01/15/2025

How to Host a Successful Advocacy Event

Advance planning is critical

On a good day, advocacy is a difficult job, and at the moment it might feel appreciably harder for many associations. There's turnover in the White House, in Congress and at the state level, and the level of disruption President-elect Donald Trump's might deliver during a second term is uncertain. The anxiety can run deeper for niche associations, whose goals often don't enjoy the attention that hot-button issues do.

The American Fraternal Alliance (AFA) is one such association. A 501(c)(8) group, it represents nonprofit life insurance carriers who funnel proceeds into community service initiatives. AFA doesn’t have a large member base—it serves just 51 such groups—but it stands to be substantially impacted by coming legislative discussions around tax reform.

"Our sector is small and often misunderstood in the marketplace and among legislators," said CEO Allison Koppel, CAE. "So, our focus is on proactively communicating the value of fraternal benefit societies across the country and making sure they retain their tax-exempt status."

Please select this link to read the complete article from Associations Now.