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.

AGA National Staff
Have you ever wondered who is on the other end of the line when you call the National Office? To find out, click on "Chapter Resources" in Members Only and then scroll to the bottom under “National Office.” 

Mark Your Calendar

Aug. 24—AGA’s Fourth Annual Internal Control & Fraud Conference early registration deadline

Sept. 2—Grants Management in Today’s Environment audio conference

Sept. 16–17—AGA’s Fourth Annual Internal Control & Fraud Conference

Sept. 30—First quarter Chapter Recognition Program deadline

Sept. 30—First quarter RVP reporting deadline

Oct. 2—Registration deadline for AGA’s Third Government Finance Case Challenge

Oct. 7—Internal Controls for Auditors, Management and Staff audio conference

Oct. 30— National officer nominations due

Oct. 31— Chapter Recruitment Scholarship funds request deadline

AGA wishes all new and returning officers good luck in the 2009-2010 program year!

New Chapter Officers
As the new program year gets started, it’s time for a little housekeeping. Please take a moment to find your chapter on the Chapter Locator section of the AGA website and make sure all of the information is correct. Chapter presidents are listed as the main contact by default. If you would like another chapter officer listed or if you need meeting information updated, just send a quick note to Jessica Jones.

Advertise for Free!
AGA’s online Training Opportunities Calendar allows chapters to list upcoming events free of charge. By clicking “Add an Event,” you can advertise your chapter meeting or regional event for everyone to see. With more than 1,200 visits every month, the Training Opportunities Calendar is a great way to get noticed by AGA members and nonmembers alike.

August 2009, Volume 4, Issue 8

AGA Internal Control & Fraud Conference—Registration Deadline Extended
If you have already registered for AGA’s Internal Control & Fraud Conference, we look forward to seeing you. But if you have not yet registered, don’t worry… there’s still time. Discounts apply to all registration forms received on or before Aug. 24.

Earn 14 CPE hours at informative sessions focusing on the responsibilities of all accountability professionals in ensuring a good system of internal controls to lower the risks of wrongdoing. Hear the latest discovery techniques and lessons learned from various schemes. Learn how poor internal controls can lead to fraud, waste and abuse. See how different levels of government are cooperating to improve services to citizens.

In addition to an outstanding technical program, this event offers many opportunities to network and swap ideas with colleagues from around the country. Don’t miss this chance to recharge professionally, gain useful information and expand your professional network.

• Wednesday agenda
• Thursday agenda
• Register today!

For more information, please visit AGA’s Internal Control & Fraud Conference website.

PDC Chapter Hotel Scholarships
What a success! AGA would like to thank all of our members who attended the 58th Annual Professional Development Conference (PDC) in New Orleans, and participated in the Chapter Hotel Scholarship Program.

The objective is to provide assistance to members who otherwise may not be able to attend the conference and to ensure that every AGA chapter is represented at the PDC. We are happy to report that 90 chapters took advantage of the program this year, and we’re looking forward to even greater participation next year.

Save the date! PDC 2010 will take place July 11–14, at the Orlando World Center Marriott. The hotel room block is not open yet; however, we anticipate housing reservations to open in September. Details regarding the hotel scholarship and when attendees can make reservations will be e-mailed to chapter presidents when available. In the meantime, please take a moment to think about which member from your chapter will take advantage of the scholarship. This way, when the block opens, you’ll be able to book your rooms early to guarantee the discounted rate.

Chapter Recruitment Scholarships Are Back by Popular Demand
This year we are again offering recruitment scholarships to AGA chapters in order to provide financial assistance to conduct recruitment activities. Although some chapters already budget funds for recruitment and retention activities, this unique program encourages all chapters to do this each year.

How does the program work? It’s simple—if your chapter would like to receive recruitment funds, just send an e-mail to Rodneikka Scott requesting the funds. Requests need to be made by e-mail before Oct. 31. All chapters receive the same base amount; additional funding is given in increments determined by chapter size. It is up to the chapter to hold the recruiting event(s) before Jan. 29, 2010. Once you have completed your activity, we ask that you report back on how the funds were used. We’ll compile the recruitment ideas we receive to share with all chapters.

Call for National Leader Nominations; Join AGA’s National and Regional Leadership Team
This is your opportunity to shape Association programs, advance your profession and represent members’ interests in the government accountability community!

AGA, the premier educational association dedicated to advancing government accountability and serving accountability professionals, is seeking leaders to serve on our National Board of Directors (for the term July 1, 2010 – June 30, 2013) as:

• National President-Elect*
• National Treasurer-Elect*
• Senior Vice President for Regional Services*—Section II (Mid-Western, South Central,Southwestern and Texas-Oklahoma regions)
• Senior Vice President At Large
• Regional Vice Presidents-Elect (for AGA’s 15 regions)
• Serves on the National Executive Committee

Read AGA’s nomination brochure. Nomination forms are due to Michiyo Wheeler by Oct. 30.

AGA's Third Government Finance Case Challenge
The best undergraduate accounting/financial management/business students in the country are invited to compete in AGA's Third Government Finance Case Challenge which runs Oct. 5–20. Student teams will collaboratively construct and design a citizen-centric report for a local city government. The registration deadline is Friday, Oct. 2.

All members of the two highest-scoring teams will receive a scholarship to attend AGA's National Leadership Conference, set for February 2010, in Washington, D.C. These two teams will present their solutions before a panel of federal/state/local government leaders, corporate partners and CFOs. The winning team will be announced on the final day of the conference. Cash prizes will be awarded to the winning team, and each student participant will receive a free one-year membership to AGA.

The experience promises to raise the students' awareness of the importance of government accountability and open doors to a future career in government.

We need your assistance to make this program a success. If you or your chapter has a connection with a local college or university, please consider contacting the institution to introduce this competition. To learn more, contact Jennifer Curtin at 410.430.1785.

Studying for the CGFM Examinations?
Here are some tips to help you be more successful in taking the examinations:

1. Review the examinations content outline
The outline lists all of the main and sub-topics covered in each examination. It has been used both by the question writers to create examination questions and by study guide writers to update the study guides. This should be the focal point of your preparation. Don't forget to take a look at the list of acronyms used on the examinations.

Click here for more tips.

AGA Brings Training to You
While AGA currently offers 19 different on-site courses, we are continually looking to add new courses to our curriculum. Here are two featured on-site courses currently offered:

Fraud Detection & Prevention: Fraud is a serious and growing problem in our society and is a particular threat to the public and private sectors’ bottom line. How to detect and prevent fraud and fraudulent activities is crucial to effective program management and accountability. This course is designed to highlight the genesis of fraud in today’s environment, ways to detect it, solutions for correcting it and methods to mitigate future risk. The course is intended for financial and program managers, auditors and information technology professionals.

Grants Management:This course provides a general overview of grants management, including preparation, review and submittal of proposals; negotiation and acceptance of grants; post-award financial and administrative management; closeout and audit; and relevant compliance issues.

For more information about AGA's on-site courses, including course descriptions and objectives, click here to check out AGA’s education brochure. If you or your agency or company is looking for a particular course which is not currently in the AGA curriculum, please contact Joe Jozefczyk at 800.AGA.7211, ext. 307 to discuss your training needs.  AGA may be able to design a course to meet your specific requirements and training objectives.

Membership Application

CGFM Application

Audio Conferences

View the AGA Video

Training Opportunities

Contact AGA Staff

Order Recruitment Materials

Members Only Site Tutorial

Other AGA links

CGFM Certification—Take the AGA CGFM Exams today!

Register for AGA's Fourth Annual Internal Control & Fraud Conference, Sept. 16–17, 2009, Washington, D.C.

Register for AGA's Fifth Annual Performance Management Conference, Nov. 5–6, 2009, Seattle, WA