NAFA Wants Your Opinion On Membership Qualifications, Board Structure
NAFA recently announced it is seeking input on changes being considered to the Association’s membership qualifications and board structure that would enable a wider audience to join and become leaders of the Association.
Chief among the changes being discussed by NAFA is a broadening of the definition of who qualifies to be a member of the Association, which is already the largest fleet-related association in the world.
"Today, and since NAFA was formed in 1957, only those individuals who practice any aspect of fleet management for their employers can be Members of NAFA," explained NAFA President Ruth Alfson, CAFM®. "There is a large and expanding market of individuals who practice fleet management but do so as a service to another company, not for their employer. These individuals today cannot become Members of NAFA – despite handling the same responsibilities that NAFA Members handle – simply because they are employed by a service company."
Alfson was quick to reinforce that NAFA had not made any changes yet and is only in the beginning stages of this process.
"We are still very much in the information-gathering stage of this conversation," Alfson said. "Today (April 8), we hosted an all-member webinar to introduce and explain the Board’s ideas. This week, NAFA leaders will be available during the closing day breakfast at the Institute & Expo in Austin to answer questions. And, throughout the coming months, NAFA leaders will be visiting NAFA chapters to talk about this in person. Rest assured, there will be ample time and means for all Members and Affiliates to voice their thoughts and ask their questions. Nothing has been decided and nothing is changing just yet. But it is important for us to begin this conversation now."
You may view a recording of the April 8 webinar by visiting http://www.nafa.org/bylaws-2016/. You may provide input to NAFA by sending an email to bylaws@nafa.org.
NAFA Chief Executive Officer Phillip E. Russo, CAE, explained the changes being discussed would require a change in NAFA’s bylaws, which would require a vote by NAFA Members. "We are starting this conversation now so NAFA Members have ample time to ask questions, voice concerns, and provide input to the Board. That is going to take time. If there is going to be a vote to change the NAFA bylaws, it likely would not be until later this year, at the earliest."
Russo also explained some of the rationale behind the idea of expanding membership qualifications, stating, "Back in 2008, NAFA began using ‘NAFA Fleet Management Association’ as its doing-business-as (dba) name because we knew we were more than a national association of fleet administrators; we were an association for the entire fleet management profession. Expanding membership qualifications to include everyone that practices fleet management, regardless of their employer, is a natural progression of that realization."
NAFA leaders are also discussing changing the structure of the Association’s governing Board to increase leadership opportunities and decrease the length of time required to serve on the Board.
NAFA President Alfson explained that today the NAFA Board of Trustees has only one Affiliate seat, out of 13, representing all of NAFA’s supplier community. She also noted that the typical NAFA Board member has logged more than five years of service to NAFA before they serve on the Board, after which they typically serve on the Board from five to ten years.
"The demands of today’s work and home environment no longer permit someone to commit 10 to 15 years of his or her life to be a volunteer leader of NAFA, or any organization," Alfson stated. "And, the next generation of fleet professionals is not interested in making that long of a commitment. NAFA must re-engineer itself now to be ready for the future, which is not far away."
Alfson also pointed out the Board has discussed adding more seats for Affiliates, to give them greater representation, but also instituting safeguards to ensure the association is always an organization dedicated to fleet management professionals.
"We have talked about allowing up to five Affiliates on the Board, from the current single seat, which would still give fleet managers an eight to five majority. We have also discussed limiting Board representation to one person from any single company or related company."
The Board has also discussed creating new eligibility criteria for Board members that would enlarge the pool of candidates from which national leaders were selected.
"I encourage everyone to become informed about this important issue," Russo stated. "Please watch the webinar. Please ask questions. Please give us your input. This is, after all, your association and you should help shape its future."