Complete your chapter plans – Activity and Financial
Download the Planning Template for 2009 from the AFA website. You will also find a copy of a slide presentation
on the 2009 payment criteria which will help you understand the new format and payment rules. In addition you
can consult Chapter Eleven in the Field Operations Guidebook (making sure you are looking at the 2008 revision
of that chapter). If possible, at that same meeting complete an annual Chapter Activity (Operating) Plan and a
Chapter Financial Plan which will include how you intend to meet the requirements of the FOG.
Your treasurer should be able to do the Financial Plan in advance from last year’s records and at the very
least the chapter president should be able to use last year’s plan and calendar to rough out the Activity Plan
for the coming year, including some approximate dates. There is not a fixed format for this plan.
Your completed plans must be approved by your State and Region Presidents. Send your plans so that they arrive
at AFA headquarters with endorsements prior to December 31, 2008.
Please note: Both activity and financial plans are required to be on file with AFA National, endorsed by
state and region presidents as appropriate, before any support or rebate payments will be made to chapters.
Current Chapter Officer Rosters are also required but do NOT require endorsement.
For the purposes of filing a plan with National, both the words “activity” and “operating” mean a chapter plan
written to support the themes, objectives and goals of the AFA Strategic plan. Don’t be confused by the
terminology.
The 2009-2013 Strategic Plan was approved by the Board of Directors at the 2008 Convention. It is "strategic"
in that it covers the entire association, and looks out several years into the future. The 2009 Planning
Template has been derived from the AFA Strategic Plan and contains tactical details expressed as Goals which
should guide how Field units plan their activities.
Each chapter then selects those goals which it plans to accomplish each quarter as a basis for their overall
activity plan for the coming Plan Year.
The AFA Strategic Plan 2009-2013 is available on the AFA web site in the Library/Planning section of the
Field Resources Area. However, the most important document there is the Planning Template for 2009 for Chapters.
This is the ONLY format which is acceptable for 2009. State and Region Presidents will return any other form
to be re-accomplished prior to sending it forward for endorsement.
The AFA Operating Year remains October 1 through September 30. Your Chapter Plans should cover the calendar
year – January 2009 through December 2009 and specifically relate your Chapter activities to the goals in the
Planning Template for 2009. Using the calendar year for planning purposes enables new chapter officers to have
a plan to follow for the first quarter and concentrate on preparing plans for the coming year.
It is important to call National if you have any questions on what to do. Call as soon as the question arises.
Please do not wait!
You can direct your calls to Mary Nauheimer (ext 4821) or Jim Simpson (ext 5856) in Membership Operations.
Return to the
Table of Contents
or go to the Next Article
