The National Fraternal Congress of America Announces Its Strategic Priorities for 2007

12/15/06

The Board of Directors of the National Fraternal Congress of America (NFCA) approved five strategic priorities for 2007 during its November 9, 2006, meeting, at the NFCA Headquarters in Oak Brook, Illinois.

The NFCA Board of Directors refocused and renewed its priorities for 2007, as follows:

1. Preserve, protect and defend the federal 501(c)(8) tax-exemption through all appropriate means.

2. Minimize the impact of failing societies on the fraternal benefit system and ensure that all member-societies are viable business entities.

3. Establish reasonable fraternal benefit society performance standards that include fraternal and financial performance, best practices in management and governance, ethics, common bond, and participation in the NFCA.

4. [Serve as] an important source of fraternal industry knowledge, education programs and materials, while actively engaging individuals, public policymakers, and communities to achieve our goals.

5. Help establish or charter new fraternal benefit societies in the United States.

"To ensure the continued viability of the fraternal benefit system, the NFCA Board of Directors determined that these five strategic priorities are where the NFCA should concentrate its efforts and resources for 2007,” said NFCA Chair of the Board, Janice U. Whipple.  “In close cooperation with the NFCA staff, committees and member-societies, the Board will work to further these objectives through a variety of programs, services and materials."

At the November 9, 2003, Board meeting in Appleton, Wisconsin, then-NFCA Chair Fred Ohlde stated, “From this point forward, the November Board meeting should be used to designate the [top] priorities of the NFCA.  In turn, those priorities would be factored into the budget process.”  The Board concurred and, since that time, has utilized the November Board meeting as a strategic planning session for the year ahead.

About the NFCA
The 120-year-old NFCA unites 75 not-for-profit fraternal benefit societies operating in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Canada. The association represents 10 million fraternalists in 36,000 local chapters, making it one of America's largest member-volunteer networks. Fraternal benefit societies provide their members with leadership, social, educational, spiritual, patriotic, scholarship, financial and volunteer-service opportunities.  Combined, the Novak's member-societies maintain more than $324 billion of life insurance-in-force and, in 2005 alone, contributed almost $400 million to charitable and fraternal programs, and volunteered 93 million hours for community-service projects.  These statistics demonstrate the commitment that fraternals make to those in need and exemplify the true meaning of the NFCA signature phrase:  Joining Hands to Touch Lives.