PR ideas
AAM Compensation Survey social post and email examples.

We also supported higher participation by interviewing several growth professionals by phone and adding that data to the survey instrument. We attended committee meetings, gathered feedback and adjusted timelines to support client survey success.

Report Writing and Design

One of the hallmarks of Ingenuity is our reporting and design work for surveys. Choosing a theme for the report, we built easily scannable visuals and copy that reflect the brand of our client while engaging readers.

Career changing page from 2026 AAM Compensation Survey.
AAM Compensation Survey map.

After several months of association marketing strategies, survey development, survey promotion and monitoring, this project attracted more than 150 participants at all levels of accounting growth roles across the country and in firms of all sizes.

More than 70 titles/roles were identified and quantified by salaries and career potential.

Plus, data insights such as AI impacts, offshoring and trends by firm size can be shared with the media. The final report is a revenue source for the association.

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Our Client Says

 “We appreciate how easy it is to work with Ingenuity on such a large-scale project as our Compensation Survey. They understand our goal to provide insightful information to our members. And this report has helped professionals build their careers and their teams through a lot of industry changes. It’s invaluable.”

– Rhonda Clark, Executive Director,
Association for Accounting Growth