Volunteer Announcements
 
2008 Annual Meeting Volunteer Form
The 2008 Annual Meeting Volunteer Form is now available.  Go to the Get Involved - Volunteer Opportunities section of the website to sign up to volunteer at the 2008 Annual Meeting in Denver, CO.

2009 Volunteer Involvement Form
The 2009 Volunteer Involvement Form is available.  Go to the Get Involved - Volunteer Opportunities section of the website to complete your 2009 Volunteer Involvement Form.

Membership Renewal
Haven't renewed?  Go to the membership section of the website to renew your membership.  Remember you can't vote or hold a volunteer position if you don't renew.  All members must be renewed by August 15.
 
Outstanding Volunteer of the Year
It's never too early to think about recognizing the exceptional volunteers you work with through AFA. This is an especially good time to think about this recognition, as we have just finished our evaluation process. If you are interested in submitting a letter of nomination for the Outstanding Volunteer of the Year award, email a letter of nomination to Sarah McCracken, Director of Member Services, by Friday, September 26, 2008. Please be sure to include the nominee's institution/organization, phone number, email address and why you believe s/he is deserving of this honor.

 

Status Reports Deadline Reminder - July 31

Each volunteer leader is responsible for submitting a Status Report on a quarterly basis, at a minimum. Quarterly Status Reports were due, today - July 31st. Regional Directors, Committee Chairs, Liaisons, Editors, and Workgroup Chairs should submit Status Reports to their volunteer supervisors. The Executive Board and staff are committed to reviewing all Status Reports and providing volunteers with the guidance, feedback, and support necessary to accomplish their goals.

Volunteer of the Month 

 

 

Go here to contact the Central Office to recommend a Volunteer of the Month.

 

Volunteer of the Month 
Ruby Alvarado Hernandez

 

As a member of the Membership Intake Resource Workgroup which is working on three individual resources related to NALFO, NMGC, and NAPA, Ruby volunteered to take the lead on the NALFO resource, and since that day she has been invaluable to the success and progressive momentum of that committee. She has worked closely with the current NALFO Chair to secure approval for the distribution of a survey to their membership. She is incredibly dedicated to this resource and has effortlessly ensured the engagement of all the volunteers working specifically on the NALFO resource.  Her commitment, dedication, responsiveness, and attentiveness to both her fellow volunteers and her tasks are impressive.

 

Go here to contact the Central Office to recommend a Volunteer of the Month.

Highlights from the Summer 2008 Executive Board Meeting
Jay Anhorn, President

The 2008 Executive Board held its summer meeting June 16-18, 2008 in Indianapolis.  Special thanks to Delta Upsilon and Phi Kappa Psi for hosting our meetings at their offices.  The following are some highlights from the meeting:

Kyle Pendleton, Past President, led the Board through exercises to assist in identifying the next priorities in the implementation of our strategic plan, which now include:

• Develop a recruitment and retention plan that addresses mid-level and senior-level professionals committed to the fraternal movement
• Assess members' perceived value/return on investment of membership and use this data in Association recruitment and retention efforts
• Examine board/association governance models and identify necessary adjustments to Association operations
• Enhance the rigor and quality of information/content in Association programs and services

Linda Wardhammar, Executive Director, and I provided a Board development session during which we discussed our members' return on investment.  We reviewed articles and had in-depth discussions about the make-up of our Association, which resources and services members are utilizing, and how we can reach our members to make their experiences the best they can be.

We reviewed all of the volunteer position descriptions, based on feedback from those currently in the positions, and entertained some revisions as well as proposals for additional volunteer roles.

In a discussion continued from our March meeting, board members focused on a strategic initiative looking at how we function as an association made up of regions.  Jennifer Jones, Vice President for Membership, will lead the Regional Directors in revisiting their roles in membership recruitment versus community building.  Kelly Jo Karnes, Executive Vice President, will lead a new workgroup to look at other member needs related to networking with colleagues.  It is our hope to realize a new vision by early next spring.

Jeremiah Shinn, Vice President for Resource Development, has identified a core group of members to look at the idea of expansion, colonization, and the closing of chapters.  The projected outcomes are:  (1) to have a mutual understanding of the expansion/closing dynamic for NIC-member fraternities; and (2) to introduce and pass a joint resolution between AFA and NIC about this process.

Carrie Whittier, President Elect, is working closely with the Capital Fraternal Caucus to obtain housing information for key state institutions in hopes of garnering further support for the Collegiate Housing Infrastructure Act.  She is also pulling together a workgroup to review the CAS standards, which will be chaired by Dan Bureau.

The Finance Committee reviewed revenue and expenses from 2007-2008 in preparation for budgeting for the 2009 fiscal year. Thanks to the leadership of Shelly Brown Dobek, Vice President for Administration and Finance, the Board passed a balanced budget for 2008- 2009, which includes funding for new or expanded initiatives, and continues to plan for ongoing financial stability into the future.

Linda Wardhammar and I will travel to the Fraternity Executives Association Annual Meeting in Miami, Florida July 10th-13th to present a program on trends in fraternity and sorority advising to the Directors of Chapter Services and other fraternity/sorority staff.  AFA is sponsoring a breakfast for these professionals in conjunction with the program. We hope to gain a great deal of insight about how the Association can best meet the needs of inter/national organization professionals.

Membership renewals have been mailed out, so, if you haven't already done so, don't forget to mail in your form or submit it online.  Do you know anybody who is committed to the advancement and unification of the fraternal movement but not a member?  Ask them to join, and it will be a win-win situation. They'll receive all the great benefits of membership, and you get credit for referring them!

On behalf of my fellow Executive Board members, I want to thank you for your membership, involvement, and continued support as, together, we strive for the success of not only our Association, but the fraternal movement in general.