NAIFA Members Approve Retooled Local Association Structure

By Susan Rupe

WASHINGTON – In the wake of shrinking membership and difficulty finding local leaders, National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors members voted today to implement a major bylaws change.

The sweeping change will affect the way its 52 state associations and 550 local associations conduct business. It will allow state organizations to direct more resources to the locals.

After about an hour of debate, members took a voice vote, following by a standing vote.

The move will make the association more nimble while strengthening the local associations, NAIFA CEO Kevin Mayeux said.

Today’s vote opened the NAIFA Congressional Conference, which takes place today and tomorrow. The vote on the bylaws change originally had been scheduled in September as part of the 2017 NAIFA Annual Conference in Orlando but Hurricane Irma forced the cancellation of that event.

The change is part of NAIFA’s Quality Member Experience, which would retool the NAIFA federation structure. Currently, the state and local associations operate more or less independently, with a different dues structure for each one.

Under QME, the state and local associations would become chapters under the national association with a consistent dues structure. The goal is to have fewer but more successful associations.

QME would give the state associations more authority and flexibility to direct resources to its locals, such as planning events and conducting administrative duties.

"This will free up our local association volunteers from some of the administrivia involved in serving," Mayeux told InsuranceNewsNet in April.

The loss of many of NAIFA's local associations over the years has been a consequence of declining membership and a difficulty in finding people to serve as volunteers on the local level.

"Why do so many NAIFA local associations fold? It's because they become too small," Mayeux said.

NAIFA once boasted about 140,000 members, but is down to about 30,000 today.

The bylaws change is part of the implementation of the strategic plan known as NAIFA 20/20, which was adopted in 2016. The plan is a five-year blueprint to strengthen the association and grow its membership.

Susan Rupe is managing editor for InsuranceNewsNet. She formerly served as communications director for an insurance agents' association and was an award-winning newspaper reporter and editor. Contact her at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @INNsusan.