Your Role in the AFA Budgeting Process Budget requests for the 2007-2008 fiscal year are due May 1. To submit a request, please follow the instructions on the budget request form. This form can also be found as Appendix B of the Standard Operating Procedures Manual. Any questions should be directed to Shelly Brown Dobek, Vice President for Administration and Finance, at shelly_dobek@ncsu.edu or 919/513-2910. Learn more about the Association's budgeting process. Volunteer of the Month Becky Druetzler has been a huge asset to the Expansion and Colonization Resource Workgroup. The workgroup is developing a manual to educate AFA members on expansion and colonization. They are currently conducting surveys for both campus and fraternal organization professionals to gain valuable information from AFA members who have participated in expansion or colonization efforts within the past five years. Becky was instrumental in creating the survey targeting inter/national fraternal organization staff members. She also assisted greatly with developing the draft table of contents for the resource. She is great about communicating with the workgroup chair and other workgroup members. The workgroup chair states, "Becky has truly been a stand out in this group and deserves to be recognized accordingly." Thank you, Becky! Please contact the Central Office to recommend a Volunteer of the Month. Volunteer Evaluations Our second annual 360-degree Volunteer Assessment is rapidly approaching! All volunteers will participate in an assessment process that allows them to evaluate their own performance as well as that of their volunteer supervisors and any volunteers they supervise. Mark your calendars now and please set aside some time for this important project. This process is essential to our success as a volunteer driven organization. The key dates are outlined below: May 1-15: Complete online evaluation forms June 1: Evaluation summaries will be distributed by the Central Office June 4-8: Volunteer Coordinator/Director of Member Services will hold conversations with Board Members/Conference Chair regarding general themes for the volunteer areas they supervise June 18-22: Conversations will take place between Board Members/Conference Chair and Volunteer Leaders (pre-schedule these meetings!) June 25-29: Conversations will take place between Volunteer Leaders and Volunteers (pre-schedule these meetings!) While potentially time consuming, we know this is going to be an extraordinary process. Completing the evaluation forms allows you to reflect on your volunteer experience; receiving the summary of feedback from your peers gives you great insight into how others perceive your efforts; having a conversation with your volunteer supervisor to process all of this information can be extremely valuable in further strengthening or improving your performance and your overall volunteer experience. The feedback discussion is the most significant part of this evaluation process for our volunteers and we urge you to make time for these important conversations! Volunteer Position Description Review The first stages of the 2008 volunteer appointment process will involve all current volunteers reviewing and revising your current position descriptions. The volunteer position descriptions include a position impact statement and performance standards/indicators of success, providing critical guidance and direction to volunteers. Volunteer leaders will recieve detailed instructions this week and are expected to involve committee members in this process. Revised position descriptions are due to volunteer supervisors (i.e. Executive Board, Conference Chair, or Central Office staff) by Friday, May 18th. Did You Know… The Informed Volunteer Submitting an AFA Board Proposal Form Do you have an idea for a brand new initiative for the Association? Are you involved in a committee or workgroup that wants to significantly change “the way we've always done things”? New ideas and new initiatives are GREAT! And as a volunteer-driven association, we have an elected Executive Board whose responsibility is to evaluate these new ideas to make certain they are in alignment with the mission and major goal areas for AFA and that our current resources can support a new project. As members, we know our Executive Board has been elected to make good decisions (for all of us) on behalf of the Association. So if you have a new idea/new initiative, submit a Board Proposal Form. The AFA Board Proposal Form can be found on page 31 of your Standard Operating Procedures Manual. The proposal form asks you to describe the initiative, strategies for achievement, budget implications, etc. A Board Proposal Form is a much more effective way to introduce an idea to AFA (rather than just mentioning to your friend on the Executive Board, "wouldn’t it be great if the Association did XYZ?"). It officially documents your idea, puts it on the radar of ALL Board members, and leaves an opportunity for the Board to directly provide you feedback. Proposals should be submitted to the Board through your volunteer supervisor. This person or a Central Office staff member can help you determine whether or not your idea requires Board action. Proposals are typically discussed on the Executive Board’s monthly conference calls. When you submit a proposal, your volunteer supervisor should be able to let you know when you can expect a response. Expansion and Colonization Survey AFA's Expansion and Colonization Workgroup is developing a resource for professionals regarding expansion and colonization efforts. If you have participated in an expansion or colonization process within the past five years, you are invited to participate in this survey to help identify the critical issues and best practices that should be included in this resource. There are two surveys for our primary audiences - Campus-Based Professionals and Inter/national Organization Professionals. Both surveys will be available until April 30, 2007.