Highlights
The GAR Report is a monthly summary of membership numbers by chapter. In the Chapter Recognition Program, up to 3,000 credits are available in the Membership Section in the areas of Base Growth, New Member Acquisition and Retention.
The GAR lists chapters by size (Group A = 300 or more members; Group B = 150-299 members, etc.). We also publish a GAR by region. It may be useful to see how individual regions compare. Don’t remember what the columns and numbers mean? Read a detailed explanation of the GAR Report.
Mark Your Calendar
Feb 21 – 22—AGA’s Sixth Annual National Leadership Conference
March 5—How Fraud Can Undermine the Integrity of Environmental Programs and Create Environmental Risks Audio Conference
March 31—Academic scholarship application deadline
Declare March CGFM Month in Your State!
Is your state going to declare March CGFM Month? Contact your CGFM Regional Coordinator to volunteer or to find out if someone is already working on this project in your state. Then contact your Governor and ask him/her to declare March 2008 (or better yet—March of EVERY YEAR) CGFM Month. Contact your local government as well.
View a sample proclamation or a sample request letter. For more information on this initiative, contact Katya Silver.
CGFM Exam Update
AGA is in the process of updating the three CGFM Examinations. The updated CGFM Examinations will be offered for the first time at the Intensive Review Course/CGFM Examinations event to take place before the Professional Development Conference & Exposition in Atlanta on July 24 – 27, 2008. The updated examinations will be available in Prometric testing centers beginning on Aug. 15, 2008. See CGFM Examinations Update page for more information.
2008 National Leadership Conference
Make plans to attend the Sixth Annual National Leadership Conference (NLC) Feb. 21 – 22, 2008 in Washington, D.C. This year’s theme, “Dynamic Leadership for Changing Times,” will explore the ever-changing field of government financial management. Staying up to date on new regulations, while maintaining a clear vision of government transformation, can be accomplished through the best training. Read more about the NLC, including registration, hotel and travel information.
Download the registration brochure.
Regional Coordinators to Be Honored at PDC
Beginning this year, AGA Regional Coordinators will receive an award recognizing their efforts in assisting chapters to improve services to members and the accountability community. One award will be presented in each of the four Regional Coordinator positions: certification, chapter development and assistance, education and membership. AGA chapters, Regional Vice Presidents (RVPs) and Senior Vice Presidents for Regional Services (SVPRS) can make the nominations. which are due by April 4, 2008 to the National Office. Check out the award details and help AGA recognize the best of the best!
AGA Helps You Recruit
As the We Have a Dream Member-Get-A-Member campaign continues, the National Office is full of membership prospects from AGA’s audio conferences. Nonmember audio conference attendees make great prospects, as they have just recently sampled the fine educational opportunities that AGA offers and have shown interest in enhancing their careers. Don’t let these great potential members get away. For a list of recent audio conference attendees, please contact Kim Ferguson.
AGA Newsletters
Stay in touch with AGA’s weekly electronic newsletters, TOPICS and AGA Today. Please remind your chapter members to 'whitelist' (postmaster@303media.net)to prevent AGA newsletters from being blocked by e-mail or spam filters. Questions? Contact AGA's webmaster.
Online Membership Rosters
Did you know that AGA provides chapter membership rosters? These online membership lists run concurrently with the national database, so once a change is made, it is reflected in your online roster. Remember to download your roster randomly in order to update your various distribution lists. You can find the rosters in AGA’s Members Only site under “Chapter Membership Reports.” |
February 2008, Volume 3, Issue 2
AGA 2008 Survey
AGA is sponsoring an online member survey to learn their thoughts about current and future government financial management issues. AGA Corporate Partner Grant Thornton LLP is administering the survey. All responses are anonymous, and the results will be presented at the 2008 PDC in Atlanta.
To encourage responses to the survey, AGA will give the chapter with the highest response rate a cash award of $300; second highest will receive $200 and third will receive $100. The award will be based on the number of responses received per chapter divided by the total registered membership of a chapter. Please be sure to enter your chapter’s name when you fill out the survey.
Thanks for your help in promoting the survey. If you have any questions about AGA’s research initiatives, please contact AGA’s Director of Research Anna Miller.
It’s Renewal Time!
Annual membership and CGFM renewal packets should be arriving in mailboxes shortly. Members don’t have to wait that long, though. You can renew online today. Please encourage your chapter members to use this quick and easy renewal method.
How to Renew Online: Access the AGA website and click on ‘Members Only’ on the left palette. Login using your membership ID number and password (your first initial followed by your last name—no spaces), click on the gray ‘billing’ button above your name. All you have to do is input your credit card information and hit ‘submit.’ The transaction will automatically process via our secure server and the renewal information will be automatically updated in AGA’s in-house membership system. While you are logged into the Members Only section, be sure to take a look at your contact information and make any updates as necessary (especially your e-mail address).
AGA and CEG Announce the Financial Management Careers Program
AGA and the Council for Excellence in Government (CEG) have combined their strengths to create a financial management careers specialty focus of the Excellence in Government Fellows program. This hands-on, results-based leadership development program is central to the missions of the CEG and AGA: to improve the performance and accountability of government.
A special area of emphasis has been added for mid-level federal managers with financial management specialties. Specific occupations include budgeting, accounting, auditing and investigations, financial systems and program management.
The Federal Financial Fellows program is for exceptional individuals in financial and related careers committed to enhancing their leadership skills and accomplishing significant results in their organizations. Potential Financial Fellows should:
- Have a record of strong accomplishment and demonstrate high potential.
- Rank at the GS-14 or GS-15 level (or equivalent in the military or other pay systems). Exceptional individuals at the GS -13 or equivalent level are also encouraged to apply.
- Find a sponsor in their organization that will support them throughout the program year.
During the course of a year, Fellows will meet every six weeks for three or four days. The program consists of large group meetings, small coaching team meetings, and financial management and leadership benchmarking site visits.
The inaugural Financial Fellows program begins April 7, 2008; applications will be accepted until March 7. Applicants are encouraged to apply online. Questions? Please contact AGA’s Director of Education Joe Jozefczyk at 703.562.0088.
AGA PDC Hotel Scholarships
 Due to the overwhelming success at past conferences, AGA is once again pleased to offer the chapter hotel scholarship for the 2008 Professional Development Conference & Exposition (PDC), to be held July 27–30 in Atlanta, GA. The scholarship will cover room and tax for two individuals from each AGA chapter for up to five nights at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis.
The scholarship’s objective is to ensure that every AGA chapter is represented at the PDC. The program does not dictate who receives the benefit from each chapter. When determining which members will receive the scholarship, think of it as a way to reward the top sponsor in the chapter, or a way to show appreciation for chapter committee service or as an incentive to serve on the committee in the future. Raffling the scholarships at chapter meetings is a sure way to increase attendance!
Please note: The hotel reservation process is different this year. Members chosen by their chapter to receive the hotel scholarship are responsible for making their own reservations, by calling the hotel at 888.829.1396. Be sure to mention you’re attending the “AGA PDC” to ensure you receive the discounted rate ($129 per night).
Approximately one month before the conference, individuals participating in the hotel scholarship program will be asked to provide their confirmation numbers and arrival/departure dates to AGA, so that we may move their room and tax charges to our master account. But don’t wait, the hotel sells out quickly. Please book your room as soon as possible. Questions? Please contact Jessica Jones.
This is a wonderful chapter benefit. We hope see you in July!
Chapter Challenge—Promote Government Accountability to the People
Encourage governments to produce and publish Citizen-Centric Reports and earn bonus chapter recognition credits. The Citizen-Centric Reporting initiative has become one of AGA’s hallmark programs. The four-page reports, designed to be visually appealing, provide understandable information to citizens about the performance and financial condition of the government as well as demographics and future challenges. The reports answer the question, “Are we better off today than we were last year?”
“We are answering to the responsibility we have as financial managers to leave this world better than we found it. If we do not do this, no one will. We are calling on all governments to be accountable to the citizens they serve,” said AGA’s Executive Director Relmond Van Daniker, DBA, CPA.
Tools Make It Easy
AGA has developed a Content Guidelines Template outlining what information should be included on each page as well as a Design Guidelines Template outlining the physical layout of the report.
Bonus Credits
Earn Chapter Recognition bonus credits for the 2007-2008 Year under Section V, Membership:
- Make contact with a government, encourage them to produce and publish a four-page, Citizen-Centric Report—100 credits per contact made (please forward information to Susan Fritzlen).
- Government that you contacted produces and publishes a four-page, Citizen-Centric Report—500 credits per published report (please forward a pdf of the published report to Susan Fritzlen).
We also have bulk copies of sample reports that we can send to you to distribute at your next chapter event. Want to present the program? We also have a PowerPoint presentation available. Please contact Susan Fritzlen for any of these materials. Visit our website to check out the entire program, including completed reports.
Additional Governments Produce Four-Page Reports
The state of Nevada and the city of Tallahassee, FL, join a growing list of governments that have produced four-page ‘state of the government’ reports. More and more governments are seeing the importance of this type of reporting to their citizens. Momentum is building!
Call for AGA National Awards Nominations
AGA’s National Awards Committee is now accepting nominations for 13 national awards that recognize the leaders advancing our profession and setting the standards of excellence. These awards will be presented during AGA's Professional Development Conference & Exposition in Atlanta, GA, July 27-30, 2008. In many cases, individuals do not have to be members of AGA to be eligible. All nominations are due no later than Friday, April 4, 2008. View the list of awards here.
Sectional Leadership Meeting—Section 1
Invitations for the Section 1 Sectional Leadership Meeting (SLM) scheduled for April 11 – 12 in Cleveland, OH, were sent last week. If you are a Chapter President, Regional or Sectional leader in Section 1 and didn’t receive this invitation, please contact Julie Cupp or call 800.AGA.7211, ext 322. We look forward to hosting you in Cleveland. Note that other SLM notices will be going out in the next several weeks.
Now Accepting 2008 Academic Scholarship Applications
Are you or a family member pursuing undergraduate or graduate studies in disciplines such as accounting, auditing, budgeting, economics, finance, information technology or public administration? If so, consider applying for an AGA national academic scholarship today!
Each year, AGA National awards:
- Up to four $3,000 full-time merit scholarships to AGA members and their family members,
- One $1,000 part-time merit scholarships to AGA members and their family members, and
- One $3,000 community service scholarship.
The deadline for receipt of applications is March 31, 2008. Learn more.
Free Event Advertising!
Reach out to members and nonmembers alike through AGA’s Training Opportunities calendar. You can post information about your chapter or regional events for no charge.
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