|
|
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 March 25—SEA audio conference March 31—Deadline for receipt of AGA National scholarships March 31—Third quarter Chapter Recognition Program reporting deadline March 31—Third quarter RVP reporting deadline April 3—Chapter newsletter contest entry deadline. Questions? Contact Chris Camara. April 6—Chapter website contest deadline. Questions? Contact April Pardoe. April 8—The Future of Government Auditing audio conference April 29—GASB 54 audio conference 2009 Audio Conference Schedule See the list of 2009 audio conference dates and topics. AGA’s New Education and Training Brochure
We are offering a ‘March Madness’ promotion. If your organization signs up for one of these courses between now and the end of April, we will take $250 off the normal course price. For pricing and additional information about course content, please contact Bekka Gehrmann at 800.AGA.7211, ext. 309, or send her an e-mail. Renewal Time is Here Renewals are streaming into the National Office, but don’t forget to remind all of your members to recommit themselves to AGA for 2009-2010 by renewing today. Better yet, suggest that your recruits join. It’s quick and easy! If your members have any problems renewing or any questions concerning their invoice, you can direct them to the Customer Satisfaction Center at 800.AGA.7211. We are happy to help! Attention CGFM Candidates: Sample Exam Questions Available Grow Your Chapter Membership! Advertise for Free!
|
March 2009, Volume 4, Issue 3 AGA 2009 Survey
To encourage responses, 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. PDC 2009 Chapter Hotel Scholarships The AGA room rate is $120 per night (plus tax) for single and double occupancy. Rates are only guaranteed until May 29, 2009, or until the block is sold out. We encourage you to make your hotel reservations early, for the best price and availability. Rooms booked at other hotels will not be covered under the hotel scholarship. 2009 Call for Scholarships
The deadline for receipt of AGA National scholarship nominations is March 31, 2009. Visit the website for more details and to download an application. Audio Conference on Stimulus Plan Under Development Due to the level of interest and importance of this Act to all of us, AGA has decided to reduce the cost of the audio conference to $125, which is half of the early registration fee. Check AGA’s website for further details. Spring into Action with the BIG EASY Member-Get-A-Member Campaign! Recruit 10 or more members by March 31, 2009 and be placed in a drawing for a Sony Blu-Ray DVD player. After 10, each new member is another chance to win. Recruit 10 members, get one chance at the drawing, recruit 16 members, get seven chances and so on. Simply put, the more members recruited the more chances to win. The member who recruits the most new members from May 1, 2008 through April 30, 2009 will be presented with the Recruiter of the Year distinction, free registration to the PDC in New Orleans and an Apple iPod touch. Show off your enthusiasm with firsthand accounts of how your AGA membership has been a great investment in your professional development and career. Start recruiting today. Chapter Newsletter Editor and Website Contests We encourage all chapters to participate in the contest. Here’s how to enter: Submit copies of your chapter’s October, November and February newsletters to Chris Camara by COB Friday, April 3. When all entries are in, we will pick ONE month out of a hat and all entries from that month will be judged. All AGA chapter websites are automatically entered into the website contest. Volunteer judges will review all working chapter websites during the week of April 6. Check your chapter’s listing. We must have all updated URLs or changes before April 6 to be included in this year’s judging. Contact April Pardoe with changes or questions. Once again, we are inviting last year’s award recipients to be our judges for other chapter groups. (For example, Group A would judge Group B, Group C would judge Group D, etc.) If you received a Chapter Newsletter Award last year and would like to be a judge this year, e-mail Chris Camara. Award recipients will be announced in early May. Awards will be presented during the PDC in New Orleans, June 21 – 24. Remember that all award recipients must be AGA members. Let’s celebrate the achievements of AGA's 2008-2009 chapter communicators who have produced outstanding newsletters and websites. Good luck! Check out the 2007-2008 award recipients and judging criteria. Mark Your Calendar—The annual Chapter Communicators Session at the PDC is set for 2:40 to 3:40 p.m. Sunday, June 21. AGA’s Communications team will be available to answer your questions. Additional Governments Produce Citizen-Centric Reports AGA members believe that government accountability and transparency are essential to a healthy democracy and are committed to fulfilling our obligation to advance government accountability. As you know, this initiative is focused on compelling governments at all levels to improve how they present financial information to taxpayers, so that it is clear, accurate, up-to-date and easily accessible to all. In these tough economic times, it will take all our know-how, resources and courage to steer our way to the sustainable fiscal accountability taxpayers expect and deserve. AGA now offers a Certificate of Excellence in Citizen-Centric Reporting for governmental entities that prepare and distribute four-page reports that provide citizens with clear information on a government’s financial condition, its performance in providing services, and challenges it faces in the future. To be eligible for the Certificate of Excellence, governments must incorporate into their report the program’s high standards of content, visual appeal, readability, distribution and timeliness in reporting. Questions? Contact Susan Fritzlen. March is a CGFM Month Let's continue this tradition for 2009—contact your governor and ask him/her to declare March 2009 (or better yet, March of EVERY YEAR) a CGFM Month. Contact your local government as well. Join us in making this project a success! Here is what you can do:
Obtaining a state CGFM month proclamation is worth 500 BONUS CREDITS in the Chapter Recognition Program (250 BONUS CREDITS for a local government proclamation). Publicizing it in your chapter, state and on the national level earns you an extra 100 BONUS CREDITS. Thank you for your support of the CGFM Program. |
Disclaimer: AGA serves government accountability professionals by providing quality education, fostering
professional development and certification, and supporting standards and research to advance government
accountability. If you would like to opt off of future AGA mailings, please e-mail agawebmaster@agacgfm.org.
Thank you.
© Association of Government Accountants 2009
The 58th Annual Professional Development Conference (PDC) will take place June 21–24 in New Orleans, LA. This year, conference attendees will be housed in two headquarter hotels. Chapters wishing to participate in the hotel scholarship (two scholarships per chapter) will be housed in the Sheraton New Orleans. The Sheraton is now taking reservations and can be reached at 888.627.7033; be sure to mention that you are attending the “AGA PDC” to receive the discounted rate.
For the past four years, thanks to the initiative and dedication of AGA regional and chapter leaders, state and local governments have been declaring March a CGFM month. This project has been a great example of AGA leadership and teamwork and continues to help spread the word about the CGFM Program. 