The First Word: And Now For Some Good News...
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 Last month the NAFA Board of Governors applauded when Treasurer Mike Camnetar, CAFM, announced he was projecting NAFA’s revenue would exceed expenses by more than $300,000 this year. Considering the budget called for a profit of just over $25,000 this year, and that the economy is still not fully recovered from the recession, I would say that coming out more than thirteen-times better than anticipated is something we all should rejoice over!
If everything holds as projected, this will be the second consecutive year in which NAFA earns more than $250,000. This will enable NAFA to fully restore its reserve fund.
The 2011 gain is due to revenue exceeding budget by more than $200,000 and expenses being under budget by more than $100,000. Of significant note:
- I&E Expo revenue up 4.8 percent
- Conference registration revenue up 23.6 percent
- Sponsorships up 18.8 percent
- Membership revenue up 2.5 percent as membership enrollment increases by nearly five percent
- Certification program revenue up six percent
- Education product revenue up 54 percent
Making NAFA’s success even more remarkable is the fact that many new, unbudgeted programs were approved during the year, including:
- An in-person Fleet Management Seminar in June
- An in-person Advanced Fleet Manager Seminar in September
- An international fleet management seminar in November
- A Trustees-only meeting in November
- Expert strategic planning consultancy retained for October and November meetings
The restoration of our reserve funds allows us to enter 2012 with a full head of steam so we can tackle many critical strategic issues that will ensure NAFA’s continue relevance and success. For instance, the 2012 budget, which was approved by the Board of Governors last month, includes funding for:
- A comprehensive media and communications blitz to educate and spread the word about the importance and value of having a professional fleet manager in place. This plan has received rave reviews from the entire Board of Governors, as well as NAFA’s Corporate Fleet Advisory Council, who touted it as "Amazingly awesome!"
- Eleven new I&E registration categories, with prices as low as $109 (not including the Expo-Only which is free to fleet managers), to accommodate every possible budget.
- Creation of a new membership category for managers of small (less than 25 vehicles) fleets.
- Wider and deeper marketing, especially in the social media areas, to increase membership.
- Creation of a fleet organization certification program, similar to the ISO 9000 programs.
- More in-person and online learning opportunities.
- New promotional and marketing opportunities for our Affiliates.
- Expert-led strategic planning sessions to allow us to continue our progress when the Board of Governors meets face-to-face.
- NAFA’s first-ever International Vice President to lead the way in developing a plan for the association in areas outside of the US and Canada.
- Professional grant writers to help NAFA obtain federal and state funds for its educational efforts.
- A complete re-design of the FleetED website to make it more user-friendly and to add more valuable information.
Most importantly: all of the 2012 initiatives are budgeted to be accomplished without the need to tap in to NAFA’s reserve funds and without any dues or fees increase for any NAFA Member. That bears repeating: we are budgeting for a year of new and expanded services at no additional cost to Members while maintaining our "rainy day" fund.
I want to applaud my great team at NAFA Headquarters for their diligence in watching the budget with eagle eyes and using a sharp scalpel. They also deserve credit for the outstanding administration and marketing of the programs, products, and services. But none of that would have been possible if the amazing volunteer leaders of the Association – fleet managers and affiliates alike – didn’t give so much of themselves to NAFA. Thank you, everyone, for giving me and the staff great stuff to work with!
Sincerely,
NAFA Executive Director Phil Russo, CAE
   
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