Fraternal Advantage - Fall 2009

Update from NFCA's Fraternal Advisory Committee

After a summer of hard work, the Fraternal Advisory Committee has wrapped up its extensive review of how the NFCA collects fraternal data and has developed a new method to report fraternal contributions.

For years, the NFCA has asked societies to report basic fraternal information regarding the number of members, number of lodges and fraternal events, and the amount of financial support provided to support lodges.  As fraternals have evolved over the years, the NFCA found it necessary to expand fraternal data collection methods to reflect the variety of ways in which fraternals are engaged in their communities.

In response to the needs of modern societies, the Fraternal Advisory Committee conducted an in-depth study of how today’s societies are active in their communities and explored how the NFCA could tailor fraternal reporting methods to capture the many activities of NFCA members.  The end product will be a comprehensive fraternal survey which will quantify the multifaceted ways in which fraternals serve their members and the community at large.  As a result of this work, the NFCA will be better equipped to educate regulators and policymakers about the work of fraternal benefit societies.

To introduce the new survey, Fraternal Advisory Committee Chair Kate Rounthwaite will host a complimentary NFCA webinar on December 1, 2009, at 10:00 a.m. Central.  Please join her to learn how to use the new survey and learn the how and why behind the new method to measure fraternal community service programs.  More information on the webinar and how to register will be available on the NFCA Web site soon.