All organizations perform evaluations of their own purposes and effectiveness. The efforts of the Acoustical Society of America to this end during the past three years have included special studies by the Ad Hoc Committee on the Effectiveness of the Society. Recommendations of this Committee have resulted in a revitalization of activities in standards, formulization of a committee and programs in environmental acoustics, and the conduct of a Conference on Acoustics and Societal Problems. The Conference was made possible through a grant from the National Science Foundation and is reported upon here. The Conference, which was held at the Arden House 18–21 June 1973 with 52 participants in attendance, addressed the definition of problems of society at large which are of particular concern to the Acoustical Society of America as a corporate body, and to its members. The Conference established several vital elements—ranging from improved communications, through delineation of unsolved basic and applied research problems, to needs for strong leadership by the Acoustical Society of America—if an increased rate of progress is to be achieved during the next decade in areas dependent upon acoustics. A summary of these elements is set forth in this report.