Leaders Blog

Let NAIFA take the design work off your hands.  Let us customize the 2021 Membership Sell Sheet with your chapter information.  The updated sell sheet features 2020 YAT Leader of the Year, Carina Hatfield, on the front side along with graduated membership fees. The reverse side has space to talk about the state and local/affiliates, key programs, contact information of a chapter representative and more.

The answer to the question, "How do I lead well?" is offered up in hundreds of books, articles, podcasts, etc. every year. However, effective leadership comes down to one thing...heart. A leader's heart is focused on serving others first and is not motivated by self-interest, status, position or power. 

The November Regional Zoom meetings featured Dan Ekstein from Sagac Public Affairs sharing his expertise about Advocacy Sales Tips. If you missed these valuable trainings or would like to watch them a second time to be motivated for 2021 fundraising, the videos are now available until the end of February.

Public Relations is used to achieve broad public recognition of NAIFA across the nation. Public Relations can be conducted through online and print media, as well as through social media. There are several ways chapters can utilize Public Relations. 

NAIFA 2021 President Tom Michel has appointed Christopher L. Gandy of NAIFA-Illinois and Evelyn Gellar of NAIFA-New York to the 2021 NAIFA Board of Trustees, and the Board has approved the appointments.

A committee of representatives of the 10 leading organizations in the life insurance and financial services industry selected Terry Headley, NAIFA past-president for 2010-2011, as the 2020 John Newton Russell Memorial Award recipient. The award is the highest honor accorded by the insurance industry to a living individual who has rendered outstanding services to the institution of life insurance.

Managing chapter funds is an integral part of operating a successful chapter. As part of the Chapter Playbook, we have included a list of financial internal controls chapters should make note of. Financial internal controls include items such as:

The Monthly Leader Webinars wrapped up for 2020 on Friday, December 4. Kevin Mayeux, CAE; Suzanne Carawan and Corey Mathews, CAE provided final reminders for the year, as well as thanked our leaders for their commitment to NAIFA during 2020.

In 2020, meetings were held in many different formats. From the in-person events to the virtual (or a combination of the two), many associations included meeting elements that helped them excel in a nontraditional year. Ernie Smith, a social media journalist for Associations Now, highlights the four elements for 2020 meetings that will continue to come in handy during 2021.

Looking to have NAIFA's CEO, President, Trustees or Staff speak at your next in-person or virtual event? The Chapter Playbook includes a simple speaker request form for chapters to fill out with details on their next event and select which speaker they may be interested in. Once the form is filled out, you will hear from a NAIFA staff member to lock in your speaker!