Proposed Bill Allowing Charities To Temporarily Subsidize 501(c)(6)s

Legislation has been drafted that would temporarily allow 501(c)(3) charities and foundations to subsidize the operating expenses of 501(c)(6) membership organizations that have been adversely impacted by Hurricane Katrina.

Current law prohibits charitable and fundraising organizations from subsidizing any ordinary operating expenses (such as salaries, rent, etc.) of membership organizations because such activity does not qualify as part of the "charitable purpose" for which 501(c)(3) groups are organized.

The proposed legislation, which has yet to be introduced, is supported by the American Dental Association (ADA), which has state and regional chapters struggling to recover in the aftermath of Katrina. The legislation would allow assistance for operating expenses for a period of one year in order to combat the community deterioration and hasten the economic recovery in the affected communities.

To find out more about supporting this proposed legislation, please contact Michael Graham, senior congressional lobbyist for the ADA, at 202-789-5167 or e-mail him at grahamm@ada.org.

For more information on public policy issues, visit the public policy section of the ASAE Web site at http://www.asaenet.org/.

If you would like to subscribe to InRoads, the weekly public policy newsletter, or manage your InRoads account, please visit http://capwiz.com/asaeinroads/mlm/signup/.

Are You In Need of Great Ideas?

Attend The 2005—2006 Great Ideas Conference
OFFERED IN TWO GREAT LOCATIONS!
December 4-6, 2005, Orlando
February 26-28, 2006, San Diego

Orlando hotel cutoff date is November 12, 2005—Register today

Along with two outstanding General Sessions, 45+ Idea Labs and a Magical Epcot® Evening in Orlando, this year we've three new learning opportunities...

The Learning Lounge

The Learning Lounge is where all the big thinkers will hang out before and between sessions at The Great Ideas Conference. It’s a self-paced interactive museum for your mind, both your left and right brain!  Part art gallery…part museum…part laboratory…the Learning Lounge will completely engage you!

What will you find in the Lounge? 

• Listening Posts where you can don headphones and hear pre-recorded interviews about creativity and innovation with select association thought and opinion leaders;
• Innovation Theatre, a designated area where you can view a short DVD about innovation and creativity;
• Compelling Questions designed to stimulate thinking and conversation about fostering great ideas in the association community;
• Resource Central, with books, journals, card decks and more that you and your organization can use to stimulate your own great ideas; and
• Portraits of Innovation, a gallery display of innovators and innovations with accompanying descriptive text.

Lounge Lizards and Designers: Dave Coriale, DelCor Technology Solutions; Jeffrey Cufaude, Idea Architects; Barb Sido, The American Institute of Architects; and Karen Yoho, The Society of American Florists.

Creativity Room

Visit the Creativity Room and experience unconventional access to new ways of thinking.  Most grownups can still remember and appreciate what kids instinctively know—playing with lots of toys is great fun. And for adults, it offers immediate access to further our creative development—allowing for new ways of thinking to emerge and new competencies to surface. When art is added, our eagerness to be resourceful naturally expands and the wonderment of original thinking is experienced.

As an association executive attending The Great Ideas Conference, you deserve special playtime to think new thoughts and examine old ones—individually or in groups—time to experience seeing differently and thinking more imaginatively.  Come and play on your own or with a colleague.

Sample Team/Group Activities

• Be the chef at your very own Sacred Cow BBQ
  This is an opportunity to roast any and all parts of your organization that need it!
• Be an architect and "rebuild" your organization
  Use Tinker Toys™ to make new and improved connections in your organization by learning from opportunities that were missed, neglected or misunderstood.
• Create a comic strip
  Tell your story (personal or organizational) as a drama, comedy or documentary with all the super-heroes and villains you want!
• Become a Time Traveler
  Explore an archeological dig—going back to when the association was vital, examine it and ask how we might have created another future.
• Go on an adventure with Lewis & Clark
  Track important association moments observing what happened and what didn't, seeing what could and, in some cases, should have happened.
• Create your Association’s Eco-system
  Every organization has its own culture, language and way of surviving—discover what’s needed to sustain yours.

Rhea Blanken, Results Technology, Inc, is a cultural alchemist and the creator of the Creativity Room—a space that evokes unbridled imagination and energized thinking and nurtures recreational learning. She is committed to organizational and personal issues becoming opportunities for transformative actions.

Visit www.greatideasconference.org now to see the full program and register today.

Understand the New Fax and E-mail Rules

The New Fax and E-mail Rules: Everything Your Association Needs to Know
October 25, 2005, 1:00–3:00 p.m. EST
ASAE Conference Center, 1575 I Street, NW, Washington, DC (Audio and in person)
Members $95, Nonmembers $195
Register today!

The past few years have seen a flurry of changes in the law and rules governing faxes and e-mails. From the FCC's fax regulations (issued and then put on hold), to the new fax law passed by Congress this past summer (and the existing fax rules that still remain), to the CAN-SPAM Act and the FTC's complex rules implementing it, even the lawyers' heads are spinning! Things have finally stabilized and it is time to digest and understand it all.

Don't miss this critical session where our experts will update you on everything you need to know to effectively and legally communicate with your members and constituents through fax and e-mail.

Content Leaders:
James Clarke, CAE, SVP, public policy, ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership; Jeffrey Tenenbaum Esq., partner, Venable LLP

Register now!

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Are You Signed Up for the Business of Meetings program?

Through the association meetings management expertise found only at ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership, experience our advanced Business of Meetings Certificate Program and make a strategic impact on your organization. This high-level program is designed for meetings professionals with eight or more years of meetings or association management experience. You will...

Attract, Retain and Build Member Relationships

Attract, Retain and Build Member Relationships
November 3, 2005, 8:30 a.m.–3:00 p.m. EST
ASAE Conference Center, 1575 I Street, NW, Washington, DC
Members $195, Nonmembers $295

New, Exciting Ideas to Create a "Winning Brand" and Retain Your Members
Organizations approach external branding and the development of member relationships as two independent issues with two separate strategies. In reality, these issues must be integrated to build your brand identity and to communicate consistently your association's voice both internally and externally. As a result, you will deliver premium value to your members. To achieve this goal, you need results-oriented programs that drive brand loyalty to ensure your members keep coming back year after year.

In this two-part program, learn how to manage your brand to attract and retain members. It is not enough to define your brand, you must also be able to use it to redefine your organization's message and create the "experience" for your members.

Content Leaders: Larry Gulko, marketing coach and public speaker; Bruce Matza, president, Innovations in Management

Becoming a Customer Service Star
Don't just talk about providing your members better customer service—make it a reality with this dynamic workshop. Through a quick, accurate personal profile, Becoming a Customer Service Star will help you examine your attitude about customer service and suggest ways to boost your customer-service performance.

During this session, you will evaluate your customer service aptitude in five critical categories...

• Demonstrating a positive attitude toward customers;
• Encouraging customer feedback;
• Responding to customer problems;
• Developing repeat relationships; and
• Seeking to exceed customer expectations.

Ideal for personal or team development, this session can help diagnose customer-service policy problems within your organization.

Content Leader: Bruce Matza, president, Innovations in Management

Register now!

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Annual Meeting Photos Now Available for Purchase

If you smiled for the camera in Nashville or missed the meeting and want to see evidence of all the fun, then check-out www.momentshare.com. You'll see hundreds of meeting photos, ranging from the Exhibit Hall to education sessions to the entertainment and more. Once you access the site, choose "View Event Photographs."  For Event Name, enter ASAE and for the Password, enter Nashville. Take a close look for familiar faces!  

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Question of the Week on Financial Assessment

A senior staff member from an international trade association submitted this week's question.

Do you have any information on financial assessment of an association?

ASAE & THE CENTER RESOURCES
Forming a Functional Fiscal Framework: The Role of a Chart of Accounts
http://www.asaenet.org/Publications/EnewsletterArticleDetail.cfm?ItemNumber=5218

Nonprofit Audit Committees: A Toolkit
http://www.asaenet.org/GeneralDetail.cfm?ItemNumber=1793

Guiding an Association Financially
http://www.asaenet.org/Publications/EnewsletterArticleDetail.cfm?ItemNumber=2097

Get Fiscally Fit
http://www.asaenet.org/Publications/AMMagArticleDetail.cfm?ItemNumber=11445

Operating Ratio Report; 2 Volume set; 12th Edition A Revised and Expanded Edition of the Only Survey of its Kind! What association executive isn't always on the lookout for ways to evaluate and improve the bottom line? And what better way to benchmark your association against other associations of similar type, scope and size? It's the benchmarking resource you'll turn to again and again—enabling you to make decisions based on hard data about what's working, and what's not, in the world of association finance. Key features include: income, expense and balance sheet data—data organized by budget size, tax status, membership type, industry sector, geographic scope, major metropolitan area and asset holdings—a 10-year trend analysis—and extensive examination of association investments and reserves.

If you have a question or pressing issue that you would like to see addressed in the Weekly Bulletin, contact Knowledge Center/Information Central at 202-326-9559 or infocentral@asaenet.org.

To order ASAE & The Center’s publications, call the Member Service Center at 888-950-2723 or visit www.asaenet.org/bookstore.

Check Out Career Headquarters Job Preview for This Week!

Realize your professional potential in association management through www.careerhq.org—the best source of association jobs and resumes. Advertise your resume free of charge to hundreds of association employers and search CareerHQ.org’s targeted job database for the position that’s right for you. CareerHQ.org offers career development services, including job coaching, resume writing and a career knowledge database. Numerous services are free, including resume review, interviewing guidelines and a behavioral style analysis. You’ll also find helpful tips and resources to assist in your job hunt.

Member Service Representative
ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership–Washington, DC

Director of Publications
Flight Safety Foundation–Alexandria, VA

Development Director
ONS Foundation–Pittsburgh, PA

Executive Director
Campbell & Company–Beverly, MA

Vice President, Communications and Marketing
Medical Group Management Association–Denver, CO

Career Headquarters is powered by Boxwood Technology.

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Register for Upcoming Events Offered by CenterU--Your Gateway to Excellence in Association Learning

CEO Symposium for the Philanthropic Sector
October 17–18, 2005
Baltimore, MD

The New Fax and E-mail Rules: Everything Your Association Needs to Know
October 25, 2005
Audio and in person

Attract, Retain and Build Member Relationships
November 3, 2005
Washington, DC

Business of Meetings Certificate Program
November 7–8, 2005 and November 9–10, 2005 in Washington, DC
March 28–29, 2006 in Chicago, IL  and March 30–31, 2006 in Chicago, IL

CAE Review
November 4, 2005
Washington, DC

2005-2006 Nation's Capital Distinguished Speakers Series
November 7, 2005–June 19, 2006
Washington, DC

Emerging Leaders Forum
November 8, 2005
Washington, DC

The 30-Second Sales Opportunity
November 17, 2005
OnlineU Virtual seminar

The Great Ideas Conference
December 4–6, 2005 and February 26–28, 2006
Orlando, FL and San Diego, CA

Exceptional Boards: Strengthening the Governance Team
December 5–6, 2005
Orlando, FL

Managing Multiple Priorities
December 7, 2005
OnlineU Virtual seminar

Hotel Operations Program: Hyatt Regency Albuquerque
December 15–17, 2005
Albuquerque, NM

For a full listing of upcoming programs click here.

Concerned about delivery rates of your e-marketing campaigns? Are you losing touch with members?

Delivery is job one with MagnetMail, the ASAE Sponsored e-Marketing Program that powers ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership. Find out how you can increase your throughput rates and connect more effectively with your organization. Call MagnetMail at 877-488-2666, or visit us on the Web at www.realmagnet.com/commpartners. To request additional information, complete our online form.